AFL: Tamworth Swans defeat New England Nomads in Armidale

The Swans have compiled a list of several jaw-dropping matches in 2022, including a last-minute victory over cross-town rivals the Kangaroos in round 10 and a gritty 11-point triumph against the Inverell Saints two weeks later.

But the Nomads were the last team to beat the Swans.

And, on return to the site of their last loss, the men in red were determined to make amends.

"We were caught with our pants down last time," Kelly said.

"We learned from that, we learned how they play, and modeled our training this week on how we're going to play the game to beat them."

The heavy rain late last week did, however, threaten to throw a spanner in the works.

The moisture made the Swans' usual fast moving, handball-heavy game plan more difficult to carry out. But on the spacious Bellevue Oval, they had plenty of room to work with and switched to a slower-paced and more deliberate style of play.

"The conditions didn't suit our style of footy," Kelly said.

"It was pretty wet, there was a lot of water on the ground. In the first quarter, we wanted to move the ball around a bit. But in the wet, you don't want to handle the ball as much.

"We slowed the game down a bit, and it worked well for us."

It did indeed, as Tamworth battled to a 70-37 win over the Nomads.

It was, Kelly said, "our best win for the year" over a team he considers one of the toughest in the competition.

"We've always thought they're the hardest team to play against," he said.

"It was tough going, Armidale stick it to you. I thought we fought it out really well."

The win reaffirms the Swans' position on top of the ladder and all but guarantees that they will be minor premiers with two rounds of competition left to play.

It also snapped the five-match winning streak Armidale had compiled, which included wins over the likes of Inverell, the Kangaroos, and the Swans.

"[The victory] was a really good buildup for us," Kelly said.

"We're going into next week really confident, and we get a few more players back next week. Our destiny is in our hands now."

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