Sam Reid back for the Sydney’s JLT match against GWS Giants

After missing all but one game last season, premiership-winning forward Sam Reid is back for the Sydney Swans in their trial hit-out against GWS. Check out the Swans and Giants teams.

Sam Reid is back for the Swans. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Dormant force Sam Reid will be reactivated on Saturday night when the premiership-winning Sydney forward pulls on a Swans shirt for the first time in nearly 11 months.

Reid has been named in the Swans’ side to take on GWS in their JLT Series trial match at Blacktown when the cross-town ­rivals collectively bring back a number of stars.

AFLX representatives Phil Davis, Callan Ward, Lachie Whitfield and Stephen Coniglio will all return for the Giants and the Swans are welcoming back superstars Isaac Heeney, Luke Parker, Josh Kennedy and Aliir Aliir.

But there is no more significant return than that of Reid, the 27-year-old match-changer who was sidelined for virtually all of last season, managing just one match in round three against the Giants.

A quad problem for Reid eventually snowballed into surgery on his achilles last year, putting a severe dint in Sydney’s premiership ambitions.

But it’s understood Reid has hugely impressed Swans staff during the off-season and to have him fit and firing for the opening trial is a huge boost.

“He’s been going along quite well,” Longmire said.

Sam Reid is returning after a tough time with injury. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“He was just a bit tight last week from a session and missed last week, so we didn’t want to push him (in a cross-club practice against the Giants).

“He and Lewis Melican hardly played at all last year and Callum Mills played nine games, so to get those guys back in the swing of things and have them ready and available for the early pre-season games is important.

“They’re very smart players. Sam in particular gives us some real structure up front.

“It’s not just about (Reid) hitting the scoreboard. It’s about the structure and what he allows other players to do in our team.

“He’s able to give us that real target when we’re coming out of defence. And that’s so important.

“He’s a very good contested mark. He gets across the ground really well. It gives us that outlet kick which we were probably missing a bit last year.”

The Giants have named Brett Deledio. Picture: Brett Costello

The Giants have been similarly boosted by the fact power trio Heath Shaw, Jeremy Cameron and Brett Deledio will all see game time against the Swans after ­missing significant chunks of last season with injury.

Longmire said veteran Jarrad McVeigh and Zak Jones would likely return for Sydney’s second JLT Cup but would be held back this week.

The Swans beat the Giants in a low-key hit-out last week, also at Blacktown, and Longmire said this week was about raising the ­intensity.

“It’s good to be able to keep lifting the tempo and the competitiveness of the team against genuine opposition,” he said.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY V SYDNEY

Saturday, March 2 at Blacktown, 7.10pm AEDT

GIANTS

B: M.Buntine 21, S.Taylor 15, H.Perryman 36

HB: H.Shaw 23, J.Finlayson 31, L.Keeffe 25

C: S.Reid 50, C.Ward 8, M.de Boer 24

HF: H.Himmelberg 27, J.Cameron 18, A.Bonar 10

F: J.Caldwell 5, M.Flynn 30, D.Lloyd 38

Foll: D.Simpson 26, S.Coniglio 3, L.Whitfield 6

I/C: P.Davis 1, J.Hately 9, I.Cumming 13, B.Deledio 7, Z.Williams 29, A.Kennedy 40, B.Daniels 16, T.Taranto 14,

Emerg: J.Stein 42, Z.Sproule 28, N.Shipley 34, C.Idun 39

SWANS

B: D.Rampe 24, L.Melican 43, A.Aliir 36

HB: J.Thurlow 6, H.Grundy 39, J.Lloyd 44

C: H.Cunningham 7, J.Kennedy 12, J.Dawson 34

HF: L.Parker 26, S.Reid 20, G.Hewett 29

F: B.Ronke 25, W.Hayward 9, T.Papley 11

Foll: C.Sinclair 18, I.Heeney 5, C.Mills 14

I/C: C.O’Riordan 38, R.Fox 42, T.Pink 47, R.Clarke 4, J.Rowbottom 8, N.Blakey 22, O.Florent 13, J.McInerney 27

Emerg: J.Rose 1, R.Stoddart 33, J.Bell 32, S.Wicks 45