Chiltern's Rhys Ritchie kicks a late point to sink Kiewa-Sandy Creek by narrowest of margins

In a clash between the two premiership fancies, the Swans got out to a nine point lead with less than 10-minutes remaining after Kyle Magee kicked his side's only goal for the term.

The Hawks got the quick reply and squandered several other opportunities to draw within one-point at the 22-minute mark as they mounted a spirited comeback.

Prized recruit Connor Newnham had the chance to put the Hawks in front after taking a strong contested mark.

But his set shot from 35m out narrowly missed to level the scores and leaving the door ajar for the Swans.

The Swans were then able to muster one last attacking foray with Ritchie's point enough for the visitors to prevail by the narrowest of margins in the match of the season so far.

Their 9.14 (68) to 10.7 (67) heartstopper was enough for the Swans to leapfrog the Hawks on top of the ladder and now have a stranglehold on the minor premiership.

Swans coach Luke Brookes was ecstatic to be able beat the Hawks on their home ground which is traditionally Mission Impossible for visiting sides.

"It's no secret that Kiewa are the benchmark of the league and rarely lose at home," Brookes said.

"We are not getting ahead of ourselves and we didn't win the premiership cup today and realise we still have got a long way to go.

"Yes, it was a step in the right direction - for sure.

"These are the sort of matches that you want to be involved in compared to beating sides by 15 to 20 goals some weeks.

"This is what footy is about - these tough wins away from home which are gutsy and character building."

The Hawks swung a selection surprise after Newnham returned to the side for the first time since round six.

Despite missing a large chunk of the season, Newnham was lively early, booting a couple of majors as the Hawks slammed on the opening four goals of the match.

The home side opened up a handy 24-point buffer with Dillon Blaszczyk, Josh Hicks and Cameron Evans causing plenty of headaches for the Swans.

The Swans kicked two late goals including one to spearhead Mark Doolan who finished as the most damaging forward on the ground with five goals.

Similar to Newnham, Doolan only returned to the side last week for the first time since round four.

The Swans have taken a cautious approach with Doolan who underlined his class after taking several strong contested marks.

The classy finisher rarely misses and will have a big say in whether the Swans can win their maiden flag in the competition.

Brookes said the return of Doolan couldn't be underestimated.

"He's a class player isn't he?," Brookes said.

"The opposition has to put a good defender on him and he is a leader that has the utmost respect from the group.

"He grabbed the group at quarter-time and had a chat with them and when 'Dool's' speaks, everybody listens.

"There's an old saying that class is permanent and that certainly applies to 'Dool's'.

The match was played with a finals-like intensity as the pressure applied by both sides went up several notches.

ALSO IN SPORT

Big Swan Scott Meyer dominated the hit-outs and enhanced his Barton medal prospects with another best-on-ground display.

He received plenty of support from siblings Nick and Tom Bracher with the latter damaging with his pinpoint passing.

Brookes revealed Meyer was a doubtful starter earlier in the week.

"Big Scotty sent me a message on Monday that he was unlikely to play," Brookes said.

"So to be able to perform like he did today is a credit to him."

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