The 23-year-old, who earned his first All-Australian selection last season, struggled to have his regular impact in the opening games of the year, before finding his touch between rounds six and 12, where he averaged over 32 possessions per game.
Unfortunately for Hannebery, injury struck during his purple patch of form, with the midfielder suffering an ankle syndesmosis injury, which sidelined him for six weeks.
Upon his return to the field in round 20, Hannebery slowly gained momentum and was at his best in the Sydney Swans qualifying final win over Fremantle at ANZ Stadium, where he picked up 27 possessions, 14 which were contested, six tackles and one goal.
Speaking to SwansTV about his 2014 season, Hannebery said he would be looking for more continuity on-field next year.
It’s been a tough couple of days around the club. How are the boys feeling and what are some of your thoughts about the Grand Final?
It was obviously really disappointing on Saturday and we’ve just been trying to pick up the pieces and try to work out why we didn’t play like we wanted to play. It was just a really disappointing day and we probably only had three or four players who were okay and you can’t win many games of footy, let alone a Grand Final, if you don’t have 22 different contributors on the day.
Looking back, how did you rate your own season in 2014?
It was okay, but I started off pretty slowly and then I got injured and missed a few games there. I thought I played some reasonable footy for a patch, but looking back it would have been nice to get some continuity, but injuries are a fact of footy. I felt like I got some solid form towards the end of the year and got going again, but I’m still pretty frustrated about the Grand Final and it’s still pretty raw.
If you look at the year as a whole, there were many positives, one being the rise of a handful of younger players. Who are some of the players who stood out for you?
It would have to be Luke Parker. He’s clearly had an amazing year and he’s been really consistent for such a young player. I thought Harry Cunningham’s year was exceptional, and Jake Lloyd as well. He’s a bit older now, but I thought Dane Rampe’s year was good as well. Clearly we’re doing the right thing with the development of our younger guys and they’re coming in and playing really important roles for us and are playing good footy consistently.
Most of the players you mentioned are midfielders. It must be a good feeling to know the club has so much depth in that area?
Obviously we’ve been able add to that midfield mix this year, which has been pleasing. We’ve added in guys who we can throw in there which is a good thing for the footy team. We need those guys to have strong pre-seasons, and try and come back and get better. Hopefully we can get another two or three young guys, whether they be young players or players we draft to come in and start putting pressure on the team so we can continue to get better. We’re certainly going to be looking for another midfield lift next year.
The season has come to an end. Do you have any plans to head away during the off-season?
I’ve got a wedding in Bali, so I’ll go there for a week and then I’m off to Europe for about two-and-a-half weeks, and after that I’ll just be floating around Sydney for the last couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to getting away and having a break.
