The past three weeks have been a real headache for Tom McCartin. And not just because he and his brother have been recovering from a bout of concussion in Round 4.
Tom has been stranded on 99 AFL games and has had to wait 21 long days to become the Swans 140th 100-game player.
And while talk of such frustration is an entirely irrelevant sidebar in comparison to the ongoing health battles of brother Paddy, who is still yet to return, it is a timeline rare in club history.
McCartin, who will post his 100th game at the SCG on Saturday in Sydney derby #25 against the GWS Giants, has been made to wait longer than all but four Swans centurions to go from 99 games to 100.
Of the 139 members of Swans 100-Club 131 reached triple figures in the game immediately after their 99th game. And only four waited longer than McCartin.
George Hewett, now with Carlton, is the big exception. He watched 10 games between his 99th game in Round 7 of the 2020 Covid season and his 100th game in Round 1, 2021.
Current co-captain Dane Rampe watched seven games in 2017 while Vic Castles, a member of the 1945 grand final side, waited five games to play his 100th and final game in 1947. Steve Hoffman was three games in 1975 and Brad Seymour, like McCartin, was two games in 2000. Reg Gleeson (1974), Bernie Evans (1983) and Rhyce Shaw (2013) watched one game stuck on 99 games.
The sad thing for Tom is that Paddy will not be playing alongside him in game #100, but together with with parents Matt and Jo, and brother Charlie, he will form a special family cheersquad to mark the milestone.
Drafted as a key forward from the Geelong Falcons at #33 in the 2017 National Draft, Tom McCartin was born 30 December 1999 – two days short of being pushed into the 2018 talent pool.
He will be 23 years and 120 days old tomorrow and the Swans’ 10th-youngest 100-game player.
Mark Bayes, 22 years 170 days old when he reached 100 in 1989, is the club’s youngest 100-gamer ahead of Michael O’Loughlin (22/190), Dan Hannebery (22/202), Jason Saddington (22/228), Luke Parker (22/287), Bob Pratt (22/309), Tony Morwood (22/322), Isaac Heeney (23/97) and Anthony Daniher (23/109).
And, but for the shortened Covid season of 2020, McCartin could have been further up that list.
Statistically, 100-gamers are rare in the AFL. Especially in the Swans camp. While McCartin will be the 2409th AFL player to 100 games – 18.4% of 13,056 players all-time – only 9.69% of Swans players have reached this mark.
He will be just the third Swans player to play 100 games in jumper #30 behind Mark Bayes (246) and Lewis Roberts-Thomson (179), and the sixth player from the 2017 draft to 100 games behind Melbourne’s Bayley Fritsch (114), West Coast’s Tim Kelly (108), Collingwood’s Brody Mihocek (108), Western Bulldogs’ Aaron Naughton (106), Brisbane’s Zac Bailey (100) and Carlton’s Adam Cerra (100).
Only Mihocek, rookie pick #22, and Fritsch, pick #31, were drafted after McCartin, with Cerra at #5, Naughton #9, Bailey #15 and Kelly #24.
McCartin is unbeaten against North Melbourne (6-0), West Coast (4-0) and Adelaide (3-0), has enjoyed a win over every club except Port Adelaide (0-6), and is 5-5 in the Sydney derby.
He has had at least one win at each of 13 AFL grounds where he’s played, with a best record of 25-16 at the SCG, 9-6 at Marvel Stadium and 7-5 at the MCG.
Since Paddy McCartin joined the Swans last year the brothers had played 28 of a possible 29 games together before they were injured in Round 4 for a 20-8 record.
Tom McCartin polled his only two Brownlow Medal votes in a 51-point win over St Kilda in Round 15 at the SCG last year, holding Max King goalless.
Swans 100-Gamers by Statistics
MOST POSSESSIONS
Greg Williams, who shared the Brownlow Medal with Hawthorn’s Robert Dipierdomenico in his first season with the Swans in 1986, is far and away the highest 100-game possession-winner with the club. He had 2864 to lead Josh Kennedy (2446), Norm Goss (2378), Barry Mitchell (2287), Peter Bedford (2258), Dan Hannebery (2205), Jake Lloyd (2200), Daryn Cresswell (2117,) Luke Parker (2095) and Rick Quade (1947).
MOST GOALS
The legendary Bob Pratt streets the field for most goals at 100 games with 458, including 109 in his third season and 150 in in his fourth season, by which time he still had only played 89 games. Ted Johnson (321), Lance Franklin (315), Barry Hall (307), Len Mortimer (204), Tony Morwood (190), Austin Robertson (184), Bob Skilton (182), Peter Bedford (172) and Brian McGowan (152) make up the top 10.
MOST BROWNLOW VOTES
Lance Franklin averaged almost a vote a game in his first 100 games in red and white, which included nine finals in which votes were not awarded. He polled 89 votes in 91 games. Bob Skilton ranked second, although a precise vote number is not possible because game-by-game votes were not available during his career. He polled 72 votes in 96 games from 1956-1960, and 13 votes in 16 games in 1961.
Greg Williams (62) and Graham Teasdale (60) are next, followed by Jack Graham, who polled 48 votes in 86 games and 13 votes in 17 games the following year. Similarly, Ron Clegg had 55 votes in 97 games before 20 votes in 17 games the next year, and Herbie Matthews had 50 votes in 96 games and polled 13 votes in his next 16 games. Fred Goldsmith (51), Bill Gunn (51), Peter Bedford (51) and Barry Hall (51) also topped 50.
MOST WINS
John Austin, a member of the Swans’ 1933 premiership side before playing in grand final losses in 1934, ’35 and ‘36, enjoyed most wins in his first 100 games at 73. Lance Franklin (72) and Jake Lloyd (71), head the rest from Dane Rampe (69), Sam Reid (69), Mark Tandy (69), Arthur Hiskins (69), Jim Caldwell (68), Joe Prince (68), Bob Pratt (68) and Harry Cunningham (68).
GAMES MISSED
Jared Crouch and Josh Kennedy played 100 games for the Swans without missing a game to head 11 players who did so with three or less – Vic Belcher, Joe Scanlan, Craig Bolton and Marty Mattner (1), Darren Jolly (2), Stuart Maxfield, Jason Saddington, Adam Goodes and Jake Lloyd (3).
IMPORTS
Only 18 of the Swans 130 members of the 100 Club began their AFL career at another club. They were Joe Prince, Graham Teasdale, Barry Round, Francis Jackson, Rod Carter, Bernard Toohey, Greg Williams, Stuart Maxfield, Paul Williams, Barry Hall, Craig Bolton, Ted Richards, Marty Mattner, Rhyce Shaw, Josh Kennedy, Ben McGlynn and Lance Franklin.
