Catch up on all the Sydney Swans news from over the Easter break in Swans in the media.
Rejuvenated Swans far from being a spent force
Adrian Warren
AAP, Daily Telegraph, March 29
SYDNEY’S rejuvenation revolution is well under way, as the Swans strive to continue their knack of being able to defy the laws of AFL gravity.
Losing five players with almost 1000 games of experience from last season prompted many observers to suggest the Swans were finally going to bottom out and start plummeting in the ladder. This is a club that has made the finals the last six years, 12 of the last 13 and 17 of the past 20.
In all that time, Sydney have never missed out on the playoffs in successive years.
Small man stands tall for the Swans
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 28
WHEN it comes to the AFL draft, small men finish last.
Tom Papley learned that the hard way, but the 177cm livewire forward looked like a seasoned veteran during his stunning three-goal debut in the Sydney Swans’ 80-point hammering of Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday night.
The teenager has overcome plenty of rejection from recruiters and a dose of small-man phobia along the way.
Sydney’s list manager Kinnear Beatson said the little blokes usually have to work harder to earn a spot on an AFL list and that Papley was no exception.
“Tom is a classic example of the phobia some recruiting staff have with small players,” Beatson told The Daily Telegraph. “There’s no doubt the small guys have to do it a bit harder than the tall guys.”
Swans spoilt for choice after rookies’ red-hot start
Andrew Wu
SMH, March 28
Lance Franklin’s successful return was not the only major bonus for Sydney, who suddenly have an embarrassment of riches after encouraging performances from their three debutants.
The Swans’ rout of Collingwood came with five first-choice players sitting in the stands, all of whom apart from Gary Rohan are set to return in the next month.
Ted Richards is expected to push hard for a senior recall this week after playing in the reserves against the Giants. Ben McGlynn also played but after a limited pre-season and an injuryinterrupted 2015 may need more match practice before he is in the frame. With Jarrad McVeigh and Sam Reid nearing returns, competition for places in the 22 will be fierce. The Swans fielded 11 players with fewer than 50 games’ experience against the Magpies but still won by 80 points.
Swans dine out on humbled pies
Neil Cordy
Sunday Telegraph, March 27
A NIGHTMARE week has turned into a horror show for Collingwood Football Club.
After enormous question marks were raised about their off-field behaviour with revelations of alleged illicit drug use, their on-field situation looked even worse.
The 80-point flogging at the hands of the Sydney Swans was just the start of the woes for the Pies, who look to have lost star midfielder Dane Swan for 8-10 weeks with an foot/ankle injury and have Steele Sidebottom on report for a bump to Dan Hannebery’s head.
Young Bloods offer a reason for optimism
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 27
THE Sydney Swans were tipped by many pundits to miss the finals this year but after their 80 point demolition job of Collingwood last night there will be plenty of reviews of those premature assessments.
Lance Franklin’s four goals in his return to football gave enormous encouragement for the year ahead but it was the successful injection of youth which has John Longmire excited about the season ahead. Three goal hero Tom Papley, Academy gun Callum Mills and slick midfielder George Hewett all produced performances at the SCG belying their youth and inexperience. “They were really good,” Longmire said afterwards.
“Particularly early when the pressure was enormous as it usually is in round one. When the whips were cracking the kids were pretty good.” Not since the great Paul Kelly made his debut in round one 1990 have the Swans played three or more first game players in the same match.
Devastating Swans win in the post-Goodes era
David Sygall
SMH, March 27
The Swans' blueprint to remain a competition power in the post-Adam Goodes era has been devastatingly laid out in an extraordinary 80-point defeat of a shell-shocked Collingwood.
Sporting 11 players with under 50 games' experience, including three debutants, and missing injured regular starters Jarrad McVeigh, Sam Reid and Ted Richards, Sydney began with a stirring goal inside the first 40 seconds to Lance Franklin and never looked back.
The champion forward headed the Swans' charge in an unforgettable celebration of his return after mental health issues forced him to stand down from the team late last season.
In a match scheduled to have been played at ANZ Stadium until the club's deal with the ground was ended a year early, Sydney returned 'home' for their 350th match at the SCG and put the cleaners through one of the form teams of the pre-season challenge in front of 33,857 fans.
I'm glad I shared my mental health struggle, says Buddy Franklin
Sam Lane
SMH, The Age, March 27
The AFL's biggest star, Lance Franklin, has described how sharing his mental health battles has instilled in him a genuine sense of self-esteem.
Scrutinised as much as any athlete in Australia, the 29-year-old Sydney forward says going public about his condition is the best decision he has ever made.
Eddie McGuire's 'Adam Goodes medal' idea shunned by the Sydney Swans
Sam Lane
SMH, The Age, March 27
Eddie McGuire's proposal to award an Adam Goodes medal at a new, mid-season blockbuster between Collingwood and Sydney has been scuppered.
Fairfax Media has learned Sydney are striking a medal named to honour Goodes, but will award it at the club's annual Marngrook game from later this year.
The prize for best afield in the themed game respecting the indigenous heritage of Australian rules football - to be played between Sydney and North Melbourne in round 10 - will be named the Goodes-O'Loughlin medal.
Goals a bonus in Lance Franklin's Sydney Swans return against Collingwood
David Sygall
SMH, March 27
Lance Franklin kicked four first-half goals which put Sydney in the box seat for a big win over Collingwood, but it was his leadership and two-way running that impressed coach John Longmire the most.
In his return match after standing down late last season to deal with health issues, Franklin was outstanding, working well with debutant small forward Tom Papley, who kicked three goals.
There was concern when Franklin went into the change rooms in the first term after getting a knock in a contest, but he returned to play important roles.
"He was able to come back on and play pretty well after that," Longmire said. "He's fit. He's covering the ground really well. He was terrific with our younger kids in the front half tonight. Whether it was him hitting the scoreboard, or him giving it off, or him chasing … or steering the other kids around, I thought he was terrific."
Longmire praised the performances of Papley, Callum Mills and George Hewett.
"Our younger kids have been playing their role when they've got an opportunity and been playing pretty well over the past couple of years," he said.
Buddy Franklin stars as the Swans crush the Magpies
AAP, The Australian, March 26
Lance “Buddy” Franklin has made a triumphant return to the AFL as Sydney monstered Collingwood by 80 points in a horror start to the Pies’ season.
Franklin finished with four goals and the Swans piled on 10 straight goals between the first and third quarters on their way to a 18.25 (133) to 7.11 (53) win on Saturday at the SCG.
New Swan Papley focuses on tackles, not goals
AAP, The Australian, March 26
New Sydney goalsneak Tom Papley is more concerned about tallying tackles than goals after capping an extraordinary rise with an eye-catching AFL debut.
The 19-year-old apprentice plumber may not have to worry about pursuing that trade based on his performance against Collingwood on Saturday night.
Overlooked in the 2015 national draft, Papley was picked in the rookie draft and elevated to the senior list just two days before Saturday’s 80-point thrashing of the Magpies in the Swans’ season opener.
He kicked 3.1, notched five marks and the same number of tackles.
Listed at 177cm and 71kg, small forward Papley showed good crumbing instincts, but insists the defensive side of game is more important.
“That’s what I work on the most,” Papley said. “If I’m going to play in this side, it’s what I’m going to play for, not to kick goals, just defensive pressure.”
The resident Kennedys
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 26
THE Kennedy name is already legendary in the AFL and by the time the Swans’ Josh Kennedy finishes up, it could be elevated to even loftier heights.
The season opener against Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday will see Josh and his father John Jnr chalk up a combined 400 AFL games (Josh 159, John Jnr 241). They will become the 19th father/son pair to reach the mark.
The previous Kennedy generation claimed the feat as well when Hall of Fame coach and player John Kennedy Snr achieved the mark in combination with John Jnr.
Following in the footsteps of such revered figures in the game would have been an enormous challenge for anybody but Josh Kennedy has handled the weight of expectation, to put together a body of work few in the competition can compare with.
Since leaving Hawthorn at the end of 2009, Kennedy has never finished outside the top three in the Bob Skilton Medal — winning it in 2012 and 2015.
Boldly blooding the kids
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 26
STATISTICALLY, winning an AFL fixture with multiple debutants is hard work, and the Sydney Swans are heading into dangerous waters naming three for tonight’s season opener against Collingwood at the SCG.
First gamers Callum Mills, Tom Papley and George Hewett could be different, but history tells us the more firstgame players playing on a given day, the less the chances are of victory.
When the GWS Giants were being planned in 2010 a study found that with each novice named in the team, the chances of victory declined.
With just one first-year player in the team the chances of victory drop below 50 per cent, with two they fall to 40 per cent and so on.
Last year the benchmark of the competition Hawthorn played only two debutants (James Sicily and Daniel Howe) all season and the Swans played four (Isaac Heeney, Daniel Robinson, Toby Nankervis and James Rose). Sydney have three in one game tonight and had defender Zak Jones not come up after a sore knee, they may have had four with rookie Nic Newman in line for selection.
Buddy Franklin’s big value: Lance’s $11m return for Sydney Swans bottom line
Nick Tabakoff
Daily Telegraph, March 26
IT was the biggest contract in AFL history — $10 million for one player.
The Sydney Swans’ now-famous eight-figure deal — which started in 2014 and lured Lance “Buddy” Franklin from Hawthorn to the Harbour City — was openly derided in AFL circles, and condemned by one rival club boss as an “extraordinary risk”.
But as the Swans’ 2016 AFL campaign kicks off tonight at the SCG against Collingwood, $10m for Franklin is looking like a bargain. Two years into his nine-year deal, the “Buddy factor” has already more than paid back the Swans’ outlay.
My mail is that Franklin has so far added $11m to the Swans’ bottom line in memberships, corporate investment (including sponsorships), game attendance and merchandising.
And marketing experts say the rapid return on the Swans’ seemingly huge investment comes from Franklin’s X-factor. They argue the Buddy factor transcends all levels of society and fans of all football codes — and even those who don’t normally watch sport.
Sydney Swans coach John Longmire, GWS Giants rival Leon Cameron in AFL hot seat
David Sygall
SMH, March 26
JOHN LONGMIRE, HEAD COACH SYDNEY SWANS
Do you feel the Swans are well prepared for the amount of experience that departed last year?
"We are. There's always a new generation of players coming through. We've averaged nine or so a year since I've been coach. But it stands out when you lose so many games' worth of experience like we did last year, in particular Goodesy [Adam Goodes].
[List manager] Kinnear Beatson continually tries to plan. We knew that [Rhyce] Shaw, [Mike] Pyke and Goodes were all going to retire and we've been working on those replacements for a number of years. Jetta was a bit different, we were hopeful of keeping him. But you don't just work from year to year. Zak Jones has been here for a few years [to fill in for Shaw]. One of the reasons we got Lance was because we knew Goodesy was going to retire at some point. Same with [Kurt] Tippett and Pykey – you work on those changes over years.
AFL 2016: Feud for thought: Eddie v Swans
Sam Lane
The Age, March 26
In the left corner, Eddie McGuire. In the right, Andrew Pridham.
"For me, it's a bit like a title fight where you really don't care who wins, you just find it entertaining to watch."
So observed one long-time AFL boss this week, on the subject of footy's greatest modern frenemies: the president of Collingwood and chairman of Sydney.
Happy Buddy a man on a mission, say senior Swans
Andrew Wu
SMH, March 26
The Sydney spearhead appears set for a massive year, writes Andrew Wu.
Lance Franklin’s teammates say they have noticed a marked change in the champion forward’s well-being, describing him as a ‘‘man on a mission’’ in season 2016. After missing last year’s finals to deal with a mental health issue, Franklin will make his eagerly anticipated return against Collingwood on Saturday night. While many would be content just to see him happy and back playing, the gusto with which Franklin has attacked the preseason is fuelling excitement for what he can deliver on the field.
Senior Swans believe they are seeing a much happier Franklin compared to last year when the seriousness of his off-field struggles was not yet known.
‘‘He seems so much more comfortable around the place, a lot more happy, ready to train and ready to go,’’ captain Jarrad McVeigh said.
From joker to serious leader
Richard Hinds
Daily Telegraph, March 25
THE thing you have to remember about Dan Hannebery, his coach John Longmire reminds you, is that when he played his first game for the Swans in 2009 he was an 18 year-old schoolboy commuting between the SCG and his Melbourne school.
“But even back then he was really valuable for our group because of the way he goes about it,’’ says Longmire. “The way he bounces around the place, he’s upbeat and he’s always talking.’’
On and off the field, Hannebery has always been lively, friendly, bubbly and perhaps even a bit mischievous. He was close to the best player on the field in the Swans’ 2012 premiership and, according to the votes of the 18 AFL coaches, the best player in the competition last season.
But Hannebery admits he did not until recently possess the one quality valued above all others at the Swans. He wasn’t a leader.
“It’s good to be liked, but as well as that you want to be respected,’’ says the now 25 year-old of the balance he has worked to achieve over the past few seasons.
The future is now
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 25
THE Sydney Swans have named three debutants — the most players the club has blooded in a match in 26 years — for tomorrow night’s blockbusting season-opener against Collingwood at the SCG.
Callum Mills, George Hewett and Tom Papley will play their first games for the red and whites in a changing of the guard for John Longmire’s men.
It will be the first time the Swans have played three debutants or more in a game since round one, 1990, when Paul Kelly, Brad Tunbridge, Shane Fell and Jim West made their starts.
The Swans lost almost 1000 games’ experience in the off season with the retirements of Adam Goodes, Rhyce Shaw and Mike Pyke, and the departures of Lewis Jetta (West Coast) and Craig Bird (Essendon).
There was little surprise at the inclusion of Mills, who has been earmarked for great things throughout his years at the Swans Academy. When taken with pick three in the national draft last November, Mills became the first Sydney local to be taken in the top 10 since Jarrad McVeigh was fifth overall in the 2002 lottery.
“Jarrad has been my mentor over the off season,” Mills said. “He’s been very good offering me advice but he keeps it very simple and brings it back to basics. I also take bits of advice from Rhyce Shaw who was a great player.”
Teen’s debut certainly no run of the mill footy moment
David Sygall
SMH, March 25
For some, the pathway seems to have ‘‘destiny’’ written all over it.
First-class cricketer-turned-hockey-legend Ric Charlesworth played cricket as a child behind his dad’s dentist surgery at the WACA Ground with Wes Hall and Gary Sobers. Shaun Marsh had elite sport infused into him during years of loitering around the Australian cricket team when his father was a member.
For Callum Mills, the story is similar, and no less wondrous.
The talented teenager from northern Sydney will make his AFL debut for the Swans at a heaving SCG on Saturday night against powerhouse Collingwood. It is dangerous to predict the future, especially in the world of professional sport, but those on hand might dare to imagine they are witnessing the start of a great AFL career just a few months after Adam Goodes retired.
The Swans grabbed Mills with the third selection at the 2015 national draft, making him the highest pick in history from metropolitan Sydney. It was an outstanding achievement for a kid who had grown up playing rugby union for the Warringah Rats.
