On the Mark is a weekly series diving into what makes our players tick. Stay tuned for all the latest interviews and AFL news.

Braeden Campbell is one of many QBE Sydney Swans Academy success stories. At just 22 the exciting midfielder will play his 50th game this weekend when the Sydney Swans take on Collingwood at the MCG.

But on the eve of his first milestone match, the work ethic it required is not lost on the young gun. Campbell was introduced to AFL from a young age, but it wasn’t until he was 12 years old that he understood the dedication needed to play at a higher level.

“I learnt that if you don’t put in the work you’ll probably miss out,” he told Sydney Swans Media for On the Mark. “I ended up missing out on a few teams.”

“It was always my dream to play AFL, but I always felt I wasn’t that good and that I wouldn’t make it.” 

Hailing from Pennant Hills Football Club, Campbell credits his father Wade Campbell for showing him a pathway to professional sport.

At 15 the midfielder saw a shift in his football. Alongside close friend and teammate Errol Gulden the pair were selected in the NSW team and subsequently the Australian team.

That was the turning point for both of us.

“My Dad was the one who showed me the path of AFL when I was only young and when I got to 15 it was up to me to drive those standards,” he added.

Campbell was taken with pick five of the 2020 AFL Draft, a night he says is one of his most defining so far. Such is his speed and killer left kick, he played his first game in the red and white the following year in Round 1.

By the numbers
Campbell reaches 50 games in #16

Nowadays he aspires to reach a work rate like his own sports hero, Rafael Nadal, including his own pre-game superstitions.

“The reason he still playing at his age at the moment comes down to how hard he has worked and it’s something I strive to do in my own career,” the 22-year-old said of the tennis great.

“A few people may already know but I put on my left boot before right, and I tie up the left lace before the right lace.”

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