We all know that footballers benefit from having great skills and talent, but it’s also about having smarts. Most new recruits, as you’d expect, arrive at the Club with limited knowledge of the requirements needed to become a successful AFL footballer. Along with educating them about overall professionalism, we immediately begin teaching the principles of an accountable football team - the ability to beat your direct opponent and win possession yourself.
In preparing Gary Rohan, Campbell Heath and Lewis Jetta - all guys who’ve recently debuted for us - we’ve tried to keep our approach pretty simple. In an effort to “play for the team” players can become too defensive-minded and as a result detract from their own natural game and flair. So that’s the balance. We encourage them to play to their strengths, because that’s what we need them to do. We recruited players like Lewis, Campbell, Gary and Dan Hannebery because they all bring something special to the Swans - a combination of speed, skill, smarts and competitiveness.
Lewis played a full season of senior football in the WAFL last year, so we expected his transition to be somewhat easier compared to the younger guys, and he’s shown that right throughout the pre-season and through his senior games this year. He is coming to terms with adopting our game style - a pretty accountable, defensive style game - but at the same time he’s now adjusting to playing to his strengths as well. Lewis is at his most dangerous when he runs and carries the ball, and uses his elite skills to create opportunities for others.
Gary Rohan had a baptism of fire when he came in to debut against Geelong. But, for a young kid, he plays the game with the intensity of a senior player. The one thing he’s always going to give you is pressure on the opposition, and he’s starting to look more and more comfortable at the level. Against Fremantle, when we needed players to stand up, he was one of the guys who put his head over the ball and kicked us a goal when we needed one. He’s been showing really positive signs, and along with continued hard work, Gary has a big future ahead.
Campbell Heath, who debuted against Fremantle on the weekend, is a great story. He came off a knee reconstruction last year and then during the pre-season he really impressed us. The great part about Campbell’s call-up to the seniors was the fact that not only did his form warrant selection, but also that the captains and leadership group requested his selection because he is a player who they knew would play a contested brand of football. They put their hands up and said ‘We want Campbell Heath in the side this week’, so that was a real vote of confidence for him. It was an important game - obviously the result didn’t go our way, but Campbell showed that he’s got the ability and toughness to slot into the back six in defence or play as a wingman. With the unfortunate injury to Tadhg, Campbell will need to step up in that role and make the most of this opportunity.
The other young player who has done well is Dan Hannebery. Dan’s shown an enormous amount of courage - he injured his shoulder a few weeks ago but he showed that he had the mental strength to be able to work his way through that and still have a really positive impact and make a big contribution to the team. For a kid who was playing school football only last year, to come out last weekend and be, in my view, probably our best player, proves he’s another one who’s got a really bright future with us.
Trent Dennis-Lane is getting closer to making his debut. Trent is a guy who, like Lewis, is a bit older than the other players (Trent is 21). He showed through the pre-season that he’s a really smart, quick forward, who competed extremely well against his senior team mates. Unfortunately he’s been injured, and it’s taken him a month or so to get his fitness back to the level required and get back to the way he was playing. During the course of the last two to three weeks, he’s shown he’s back to his best - he looks quick, runs into smart spots and he really worries opposition defenders. He kicked seven goals for the reserves last weekend, so his form now warrants consideration for senior selection.
It’s a crunch game for us against Hawthorn this weekend. We started the season really well - we won five in a row, but then we lost a few in a row. Hawthorn will be a big challenge for us from a leadership and team perspective - we’ve got to get back on track and sometimes it only takes a quarter for that momentum to start building. Without wanting to make excuses, we’ve got a few injuries at the moment. But we can also look at that as an opportunity for other players to come in and gain more experience. Everyone needs to “step up to the plate” this Sunday.
Playing against your old club is always an interesting one, and I’m sure it will be no different for Josh Kennedy. There’s always some added motivation to play well, but on the other side of the coin, it’s good fun playing against your old teammates - as long as you don’t feel you have to prove anything to anyone. We targeted Josh and Ben McGlynn as players who would add value to our list, and they’ve already proven themselves, so there shouldn’t be any added pressure to play exceptionally well against your former club. As always, Josh will compete hard and play his role for our team.
We need a super-competitive performance against Hawthorn from the 22 players selected to represent our Club - this level of commitment will get us back on track.
