A total of 113 players wore the red and white of the Sydney Swans under John Longmire, but who was the best of them?
It’s a subjective question for which there is no definitive answer, but if we use voting in the Bob Skilton Medal during Longmire’s 14 years at the helm it is Luke Parker from Josh Kennedy and Jake Lloyd.
To reach this conclusion we took the top 10 place-getters in the Skilton Medal from the Longmire era of 2011-24, and allocated votes on a sliding scale from 1st to 10th – 15-13-11-9-7-5-4-3-2-1.
Not unreasonably, it is a system weighted heavily to the elite level given that Parker, Kennedy and Lloyd were the only multiple Skilton Medal winners of the Longmire era. Parker and Kennedy won three each and Lloyd two, with the other six split between Adam Goodes, Jarrad McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Callum Mills, Errol Gulden and Isaac Heeney.
Parker (118) edged out Kennedy (101) and Lloyd (72), from Dane Rampe (45), Dan Hannebery and Kieren Jack (43), Isaac Heeney (41), Jarrad McVeigh and Lance Franklin (40), Callum Mills (37), Tom Papley (36), Errol Gulden (32), and Chad Warner and James Rowbottom (31).
Parker, who played most games under coach Longmire, had most top 10 finishes at 11. Kennedy (10), Lloyd (9), Rampe (7), Heeney, Hannebery, McVeigh, Nick Smith and Papley (6), Franklin, Mills, and Jack (5).
In top three finishes it was Parker and Kennedy (6) from Lloyd (4), Franklin (3), Gulden, Warner, Rowbottom, Hannebery and Jack (2), Heeney, Nick Blakey, Mills, Jordan Dawson, Papley, Rampe, George Hewett, Heath Grundy, McVeigh, Ted Richards, Ryan O’Keefe, Goodes and Rhyce Shaw (1).
While insiders at the Swans will tell you Longmire’s most endearing legacy was his care for the club and his players, the statistics identify those who, from a public perspective, were the standouts of a golden 14-year period in club history.
MOST GAMES
Sixteen players clocked 150-plus games under the 333-game coach: Luke Parker (293), Dane Rampe (251), Jake Lloyd (249), Josh Kennedy (253), Harry Cunningham (208), Isaac Heeney (201), Heath Grundy (186), Kieren Jack and Tom Papley (185), Nick Smith (182), Sam Reid and Dan Hannebery (180), Jarrad McVeigh (178), Lance Franklin (172) Ollie Florent (168) and Will Hayward (163).
MOST GOALS
Eleven players kicked 100-plus goals: Lance Franklin (486), Tom Papley (294), Isaac Heeney (261), Luke Parker (213), Will Hayward (200), Sam Reid (182), Adam Goodes (153), Ben McGlynn (144), Josh Kennedy (143), Kurt Tippett (137) and Kieren Jack (121).
On a goal-per-game basis it was Franklin (2.83) from Tippett (1.85), Papley and Goodes (1.59), Joel Amartey (1.38), Logan McDonald (1.33) and Isaac Heeney (1.30).
MOST POSSESSIONS
Luke Parker (6798) was the leading possession-winner during the Longmire era from Josh Kennedy (6655), Jake Lloyd (5982), Dan Hannebery (4550), Jarrad McVeigh (4066), Dane Rampe (4032), Kieren Jack (3916), Isaac Heeney (3663), Callum Mills (3302), Heath Grundy (3194) and Ollie Florent (3004).
Kennedy, who averaged 26.3 possessions a game under Longmire, topped the per-game numbers from Hannebery (25.3), Tom Mitchell (25.1), Lloyd (24.1), Parker (23.2), Ryan O’Keefe (22.9), Jarrad McVeigh (22.8) and the emerging pair of Errol Gulden (22.7) and Chad Wad Warner (22.1). Also above 20 possessions per game were Kieren Jack (21.2), Callum Mills (20.4) and Nick Malceski (20.3).
In contested possessions it was Kennedy (3646) from Parker (3326), Hannebery (1820), Jack (1721) and Heeney (1716), and on an average basis it was Kennedy (14.4 per game) from Ryan O’Keefe (11.7), Parker (11.4), Tom Mitchell (10.5) and Hannebery (10.1).
BROWNLOW MEDAL VOTES
Isaac Heeney’s 28-vote haul in the 2024 Brownlow Medal, which saw him equal fourth on the leaderboard, was the biggest of the Longmire era. It surpassed Errol Gulden’s 27 votes in 2023, Luke Parker’s 26 in 2016 and Josh Kennedy’s 25 in 2015.
The club had seven players finish top five in the vote-count in the Longmire era. Parker was runner-up in 2016, Lance Franklin was equal third with 22 votes in 2014, Kennedy fourth in 2015 and equal fourth in 2017, when he polled 23 votes, Gulden was equal fourth in 2023 and Parker was equal fifth with 15 votes in the Covid season of 2020.
Parker and Kennedy topped the Swans vote three times in Longmire’s 14 years in charge, with Franklin and Callum Mills doing so twice. Goodes, Hannebery, Gulden and Heeney topped the club count once, with the 2024 vote-fest of Heeney (28), Gulden (25) and Chad Warner (23) the best in club history.
Parker (152) topped the aggregate vote list in the Longmire era from Kennedy (146), Franklin (104), Hannebery (97), Heeney (74), Gulden (57), Warner (52), Jack (49), Mills (48) and McVeigh (35).
OTHER STATS LEADERS
Luke Parker and Josh Kennedy dominated key ‘contest’ statistics through the Longmire era.
Kennedy (1652) and Parker (1457) were runaway leaders on the tackle count from Kieren Jack (975), Isaac Heeney (813) and James Rowbottom (747), with Rowbottom boasting the best tackles-per-game average of 6.38 from Ryan O’Keefe (6.10) and Tom Mitchell (5.89).
In aggregate clearances it was Kennedy (1652) from Parker (1457), Jack (690) and Hannebery (611), while Kennedy (6.53 clearances per game) led the average count from Parker (4.97) and Rowbottom (3.97).
Lance Franklin (294) and Sam Reid (266) led the aggregate contested marks from Heath Grundy (184) and Isaac Heeney (183), while Franklin (1.71) also led the average contested marks from Tippett (1.66) and Reid (1.48).
Franklin (482) was runaway leader in marks inside 50, from Reid (270), Heeney (247) and Papley (229), and, similarly, led average marks inside 50 at 2.80 per game from Tippett (2.00), Amartey (1.58), Goodes (1.52) and McDonald (1.51).
Rampe was similarly dominant in the combined category of one-percenters, which covers spoils, smothers and other defensive acts and is the domain of the tall key defenders. He had 1294 to head Heath Grundy (952), Ted Richards (898) and Tom McCartin (790). Richards topped the average 1%ers at 7.02 from McCartin (5.98), Lewis Melican (5.55), Rampe (5.16) and Grundy (5.12).
The aggregate hit-out leader might surprise … it was Mike Pyke (2001) from Callum Sinclair (1965) and Shane Mumford (1702). And in average hit-outs it was Mumford (29.3 per game) from Pyke (23.8), Tom Hickey (23.2) and Sinclair (22.1).
Rhyce Shaw’s 252 running bounces was well clear of Nick Blakey (173) and Lewis Jetta (129), and Shaw’s 2.57 bounces per game was almost twice that of Chad Warner (2.38) and Blakey (1.35).
Who had the best ‘net’ record for free kicks during the Longmire era? It was Nick Smith (plus 78) from Sam Reid and Ben McGlynn (plus 75) and Isaac Heeney (plus 68). Callum Mills (plus 34) is next best.
And the worst ‘net’ free kick record? It’s Dane Rampe (minus 125) from Heath Grundy (minus 83), Lance Franklin (minus 54), Rhyce Shaw and Luke Parker (minus 47) and Sam Wicks (minus 41).
In single game records of the Longmire era, Josh Kennedy had most possessions (45), contested possessions (29) and clearances (16), Lance Franklin had most goals (10) and marks inside 50 (13), and Luke Parker (17) topped the tackles. Mike Pyke (59) had most hit-outs, Callum Sinclair (8) most contested marks, Rhyce Shaw (15) most running bounces, and Tom Papley and Kieren Jack (twice) shared the record for goal assists at five.
ONE-GAMERS
Six players wore Swans colors just once during the Longmire era – Darcy Cameron, Tim Membrey, Byron Sumner, Michael Talia, Jack Hiscox and Jack Buller.
OLDEST AND YOUNGEST
Lance Franklin, aged 36 years 180 days in his last game in 2023 and the fourth-oldest Swans player all-time, was the oldest player of the Longmire era from Adam Goodes (35/254), Jarrad McVeigh (34/149), the still-active Dane Rampe (34/118) and Josh Kennedy (34/40).
Harry Cunningham, who debuted in Round 1 of Longmire’s second season in 2012, was the youngest player of the Longmire era, from Tom McCartin and Angus Sheldrick, who were both 18 years 132 days, Will Hayward (18/156) and Luke Parker (18/201).
GAME TIME
And the only Swans players to play 100% game time in a final under Longmire? Heath Grundy did so six times, Ted Richards twice and Dane Rampe once. Rampe is the only player to play 100% game time in a grand final – in 2016.
