Names like Ryan Clarke, Jackson Thurlow, Nick Blakey and James Rowbottom are just some of the new Sydney Swans charges supporters could see added to the fray in season 2019.
And Sydney coach John Longmire, who’s overseen a wealth of list evolution since taking charge ahead of season 2011, says the Swans are embracing the wave of fresh faces rolling in as Saturday’s season-opening clash with the Western Bulldogs draws near.
Sydney secured the signatures of midfielder Clarke (North Melbourne), defender Thurlow (Geelong) and forward Daniel Menzel (Geelong) via last October’s trade period, before welcoming on board seven draftees in November.
The Swans snapped up towering forward Blakey via their first-round selection at the AFL Draft, before adding Rowbottom, Justin McInerney, Zac Foot, Durak Tucker, Harry Reynolds and Sam Wicks.
Five young Swans also made their AFL debuts in season 2018, and Sydney fans could see them take on greater responsibility in the ensuing premiership campaign set to kick off at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Longmire says the new Swans on the scene are forming a crucial part of the set-up.
“The list will be very different this year. We’ve made some significant changes over the past three seasons. We’ve changed the team a lot over the past three years and it will continue to change, which is exciting for us,” Longmire said.
“We think we’ve added some fresh talent to our list over the past few years who’ve not only played but, according to the games played in that period, have played significant roles.
“We’ll see some fresh faces against the Bulldogs again this week and going forward. We really believe in giving those boys an opportunity to add to our team.”
The Swans have debuted the second-highest number of debutants league-wide over the past three seasons, with Brisbane leading the competition with 20 and Sydney and Fremantle trailing with 18.
Sydney’s 18 debutants of the past three seasons have combined for a competition-high 194 matches, which exceeds Brisbane’s 193 and Geelong’s 190.
Ben Ronke, Tom McCartin, Ryley Stoddart, Colin O’Riordan and Darcy Cameron reached the big time last year, with Ronke (18 games) and McCartin (15) both enjoying plenty of top-flight footy.
Tom Papley, Will Hayward, Aliir Aliir, Oliver Florent and a host of other Sydney young guns have in recent years stamped their impact on the competition, and Longmire wound back the clock to the sweep of change at the time of his elevation to senior coach.
Before 2005 premiership coach Paul Roos passed on the baton to long-time assistant Longmire ahead of season 2011, club greats Brett Kirk and Craig Bolton hung up the boots in 2010, which followed the 2009 retirements of champion duo Michael O’Loughlin and Leo Barry.
It was around that time the careers of Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Nick Smith began to sprout, and the admired trio have since become premiership heroes and All Australian representatives.
Longmire underlined his ever-transforming squad and said his troops would again aim high in season 2019.
“When I first started we were going through a period of losing great talent like Craig Bolton, and since then we’ve continued to evolve the list,” Longmire said.
“We’ve been able to bring in some young talent a couple of times and we’re doing it again, which is important.
“We’re excited, hopefully our supporters are excited about it, but we still need to go out there and deliver. We still want to be competitive and we still want to win every week.
“It’s exciting to be in a position where we’re bringing that young talent through.”
