AFL footy in New South Wales has come a long way. I remember heading along to the SCG to watch the Swans play with my family and we could pick out any seat in the stadium we liked. Growing up on the Central Coast, it was always nice to watch footy on TV but the chance to go to the SCG and see a proper game was really special and something a lot of kids my age didn’t do.

AFL wasn’t talked about in the playground at all really, not many people knew much about it or the Swans. In fact, there was only one other person from my school that played the game. My brother Mark and I used to travel to Pennant Hills, the first stop off the freeway, to get more exposure. We’re extremely thankful of my parents for making the commute multiple times a week as it definitely paid off for the both of us. 

Being drafted by the Swans, the team I grew up barracking for, was obviously one of the highlights of my life. To see how far the game has come in my 14 years at the club is incredible. The brand of AFL is definitely out there and thriving. The reception you get from schools these days and to see how eager kids are to speak about the game is fantastic. When we go to clinics now there’s a lot more kids that know how to kick and handball and that’s only improving thanks to the QBE Sydney Swans Academy. A lot of work has been put in to growing the game in NSW and now with the Giants coming into the competition, it’s only getting bigger.

On the field the rivalry with GWS is definitely building; we always have a tough contest every time we play them. The improvement they’ve made this year has been considerable. You go through their team and they’ve got a number of very, very good players and we’re very wary of them. We understand it’s going to be a huge game and one we’re up for.

We’re happy with our start to the season but we’re always striving to improve. To see a number of young kids come into the team this year and make the most of their opportunities has been particularly pleasing. Players like Callum Mills, George Hewett and Tom Papley have played in some huge games this year, like on the big stage of the MCG under Friday night lights against the reigning premiers, and this game is right up there and an important one in the context of our season. We’ve got GWS then Melbourne back at home for #RedDay before the bye so it would be nice to get on a bit of a run and consolidate our position on the ladder. It’s exactly the same for the Giants. They’re a quality team and we’ll be doing our homework to get on top of them on Sunday afternoon.