One of most exciting things to emerge from the 2011 season was the development of key forward Sam Reid.

He played 23 of a possible 24 matches and won a NAB Rising Star nomination for his round 12 performance against Richmond at the SCG.

The nineteen-year old held down the Swans key forward post, leading the Club for contested marks and finishing third on the goal kicking table with 22.

Reid spoke to sydneyswans.com.au about his breakthrough season. 

How do you sum up your season?

It was good to get my first full season under my belt. I was happy to be able to play a role in the team and cement a spot. I learned a fair bit about my game which was good.

Did you have any particular goals heading into the season?

I had expectations to play senior footy - more than the one game I played last year - but to play the whole year was probably a bit of a surprise. I just wanted to try and get in for the NAB Cup at first, and then round one, so to succeed in both of those goals was really good. Then I just wanted to play as many games as I could, and I was lucky enough to play 21 out of the 22 games, and then finals.

Where do you think the improvement in your game came from this year?

Just learning patterns of the game and working with other guys, and learning the Swans structures.

Who most impressed you?

Alex Johnson and Luke Parker were both really impressive with what they were able to do when they came into the team. Alex nearly played the whole year coming in as a key position player, which isn’t easy. Last year, as a first year player, I certainly didn’t expect to play any games, and I spoke to Alex and he wasn’t expecting to play too much senior footy this year as he is a tall key position player and it usually takes a bit longer. But he has worked really hard and he has done well.

Where can you improve for next season?

I probably need to improve my skills, particularly by foot. I need to put on a bit more body size so I can match it with the bigger key defenders that can body me out.