Squad Breakdown: Sydney Swans SC roster analysis

A young Sydney Swans team was the surprise packet of the 2021 season, losing just one game in their first five and then holding their spot in the top eight.



They were ultimately knocked out of the finals by GWS in an elimination final, but there would be plenty of optimism that the Swans can go better again in 2022, now having a number of games into their young brigade.



Their nucleus of stars is still as good as any in the competition – Franklin, Kennedy, Parker, Rampe, Mills and Lloyd are a more than handy core group to build around, albeit some of those guys are now in the twilight of their careers.



If they can continue to integrate some promising young players into the mix, there’s not a lot of risk that they’ll ‘bottom out’ as we’ve seen some other clubs do after a sustained period of success.



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On the injury front they are reasonably healthy, aside from gun midfielder Callum Mills who continues to deal with an Achilles problem that plagued the back end of his 2021 season.



Given his SuperCoach relevance we’ll need to keep an eye on how he’s tracking, but all reports are that he’s going to miss the early rounds of the home and away season.



Jordan Dawson (traded) has departed to the Adelaide Crows, which may open up some more opportunity for young players to step in and fill the void.



From a draft point of view the Swans were late to the first round, using pick 18 to grab inside midfielder Angus Sheldrick who we may see debut this year.



There hasn’t been much buzz about their other draftees, so I would expect them to be project players for the long term in the VFL.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best 22 </h2>



*Injured players omitted



FB: D. Rampe, T. McCartin, J. Lloyd HB: N. Blakey, L. Melican, H. Cunningham C: O. Florent, J. Kennedy, J. McInerney HF: S. Wicks, L. McDonald, E. Gulden FF: I. Heeney, L. Franklin, T. Papley R: T. Hickey, L. Parker, J. Rowbottom IC: P. Ladhams, W. Hayward, B. Campbell, D. Stephens



EMG: C. Sinclair, R. Clarke, P. McCartin



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Price Guns</h2>



Callum Mills // $612,100 // MID // 2021 Ave: 112.4



Became one of Sydney’s best midfielders in 2021 as Horse Longmire finally did what he promised to in previous years and play Mills as a full-time midfielder.



Unfortunately Mills picked up an Achilles complaint late in the season and that issue seems to have reared its head again in the pre-season.



As long as he’s on a modified program you can’t pick him at over $600K and I’d be steering clear until he’s clearly over that injury.



Luke Parker // $591,600 // MID // 2021 Ave: 108.7



Parker has been a mainstay of the Swans midfield for nearly a decade now and I don’t think he’ll be slowing down in 2022.



The knock on Parker however is that he’s always just been a B+ SuperCoach midfielder, averaging anywhere from 100-110, but not putting together a monster season where he averages 115+.



I wouldn’t consider him in classic for that reason, in draft leagues I think he’s a decent option as your second or third string midfielder.



Jake Lloyd // $586,600 // DEF // 2021 Ave: 107.8



Jake ‘Seagull’ Lloyd has been a permanent fixture in our SuperCoach teams for the last few years, where he’s regularly finished in the top echelon of defenders in the game.



I don’t see that changing in 2022 and with Jordan Dawson’s departure to Adelaide, I can see him pushing back up to that 110+ average.



With Dawson no longer in the picture Lloyd will continue to be Sydney’s main distributor out of half back and he looks like a safe pick to be a top six defender.



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Tom Hickey // $562,000 // RUCK // 2021 Ave: 103.2



Hickey had a breakout SuperCoach season in 2021, averaging over 100 for the first time and becoming Sydney’s first choice ruckman.



I don’t think he’s in the same bracket of player as Gawn, Grundy, Darcy and Naitanui, but there’s no reason I can see why he can’t maintain that average from last year. Not really an option for classic teams, but would be worth picking up in a draft league.



Josh P. Kennedy // $506,700 // MID // 2021 Ave: 93.1



This guy has been such a warrior for the Swans and I love the way he goes about his footy. At 33 years of age however he is very much in the twilight of his career and the years of him averaging 110+ SC points over the course of a season are behind him.



Kennedy’s average PPG has decreased for three years straight and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s in danger of falling below the 90-point mark in 2022. He might be worth grabbing as a bench player in draft, but he’s a no for classic.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bargain Bin Buys</h2>



There’s not much meat on the bone when it comes to bargain buys at the Swans, but one that does look like he might be in line for more senior games this year is Braeden Campbell ($293,900 DEF).



He was recruited as a gun ball user and with Jordan Dawson out of the picture, they may want to get him used to being a distributor alongside Lloyd. Outside of Campbell there just doesn’t appear to be anyone who might jump out of the ground and average 90+ to be a decent stepping stone to a premium.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rookie Gems</h2>



Dylan Stephens // $167,800 // MID // 2021 Ave: 30.8



One of the main talking points out of this pre-season from the Swans is that they want to give this guy more opportunities in the midfield. His average last year was nothing to write home about, but he was in and out of the team and also had a couple of games as the medical sub.



Thankfully that has kept his price low and he’s definitely a player you should have on your radar for Round 1.



Paddy McCartin // $157,800 // DEF/FWD // 2021 Ave: N/A



The former number one draft pick honed his craft as a key defender in the Swans’ NEAFL team last season and has now been offered a spot on the Swans primary list.



If he can stay healthy and avoid any further head knocks, the Swans might deploy him alongside his brother Tom to tackle the opposition’s key forward targets.



Keep an eye on the final pre-season game this week to see if he gets a go and if he does, he could be a Round 1 bolter.



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Angus Sheldrick // $130,800 // MID // 2021 Ave: N/A



Sheldrick from all reports is a contested ball animal and if his performance in the WAFL Colts Grand Final where he had 27 touches and kicked two goals is anything to go by, he could be AFL ready sooner rather than later.



I’d be surprised if we see him early on, but I think a mid-season debut is definitely on the cards if the Swans think he’s ready.



Will Gould // $123,900 // MID // 2021 Ave: N/A



I couldn’t do a rookie preview and leave this guy out, could I? Paddy McCartin looks to have jumped in front of Gould along with his brother Tom, Lewis Melican and Dane Rampe. It could be another long year of waiting for Gould fans.

Squad Breakdown: Sydney Swans SC roster analysis

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