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2016 AFL preview: Sydney's best 22

21st January, 2016
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Lance Franklin might benefit from the new rules. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
21st January, 2016
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The Sydney Swans may have been the AFL’s unluckiest team last season, as a wonderful 16-win home-and-away season went to waste, bowing out of the finals with two straight losses.

In the Swans’ Round 20 win against Collingwood, their season took an ugly and unfortunate turn, as reigning club best and fairest Luke Parker went down to a broken leg.

From that point on, the injury bug made the SCG its home.

Co-captain Kieran Jack suffered a knee injury that ended his season, while bum hamstrings forced key defender Nick Smith and the versatile swingman Sam Reid to join Parker on the sidelines for the finals.

Parker, Jack, Smith and Reid are four of the Swans’ most proficient players, so one can almost excuse Sydney for having such a rough finals series, consisting of a nine-point loss to the Fremantle Dockers and a 26-point loss to North Melbourne.

As the book closes on 2015 and opens on 2016, the Swans are flying under the radar as the most underrated premiership contender this season.

Sydney did loss some experienced bodies over the off-season, as Adam Goodes, Mike Pyke and Rhyce Shaw all said goodbye to the game, while Lewis Jetta bolted to his hometown to join the West Coast Eagles.

While those guys will leave holes in the Swans line-up, the acquisitions of Callum Sinclair, Callum Mills and Michael Talia should help keep Sydney as one of the league’s strongest outfits.

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Although, the Swans have x-factor in their best 22: Lance Franklin.

Franklin’s mental health issues were exposed during the finals series, and the Swans felt it was best for him to sit out the end of the season. While many criticised both Franklin and Sydney for that decision, it was absolutely the correct one. Mental health is as serious as it gets, and Franklin’s situation proved no one is immune.

Coming into 2016, Franklin should be mentally and physically fresh to get back to the form that earned him that monstrous $10 million contract. When he is healthy, no player in the AFL can match Franklin’s ability – he can change the game in a heartbeat. Whether it be from a 65-metre bomb off one step or an electrifying, tackle-breaking run down the middle leading to a goal, Franklin’s extraordinary skills on the football field are unmatched, and he should be back to his very best this season.

Best 22
B: Zak Jones, Ted Richards, Nick Smith
HB: Jarrad McVeigh, Heath Grundy, Dane Rampe
C: Kieran Jack, Josh Kennedy, Tom Mitchell
HF: Sam Reid, Lance Franklin, Issac Heeney
F: Ben McGlynn, Kurt Tippett, Gary Rohan
Foll: Callum Sinclair, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker
INT: Callum Mills, Brandon Jack, Harry Cunningham, Dean Towers

MVP: Josh Kennedy
The 93-kilo bull in the Swans midfield, Kennedy once again raised his game to new heights last season. Already one of the AFL’s elite midfielders, Kennedy increased his averages to incredible levels last year, putting up an average of 30.5 disposals, 17.6 handballs, 12.8 kicks, 6.2 tackles and 3.1 marks per game.

Kennedy also ranked first in contested possessions and second in disposals, handballs and contested possessions, solidifying his rank as one of the AFL’s best, and there is no drop-off coming.

Future star: Callum Mills
Sydney’s top academy draft pick, Mills is set for superstardom. The 18-year-old fits right into the Swans’ system, as a hard-bodied, aggressive and in-and-under midfielder, who should slot right into Sydney’s best 22.

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Mills possess good size, at 188 centimeters, which allows him to dominate in the middle of packs, and be a headache to deal with in the guts. He is also a tackling machine, sources saying he has already taken down Jarrad McVeigh in a training drill, proving Mills isn’t afraid to mix it up with the big boys.

Mills was one of the draft’s best talents and the Swans have a gem on their hands.

Make or break: Gary Rohan
The sixth pick in the 2009 national draft, Rohan has yet to live up to his potential.

Originally drafted as a defender, the Swans have transformed Rohan into a more forward-midfield type player. He has been in and out of the Swans’ best 22 and with Sydney possessing as much depth as ever, with the likes of Brandon Jack and Harry Cunningham coming through the forward line, Rohan will need a breakout 2016 season if he wishes to keep his spot secure.

Rohan averaged 11.1 disposals per game and kicked a mere 13 goals in 2015; if he wants to secure a spot playing more as a forward, he needs to provide the Swans with effective output.

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