Seeking an in-depth analysis of each club’s chances in 2020? You’ve come to the wrong place. Looking for an off-kilter and slightly unhinged reason to watch each club in 2020? Step into my office.
Jake Lloyd
This gut-running, hyper-efficient, rebound-50 machine has quickly become one of Sydney’s most important cogs. Taught from an early age to be a walking, talking, footballing T-1000, he’s a sucker for a premiership, winning four in a row with the Horsham Demons as a teenager. If Sydney are to go within sniffing distance of a flag in the near future, you can bet this man will be a pivotal part of it all.
Dane Rampe
On 3 June, 2017 Alex Honnold made the first free solo ascent of El Capitan, a climb immortalised in film by Jimmy Chin and E Chai Vasarhelyi. Dane Rampe – like any normal person – was inspired. Perhaps too inspired. On May 10, 2019 the Sydney co-captain clambered up a goalpost to – we can only guess here – distract David Myers as he tried to kick a match-winning goal from 65 metres out.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
In the same game he told an umpire that they “talked like a little girl”. Media pundits were caught between giggling at the farce and calling for his head on a goalpost. By 2019’s end, he’d won his first Bob Skilton Medal, beating George Hewett by a whopping margin as Sydney’s best and fairest. It was a weird year. Perhaps in 2020, Rampe should stick to doing what he does best: stopping his man, out-marking opposition forwards, and marshalling a promising young defensive squad.
Aliir Aliir
He is is one of Sydney’s more damaging intercept defenders. And a pinch-hitter in the ruck when required. And a game-winning goal-kicker. Not bad for someone who only took up the game as a 16-year-old on the insistence of his high school mates. Annoyingly (to rather untalented lovers of sport like myself), he turned out to be naturally rather good at the sport. Reckon my mates can unlock my hidden talents like that?
Regardless, there’s plenty of forwards in the AFL who wished he’d stuck to the round-ball game he played in his childhood. Or taken up basketball like his cousin Thon Maker. Instead they’re stuck trying to unsuccessfully out-athlete a scarily impressive athlete. Good luck.
Lance Franklin
Sometime in the near future – barring disaster – Lance Franklin will kick his 1000th career goal. At this time, presumably, hordes of fans will storm the field, just like in 2008 for his 100th. The AFL should start making contingency plans now to prepare properly for this event. After all, if I can’t zip-line down from the third tier to join in on the fun, or watch as fragile members launch off the bottom of a second level slip-n-slide, than what’s the point? I want a 1000th goal carnival on the playing surface.
Now, I know that Lance’s body is as fragile as an antique vase at this point in his career, and defenders treat this fragile body with the delicate handling abilities of a dodgy removalist, but he’s within 56. C’mon Buddy. This is the year we lose our collective minds.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
End of an era?
In the early 1990s, Sydney were terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad. Gold Coast levels of embarrassment came their way. Seven wins in 1991, three wins in 1992, one win in 1993, and four in 1994. Of course, rather than having their greatest goal-kicker leave like the Suns did with Tom Lynch, the Swans recruited a certain Tony Lockett, the greatest goal-kicker in the history of the VFL/AFL, who booted 110 then 121 goals in his first two seasons. So let’s leave the Gold Coast comparisons there.
Their record since 1994? Twenty finals series made out of 25. Three losing grand finals. Two premierships. The Swans’ crash down the ladder to 15th in 2019 was a bit of a change in scenery. According to some, it was a rebuild on the run. However, we’ve all heard that line before, and to extremely varying degrees of truth. Yet, with Messrs Blakey, Dawson, Hayward, Florent, Heeney, McCartin, Papley and Mills all under the age of 25, there might be life in Sydney yet.
FineLegandNo11
Roar Rookie
Rampe is 30 in July. So not really young quality, more Elite. How's this: Elite: Heeney, Rampe, Parker, Franklin Young Quality: McCartin, Allir, Dawson, Florent, Papley I'm hoping for top 10 and 1,000 for the big man in 2020
Mark.
Roar Rookie
Swing and a miss. You’re bad at this :)
Antony Pincombe
Roar Rookie
Interesting concentrating on those few players. These are the reasons I think Sydney will do very well this year. Swans have not only traded very well for this coming season they have had several very successful drafts and managed to get quite a few early draft picks due to trading out. The addition of Brand, Taylor and Grey, a player rated by most Port fans, as well as the return from the draft is going to make the Swans far stronger and the talent pool is getting huge. Turning that talent into a reality is something the Swans are very good at. For examples see Heeney, Mills, Papley, Lloyd & Dawson in the current team and Smith, Grundy, McVeigh, Mattner, Richards, LRT, Pebbles in past teams. The Swans have successfully blooded players in the last few years and new draftees Stephens and Gould will undoubtedly play AFL this season. The young players in the reserves have improved and developed AFL bodies in the last two to tree years and are ready to go. Maibaum was very close to senior selection before injury and will provide great defence depth. The Swans now have speed on every line and lock in small forwards have been a priority over the past few years. Sam Reid had his best year for the club last year and there is no reason that can't continue if he stays fit. Getting 15 or more matches out of Buddy would be a bonus but if not McLean, Amarty or Sinclair can step up. I think the Swans have the most exciting list in the comp. But then again I'm biased. But I do remember when we could not pick up to 18 players and say they were VFL/AFL level.
Richard
Guest
It's hard to comprehend how fundamentally incorrect the notion of COLA not being spread across the list is. Something that needs to be built into every player's contract means that by definition it must be spread across the list. The only way to create a surplus of 'COLA money' would be to underpay a vast majority of the list prior to adding the COLA money. This is something the Swans were never even accused of doing by the AFL, and were able to confirm that no adjustments had been made to their wage structures from the pre and post COLA periods. A ban for never breaking a single rule remains absurd, and the fact that people still can't wrap their heads around this is astonishing.
Seymorebutts
Guest
Alli Allir? Seriously Bruh?? Hes a project player, he might work out, he might not.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Yes, it will be interesting to see if he is capable of kicking another 56 goals to reach the 1000 goal milestone. If he is injured and/or unfit, then it is difficult to see him doing it. I hope he does because it would be awesome to see but he is clearly near the end of his career. I think his recruitment has been somewhat of a failure given the Swans couldn't win a premiership with the list they had when he was playing at his best. It is also interesting to think about what would have happened if he played for the Giants instead and how different their history would be up until this point. Him and Cameron would be unstoppable at their peaks.
anon
Roar Pro
It's both. He's great to watch, but not worth $900k per season with all his niggling injuries. He'll struggle to play half the matches. Contract was too long.
J.T. Delacroix
Guest
Heeney is a fine player but Martin is even better. His record speaks for itself. Only a fool would deny it.
TomC
Roar Guru
Every club in the league would love to be 'required' to pay 9.8% above the salary cap. Sydney is certainly more expensive, but the mean player wage at the time of COLA's abolition was (I believe) over $300k, so around $30k per year, per player. That is a substantial overestimate of the extra cost of living Sydney. It only makes sense to use the % figures if you believe every dollar earned by an AFL player goes to cost of living expenses. Obviously it doesn't.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Nice comment, articulate, informative and......wait, what?
Mark.
Roar Rookie
Blakey, Dawson and Aliir are enough reason for a neutral to watch us this year. Won’t make the 8 but we’ll still take some scalps and build for the next couple of years.
Mark.
Roar Rookie
Incorrect. Please try again.
Mark.
Roar Rookie
It must take a lot of effort to be so wrong but here you are.
AFLnews
Guest
With the COLA, the Club is required to pay an additional 9.8 per cent of the salary cap to all players to compensate for the higher cost of living in Sydney. Our estimates suggest the true cost of living disparity is closer to 15 per cent and there is no shortage of evidence to support this. An October 2012 report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), titled Cities of Opportunity, indicates that Sydney is the second most expensive city in the world after Tokyo https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/102253/the-case-for-the-cost-of-living-allowance
dankswonderelixir
Guest
And the sixth reason will be the off field Daniher show. It will be interesting to see how on field performance will impact the speculation and commentary. For me the bombers fan last year that informed the EFC that Daniher was having beers with some mates was the thing that probably tipped him over the edge. The reports were that he had informed the club and they were ok with this but highlights how a AFL player in some locations has no privacy. If he craves anonymity he will be a Swan and Dodo will have failed to capitalize on the opportunity to obtain some serious trading collateral.
Syd Roosters fan
Guest
Go Roosters!
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
you have to be silly to right off Sydney in 2020.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Another reason to watch is how a whole list of good but not great players work as a team. Sydney is a great template for how to work as a unit. Geelong too. Both should have plunged down the ladder years ago but they keep hanging in. This is an outstanding coaching set-up.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He is elite for the same number of minutes/game as Dusty. One gets Victorian press, one doesn't.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Yep. They're amusing.