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Opinion
Who are the Sydney Swans players who should play to their optimum level in season 2021? To be eligible for selection, a player must have played at least five games in season 2020, so there can be a reference point as far as those players who apply their talent the best at AFL level.
The Swans have a few injury concerns going into Round 1.
Here are the ten players (plus an honourable mention) who will stand out from the pack in season 2021.
Honourable mention
Nick Blakey is a utility who is capable of playing forward, on the wing or in the midfield. In season 2020, he played as a forward and featured in 16 of 17 games.
He averaged exactly half a goal per game in that season, which isn’t acceptable for a forward. If the pre-season match the Swans played against the Giants is any indication, he will benefit from spending time in the midfield.
He was named in the Swans’ best players for that game. Blakey will be aiming for at least a top-ten finish in the Swans’ 2021 best and fairest and improve dramatically on the effort he displayed in season 2020.
10. Harry Cunningham
Cunningham finished fifth in the Swans’ best and fairest in season 2020 and featured in every game in the same season. He averaged the eighth-most disposals of any Swans player, which is something he will be looking to improve on.
He did average the fourth-highest disposal efficiency of any Swans player last season, with an average of 79.03 per cent, which is pretty impressive.
He will be looking to get better in every aspect of his game; being a part of the Swans eight man leadership group for season 2021 will help that.
9. Oliver Florent
Florent may have finished tenth in the best and fairest in season 2020, but he featured in every game in the same season. He averaged the sixth-most disposals and always appeared to show good endeavour.
He should be aiming to improve on his consistency in season 2021 and become a household name, which he has the capability to do.
8. Tom Papley
Tom Papley needs to show more endeavour than he did in season 2020. That may sound harsh, given that he was the only Swans player in the All Australian squad in the same season.
He averaged the 16th-most disposals and the 23rd-most tackles of any Swans player in the same season. He averaged 1.53 goals per game and featured in every game in season 2020.
Papley must kick more goals in order for the Swans to be any chance of featuring in the finals in season 2021.
Tom Papley. (Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
7. Jordan Dawson
Dawson finished ninth in the Swans best and fairest in season 2020 and only missed one game. He averaged the seventh-most disposals, which he should be looking to improve on.
He should be aiming to finish in the top-five of the Swans best and fairest this year.
6. Callum Mills
Callum Mills finished sixth in the Swans best and fairest, even though he only featured in 15 of their 17 games in season 2020. In the same season, he averaged the fourth-most disposals and the sixth-most tackles.
He needs to work hard in season 2021 to reach his potential.
5. James Rowbottom
Rowbottom averaged the fourth-most tackles of any Swans player in season 2020. He featured in 16 of 17 games and finished seventh in their best and fairest.
He will be looking to have a good season for the Swans in season 2021, if their pre-season match against the Giants was any indication – he was named among the team’s best players and finished the game with six tackles.
4. Josh Kennedy
Kennedy finished eighth in the best and fairest in season 2020, even though he only featured in 12 out of 17 games. He averaged the third-most disposals and the most tackles in the same season.
He leads by example as he always tries to play to an optimum level, which was on display when the Swans played the Giants in the pre-season. The only worry is that he is coming towards the end of his career, but his effort and team-first approach won’t waver!
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
3. Dane Rampe
Dane Rampe only featured in 11 out 17 games in season 2020, but still managed to finish fourth in the best and fairest. He is a vital player for the Swans as he is a leader and tries extremely hard to play close to his optimum level.
He won’t win a lot of the ball from a disposal perspective, but will always lead by example and not shirk a contest – these hard working traits that he possesses should be clear for everyone to see in season 2021.
Hopefully, he stays injury free in the upcoming season as he is a vital player in the Swans’ structure.
2. Luke Parker
Luke Parker featured in every game that the Swans played in season 2020 and he averaged the second-most disposals and finished second in the best and fairest. He should spend more time up forward in season 2021 if the Swans pre-season match against the Giants is any indication.
Parker drifted forward and kicked three goals, but still managed to accumulate 22 disposals. He could benefit from the move, with Tom Papley probably getting more attention from opposition analysis as he is more highly regarded than Parker as a forward at this stage.
One aspect of his game that will stay close to its optimum is work rate in season 2021, irrespective of the amount of time he spends out of the midfield.
1. Jake Lloyd
Lloyd may be a defender, but he still averaged the most disposals of any Swans player in season 2020 with an average of 25.82 per game. He featured in all 17 games that the Swans played in season 2020.
Lloyd won the best and fairest, which proved how highly he was rated internally. He puts in a lot of effort, as he provides plenty of run out of defence, which should continue in season 2021, provided he stays injury-free.
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