The Sydney Swans finished sixth on the ladder with 15 wins and seven losses in the home-and-away season.
But for the purpose of this exercise they are effectively seventh overall as a result of their elimination final loss to the Giants in season 2021, by a solitary point.
The Swans had a great start to season 2021, winning all four of their opening four games. They won just four of the next ten games, but thankfully they ended the home-and-away season in 2021 with seven wins from the last eight games.
The Swans had three debutants in season 2021. They only had four players that featured in all 23 games in season 2021. Those four players were Luke Parker, Jordan Dawson, Oliver Florent and Tom Papley.
To be eligible for selection, it’s essential that each player selected featured in at least five games in season 2021. Here are the five players and an honourable mention selected, which the Swans could least afford to lose based on their performances in season 2021.
Honourable mention: Jake Lloyd
Lloyd featured in 22 of the Swans’ 23 games and averaged the most disposals of any Swans player with an average of 27.91 disposals per game. Along with that, he averaged the most metres gained of any Swans player with an average of 468.09 metres gained per game. He used the ball well as he had the highest average disposal efficiency percentage of any Swans player with an average of 87.60 per cent disposal efficiency per game.
(Photo by Grant Viney/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
5. Lance Franklin
Franklin featured in 18 of 23 games for the Swans in season 2021. He kicked the equal fifth most goals of any player in the competition with 51 goals for the season. Despite that, the Swans won four out of the five games that he wasn’t available to play in. They were able to cope without him in the team, but his still a player that performed well when called upon and was difficult to replace and he was selected in the AFL All Australian squad of 40.
4. Tom Papley
Papley is renowned for being one of the best small forwards in the game. Therefore, he was selected in the AFL All Australian starting 18 for season 2021, in the forward pocket. The reason that his only fourth on the list I have compiled is that the Swans have good depth in the position that he plays in. They also have Isaac Heeney and Will Hayward who are handy players, as they kicked 36 goals and 28 goals respectively. Despite that, Papley has X-factor.
3. Luke Parker
Parker was rewarded for a successful season in 2021 as he was one of four Swans players that was selected in the AFL All Australian squad of 40. He also polled well in the Brownlow with a total of 17 votes. He averaged the third most score involvements of any Swans player with an average of 4.04 score involvements per game and could win the contested ball when needed.
(Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
2. Dane Rampe
Rampe had a reasonable season for the Swans in 2021, but he was a tough player for them to replace as the Swans are lacking players that can play as a key defender. Furthermore, Rampe averaged the third most metres gained of any Swans player with 386.70 metres gained on average per game. The Swans only won one game of the three games that he was unavailable to play in.
1. Callum Mills
Mills was selected in the AFL All Australian squad of 40 for season 2021, despite missing four home-and-away games as well as being subbed out due to injury in Round 23. He polled the most Brownlow votes of any Swans player with 18 votes, which equated to an average of exactly one Brownlow vote per game in season 2021. He averaged the third most score involvements of any Swans player with an average of 6.28 score involvements per game. Along with that, he averaged the second most tackles of any Swans player with an average of 5.33 tackles per game, which indicated that he worked hard defensively.
Tony F
Guest
Unfortunately Dawson is out of contract but Papley was still a contracted player so The Swans could play hard ball.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
If a Club can't cover for a bloke who's now at his 4th AFL Club you've got a few issues. Don't get me wrong- The season Hickey has had was very very good. But one would have to ask whether he's massively overachieved this season. Let's be honest- genuinely you don't play at 4 different AFL Clubs if you are red hot AFL footballer. Not sure how Heeney doesn't make this list? The finals game against GWS a prime example how important he is to the Swans. When Buddy was moved up the ground more and Heeney was left as a prime deep forward the game shifted significantly towards the Swans.
Ado Potato
Roar Rookie
Heeney, wherefore art thou, Heeney?
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
Yeah, it's Isaac Heeney for mine and Logan McDonald is the future of the forward line. Something Stuart Dew said in the round 23 presser stuck with me when he said that the Swans had 8 A-Graders. He'd know because he coached them until 2017. I believe he referred to Buddy, Rampe, JPK, Parker, Lloyd, Heeney, Papley and Mills, but you'd say they've got more in development like Gulden, Campbell, Blakey, Florent and McDonald who replace the older brigade.
Kick to Kick
Roar Rookie
All reasonable points and choices. But I think that this list will shift in the next year or two. Mills will remain the crucial midfield architect. I think Heeney will do what Dustin Martin did and go from a handy player to a dominating player after 6 or 7 years in the system. Justin McInerney, named most improved player on Swans awards night, is quick, tough snd creative while still only 21. Tom McCartin has only played key defender for a year and is likewise only 21 but will take over from Dane Rampe as the defensive lynch-pin. Gulden shows all the signs of being a future leader. Gerard Healey a close Swan’s observer says he thinks Chad Warner is the best of the Swans recent debutants, though Warner has a lot games to play before he reaches indispensable status. Buddy is still a star but arguably not now crucial and we wait to see if Logan MacDonald inherits his mantle.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I know. Just hoping for a miracle - ha ha! So frustrating to see a player with that much talent leave the club just as he's starting to really come into his own.
Chris M
Guest
I'd still have Buddy in the five. My apologies for cheating, but I shall place the players nominated by others, such as Dawson, Hickey, Gulden and Heeney, as equal fifth. It's nice to be able to say that there are too many players from which to choose five. The Swans won several games without Buddy but sometimes struggled without some of the others. You don't have to have the Coleman medalist, but a team that wants to be completing at the pointy end of the season still needs to have a key forward (or two) who can threaten to hit the scoreboard regularly. When talls compete in a contest that brings the ball to ground, it may be great for the smalls but you also need your talls to help the scoreboard to tick over. When they won their premierships, Melbourne had Ben Brown (and to a lesser extent, Tom McDonald), Richmond had Riewoldt and Lynch and West Coast had Kennedy and Darling. Until Sydney's younger players prove to be a similar threat to those abovementioned players, in my humble opinion Buddy will remain in Sydney's top 5 while he's still kicking almost 3 goals per game.
JB
Guest
The difference between Dawson and Papley is that Dawson is uncontracted. Papley still had another 2 years to run on his contract. Sydney had all the leverage with the Papley trade. No so much with Dawson.
Dingo
Roar Rookie
I agree with you Shane about Gulden. I think he will be an elite midfielder/forward in years to come if he stays injury free. I also think Heeney will be be in this list for next 5 years.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
Fair point – and thanks for clarifying Stirling! Although it’s not a done deal just yet, so I’m still holding out a smidgeon of hope! Remember Papley had one foot out the door too and he ended up re-signing… But I’ve got a bad feeling that Dawson will be the biggest loss for the Swans for quite some time. Supremely talented player who was instrumental to the Swans revamped playing style this year. Not easily replaced at all unfortunately…
Shane
Guest
There are 2 players I would somehow squeeze into the list. There is no doubting Franklin but, as mentioned, the Swans were able to cover when not available. They were not able to cover Hickey and Gulden. I think you will find that when either or both were missing happen to coincide with the teams losses. So I would swap out Franklin for Gulden and maybe add Hickey as a second honourable mention.
Stirling Coates
Editor
I'll jump in for Doran here. He initially submitted this article with Dawson on the list but I told him it was redundant given the trade request and asked him to re-submit.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
I'd put Dawson on this list - unfortunately, considering what's about to happen...