AFL draft 2015: Callum Mills set to be drafted by Sydney as academy selection
CALLUM Mills and Isaac Heeney used to “smash each other up” at Swans academy training. And those enthralling battles are set to reignite soon.
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TRAINING sessions at the Sydney Swans’ academy last year were unmissable.
Not only were the top-two draft prospects — Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills — on display, they were testing themselves against each other. And not holding back.
When it came to drills like stoppage work or match simulation, Mills would make a direct beeline for his star teammate.
“If I saw him and it was a one-on-one training drill at Sydney, I’d pick Isaac out and we’d go head-to-head,” Mills told Fox Footy.
Cue carnage.
“We’d just try to smash each other and beat each other without any costs towards us,” he said.
“He made me train harder and work harder.”
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For keen Swans track-watchers, those enthralling head-to-head training battles between Heeney and Mills are set to reignite soon, with the latter tipped to officially join Sydney during this year’s draft — 12 months after Heeney was also selected by the Swans as an academy selection.
While one has a big blonde mop of hair and the other a hipster ginger cut, there are ample similarities between the two young guns.
Like Heeney, Mills grew up in suburban Sydney and was pinched by the Swans academy from another sport. Both are tough, competitive midfielders who are elite ball-winners and can cleanly extract the footy by either hand or foot. Both, also, like to hit the scoreboard and have leadership qualities.
So with plenty of parallels, it was impossible not to ask: Who’s going to turn out the better player?
“That’s a tough question,” Mills laughed.
“I think we both have different strengths. He’s definitely got the runs on the board now.”
Heeney was a massive bargain for the Swans. Widely considered a top-five talent, he was secured with pick No. 18 in the 2014 draft.
The Swans’ steal was a big reason why the AFL made a swift change to its academy bidding system.
In this year’s draft, a rival club can now live bid on an academy player, such as Mills. So for the Swans to hold on to Mills, they must match the rival bid by giving up an array of their own picks.
Such is the high regard for his talent and potential, Mills could attract a bid as early as pick No. 3 (Melbourne), meaning the Swans might have to relinquish four of their selections to secure him.
While it’s a heftier, yet fairer, price to pay, the Swans are highly unlikely to let Mills slide to another club, as they know they have a star in the making — and a lifelong Swans supporter — in the palm of their hand.
JOURNEY TO STARDOM
Mills’ footy journey officially began when he was 13-years-old, albeit in sore and rushed circumstances.
Having just completed a rugby union game for Warringah, Mills was asked by then Swans board member, now chairman, Andrew Pridham to fill in for the Mosman Swans — his son’s AFL team.
He agreed to help out. And, on debut, he starred.
A few standout games later and Mills was quickly ushered in to Sydney’s academy.
“After your first game of AFL, if someone says you’re quite good when you’re 13-years-old, you keep coming back again and again,” he said.
“The game really suited my type of traits and different types of skills.”
However it was in 2013 when Mills truly burst onto the wider footy scene, thanks to a scintillating under 16 national championships campaign.
The NSW-ACT skipper blew crowds away, averaging 175 SuperCoach points and winning the Alan McLean medal for the carnival’s best division two player.
Just as impressively, Mills then carried that form into the 2014 under 18 carnival, averaging 21 disposals, five tackles and five clearances as a bottom-age player.
He also showed off his ball-winning ability at senior level in the NEAFL, averaging 30 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four clearances, four tackles and 127 SuperCoach points in six matches.
Mills credited the support of NSW-ACT and academy coaches, as well as his co-player, for his breakout season.
“When you have teammates like Isaac Heeney, Jack Hiscox, Dougal Howard and Jack Steele — there’s no better draft to come out of New South Wales. I think it’s one of the best that have come out in a long time,” he said.
“Having handy players around you makes you a better player.”
ENDURING THE PAIN
Understandably for Mills, the big wraps followed, with many draft pundits quick to label the gun on-baller the best player of the 2015 draft class.
However the most important season of his footy career to date — his draft year — was plagued by injury and frustration.
Shin and foot injuries restricted Mills to just three NEAFL appearances in 2015, disallowing him to show off his immense talent to AFL recruiters.
“At the start I was very frustrated, but now you’ve just got to look at the bigger picture,” he said.
“It’s better to be fit for your first AFL season, if I do get drafted, than doing your whole 18th year and missing your first year of AFL.”
While Mills is still highly regarded, he’s no longer considered the best player of the draft.
But it’s a discussion point that doesn’t faze him at all.
“People have had good years and I haven’t been playing. Jacob Weitiering is by far the best player in the draft and he deserves to go No. 1,” he said.
“I don’t really care where I go in the draft, as long as I end up on an AFL list, I’m still in the same position as whoever goes No. 1.”
As frustrating as the injuries were, it allowed Mills to discover a better balance between his footy and non-footy lives.
He spent a lot more time with mates outside of his footy circle and caught plenty of waves at his preferred surfing spot Whale Beach.
“If you become so consumed by footy, you tend to lose what your passion is, other than football,” he said.
“You’ve got to have a purpose to life outside of footy. You enjoy your footy more when you have a better balance.”
Keeping tabs on Mills before, during and after his rehabilitation has been his grandfather Ray Mills — a livewire footballer himself during his prime, playing 110 WAFL games, including three premierships, for Perth during the 1960s.
“Grandpa likes to keep tabs on what I’m doing. He probably knows more about me than I do at the moment,” Mills said.
“He’s a great person to talk to, I catch up with him a bit and he calls me a bit on the phone about general ideas and things I can get better at. He tells me how good he used to be, how quick and fit he was.”
BRING ON THE BIG STAGE
The challenge now for Mills is to not only return to his 2014 form, but to smoothly transition into the AFL environment.
“There’s no reason why,” a confident Mills said.
“I still played three NEAFL games this year and I thought I played quite well.
“It’s only upwards and forwards from here, so hopefully I can bounce back better than before.”
And if Mills needed any inspiration to take the next step, he only has to look at his Swans academy predecessor.
“I’ve just got to have faith in the way I play and keep working hard and hopefully things will start to pay off like they did for Isaac.”
Originally published as AFL draft 2015: Callum Mills set to be drafted by Sydney as academy selection
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