AFL Grand Final 2024: Inside the rise of eight NSW-bred Swans powering Sydney’s premiership pursuit

No longer are the Swans made up of Victorian imports. A full third of the Sydney side – plus coach John Longmire – were born, bred and built north of the Barassi Line. Those who know them best reflect on their journey.

The Sydney Swans will take to the MCG in Saturday’s grand final representing the hopes of NSW. But they’ll also be representing NSW like never before with eight players in their extended squad and coach John Longmire all hailing from the state.

It speaks to the incredible connection that the Swans have generated in the community this season. Attendance and membership numbers have hit record highs with fans flocking to see this team in action.

While having NSW players isn’t a new phenomenon for the Swans, this year’s team has homegrown superstars of the competition. Local kids like Errol Gulden and Nick Blakey have broken through to become All-Australian players, while the likes of Isaac Heeney and Harry Cunningham represent non-traditional pathways to make it in Aussie rules.

This masthead has gone back and spoken to the junior coaches and players who saw first-hand the talent of these local Swans up close. They share stories of incredible talent and kids who might not have looked destined for greatness, but who all are about to play against the Lions on the game’s biggest stage.

Hailing from country NSW himself, John Longmire is leading a team with some of the best NSW talent that the AFL has ever seen all in one side.

LEIGH LAVERY

Dane Rampe’s teammate at UNSW-ES Bulldogs

“We were playing footy in 2007 and we were coached by Matty Nicks,” Lavery said. “He had just finished playing with the Swans.

“Back then your first grade and under 18 reserves teams were pretty close. Rampe was 16 or 17 and he had a big arse on him, a bit big for his age. He had just come across over from soccer, and he hadn’t played much AFL, so pretty green. He dominated under eighteens, and by about halfway through the year, he was playing first grade.

“One of my best memories he was playing first grade. I was down half-forward, he was on a half-forward flank. Nicksy was the coach. We’re I think about five points down at three-quarter time. And Ramps was always so enthusiastic. I remember him coming out, and he used to eat a killer python while he was playing, and I remember saying put your mouthguard in, switch on. And he’s like, ‘Chill out’.

“Nicksy has just given us this big spray, boys it’s all on the line. He’s eating a killer python, I’m 23-24 trying to fire him up, and I’m thinking he’s got the message and he turns to me and goes, ‘What quarter is this?’. He’s the smartest dumb guy you’ll ever meet. But we were tearing our hair out with this kid because he could play and he had so much energy and enthusiasm.”

Dane Rampe was a 22-year-old with plenty of senior footy experience by the time he was selected by the Swans in the rookie draft.

ADAM DUGAN

Under 16s coach of Isaac Heeney at Cardiff Hawks

“Isaac was just this little blonde kid coming on,” Dugan said. “Me and a mate were coaching down the 16s back then, and he was always playing up the grades, he was a 12-13-year-old playing up in the under 16 comp, as well as playing in the under 14 division back then.

“He had good skills from a young age. Those high marks, the speccies he goes for sitting on guys’ shoulders. He’s been doing that since he was a kid, always wanted to fly, always wanted to kick the big goal. Nothing about that has changed. It’s just the skill level that he does it with and the ability he does it with these days.

“In his last year of U16s with us, he didn’t play in the under sixteens. He just played state footy and played first-grade footy against the men with us.

“He was always just a little bit undersized against the men, but he didn’t drop off tackles. He always held his own, and you sort of see him that now. He’s not overly aggressive. He’s always standing his ground and pushing guys around a bit.”

A young Isaac Heeney with some of his awards from playing with Cardiff Hawks.

PAUL VINK

Club president of Braeden Campbell at Westbrook

“He always looked like that potential AFL player,” Vink said of Campbell.

“He had an incredible determination and attack on the footy right from the very start and was an absolute standout. He has this left foot kicking, which has always been amazing, and he certainly worked hard on his skills and fitness. And I know when you hear the commentary during games, they talk about the laser left, but he had that early on.

“(His family) had this club-first attitude, and you know, the family being involved from coaching committee roles to fundraising. Braeden was always in tow with the family. I just remember pink ribbon night he was out there with his little box collecting money, and his pink hair. Absolute fabric of our football club.

“I wouldn’t say he was massive during his junior days, but he was brave. He was head over the ball. He would attack the ball. He had this determination that I mentioned before, that real desire to win it, and his ability to read the play very early on was something that really stood out. And he was a very courageous player.”

Young Braeden Campbell showcasing some of his dashing halfback run as a youngster.

MATT GADEN

Under 14s coach of Nick Blakey at East Sydney Bulldogs

“I only coached Nick for one year, but I do remember it pretty vividly,” Gaden said. “Already you could see that he had the makings of something pretty special.

“His big thing was, I used to put him in the middle of the ground in midfield and say to him, you’ve got the license to just go forward and you can rest in the forward line, and we’ll expect you to kick us a couple of goals. In the end, he was so good we just let him run around in the midfield, and he kicked goals from the midfield anyway.

“He didn’t need to rest. He was fitter, he was faster, and his skills were already very evident. The one thing that I remember really clearly was that he was able to jump for a mark from a standing start. So he could just get himself off the ground without any help at all. And it was amazing to watch. He was wonderful to coach. I’m not sure how much I had to do with his development.

“I remember a day he was injured and standing in the goalsquare. I put him down at full-forward because he couldn’t run, and he kicked six goals. So everything the opposition threw at him, he would just come back harder.”

Nick Blakey always look destined for AFL greatness given his talent at junior level.

MICHAEL REINERS

Coach and family friend of Errol Gulden at Maroubra Saints

“He was a very mature little kid,” Reiners said. “So he’d have conversations with other people, or parents and coaches about things like footy that other kids probably wouldn’t.

“He was also exceptionally skilful even from an early age. So under fives, under sixes, you’re teaching the kids to kick and handball. He’d be seeing things on telly and practice things that he’d see in a game, he’d run out of bounds and hold the ball in the grounds and then bring it back in and kick. And if we were kicking for goals, he would go to the boundary and kick goals from there.

“A lot of kids are talented. I’ve never coached one as talented as Errol. But he worked really hard like he lived and breathed footy from a young kid, you just knew he was going to be a footballer.

“From under sixes up to under fourteens, he would always dominate games. So it was fun for me to have him in our team. And I’ve coached a lot of kids, but he could really dominate a game, and the only trouble I had coaching him was complaints from parents and other coaches he had the ball too much.”

Gulden (back, second from left) celebrates a title win while at the Maroubra Saints. Picture: Supplied

RANDALL BROOKS

Junior coach of Harry Cunningham at Turvey Park

“His skills from 11s to 13s, you could tell the difference. He came on leaps and bounds in two or three years,” Brooks said.

“He was very skilful and just his speed, he’s still got the speed now. He’s very fast and because he played a bit of rugby league as well, he used to play AFL on Saturday and rugby league down in Wagga on Sundays, he used to play on the wing there as well. To get around players, his ability to do that was exceptional.

“It didn’t matter the size of the opponent, he would come up against anyone running straight at him, he would stand there and tackle them. He never took a sideward step. Even marking the football, he’d go into packs and run into them, he wasn’t concerned at all about getting injured. His heart was massive.

“Even in league, taking on big front rowers, he would stand and wait for them. Nine times out of 10, he’d be putting them straight to the ground. It’s that bit of mongrel in him, once he crossed that line, it didn’t matter the size of the opponent, he’d take anyone on.”

Harry Cunningham in his junior days playing in a South Melbourne-style guernsey while playing for Turvey Park. Picture: Harry Cunningham/Instagram

JUSTIN DETHRIDGE

Club president of Callum Mills at Mosman Swans

“He was a very fine junior rugby player, and came across because a friend of his was playing for the Mosman Swans,” Dethridge said.

“He played that first game on a fill-in basis and I think got best-on-ground in his first game having never played the game before. And you know, he went on and played, I think, 50 games for the Mosman Swans and got picked up through the draft, having played one game with North Shore Bombers.

Mills was a late starter to AFL but quickly became a star in junior ranks.

“It was just his ferocity in the contest, speed clearly, very gifted hand-eye coordination. He played AFL in the early days coming from rugby as I imagine he played his rugby. Very determined and obviously very competitive.

“The big challenge always for kids in Sydney, when they come across from rugby is the kicking aspect. But he obviously picked that up quicker than most and became a fine player reasonably quickly and at a young age.”

Caiden Cleary playing for the Newtown Swans. Picture: Supplied

PAUL JARVIS

Coach of Caiden Cleary at the Newtown Swans

“As a kid, right from the start, he just loved to run and tackle,” Jarvis said.

“He was skinny, and he was all arms and legs. And I used to call him the sheepdog because he used to round up the opponents and they couldn’t get past him. He just had this determination that if he didn’t have the ball, he was going to get it.

“Caiden would always win his own ball. And when you win your own ball and you’re not relying on others, it throws ego out the window. It was like, ‘Bugger you, I’m going to get it myself’.

“Every side that he went into, he kept propelling himself to the rep side or to the Allies. He believed that he belonged and he just excelled.”

Originally published as AFL Grand Final 2024: Inside the rise of eight NSW-bred Swans powering Sydney’s premiership pursuit