Sydney Swans news: No love lost on the track, Braeden Campbell re-signs on three-year deal
The Warner brothers didn’t square up for round 2 this time, but yet again Sydney players had to be separated from one another as pre-season heats up. Plus more on a re-signed Swan.
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There might not have been brothers battling it out this week, but the Swans’ physicality was on display during their second major match simulation in under a week.
Heavy tackles and bumps were the order of the day on Tramway Oval as teammates got in each other’s faces, with the players left on their haunches after the session as they prepare to go into a four-day break.
The two sides were split relatively close to seniors and reserves as Dean Cox begins to formulate his preferred combination. Isaac Heeney, James Rowbottom and Chad Warner started alongside Will Green for one side at the first centre bounce, with the quartet up against captain Callum Mills, James Jordon, Angus Sheldrick and Peter Ladhams.
It was the ‘reserves’ side that got off to a faster start thanks to some really strong early touches from Sheldrick. He linked up well with Ned Bowman, who found Indhi Kirk to convert the first goal with a check kick using the outside of his foot from the pocket.
Green and Ladhams appeared well-matched in the ruck, with Sheldrick and Jordon both reading the taps well and able to break out of the stoppages. There was a real focus on “taking the sting out of the game” from the defence of the main side, as Dane Rampe, Lewis Melican and Nick Blakey attempted to slow down the pace of the play.
However, the highlight moment arrived when Chad Warner used his body to create some space from Patrick Snell off the halfback line. With no one ahead of him, Warner took nearly half a dozen bounces, moved inside 50 and converted beautifully through the sticks. It was a typical Warner goal, and one Swans will be hoping to also see beyond this season.
Tom McCartin had some nice moments ahead of the ball as he develops his forward craft. His best involvements came when he could outmuscle his opponent, with the 25-year-old still getting his head around some of the leading patterns for his teammates.
NO LOVE LOST
There was clearly an instruction from Dean Cox not to leave anything on the field, and the players delivered some absorbing hits throughout the match.
Taylor Adams’ pressure around the ball was superb, including a monster tackle he laid on Rowbottom in the final stages of the first quarter. It’s not often you see Rowbottom slow to get up, but he was clearly shaken from the impact as Adams helped him off the ground.
A few spot fires emerged across the ground, including between two of the clubs leaders in Mills and Dane Rampe. The pair exchanged some shoves, with Mills clearly trying to bait Rampe into giving away a free kick. He was eventually successful and as he converted the goal, you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
More Swans match sim today.
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) January 28, 2025
Chad Warner with a couple of goals, Angus Sheldrick really impressive around the stoppages.
Full report to come later today. #AFL â¦@superfootyâ© pic.twitter.com/6ND2GirT4F
Another moment occurred in the final quarter between Joel Amartey and Riak Andrew. As Andrew shepherded the ball across the boundary, a late push from Amartey sent him flying. The draftee didn’t take too kindly to the extra attention and got straight in Amartey’s face to let him know with several teammates needed to pull the pair apart.
Defensive physicality is clearly king for the Swans in 2025, and it will be fascinating to see what sort of impact it has on their fortunes.
PRESSING TO IMPRESS
The players who stood out most on Wednesday morning were ones who pressed relentlessly in the forward half and created turnover opportunities.
Corey Warner was constantly buzzing around in the forward line, looking for space and hounding his opponents when they had the ball. Mid-season draftee Tom Hannily was another who laid a couple of strong tackles and caused at least one turnover inside 50.
Caiden Cleary had a couple of nice moments, but it was the youngest Warner who looked most lively. The 21-year-old just needs to match his conversions to his intensity, as he missed a couple of opportunities to hit the scoreboard. Tom Papley also got in on the action with a nice crumbed goal.
DEFENCE TAKES SHAPE
With McCartin moving forward, there are a lot of question marks about how the Swans’ backline will line up.
From the first two major match simulations, it’s clear that Lewis Melican has adopted the role of the backline leader with Dane Rampe and Nick Blakey working alongside him. Melican was incredibly vocal communicating with his teammates, demanding them to fill gaps and marshalling them to great effect.
Matt Roberts will also continue to build on his breakout year as the 21-year-old showed elite ability to switch the ball with supreme accuracy. Rampe was rotated to the other team for the final quarter as Cox experimented with some combinations, mainly involving Aaron Francis.
The rest of the backline will likely be opposition-dependent. Francis and Joel Hamling both took turns playing as the key defender for the reserves side, with Hamling occasionally getting forward. Francis took some strong grabs, particularly when the wet conditions set in.
Ben Paton and Riley Bice will likely be shooting it out for a chance to play alongside Harry Cunningham. They both present different options with Paton more of a shut-down defender, while Bice can look to rebound and get the ball forward quickly.
As for the youngsters coming through, Patrick Snell and Riak Andrew both had strong moments throughout the game. Andrew took a massive contested mark on the wing, while Snell’s strength to break tackles was also on display.
Will Edwards looms as another option but is working his way back from an infection in his leg he suffered playing in the VFL.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT
Will Green
The second-year draftee is looking far more composed around the stoppages and performed strongly in his contest against Pete Ladhams. While he often gave up first position, he still regularly won the tap and looked to put his midfielders into space. His ball distribution and tackling in and around the contest was also a highlight as he looks to convince Cox he deserves a debut in 2025. Ladhams also performed strongly as he enters a contract year.
Nick Blakey
The Lizard looks primed to build on his All-Australian season, reading the flight of the ball superbly and using his size to create space and uncontested marks with ease. He was also finding targets inside 50 beautifully, giving them space to run into and mark in front of their body. With more responsibility on the defence in 2025, expect Blakey to rise to the occasion.
James Jordon
While he made a name for himself as the Swans’ tagger last year, Jordon had some really nice touches around the stoppages on Wednesday. He was breaking out of the contest and into space, finding teammates and creating plenty of opportunities. There is such a logjam of talent across the ground for the Swans, so it’s hard to see exactly where Jordon plays. But if he can match efficient ball use to his pressure game, he will be a valuable asset for Cox.
RE-SIGNED SWAN ‘WASN’T CONFIDENT’ IN GRAND FINAL FITNESS
Swans Academy product Braeden Campbell is eyeing a permanent spot in the club’s half-forward line after putting pen to paper on a three-year contract extension.
Campbell, 22, played 23 matches last season but was often restricted to cameo appearances as the substitute for the minor premiers.
The former No.5 draft pick believes his best footy is still ahead of him in Sydney and he is looking forward to a chance to shine under new coach Dean Cox on a deal that will take him through to the end of 2028.
“It means a lot to me and is something I’ve been working on for quite a while,” Campbell said.
“Being from Sydney, joining the program when I would have been 10 or 11 with Errol (Gulden), I always wanted to stay here. There were talks at other clubs, but I’ve always wanted to stay in Sydney. I think I will play my best footy in the state and at this club.”
Campbell’s career has been filled with promise ever since he was taken in the first round of the 2020 draft. Last year was much of the same with some flashes of brilliance, yet he could never quite move off the fringe of the best 22.
His entire finals campaign turned out to be a rollercoaster of emotions as Campbell went from being one of the many heroes in their qualifying final comeback over the Giants to playing the role of substitute in their grand final defeat to the Lions.
It was the second time in three years that Campbell had played as the sub in a grand final. However, it was a decision in Campbell’s best interests given he was also hampered by injury going into the game.
With so many players under a cloud going into the game, clearly the club is motivated to set the record straight if they earn a chance in 2025 again. But Campbell has an extra burning desire after watching his team from the sidelines for the majority of their last two grand final losses.
“(The finals) were a unique experience because I went from absolute high to absolute low in the space of a few weeks,” Campbell said.
“The Giants game was a big highlight, and then also got injured off the back of that and the training week that followed. So I was battling injury, and the best thing for me was to play that sub role because I wasn’t confident in playing a full game for that grand final.
“But at the same time, you also feel a bit helpless when you are just on the bench and you can’t do much.
“Now this deal is signed, I can focus on keeping that role in the team, I’m just trying to nail down on that. I’m really confident in how I’ve prepped this pre-season and on what’s to come.”
Campbell has moved his way out of defence in recent years, and is set to play in the forward line under Cox. It’s a chance for the booming left-footer to have a bigger impact on games and more regularly use his strength of slingshotting the ball inside 50.
The fact the 22-year-old has re-signed on a long-term deal is a sign the Swans still have confidence in the young core of their team. And Campbell hopes that it could entice other players, including Chad Warner, to also commit to the project.
“I finished last season as a forward and the coaches were pretty pleased with how I went there,” Campbell said. “So now I’ve got a pre-season under my belt of learning that role.
“There I can use my two strengths – my kicking when I’m playing at half-forward, but also my speed to burn my opponent back to goal. That’s what I’m working on this pre-season.
“I’ve worked with Coxy for a few years now, first in that midfield role and now also forward. He’s someone I’ve looked to as a mentor, and now he’s the head coach it’s awesome. He’s helped me this year and he’s always got pointers for me.
“It’s special re-signing because we’ve got Errol and Logan from my draft year who have also signed on. That was a factor for me because I want to see how long we can play for in the same team and the bond that we can create, then also mentor the boys coming through.”
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Originally published as Sydney Swans news: No love lost on the track, Braeden Campbell re-signs on three-year deal
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