Sydney’s Jordan Dawson reveals a spray from John Longmire kickstarted his AFL career
Just when Jordan Dawson thought he was going to make it as an AFL player, he came back for pre-season training unfit. That’s when he caught the eye of coach John Longmire and everything changed.
Sydney
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sydney. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Some home truths from Swans coach John Longmire has proven the catalyst behind the stunning rise of Sydney’s latest emerging star.
Jordan Dawson says a “slap on the wrist” he copped from Longmire for coming back to training overweight two pre-seasons ago jolted him into action as he opened up about the solemn vow he made to never let his coach down like that again.
Longmire didn’t pull any punches in telling Dawson his physical condition had contributed to a series of soft tissue injuries that had restricted him to just five games since being drafted at the end of 2015.
NEW DEAL: JORDAN DAWSON RE-SIGNS WITH SYDNEY
OPEN MIKE: DUNKLEY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH SWANS ‘NON-EXISTENT’
DONATE: HOW SUPERCOACH FAILURE IS HELPING FIGHT CANCER
Dawson’s contract was set to expire, but Longmire showed the faith and the penny dropped immediately.
The 22-year-old is proving to be a man of his word, delivering a breakout season that has helped lay the foundations for a potential Swans rebirth in 2020.
“I had a good year a couple of years ago in the twos and I just sort of thought I’d roll in and be able to come in and play seniors last year,” Dawson told The Daily Telegraph.
“Last year was a bit of a penny drop. I was a bit unfit in the off-season and I got injured through the start of the year and into the middle of the year.
“My skinnies (skin folds) were a bit high when I came back from the off-season and that led to a few soft tissue injuries.
“I was midway through my third year and I’d played one game, and I didn’t really know where I sat and I was out of contract.
“That made me realise I’ve got to pull my finger out. The club were pretty good in sticking by me and giving me a slap on the wrist, but also backing me in.
“It was a good eye opener and I’ll make sure I’ll never come back in that condition again because it’s definitely not what you need, the coaches getting angry at you, especially Horse (Longmire).”
Dawson was this week chosen in the AFLPA’s best 22 under 22 squad, which will be whittled down from 40 to the final number after Grand Final day.
The boy from Adelaide, returning to play in front of his home town crowd for the first time this Saturday night when the Swans face Port, says a heart-to-heart with Longmire after last season turned his career around.
“I just had to cop it obviously. It was my fault. There was no one else to blame,” said Dawson.
“Horse was good. It was more of a general chat. (He expressed) a bit of disappointment about it but he knew that going into my end of year review that it wouldn’t happen again.
“And I told him it wouldn’t.
“I came back fit and had a good-pre-season (for this year), so obviously the trust is built back there but I need to make sure that in the years to come I don’t let him down again. Or let myself down.
“That’s the main focus for me.”
Dawson has been Mr Versatile for Longmire this year, playing up forward, down back and on the wing.
He admits he was “envious” that other youngsters of his age were developing quicker, but Dawson says he is glad he had to truly earn his place.
“I was pretty envious of Callum Mills and Paps (Tom Papley) and those guys because obviously they’ve come in and had an impact,” Dawson said.
“But a lot of the guys have taken a few years, especially here. You’ve got to really earn your games.”