Tom Papley welcomed back by Sydney teammates after failed trade request
Tom Papley has assured his Sydney teammates he will give his all this season after addressing the reasons why he sought a trade to a Victorian club.
Sydney
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Sydney Swans forward Tom Papley has cleared the air with teammates after his request to be traded to Carlton for this AFL season fell through.
The 23-year-old had hoped to relocate to Victoria to be closer to his family but the Swans failed to seal the deal with the Melbourne club.
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Papley has since embraced his fate and addressed the delicate matter head on with his teammates before pre-season.
“There probably wasn’t much awkwardness, but I probably just felt it myself really,” Papley said.
“The boys are the boys, they’re always going to look after you or help you along the way.
“It’s just about getting the confidence back and getting the trust back of the group, knowing that you want to be there and that you want to win.
“I spoke to the boys, said I was committed, feel like I put my best foot forward so they know I’m committed.”
Defender Harry Cunningham said there were no hard feelings and that the Swans were relieved to have Papley, who kicked 37 goals and averaged 15 disposals per game last season, back in the mix.
“Tom fronted the group and explained his situation but his actions from then on have shown that he’s nothing but fully committed to this footy club,” Cunningham said.
“That’s why we love Tom. We love having Tom in our team. His actions speak louder than words.”
After missing the finals for the first time in a decade, the Swans are determined to bounce back this season.
But with Lance Franklin having knee surgery last month, they might be forced to open their comeback campaign without their star forward.
If so, Papley and Cunningham said they had confidence in the young Swans to step up this year.
“I think we’ve actually got a good record without Bud, not sure if he’s going to play or not, hopefully he’s right,” Papley said.
“We’ve got Sam Gray coming in now, Lewis Taylor, we’ve got another couple of score sources there and Nick Blakey and Will Hayward’s still a pretty dangerous forward line.”
Cunningham said he expects young guns Oliver Florent, Will Hayward and Dylan Stephens to play more footy this season.
“Ollie’s put in the hard work he’s a very talented player, he’s been able to put that work in over a couple of years now and it’s starting to pay off he’s a quality player not just for us but across the AFL,” Cunningham said.
“Will Hayward’s the same and a young Dyl Stephens has come in with a really good attitude to learn off the older guys and implement it in training. He’s started the summer really well so look forward to seeing those blokes in the games.”