AFL 2023: Six Swans Academy graduates take centre stage in Sydney’s finals campaign

If ever proof was needed of the value of the Sydney Swans Academy, look no further than the teams for Friday night’s elimination final.

Sydney’s homegrown stars Braeden Campbell, Sam Wicks, Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Nick Blakey and Errol Gulden will lead the charge against Carlton on Friday. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Sydney Swans Academy has become the envy of the rest of the AFL with its ability to nurture talented prospects into the stars of today.

As the club prepares for yet another finals charge, six Academy products will be right in the middle of the action at the MCG.

One of those is Sam Wicks, who will play his 50th AFL game against Carlton on Friday.

Wicks grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches and played for the Manly Bombers before joining the Academy at age 11.

“(The Academy) was really important,” Wicks said. “They taught all of us who’ve been through about discipline and hard work from a young age and what’s required at the top level.”

Many kids join the Swans as early as primary school, and it has played an integral role in growing the sport in NSW.

Boys and girls from across the state who play footy have their eyes set on the annual Academy trials and for the parents, knowing they’re going into a system that is about more than just the sport is important.

Sam Wicks (right) celebrates a goal in the Swans’ important win against Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“At the end of the day, there might be one or two kids that actually get to run out there and play, but there’s a lot of kids that come through the Academy, so it’s about what we can do for them,” said Bronwyn Gulden the mother of Errol Gulden and a coach at the Academy.

“That’s hopefully influenced them in some way to make them better young adults and humans. And that’s really reflective of any of the boys that are here at the moment.”

Wicks has played a vital role in Sydney’s side in the past two months as they made their charge to finals.

He’s in the top three forwards in the competition for tackles (5.3) and tackles inside 50 (2.1). And John Longmire knows that despite it only being his second finals series, he will be integral to their success.

But Wicks doesn’t have to look too far to see how bright his future could be. Fellow Academy products Gulden and Isaac Heeney have become All-Australians while Callum Mills is the current co-captain of the club.

Callum Mills during his time at the Sydney Academy. Picture: Sydney Swans

However, the most important thing for the Swans is that they’re all still playing footy.

“I think over the past few years, a lot of boys have proven that good footy players can come from Sydney,” Wicks said. “And from pathways that aren’t exactly traditional.

“For those boys to be able to do what they do is incredible for the game, and for footy in NSW.”

SYDNEY’S ACADEMY STARS

Isaac Heeney, 27

Junior club – Cardiff Hawks Juniors

Heeney was one of the only kids in his primary school to play Aussie rules but quickly found a home at the Cardiff Hawks in the Black Diamond League. When he turned 12, he joined the Swans’ Academy, and his parents would take turns with the two-and-a-half-hour drive down to Sydney from the Hunter. He would have been playing rugby league if not for the influence of the Swans and the Academy.

Isaac Heeney plays for the Cardiff Hawks. Picture: AFL NSW/ACT

Callum Mills, 26

Junior club – Mosman Swans

A rugby union kid on the North Shore of Sydney, a chance fill-in for his mate’s AFL team set Mills on the path to become a Swans co-captain. It just so happened that friend was the son of Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham. Mills quickly impressed with the Sherrin, playing in numerous representative teams before being earmarked by the Academy and taken with the No.3 pick at the 2015 draft. He went on to win the 2016 AFL Rising Star award.

Nick Blakey, 23

Junior club – East Sydney Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have become a footy factory over the years and Blakey followed the trend, progressing through their pathways. He played in their senior side as a teenager and quickly became a standout prospect at the Swans Academy. His dad, John, was an assistant coach at the Swans but has since moved on, leaving Nick to turn into an elite defender and he earned his maiden All-Australian squad selection in 2023.

Errol Gulden, 21

Junior club – Maroubra Saints Juniors AFC

The 2023 All-Australian star has been a highlight of Sydney’s season and is the perfect example of the work of the Academy paying off. A big football fan, Gulden has been close to the Swans for some time with coach John Longmire knowing the talented left-footer since he was six. But there was no special treatment, he turned up at the Academy tryouts as a 10-year-old and the rest is history.

Errol Gulden and Braeden Campbell captained the Swans’ Academy side together in 2020. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos

Braeden Campbell, 21

Junior club – Westbrook Juniors AFL club

Drafted in the same year as Gulden, the pair captained the Swans’ Academy together and Campbell was a clear standout in their draft class. The Swans even had to match a bid from the Hawks to keep him. He had been at the Academy since the under-11s and starred in multiple representative matches. He’s now entrenched as part of the Swans’ best 22.

Sam Wicks, 23

Junior club – Manly Bombers

Wicks worked tirelessly to get his opportunity at the Swans and was eventually picked up as a Category B rookie at the end of 2018. He joined the Academy all the way back in 2010 and credits the pathway for keeping his passion for footy alive in Sydney.

Originally published as AFL 2023: Six Swans Academy graduates take centre stage in Sydney’s finals campaign