How high-flying Chad Warner is staying grounded ahead of preliminary final against Power

He might not look it on the field with his darting runs through the midfield, but on matchdays Chad Warner is the picture of calm. He’s staying grounded ahead of one of the biggest matches of his career.

Chad Warner has his game day routine down to a fine art.

He’ll head down to Melonhead on Coogee Bay Road for a banana smoothie by the beach. If he feels like it, he’ll add a bit of banana bread as well – “It always works a treat”. By 4pm, he’ll hop in the car and head to Swans HQ and before he knows it, the first bounce will be in the air.

But he can already sense the build-up to Friday’s preliminary final against Port Adelaide is different. He has family flying in from across the country and mates to catch up with the night before the game.

The fear is ever-present. The adrenaline is already beginning to race. But it’s a testament to the 23-year-old and the work he has put in, including with the Swans and sports psychologist Emma Murray, that amid the noise he’s feeling as calm as ever.

Warner has regularly lit up the SCG this season for the Swans. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“That fear element going into games, everyone has it,” Warner said. “(Emma) allows you to remove as much of that as possible and control what you can control.

“To be honest, I’m pretty chilled out. It’s just finding ways to keep it out of my mind and keep what is important in the front of my mind.

“The stuff I’ve been able to do during games helps with your confidence going into finals-like pressure, those things that cause fear. But finals are a different game … just lean on that experience you have.”

Warner and his teammates are no strangers to the big pressure moments. But they arguably haven’t faced as much expectation as they will against the Power.

The Swans finished the season as the minor premiers. They go into the game following a week off where they could put their feet up and refresh. Their opponents, Port Adelaide, are coming off a bruising encounter against Hawthorn with their backs against the wall to make the grand final.

A Sydney victory is the most likely outcome, but that thinking has been well and truly parked by the Swans.

The Swans will be hoping to continue their undefeated streak in preliminary finals at the SCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“We try to look at it as no one really deserves anything in this game, to be honest,” Warner said.

“Obviously, being at home and finishing on top of the ladder, you probably are expected to win this game tomorrow. But the reality is Port are seriously good, and have had our measure the last eight games as well.

“So, I think we kind of just look at it as another opportunity to beat a quality side and play against a quality side who are really hard and play a fierce brand of footy.

“The fact that your season could be done or it could not be is just so exciting, and I think that’s something we’re relishing very much. But you’ve got to take what you’ve learned throughout the year and use it, even though it is like two different seasons now.”

The “eight games” Warner references stretch all the way back to 2016, the last time the Swans were able to defeat Port Adelaide. It’s an unusual hoodoo, particularly because Sydney won 13 of the previous 14 meetings before the current run, and their only finals meeting in 2003.

If Sydney can gain the upper hand of the midfield battle, it will go a long way to booking their place in the preliminary final. Picture: Phil Hillyard

While the streak has been addressed, Warner believes that the contests highlight how well the two teams match up against one another.

“At the start of the week, Horse brought it up so we’re all aware,” Warner said. “It probably gets posted about a lot in the media, we’re aware of it and no one’s really caught off guard.

“But finals are a lot different. The reality is last year, and a lot of other games, we played some pretty good footy against them, and kind of just got run over at the end, made a few mistakes.

“So if we can kind of match them in the contest like we did for three quarters last year, it should be a pretty good night.”

Warner knows that the game will be won around the stoppages, and whichever midfield wins the contested ball will likely be the barometer of the result.

The Swans have recently extended their partnership with OMO, the official laundry partner of the AFL. Picture: Supplied

And as part of an official partnership between OMO and the Sydney Swans, he is tipping one teammate in particular to do the dirty work required to help lift the team over the line.

“Everyone plays their heart out, and you want to be able to do that and be known for playing your heart out,” he said.

“Isaac (Heeney) does some flashy stuff, but he goes in real hard. People don’t really realise is how hard and tough he is, to be honest, for such a flashy player.”

RAMPE’S REMARKABLE RESILIANCE ON PATH TO 250

Dane Rampe’s road to the AFL was the epitome of resilience. Overlooked in four national drafts, playing across two states, Rampe patiently waited for a team to finally call his name. Eventually, the Swans gambled on the then 22-year-old in the 2012 rookie draft.

What came next was a career he could have only dreamt of. He became a regular member of Sydney’s defence, played in three grand finals and has become a club legend for the team he barracked for as a kid.

But the veteran defender, who has time and again been the calm and composed man to get the Swans out of tough situations, is preparing for what could be the biggest eight days of his life.

Friday night’s preliminary final against Port Adelaide will be Rampe’s 250th AFL match. Eight days later, as a result of Callum Mills’s hamstring strain, the kid from the Eastern Suburbs could then be the matchday captain lifting the premiership cup at the MCG.

After time in the VFL and at UNSW, Rampe eventually earned his AFL chance with the Swans at the end of 2012. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

For someone who has built his reputation on being unassuming and letting others do the talking, this is Rampe’s chance to finally be in the spotlight.

“I’m pretty happy it’s in a prelim week because all the attention will be on that more so than the 250,” Rampe said.

“It’s important that it’s at home for me. That’s a nice little win that I get. Having all my friends and family here, and the energy and the excitement of a prelim, it’s going to be pretty exciting.”

“It might have been his last chance, it probably was if he got bypassed in that (2012 rookie) draft,” John Longmire added.

“It’s interesting the sliding door moments. Alex Johnston went off at Blacktown with a knee injury … and Dane Rampe came on for him I think. He’s virtually been playing ever since.

“It’s a great example of just being ready. He was ready for four years, not being drafted, and he’s been ready ever since. He’s been a real pleasure to coach for a long period of time.”

Rampe debuted in round one, 2013 against the Giants and never looked back. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Across the years, Rampe has become one of Longmire’s most trusted generals in defence. When fit, he’s the first name on the team sheet because of the stability and communication he provides.

But his value to the Swans has arguably never been more apparent than it has in 2024.

Of the six games they have lost this season, Rampe missed their two biggest defeats of the year against the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide. He was also subbed out at half time of their shock round three loss to Richmond.

His presence alone makes the Swans better.

“He does everything he can individually to help everyone else out, but he goes above and beyond to make us a better team,” Harry Cunningham said.

“I reckon if you spoke to all the players, the main thing they’d say about Dane is that he cares so much for this footy club and the players.

“He wants everyone to get the best out of themselves. And in that, I think he’s got the best out of himself which is great. He’s a special human being.”

The spotlight will be on Dane Rampe on Friday night as he celebrates his 250th AFL game. Picture: Phil Hillyard

On the field, it has been a rejuvenated Rampe this season. The 34-year-old has missed a handful of games through soft-tissue injuries, but it hasn’t stopped him from turning back the clock with some of his performances.

He completely blanketed Giants captain Toby Greene in the qualifying final, and has even kicked goals in each of the Swans’ past two matches.

Across the board, Longmire has given his players that license to attack and take risks this season.

While that’s brought more enjoyment for Rampe, he knows that it’s still their defensive structures that will determine whether they can make their premiership aspirations a reality.

“We play an exciting brand, which I guess hasn’t always been the case,” Rampe said. “Back when I started, we were pretty dour and defensive, and you wouldn’t say that we had the same flair.

“Over the last couple of years, I’ve had to be closer to goal. But now we’ve got the likes of (Lewis) Melican playing some really good football, Tom McCartin’s been doing what he’s been doing for the past couple of years. My role changes every week and I like the flexibility that comes with that.

“Early on in the year, we prided ourselves on being the best defensive unit in the comp and probably waned a bit from that. That wasn’t just as a unit, probably in a team sense.

“It’s always been our strength as a club, we’ve valued defence and pressure, it’s no different now. So, we’ve tried to hone in on that in the last couple of weeks.

“We feel like we’re getting our mojo back a little bit and feeling good, we feel like we’re peaking at the right time.”

Originally published as How high-flying Chad Warner is staying grounded ahead of preliminary final against Power