Mills moves on from Mad Monday mishap to become Swans’ sole skipper

Callum Mills has been named captain of the Sydney Swans for the new season after sharing leadership responsibilities with co-captains Dane Rampe and Luke Parker for the past two campaigns.

Mills becomes the Swans’ first sole captain since club champion Josh Kennedy led the side during the 2017 season, marking a departure from the trend of two or three players sharing the leadership job at Moore Park.

The midfielder’s promotion to sole captain comes after he sustained a serious shoulder injury in September when a Mad Monday wrestle with teammate Jacob Konstanty ended in a torn rotator cuff.

Mills admitted he had learnt from the incident and hoped it would ultimately make him a better leader of the club.

“I think I’ve learnt a lot about myself over the period and as a leader as well,” Mills said. “I obviously made a mistake, but I think I’m not going to let it define me, and I’ll be able to lead the group the best I can. It’s been a big couple of months. I’m really looking forward to the future.”

Asked whether he worried about his future as a captain at the club after the Mad Monday incident, Mills admitted that it had been a concern.

Swans Captain Callum Mills with head coach John Longmire after the midfielder was named Swans captain for the new season.Credit: Janie Barrett

“Yeah, it runs through your mind when you make mistakes, that definitely runs through your mind,” Mills said. “But as I go back to the conversations that I had with Horse [John Longmire], the support I felt from the club, [from] board down, it was something that was quite reassuring and when you make a mistake, to have people that have your back is extremely important.”

Mills was told by Rampe a week ago that he and Parker were stepping down as captains and that he saw him as the man to lead the club into the 2024 season.

Mills’ recovery remains on track and he is currently back training with the club, engaging in non-contact drills recently during the Swans’ pre-season in Coffs Harbour. The midfielder remains hopeful of returning to the side midway through the season.

Mills grew up on the Northern Beaches and played his junior football for the Mosman Swans, before being drafted directly from the Swans academy.

Callum Mills front media in October last year to explain his Mad Monday injury.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

The 26-year-old quickly became a valued mainstay in the Swans line-up and in 2022 he was awarded his first All-Australian selection alongside the Bob Skilton Medal as club champion. He has played 155 games for the club.

Mills will be assisted by an experienced leadership group for the new season which is yet to be confirmed after the departure of its most decorated former member, Lance Franklin, last season. Mills became part of the group aged just 21 in 2018.

Longmire has worked closely with Mills since he entered the Swans Academy as a teenager and remembered the time he knew exactly when the young player could one day lead the club.

“That was after he questioned our game plan,” Longmire joked. “At the time, he had to go the young fella, he was a bit of a smart alec.

“I did think straightaway that he’s got a great temperament to be able to do it, he really cares about the team. In every conversation you had when he was onfield or off-field, it was always about what can we do to make the team better.

“We all make mistakes, we all learn, even as coaches, and so you know the ability for Callum to be able to go on this journey, we think it’s going to be ultimately a real learning experience. We’ve got absolute confidence that Millsy has been and will continue to be a fantastic leader at this footy club.”

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