Sam Wicks awarded contract extension after position switch, difficult 12 months

Sam Wicks is coming off a difficult 12 months which saw him suspended for an internal issue and banned for a dangerous tackle. Now, he’s thriving – and has been rewarded for it.

Swans defender Sam Wicks has put a difficult 12 months behind him to emerge as one of the bright lights of the club’s 2025 season, rewarded with a new three-year contract on the back of his remarkable form in the back line.

The Swans Academy graduate rose through the ranks as a pressure forward and had struggled to lock down his place in the best 23 over the past three seasons. He had played just 66 games at the club in the six years since he had been rookie listed at the end of 2018.

A combination of injury, suspension and an internal club issue meant that 2024 was a particularly “frustrating” season for Wicks. However, the 25-year-old has relished his new role in defence this year, one of the major positive moves made by new coach Dean Cox.

Wicks has managed to keep some of the best small forwards in the competition on a tight leash. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Wicks worked intensely with Sydney coaches, and experienced teammates like Harry Cunningham and Dane Rampe, during the pre-season to get his defensive acumen up to scratch. Combined with his speed and ball-use out of his own half, he has become a genuine backline weapon for the Swans, while also blanketing some of the best small forwards in the AFL.

“It was a bit of a no-brainer really to put pen to paper and stay here for a few more years,” Wicks said. “It will be (my longest ever contract).

“There’s some skills as a pressure forward that translate into a small defender. It definitely hasn’t been easy. There’s been heaps to learn, but I’ve got great backing from Coxy and the coaching group. Mark McVeigh, the backline coach, they’ve all been unreal in supporting me and getting me up to speed.

“I think my mindset is to defend first and then, once we get the ball, use my speed and skills. That’s been the messaging and it’s been good.

“They’ve thrown me down back and said, ‘You’ll make mistakes as you go, but we completely back you’. And I’m feeling very, very supported by the club.”

The Academy product has blossomed since moving into defence over the pre-season. Picture: Phil Hillyard

That support for Wicks has never wavered at the Swans despite the many headlines that followed him last year. Not only did he receive a four-week suspension for a dangerous tackle while playing in the VFL, but he was also the subject of much speculation after an internal club incident saw him omitted from the side earlier in the season.

Wicks has put all that noise behind him to bounce back and find his career-best form. And while he did not want to talk about the specifics of the incident, he credits the club for feeling as though they always had his back.

“It was something that was handled internally, and we’ve all moved on,” Wicks said.

“(The attention) was a bit frustrating at times, but at the end of the day, it’s about the people who are close to me and the people who are in the four walls at the Swans whose opinions I care about.”

The Swans are taking a similar approach to their season after falling to their sixth defeat of the season against Essendon on Saturday, the same number of losses they had throughout their entire home-and-away campaign in 2024.

That result is now in the rear-view mirror with a focus on Friday night’s game against Carlton. The Swans will wear their new Marn Grook guernsey for the clash, with Wicks getting the chance to discuss the importance of the match with members of the club’s First Nations Academy program.

Wicks with Sydney Swans First Nations Academy players, brothers Jakob and Noa Frankl, ahead of the Marn Grook match at the SCG against Carlton. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The program has seen the number of Indigenous kids in the Swans Academy grow from seven to almost 100 over the past three years as the club looks to create a consistent pathway for First Nations talent to progress through to the AFL and AFLW.

Wicks was also part of a group representing the Swans who travelled to Maningrida in Arnhem Land late last year to put on clinics and a football carnival to support the local community.

“(The First Nations Academy) is such a great pathway for them, there’s so much talent,” Wicks said. “As we’ve seen in past years, some of our greatest players have been Indigenous … for them to be able to have a place to develop their skills is awesome.

“We enjoy nothing more than a packed-out SCG. What’s done is done and there’s no point beating ourselves up over what’s happened, we take learnings out of the past few games and hopefully rectify it this week against Carlton.”