AFL Round 18 Sydney v North Melbourne: Swans skipper Callum Mills opens up on his return

In October last year, Sydney captain Callum Mills stood forlorn in front of the media after a Mad Monday wrestling incident gone wrong. On Saturday, he made his long-awaited return – and it was an emotional one.

Luke Parker of the Swans marks the ball. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

The Swans read the script and went one better, delivering Callum Mills the perfect footy return after a “pretty low” period of almost a year out of the game.

Sydney’s captain has spent the year chomping at the bit to get back on the field following his Mad Monday injury last September. And while it wasn’t a blockbuster comeback from the 27-year-old, registering just 12 disposals in the big win over North Melbourne, he savoured every moment of the match and capped off his return with a goal in front of the Swans’ faithful.

“It’s a bit of a whirlwind,” Mills said. “I just wanted to get this game over and done with, as weird as that sounds.

“It was a big week and a bit of emotion leading up to the game, but it was nice to get it done, play how we wanted to play and get the win most importantly.

“(There were) natural cobwebs. I was on the bench for a fair bit of time to manage loads. But I thought I did all right, was able to help the boys and get it under my belt, which is nice.

“Once I’d finished T2 training (on Thursday), it was a bit of a relief. It’s been a long journey but the boys have been unbelievable and I’ve enjoyed the process and created the best out of what I could. I’m just glad to be back.”

Callum Mills kicked truly for his first goal in 321 days. Picture: Brett Costello

And it capped off a long-awaited comeback. Picture: Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

It’s been a tough road for Mills to even get to this point. Last October, he stood forlorn in front of the media after his wrestling incident with teammate Jacob Konstanty went wrong.

Since that point, he’s been the picture of leadership. Every moment has been spent getting his body back to its best and preparing to run out onto the field again.

There have been setbacks and more soft tissue injuries than he’d like. But round 18 marks a line in the sand where the Swans have their captain back and Mills can finally contribute with the Sherrin in his hands.

“I was pretty low, to be honest,” Mills said. “Very low.

“It’s been a long time since that (injury) and I’ve just thought that I’m going to somehow find gold in it and try my best to get whatever I can out of it.

“I think you just see things from a different perspective. You can get caught in the hustle and bustle of footy pretty easily … so to be able to help younger guys and sort of help develop that next group has been something that I’ve really enjoyed. It’s adding different tools to my kit bag with leadership and even footy-wise.

“The footy club has been super supportive and that’s been amazing for me, personally. The way the boys have gone about it, the maturity of the group, and the evolution of the group has been awesome to see.

“As much as I’d love to be playing with them every week, it was awesome to see what they were doing and to be back playing is even better.”

The Swans captain was mobbed by teammates after the match as they celebrated the big win. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Having been put through rigorous sessions and more than 1000 tackles, by his own calculations, in preparation for his return, Mills always had faith that he would get through the game with flying colours.

Now, it’s time for the fun stuff. He finally gets to lead out the top-of-the-table Swans as they run through the banner each week.

Mills might have been the spiritual leader from the bench this year for Sydney, but he can’t wait to be their on-field general as they start their finals charge.

“The team has been pretty good (without me), Mills said. “It’s a privilege we’ve got our medical staff and they’re awesome in the way that they prepared us.

“We just want to play the footy we know we can play, and it was nice after a couple of weeks going away from it to come back to it today.

“I was able to soak it up running out and that was really special. Then after that, it was, ‘Okay, let’s get this game done, that’s why we want to play’.”

Remember me? Veteran sends a message in Roos demolition

The Swans have emphatically broken out of their form slump, putting the in-form Kangaroos to the sword in a dominant display of attacking footy.

After a fortnight highlighted by a lack of intensity around the ball, Sydney’s pressure, and two of their favourite sons, returned to great effect at the SCG.

A close arm-wrestle quickly turned into a demolition job as the Swans turned the screws after quarter time to kick their biggest score of the year and allay any concerns their season was drifting in the wrong direction.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the Swans were relatively conservative in their ball movement early on. The game was played between the arcs with neither side able to convert their early inside-50 opportunities.

Chad Warner celebrates a goal in the win over North Melbourne. Picture: Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos

Nick Larkey and the Roos made a fast start but they were no match for the Swans. Picture: Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

North Melbourne’s defence has been a feature of their last month, impressing with their ability to nullify opposition talls. But for the Swans, it was their birthday boy Tom Papley who got the first of the day with an impressive strike from outside 50.

Sydney’s smalls were proving the most damaging, buzzing around the ball and looking to get their hands on it wherever possible. However, they were quick to come unstuck and Toby Pink and Nick Larkey both capitalised with goals from turnovers.

Logan McDonald just managed to hold on as he ran into an open goal square, but Pink’s second of the day opened up a six-point lead for the Roos with the home side yet again slow out of the blocks.

It finally elicited a response from the Swans. McDonald got his second just before the first break to give his side the lead. But it would be the first of eight-straight goals from Sydney who capitalised on their momentum with elite ball movement.

The Swans stopped looking to slow down their transition and looked to play on any time they had an uncontested mark. Once it worked the first time, they looked as though they were free from their shackles and were happy to take risks at any opportunity. More often than not, it worked.

North Melbourne’s defensive structures couldn’t cope with the relentless pressure and Sydney’s forwards ran amok.

Tom Papley was the star. Picture: Jason McCawley/AFL Photos

By halftime, the Swans already had 11 inside 50 marks and 12 more scoring shots than the Roos. Papley and McDonald had three goals each, while Chad Warner was running through the corridor unopposed to have two majors and 17 disposals.

What felt like a close contest quickly had the life sucked out of it. Sydney dominated the clearances (+6), uncontested ball (+36) and uncontested marks (+15). Their 42-point lead almost came out of nowhere and emphasised just how easily they were able to kick away.

North attempted to stem the flow with Cam Zurhaar kicking two and Larkey getting his third early in the third term. However, the Bloods didn’t stop for long, continuing with their procession every time they got the ball forward.

Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean finally got on the board, while Luke Parker marked his first appearance of the year with his 200th AFL goal, which his teammates celebrated like it was his first.

Parker was relentless coming onto the field as the sub and was the highest-rated player on the ground from the moment he replaced Justin McInerney midway through the third term. If there were any doubts about his place in this Sydney side going forward, his cameo performance almost ensured he would be one of the first magnets on the board from next week.

Luke Parker returned as the sub and had a big impact. Picture: Brett Costello

His teammates celebrated both his goals in fine style. Picture: Brett Costello

If Parker’s return was high-octane, captain Callum Mills added a touch of class on the wing for the Swans. He only finished with 12 touches for the day, but his goal to start the fourth quarter gave the Sydney fans another reason to stand as one.

Alastair Clarkson was frustrated by how easily his side were run out of the contest. Brodie Grundy overpowered Tristan Xerri at the stoppages and it provided the Swans with a ready-made platform to spring into attack.

And while there were flashes of brilliance from the likes of Luke Davies-Uniacke and Colby McKercher, they were few and far between in a reminder of just how much work they have to do.

“Where we’ve been really strong is in our contest work and our tackling and the pressure we’ve been able to apply to the opposition,” Clarkson said post-match.

“We just need to do it for longer in games. In the first quarter I felt Sydney were the better team but we were still able to stay in the contest in terms of the scoreboard.

“When the whips really started cracking in the second quarter they were far superior to us.

“It’s all experience for these young players,” Clarkson said.

“We’ve got Sheezel, Wardlaw, Powell and these guys that are building their resume in terms of exposure to senior AFL footy.

“Xerri in the ruck playing against Grundy. Grundy’s played 200 games, Xerri has played 50.

“Just that exposure they get to these type of contests. You just wish improvement and growth was all linear, but you have your ups and downs.

“We’ve been pretty good for the last month and a bit, but they well and truly lowered our colours today. It’s disappointing but it’s a learning curve.

Likewise, John Longmire will be demanding more in next week’s massive game against the Lions at the Gabba. Inaccuracy in front of goal was still a concern, while at times their kicking efficiency moving the ball off halfback left a lot to be desired.

But this was Sydney back close to its best. And with Parker and Mills at the heart of it, and Isaac Heeney to return next week, it sends a message to the rest of the AFL that they’ve got the wind in their sails and are ready to march to September.

Swans fans had their say. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Scoreboard

SYDNEY 3.4 10.10 16.14 20.18 (138)

NORTH MELBOURNE 3.2 4.4 7.5 9.5 (59)

GOALS

Swans: Logan McDonald 4, Tom Papley 4, Chad Warner 2, Hayden McLean 2, Joel Amartey 2, Luke Parker 2, James Jordon, Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Callum Mills

Kangaroos: Nick Larkey 3, Toby Pink 2, Cameron Zurhaar 2, Jy Simpkin, Eddie Ford

SEAN TEUMA’S BEST

Swans: Tom Papley, Chad Warner, Logan McDonald, Errol Gulden, Jake Lloyd, James Rowbottom

Kangaroos: Jy Simpkin, Colby McKercher, Nick Larkey, Harry Sheezel

INJURIES

Swans: Justin McInerney (knee)

Kangaroos: N/A

CROWD: 34,663 at SCG

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sean Teuma’s votes

3 – Errol Gulden (SYD)

2 – Tom Papley (SYD)

1 – Chad Warner (SYD)

Originally published as AFL Round 18 Sydney v North Melbourne: Swans skipper Callum Mills opens up on his return