Geelong star Gryan Miers reveals how the Cats’ small forwards group work together

Gryan Miers is having a career best season apart of a Geelong small forward brigade that boasts weapons no other side in the competition possesses. He reveals how ‘The Swarm’ get it done.

Geelong’s forwards coach James Rahilly has dubbed it “The Swarm”.

Small forwards Gryan Miers, Tyson Stengle and Bradley Close burning up and down the ground to ignite the Cats’ deadly-efficient ball movement.

“We know exactly where each other are going to be, where we’re going to run and we call it ‘The Swarm’,” Miers told this masthead.

“We just try to swarm the forward half and get it in there to our big boys who will do the job for us.

“The half-forward role is so underrated and playing it right is so important to a team.”

Miers, Stengle and Close are three weapons no other team possesses. Rivals might have one or two – but no club is operating with three.

‘The Swarm’ are dominating the AFL. Picture: Getty Images

It is a position that used to be known as wasteland because half-forwards would endure large chunks of matches without finding the ball.

But the position has evolved dramatically and Miers is playing it better than anyone.

This season Miers is averaging 22 disposals and a goal per game as he motors towards a maiden All-Australian selection.

On Saturday night against Melbourne, Miers is on track to clock 100km covered in just eight matches. His GPS numbers are off the charts.

They used to be even higher when Miers was cutting his teeth in the reserves.

“I remember in my first year in the VFL I was probably chewing up 17km, but they weren’t as good patterns as I am doing now,” Miers said.

“We have a look at that (GPS data) during the week, but it’s not as much how many numbers you can chew up – it’s the patterns you run.

“I like chewing them up and doing the hard yards in our running department while our inside mids do the bull work for me.”

Miers played 20 VFL games in 2018 to set him up for success at AFL level through Geelong’s brilliant development program.

He placed fifth in the 2018 VFL best-and-fairest and third in last year’s AFL best-and-fairest.

Miers, 25, might be leading the Carji Greeves count in 2024. He has polled 27 AFL Coaches’ votes, which ranks equal eighth in the AFL and second at the Cats to Jeremy Cameron (32 votes).

Miers credited his finely-tuned running patterns to former VFL coach Shane O’Bree, former forwards coach Corey Enright and current assistant coach Nigel Lappin.

Gryan Miers is in All-Australian contention. Picture: Getty Images

Remarkably, the running patterns required are modified every week based on Geelong’s opposition.

The members of The Swarm have got it down to an exact science.

“Every situation and every game is so different,” Miers said.

“The roles change week to week, so it’s important we’re across what the coaches want.

“The addition of me, Tyson and Closey playing probably 50-100 games together now has just been so good to get the continuity,” Miers said.

They have played 47 games together for 33 wins, one draw and 13 losses. Miers and Close have played 70 games together for 49 wins and a draw.

They complement each other brilliantly.

Miers is the high half-forward who gets involved all over the ground as an outlet kick and he is the only small forward to have won 20 disposals in every game this season.

He is a death-by-a-thousand cuts creator who rarely wastes a disposal.

Stengle is the freakish small forward who ranks No.2 in the AFL for forward 50m ground balls behind St Kilda’s Jack Higgins and Close is the all-rounder.

The bloke who applies strong pressure and hits the scoreboard with brutal accuracy.

Close has kicked 9.2 this year, which ranks No.1 in the AFL for goalkicking accuracy for all players who have had at least 10 shots.

He is tracking at 82 per cent, which is better than North Melbourne’s Eddie Ford (80 per cent) and Western Bulldog Cody Weightman (78 per cent).

The kicker for The Swarm is how cheaply Geelong picked up its three gems.

The Cats knew they were all highly-coachable talents with natural goalsense and – particularly for Miers and Close – supreme running power.

Bradley Close at Geelong Cats training. Picture: Alison Wynd

Miers was drafted at pick 57 in 2017 after leading the TAC Cup goalkicking with 50 majors.

Close was overlooked as an 18-year-old, but Geelong took him as a rookie after he won a senior SANFL premiership playing on the wing for Glenelg while Stengle arrived as a delisted free agent.

In the past two years the Cats are 13-3 when Miers has at least 20 disposals and 4-9 when he has fewer.

The levelling up of Miers has been magnificent.

In 2022 he averaged 14.9 disposals, 214m gained and 0.6 goals per game. In 2023 it was 19 disposals, 298m gained and 0.3 goals.

In 2024 it is 22 disposals, 372m gained and one goal. Miers was mooted as an All-Australian last year, but selectors felt uneasy about picking a forward who had kicked only seven goals himself.

That knock has been negated this year because he has already matched that return of seven goals.

His high score involvements have always been a feature and he regards them even higher than goal assists.

“Score involvements is the one I do care about because it means I’m making the right decision at the right times to get the chains going for our team,” he said.

Miers takes a deep interest in recruiting and list management, but a career working in Stephen Wells’ office appears a long way off given the shining talent he has become.

And while Miers might not love the attention, he had better get used to it.

“I actually do hate it,” Miers said.

“They are starting to talk more, which I don’t like. But it doesn’t phase me

“I’ve kind of learnt my lesson of being hated on or being liked, it just doesn’t matter as long as you show up each week and you win people over by performing well and winning, really.”

Originally published as Geelong star Gryan Miers reveals how the Cats’ small forwards group work together