Going into the 2021 season, very little was expected from the Sydney Swans in terms of challenging for a finals spot. And yet, that's exactly what they did.
Despite falling short in their single finals appearance last year, Sydney was lauded league-wide for coming out of seemingly nowhere to finish among the top eight.
Over the course of the off-season, the Swans added Peter Ladhams from Port Adelaide via trade and offered an AFL lifeline to 2014 No. 1 pick Patrick McCartin, brother of Swans defender, Tom. But it came as a cost, as they lost Jordan Dawson to Adelaide and George Hewett to Carlton.
In any case, senior coach John Longmire will be pushing his men to duplicate the success they had in 2021.
Off-Season Moves
Ins: Peter Ladhams (Port Adelaide), Patrick McCartin (Supplemental Selection Period), Angus Sheldrick (National Draft), Matthew Roberts (National Draft), Corey Warner (National Draft), Lachlan Rankin (National Draft).
Outs: Jordan Dawson (Adelaide Crows), George Hewett (Carlton), Kaiden Brand (delisted), Malachy Carruthers (delisted), Sam Gray (delisted), Matthew Ling (delisted).
Strengths
Forward stocks: Going into the new season, the Swans have a plethora of salivating forward options once again.
Lance 'Buddy' Franklin is slated to reach the 1000-goal milestone during the early stages of the season, Isaac Heeney recently re-signed in the Harbour City and is one of the league's best medium-sized forwards, and Tom Papley, despite an injury-interrupted start to his season, is a devastating small forward who has an innate ability to shark packs and find the big sticks.
2020 No. 4 pick Logan McDonald hasn't even begun to scrape the surface of his potential, and there's also Hayden McLean and recently-acquired ruck-forward Peter Ladhams, who will also add another dimension to their forward line.
Coaching foundation: Despite a largely young and inexperienced list, the Swans were able to thrive last season within a gameplan afforded to them by a proven, winning coaching staff.
Sydney is in a good enough position with premiership coach John Longmire at the helm, let alone some of his right-hand men, including the likes of midfield coaches (and former Swans) Tadhg Kennelly and Jarrad McVeigh, development coaches Brett Kirk and Jeremy Laidler, ruck coach Dean Cox and ex-Adelaide senior coach Don Pyke.
The younger players at the Swans are in a position where they can develop under an esteemed group of knowledgeable AFL minds.
