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).
Star Player
Starting his career as a defender, Mills has gradually made the transition to a midfield regular, showcasing his physicality and clean hands at the coalface.
The 24-year-old Mills, who is Sydney's new skipper, averaged a whopping 27.5 disposals per game in 2021 after never having averaged more than 18 per game in any of his first five seasons in the league.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
The North Shore product also averaged a career-high 5.3 tackles, 4.2 inside-50s and 4.8 clearances across 18 games.
Mills will be looking to lead his Swans to a finals finish for the second consecutive year.
