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).
Defining Period
The start and end of Sydney's 2022 season will define how the Swans fare this season.
To open the season, the Swans face-off against GWS, Geelong at the SCG and the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne. A strong start would serve Longmire's men well.
On the other hand, five of Sydney's final six games come against teams who failed to reach the finals last season: Fremantle, Adelaide, North Melbourne, Collingwood and St Kilda.
If the Swans are able to put together a solid beginning and finish to the season, there isn't any reason to believe they can't replicate their home-and-away success of yesteryear.
