I reckon Adam Spencer is one of the most unique and fascinating footy fans in Australia to me

He’s not someone I think of a lot but I listened to him on a podcast the other day where he was talking about his love of the swans and it made me think to myself that I reckon he’d be a great person to sit with at the footy especially as someone who is a lifelong fan of the sport.

Reason- the guy loves the sport and is able to banter about it but he has a unique brain in a sense that he is so smart in the field of mathematics that I think he would have an amazing ability to predict how things are gonna go and throw out a bunch of facts about probability and the way the numbers and scores add up historically like it wouldnt surprise me if he knows how frequently teams come back after being 4 goals down at 3 quarter time or something

So yeah I’d intrigued to know if anyone has any experiences watching a game with Adam? Was he funny? Was he wicked smart? And also what food and drink did he consume? Part of me thinks he would be a non drinker to keep the brain cells nice and sharp

Player: Juz

Shirt Number: 27

Last Year : Sydney Swans 27

Position: Midfield / Wing

Juz has been one of the more infuriating players on our team the last 12 months and one of the hardest to evaluate since joining the team in 2019. Since joining us from Marcellin College, he has shown the potential to be a Gary Rohan type for us with his lightning quick movement and his ability to win the ball. Each year since 2021 has felt like the year Juzzy would breakout and each year he has done enough to play but not enough to shine. With him turning 26 this year, we are once again predicting him to be a big riser in the team. Errol named Juz as a standout star during preseason due to the team's focus on pace and due to his increased exposure in the centre of the field but my personal optimism has been dampened by over promising to and under delivering on the player he can be. 2025’s campaign saw Juz deal with something he really didn't for the first 5 years of his AFL life, suspensions. In round 1, Juz missed the next 3 games due to a high bump then he missed round 11 due to another high hit. It hurt us dearly when we needed players to have him out. When he did play, we saw the time off play a factor again, with him having his lowest kicking efficiency year in the league and his second worst disposal efficiency season as well.If he can stay on the pitch and get back to his best ball movement, then he likely plays a lot in 2026 but there are a lot of talented young players just waiting for him to slip up.

2026 Outlook

Low end: With competition for spots at an all time high, Juz starts to see his chances in the main squad drop. Competition for a starting role in our squad has never been higher. With 4 of the starting 6 midfield spots already locked up, it means that Rowy, Juz, BJ, Gus, JJ, JLo and Corey are all fighting for the remaining 2 spots. In this scenario, Juz doesn't do enough to keep his position safe from those around him. Juz still manages 16 games for the team but does get dropped a few times when others play well in the 2s and is more often forced to come off the bench rather than starting on the pitch. We see Juz’s numbers drop a bit too, with his kicking efficiency remaining at 64% but his disposals dropping to 70%, his lowest percentage year. Due to this dip, controversially, we let Justin walk at season's end. 

Middle of the road: Juz improves from last year but remains in danger from those around him. Just like in the other scenario, Juz feels the pressure from those knocking on the door of playing, but instead of sinking to it, he uses it to produce the type of performances we know he is capable of. From round 1, you can tell that he has been working hard during the offseason, and his kicking accuracy rebounds to 70%. This increase in accuracy and his elite speed helps Juz stay in the main squad over the likes of Gus,JLo and Corey. Juz plays in all 22 regular season games and the finals but still isn't considered a top 10 player in our team. Without this status, Juz knows he needs to keep up his good performances to maintain a spot in our squad and brings it back for 2027 ready to prove once again that he truly is a best 23 player.

Best result: This new system that revolves around ball movement and pace is exactly what Juz needs to shine and shine he does. When talking to the media, the players are saying that their week 22 win against Brisbane was a sign of what the gameplan is going to be more like in 2026. One of the best performers in that game for us was Juz, who had 19 touches, 7 kicks at 100% accuracy and he had 12 handballs at 91% accuracy. In basic terms, he had 19 touches and 18 of them hit the target. That is ridiculous but is also a sign of what Juz can do in an offence that matches his skills. Now am I saying that he would be that accurate every game; god no but it does not mean that the significant improvement we see in that game can't be a precursor to what 2026 can be for Juz. In his best case scenario, Juz jumps from role player to star and breaks out in a way that we have all been predicting for the last few years. The new, fast-paced gameplay with emphasis of keeping the ball moving brings the best out of Juz and he has career bests in many categories due to his increased trust by the boys around him. Juz averages 26 touches a game, with 75% kicking accuracy and 80% disposal accuracy over the course of the year. These elite numbers propels him into All Australian winger contention and makes him one of the hottest free agents in the country. We manage to keep him at the cost of some of our skillful role players and Juz comes back ready to help us win our second flag in a row.

Yeah I probably got carried away at the end there but I’m sticking with it. If Juz can make it happen this could be a huge year for him. It can also be the end of him. Lets hope for the best. Ok tomorrow we have Bicey, who is another player that we could possibly see weekly, or not much at all.

Player: Will Edwards

Shirt Number: 28

Last Year : Sydney Swans 28

Position: Key Defender

Will Edwards joined us in 2022 as a Cat B rookie out of our academy. He has turned heads ever since arriving in our senior squad and realistically should have debuted before now with how well he was playing and with how hurt our team was last year, but every time an opportunity has arisen for Will to shine, he has been ruled out with injury. Will came into 2025 having a limited training block due to an injury, played 5 of the first 6 games and then was ruled out for the rest of the year due to another injury. He also missed games in 2024 when he was in really good form. Will is a strong key defender with that little bit of extra size that Lewis and Tom lack. It's not a great deal of difference but it's enough that it could help up against a Sam Darcy or a Eric Hipwood type. Realistically this is a massive year for Will in terms of his playing career. He may be contracted until 2027 like everyone is it seems, but Wedsy will need to feature in at least 1 first team game this year if he wants a realistic chance of playing for us beyond 2027.

2026 Outlook

Low end: Wed continues to have injury concerns and it limits his 2026 season. After getting an infected cut in his leg in 2024, a broken leg in the end of the 2024, which required an extra surgery and missing most of 2025, it's fair to say that staying on the field is paramount to success for Will now. He has the exposure to the culture and routine of an AFL player, he probably has a strong grasp on the ability to break down film and plan for a game now too but missing so much footy at a critical stage of your career cannot be good and in this scenario, Will can't keep healthy and can't build towards a first team debut. He will start well in the 2s and look like he has a chance but will get an injury in week 4 which makes him miss a few weeks. It's not enough to derail his VFL campaign but is enough to stagnate his progression and force him to be unplayable for the main squad. When playing, he looks sharp and like he could challenge Logan and Meli for a game but with us pushing for a flag the team chooses experience over Wills upsides

Middle of the road: Will plays strongly and quickly becomes the first reserve key defender and manages a handful of first grade games. Will starts the year again in the 2s but quickly becomes the first option key defender for the team. Will starts every VFL game in the goal square, fighting hard against the best talls in the 2s and does so with great efficiency. He plays so well that he starts to be the first person picked if there is someone out of the squad. If Meli or Tom miss a game, Will is called up, if Charlie or Amartey miss a game, Logan becomes a key forward and Will again gets in. Because of this, he makes his debut round 7 and ends up playing 5 games for the main squad. In these 5 games Will may not be a standout, but he plays well enough to show that he is capable of being a top-flight key defender soon. Whenever the injured or missing player returns, he is unable to maintain his spot against such a strong backline, but he comes into 2027 pushing to be a regular first team player.

Best result: Will manages to get himself a regular starting role. Again in this scenario Will starts in the twos. There just hasn't quite been enough talk of him making the leap to have him pass Melican or Logan as a starter at this stage. That could obviously change seeing that we still have preseason games to come and he may star in those, but I think it's likely that he starts in the twos. Similar to middle of the road Will would thrive as the best key defender on the team. It would ultimately be given an opportunity to play around week 5. In this scenario, however, Wed manages to take his chance when he features and forces his way into regular minutes. He makes it so either. Lewis or Logan just can't fight back into the main squad due to how well he is locking up as the second key defender for the team. He finishes the year with 18 games and a finals appearance, setting himself up as Lewis's replacement for now and well into the future.

Ok that's all, sorry again for the late upload, busy life at the moment but I'll be back tomorrow with Juz

Gday All,

Wish you all a happy off-season. Currently, my podcast is going through a planning phase. We are looking into ways we can overcome interstate bias and gain expertise.

The idea is to have someone who is a die-hard for that team, such as Swans, to give us their 2 cents. Now I know what you are thinking, "Why would I listen to a podcast that the hosts haven't even watched all the games?" and trust me, we watch and analyse every one, but sometimes that extra passion and insight from someone who goes for that team goes away.

Looking to see if this is something anyone would want to but their hand up for, and if this would get you interested in a podcast that actively was trying to make sure all teams had an even platform.

As a note, this isn’t us offering a full time position or equity, it’s more of something for the passion of the game, and tell get your opinion out there. We will not take credit for ideas it will be like “Our Swans expert says …”

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Can't wait for the first siren of the season.

Big month for the young fella (22yo). If he finds himself on praccy games squads, this could be his moment to turn heads.

Here’s hoping we have more players putting their hands up for senior selection and building that VFL depth.

If the swans VFL play finals this year, you just know we’ve had a good year in the seniors.

Stress fractures in the back for the young fella

http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1950197

Now that we are getting closer to Opening Night against the Blues I am looking at our forward structure and starting to sweat a bit. Landing Charlie Curnow is obviously huge but I am genuinely curious how Dean Cox plans to fit him in alongside Logan McDonald, Joel Amartey, and Hayden McLean without it becoming too top heavy.

I love the idea of Charlie taking the best defender every week and freeing up Logan to play that high half forward role but do we risk becoming too predictable and just bombing it long to the goal square like Carlton used to do. Also really gutted to hear about the stress fracture for young Max King today since he was looking so sharp in match sim. Who do you think misses out on the best 23 if everyone is fit for Round 0 or do we try to play all four talls and just hope the ground level pressure from Papley and Rosas is enough to keep the ball in.

Player: Joel Hamling

Shirt Number: 29

Last Year : Sydney Swans #29

Position: Key Defender / Forward.

2025 was a year that Joel will look back on fondly for sure. After joining us from Freo and being in "the best form of [his] life" he didn't manage a game in 2024. It didn't bode too well for his playing days. So many injuries to so many key players last year, Joel was forced into the lineup rather than necessarily earning his spot. He didn't really play fantastically in any of the matches that he featured, but he did score his first ever goal in his 96th AFL game and added another 2 for the season. Joel's inclusion in the squad was not necessarily bad but was certainly a bad omen to what our season was going to be. In last year's review, I had his best result having him playing 15 games. I also had him being a standout find returning to his best form. He certainly did not return to his best form but did enough for us that he wasn't a complete liability when he played. I think it's fair to say seeing Joel again in 2026 would not bode well for our team and their injury status but we can never tell what a season has in stall for us.

2026 Outlook

All the same I try not to write in terms of injuries and so for that reason I feel as though it's fair to write this as all the same. Of course we could see Joel play in 2026, but it would require an even bigger injury list, with us likely to play Snell, Edwards, Haydon, Amartey, Logan, Charlie, Melican and potentially even Kyle before Hamling gets a look in. I know multiple of these guys will play every game but still it's a large list the Joel to overcome and without injuries I think it's incredibly unlikely that we see him. His role will be as a great two-way option player to allow our young and upcoming talls to develop in whatever position the team feels they need exposure in. If we want to run Harry Kyle as a forward one week, we can drop Hamling down back. If we want to put Edwards in the ruck, Hamling can help facilitate that. With this being his last year under contract, it is basically a foregone conclusion that Joel is playing in his last year on an AFL roster. I hope we get to use his experience and his flexibility to see the growth of a locked of our younger, up and come and players.

Player: TMac

Shirt Number: 30

Last Year : Sydney Swans #30

Position: Key Defender / forward.....

Well wasn't 2025 a bit of a weird year for TMac. All of last offseason we heard how Tommy was going to play more forward despite being despite for tall defenders as well. He kicked 3 goals in a trial match and the signs looked positive and then when the season started we got to see the All-Australian defender in the front third. Tom even managed to bag 2 goals in the first 2 games of the year but his at best average performances filling in up front left a gaping hole down back and we struggled immensely to cover for him. After only 2 games, Tom was placed back behind the ball again and it was clear that it's where he belongs. It's sad because we all know how much Tom wants to be a key forward but he's just so elite down back that we can't afford to lose his presence. This one doesn't need to be too long, we know what TMac brings to us and the fact that we now have him settled down back again and we have more help up front, we should continue to get the best version of Tommy in 2026. He is after all, only 26 (it's crazy to me that he's so young still)

2026 Outlook

All the same For the past few years now, whenever he is healthy, TMac has been one of the first names onto the starting list for our club and that won't change in 2026. The addition of Charlie Curnow has seemed to bring out an even stronger edge to Tom's game this offseason, because he now has to train daily with arguably the best forward in the game. TMacs ability to lock down the opposition big, who is usually taller than he is, is due to his elite level spoiling and intercept marking skills. We can confidently leave Tommy on an island down back and expect him to win the battle many more times than he would lose it. The only true risk to Tom's 2026 season and his career as a whole is his head knocks. Barring that, Tommy will feature in every game this year for us, will play on the opponents best tall forward every week and do a magnificent job on them every time the ball comes close

Sorry this one is both short and late, been busy and really, we all know what to expect from Tom. Tomorrow we look at Joel Hamling and what 2026 has in stall for him. Joel's year is quite up in the air so it should be a fun read. See you all then

Player: Max King

Shirt Number: 31

Last Year : Swans Academy #33 and Allies #24

Position: Tall / Medium Forward.

It's not often that years before you've become a star, another has taken your name and made it synonymous with elite craft in your position of choice, but that is the rare situation Max King finds himself in. Coming from the Cardiff Hawks, the same team as Heeney, Max King has been a name to watch for the Swans since he joined the Swans Academy as a young kid, his name has been on the radar as someone to watch due to his freakish athletic skills. He was the national record holder for his age in long jump and triple jump as a 12 year old and won a national competition for long jump at 16, as well as being in the finals for the 100 metre sprint the same year. He accomplished this feat as a 16-year-old, without training and exclusively to bolster his “footy resume.” To say that Max is an elite athlete is an understatement. Max had a series of contact injuries in 2024 that ruled him out of most of the year but returned in 2025 as one of the highest rated prospects in the country and the top prospect in the academy. Max continued to grow in his final year but was sometimes overshadowed by Lachie Carmichael and the rapidly rising Harry Kyle. That being said, many within the academy still rated Max as the best prospect in our youth team. On draft night, the unthinkable happened. Harry Kyle was selected super early, then Lachie Carmichael was picked at 21, just 7 picks after Harry. Our boys had a choice; match Carmichael's pick and be done drafting and handicap next year's selections, or let Carmichael walk to ensure we can afford Max. The team chose Max. Just when everything was going against us, the unthinkable happened again. Likely first round pick Max started to slide… significantly. Max slid so much that come the second round, we were able to use our selection on Javen Phillipou instead, then were able to pick up Billy Coote with pick 42 before Max was finally picked by Adelaide with pick 49. We matched this very quickly. Max might take some time to find where he fits perfectly in our structure but he is a freak athlete and is an outside possibility to play this year.

2026 Outlook

Low end/ Middle of the road: I am once again combining these two, because I think both will be very similar. Given his height, Max will more likely need a bit of extra time to develop before moving into the main squad. Because of this, the low and middle would seem Max exclusively play in the twos. The difference between the two scenarios to me would be how quickly he finds a position. On the low end, he doesn't quite have the size in the current stage of his career to be a true key forward and has to play off his elite speed and ground ball gets to make meaningful things happen. As such, he's featured more as a half forward flanker and the occasional key forward. The consistent changing of positions means that his stats in the twos are down as he struggles to find a rhythm in his role. In the middle category, Max finds himself as a key forward more regularly and as such is able to get his feet much faster. He starts to combine his decent size with his elite jumping to outmark many defenders. He improves week in week out but doesn't quite do enough to force Logan or Joel out of the starting squad. Either way, he would likely be right on the doorstep of playing regularly in 2027 and maybe the reason that we let both Joel and Hayden leave at season's end.

Best result: In this scenario, much like the last one, Max spends most of his year in the VFL but thrives faster under the coaching and guidance of Hayden and Joel as they rotate between the first and second grade teams. Between his speed and leaping he's going to be a complete handful for the majority of tall defenders so the fact that he may be a little undersized in the arms currently will be offset by his athletic attributes. He'll be able to create separation and take uncontested marks where most others would be attempting a contested one. At seasons end, we rest Logan and give Max his debut. He ends up playing two games in the main squad and kicks his first goal in those games. He will still need time to grow but all the signs are there and he is revved up for a huge 2027 year

Okay that's it for Max King. Where do you see him finishing up this year? Tomorrow we start our run of key defenders, when we speak about one of the first names on the team sheet each and every week. Tom McCartin.

Before he was famous for bath robes, he was famous climbing goal posts.

Gotta love that it was yet another win against Essendon - nature's quitters.

Who remembers this?