He’s the ‘Energizer Bunny’ who’s sparked Sydney’s surge to a Grand Final, and now, shot at the ultimate glory.
Tom Papley is one of the most electrifying talents in the AFL, and although the forward is small in stature, his intensity and spirit are colossal for the Swans.
You only have to go back to last weekend when Papley booted three crucial goals in his side’s preliminary final win over Collingwood in arguably a match-winning performance for Sydney, which came after a two-goal showing against Melbourne in the first week of the post-season.
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It’s not just the 26-year old’s flair and competitiveness on field that helps the Swans too, with the crowd igniting every time Papley does something special — let alone touches the ball — just like in the SCG win over the Magpies last week.
The title of barometer gets thrown around a lot, but Papley is clearly Sydney’s in a key weapon for Saturday’s decider against Geelong.
Not afraid to ruffle feathers with opposition players either, the league’s best celebrator has developed into one of the most enigmatic and polarising forwards in the game today.
Being authentic is what makes Papley so great, and his energy on match day is infectious and genuinely lifts his side.
And for Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson, having unique characters like Papley should only be celebrated — not shot down — in our game.
“I love his energy and his passion, because then he’s got passion for the context. Let’s embrace that passion,” Johnson told foxfooty.com.au.
“We’re so quick to bring down these guys who show their true emotions. I’m the opposite, let’s celebrate these guys who play that way but also back it up. They’re great for the game.
“I think he’s been absolutely sensational this year, in particular his finals series and last week he played a really important role.
“Also the way he’s coached, John Longmire now throws him into centre bounces and mixes up his responsibilities on field. He goes in there and gets centre clearances these days, so he’s added layers to his game that are really important to what Sydney is trying to achieve.
“I was listening to Sam Mitchell before talking about how Papley can win you a game over a whole game and over a five-minute period if it’s close and he kicks two goals and the energy he brings.
“That probably hit home as well.”
Papley’s rise to being among the elite small forwards has been unique in its own right. The 177cm player was drafted as a virtual unknown apprentice plumber out of Gippsland Power in the 2015 Rookie Draft.
But he wasted no time to make an impact at the Swans, kicking three goals on debut in Round 1 of the following season against Collingwood amid a 29-goal rookie campaign from 20 games including the 2016 Grand Final against the Western Bulldogs.
He only went from strength from that point to develop into a key cog in the Swans’ attack, leading the club’s goalkicking in 2019 and 2020 and claiming a maiden All-Australian blazer in 2021 to confirm his status as one of the game’s premier small forwards.
Of course though, his marriage with the Swans came close to ending three years ago when his trade request to Carlton was knocked back by Sydney.
It came as Papley had another four years to run on his contract, with his bid to return to Victoria purely driven by personal reasons to be closer with family as his father battled bipolar disorder.
Papley reflected on the move on 3AW‘s Sportsday last year, saying “things happen for a reason” and that he was happy he stayed at Sydney.
His story is ultimately proof of the benefit of clubs digging their heels in on trade requests.
“They saw the importance and growth in him as a player that would be significant to their structure within the team,” Johnson said.
“They backed that in and I’m pretty sure now he’d be pretty happy he made that decision, because of the way he’s playing.
“I think he’d be rapt now in hindsight that the club made that call to be strong, because they knew the type of player he would turn out to be.”
Papley certainly looms as one of the big X-factors in Saturday’s Great Final that’ll give Chris Scott plenty to ponder.
Only once over Sydney’s nine-game winning streak has Papley been held to less than two goals, with his brilliant uptick in form coinciding with the team’s.
It’s Papley’s flexibility to rotate between forward and midfield that makes him so dangerous, and his intense heat exemplifies why the Swans are the No. 1 ranked side in pressure rating in first quarters since Round 17.
The Swans are 12-1 in games this season when they’ve posted a pressure rating of 180 or more, which then turns into their offence.
John Longmire’s side is also the No. 1 ranked side in the AFL in forward 50 ground balls.
And when you think of fierce pressure on the ball and players diving at shoelaces, you think of Papley, a key driver to everything the Swans do.
So how exactly should the Cats try and shut him down — and who with? It’ll clearly go a long way to beating Sydney, but is a task much easier said than done.
“It’s tough because he’s got that flexibility in his game now that makes him difficult — Jake Kolodjashnij or Jed Bews are options who can stop a Papley type of player,” Johnson said.
“If you go with a Kolodjashnij, Papley probably takes him higher up the ground and tries to beat him back the goals. But if they go with Bews, he probably tries to take him deeper as well.
“Then he can go into the midfield and try and break forward that way.
“Those two are probably the starting points.”
