Ask around about Tom Papley and suddenly an energy drink endorsement deal – the kind usually reserved for adrenaline junkies front-flipping on motorbikes after launching themselves 50 feet in the air – makes so much sense.
The Sydney Swans forward reckons he “can’t sit still”. That’s why you won’t find him spending a day on the couch watching movies or binging a new TV series.
High energy: Tom Papley at Swans training.Credit:Phil Hillyard
What you see is what you get with Papley. The on-field energy that has in part sparked Sydney’s rise to a preliminary final against Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday has no off switch.
You only need to hang around the SCG for a few minutes to realise “energy” is the buzzword when you’re talking about the 26-year-old who traded digging holes for kicking goals when the Swans sprung a draft surprise with the apprentice plumber little more than six years ago.
“Paps is our energiser bunny. Even when we get out on the golf course, he is ultra-competitive,” Swans teammate Errol Gulden said. “He’s not a bad golfer. I’m better, we’ll put that on the record. He won’t like it.”
That competitive edge is crucial to the Swans’ premiership hopes. The forward pressure Papley creates will go a long way to dictating terms against a Collingwood outfit that has dropped just two games in four months, with the first of those defeats coming against Sydney.
Tom Papley is bringing the energy in Sydney’s premiership charge.Credit:Getty
You only need to wind back to the final round of the regular season for an idea of Papley’s worth. Substituted out with a concussion, the Swans lost the spark that had carried them to the top four.
Now they will need every bit of it at what will be a sold-out SCG as the Swans chase their first grand final appearance since 2016.
“It’s what you play for really, you play for the big games. You love that nervous energy when you’re going into the game, the bigger crowds, the national anthem before the game, it all gets you going,” Papley said.
“I’m full of energy and get more excited rather than nervous. I’m grateful for the opportunity to play in a prelim final and to have the opportunity to play in a grand final next week. It’s pretty exciting.”
Only once during Sydney’s eight-game winning streak has Papley been held to less than two goals. That was when he lasted less than one half against St Kilda before being taken off with a head knock.
But Swans veteran Luke Parker says Papley’s impact can transcend the scoreboard against the Magpies.
“People see the goals and the excitement, but it’s the high pressure, high work rate, getting defenders jumpy, that’s the stuff he prides himself on and why he’s been a great player for a long period of time,” Parker said.
“He’s a player that can create [energy], and he can flip a game on its head just on an act. The excitement he brings to the team, blokes just want to jump on board. He’s one bloke you know who won’t get overawed by the occasion.”
Because he “always steps up in big games”, according to second-year Swan Gulden, who points out Papley as a player he looks up to.
“He kicks some of the more miraculous goals that get shown on the replays but he does a lot of stuff off the ball in terms of his positioning and defensive acts,” Gulden said.
“He helps get other players into the game, he is one of the leading score assist players in the competition which probably doesn’t get highlighted as much as all the flashy stuff. He’s an amazing player to play with.”
