Sydney captain Callum Mills faces his moment of truth on Wednesday when he puts his injured hamstring to the test for a grand final berth.
Mills must train at full tilt and get through unscathed for Swans coach John Longmire to pick him to lead the club onto the MCG for this year’s decider.
Injured Swans skipper Callum Mills (left) will put his hamstring to the test on Wednesday.Credit: AFL Photos
Longmire on Tuesday gave forward Logan McDonald the green light to play after an ankle scare in the preliminary final, leaving Mills as the Swans’ only fitness query as they shoot for their first flag in 12 years and the second in the coach’s reign in the red and the white.
Hamstring injuries typically require a minimum recovery period of 21 days. Wednesday will be the 15th day since Mills sustained his strain, while the grand final falls on the 18th day. The Swans say Mills’s injury is on the minor end, raising hope he can bust sports science conventions.
“Callum will train flat out tomorrow,” Longmire said on Tuesday. “That’s the plan. He’ll turn up tomorrow and train at absolute 100 per cent intensity, see how we’ll go.”
“Obviously, [I’ve] got a good relationship with Cal. Speak to him about a number of things all the time; his role for this week, whether he plays or not, and making sure he gives himself a chance tomorrow.
“He trained yesterday and trained really well. That was a good sign [so] we’ll see how he goes tomorrow. The aim is to go out there and train 100 per cent.”
A crestfallen Longmire conceded after the Swans’ 2022 grand final hammering he had made the wrong call in picking Sam Reid, who injured his adductor muscle in the preliminary final. Reid was subbed out just after half-time.
“I guess one of those things is to make sure you train 100 per cent, get through training and train flat out,” Longmire said. “That’s one of the things you learn.”
On the other side, defender Ted Richards overcame a serious ankle issue to line up in the Swans’ victorious 2012 grand final team despite struggling to walk after an injury in the preliminary final. Richards required painkilling injections at every break.
Ted Richards celebrates the Swans’ 2012 grand final victory.Credit: Joe Armao
One of Richards’ greatest concerns that week was making sure he did not put himself above the team, an issue that will be magnified for Mills as the captain.
“I can remember being very concerned I was being selfish, but the medical team gave myself and John enough confidence that we could do it,” Richards told this masthead.
“I didn’t want to put myself in front of the team. What made it harder, I couldn’t test it out. Between the prelim and playing in a grand final, I ran 50 metres in a straight line. That was just to give off the perception I was fine.
“That’s what made me so nervous – relying on painkilling each quarter to play on arguably the most athletic player of all time [referring to Lance Franklin].”
Forward Ben McGlynn was the heartbreak story in that grand final after a hamstring injury from the qualifying final. McGlynn’s hopes of making it back were dashed on the Tuesday of grand final week when he failed to get through a running session.
“If I had my time again, maybe I could have waited a few more days,” McGlynn said. “But we’ve seen the recent history of that happening. It doesn’t really work.
“For me personally, I was confident until I failed the test. Looking back now, for the playing group, it was the right decision to train, test it and push 100 per cent.”
McGlynn went through a similar episode this year coaching Wentworth in the Sunraysia Football Netball League. He picked a player two weeks after a hamstring injury. The player got through the game but the team lost.
Both McGlynn and Richards, who played with Mills early in his career, have every confidence the Swans skipper would not let his personal aspirations affect his judgment.
“I’m sure Callum will be honest with himself and Horse and the coaching group to make sure what’s best for the team,” McGlynn said.
Fagan starts his week with a win
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan had his first win for the week after being named the coach of the year at the AFL Coaches Association Awards on Tuesday night.
His peers voted in his favour ahead of Longmire, while Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell finished third.
Fagan won the award after coaching his team into back-to-back grand finals after they won just two of their first seven matches in 2024.
“Coaching is full of interesting and unique challenges but overall is an immensely rewarding job,” Fagan said in a statement.
“I’m thankful to the Brisbane Lions hierarchy for showing faith in an old bloke like me to be their senior coach eight years ago. It’s been a fun ride and I’m very proud of the consistent club we have become.”
Daniel Pratt won assistant coach of the year after crossing from West Coast to the Western Bulldogs this season, while North Melbourne’s Michael Barlow won development coach of the year. John Worsfold was given a lifetime achievement award.
With Peter Ryan
