Mills primed to repay Swans with a captain’s knock at the SCG
Sydney Swans captain Callum Mills will make his long-awaited return for his club on Saturday against North Melbourne at the SCG. It has been more than 10 months since his last appearance - in last year’s elimination final defeat against Carlton - and his comeback could not be better timed.
On Thursday night, Isaac Heeney’s hopes of beating his one-match suspension for a high fend on St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster were finally ended at the AFL tribunal’s appeals board.
The decision knocked Heeney out of Brownlow Medal contention and also left a significant hole in the Swans’ midfield against a North Melbourne team desperate to cause a shock. Mills now has the opportunity to repay his club’s considerable faith in him as a leader.
A Mad Monday wrestling incident gone wrong kept Mills on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, before his comeback was further curtailed with a calf injury. It wasn’t Mills’ first off-field injury either, in 2018 he broke his foot after tripping in a gutter while throwing an American football.
In February, Mills sat beside coach John Longmire as he was announced as the Swans’ sole captain after Dane Rampe and Luke Parker stepped down as co-captains. Mills spoke about the support he had from his coach and his determination to lead the club on and off the field.
“I think I’ve learnt a lot about myself over the period and as a leader as well,” Mills said. “I obviously made a mistake, but I think I’m not going to let it define me, and I’ll be able to lead the group the best I can.”
Swans captain Callum Mills is ready to repay coach John Longmire’s faith in him on Saturday against North Melbourne.Credit: Janie Barrett
Mills hasn’t had the luxury of a dress rehearsal in the VFL like most players, his leadership is needed now in a Swans team that is on a two-game losing streak against Fremantle and St Kilda.
According to Champion Data, Heeney is almost irreplaceable in terms of what he brings to the Swans.
This year, the suspended star is averaging 26 disposals, 12 contested possessions, six clearances, 1.4 goals, 1.5 score assists and 8.6 score involvements. He also is first in the AFL for score involvements.
Mills will not provide the Swans with Heeney’s offensive threat. Even in his career-best season of 2022, when he was named the club’s best and fairest playing mostly in the midfield, he averaged 0.4 goals a game.
Defensively, this season Heeney has also not shirked his responsibilities, posting a career-high 5.3 tackles a game, set against Mills’ best in 2022 of 6.3 tackles a game.
Mills’ benefit to the Swans will not be found solely in hard data, he simply cannot be compared to Heeney this year. Both players bring completely different benefits to the Swans.
Mills greatest value-add on Saturday will be his ability to act as an on-field coach. He can significantly steady a faltering Swans team that are currently incapable of a consistent four-quarter performance, lurching from sublime goals to defensive lapses across the game.
Mills also can easily slot into the defence if needed from midfield, providing additional protection to the team if needed.
Alongside their struggles in front of goal against St Kilda, where the Swans posted a season-low shot at goal accuracy of 36.7 per cent, the team’s defensive effort has noticeably dropped over the last two rounds.
The Swans are getting out-tackled by six per game compared to their previous effort 5.4 per game in Rounds 0-15, giving Mills an immediate KPI to improve across the field as a captain.
When the Swans’ midfield has possession of the football they are irrepressible, but in the team’s three defeats - against Richmond, Fremantle and St Kilda - the opponents have taken 102.3 uncontested marks against them, the most conceded by any team in losses this year.
Speaking on Thursday, Swans forward Hayden McLean spoke about the importance of having a recharged Mills back on the field after already benefiting from the 2022 All-Australian selection’s leadership from the bench, where he has been limited to contributing with a headset.
“It’s probably the best I’ve seen him since I’ve been at the club, he’s looking strong, big, lean and powerful. I think he’s done a lot of work rebuilding his foundations, so I’m really excited to see how he goes this week,” McLean said.
“As a captain and not being in a team that’s winning and not being able to impact on the field has probably been a bit harder for him. But even in the game, he’s at the bench every match and helping us in any aspect he can.
“We’ve missed him and to keep the vibes going, to get the captain of the club back especially Millsy, it’s a massive boost for us.”
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