Being an expansion team historically has always been a rough ride in the AFLW. Richmond didn’t win a game in its first year, West Coast and St Kilda both had hard times and whilst the Cats made the finals in a flawed conference system, they showed just how far off the mark to the benchmark they are.
The Swans are the next case in point, being the only team to go through season seven of the AFLW season without a win. There were some positives to take out of it, but the gap between where they are and where they would like to be is as wide as the Grand Canyon.
A3’s expectation heading into the season
With a very young list and very few talented players at the top of the list, it was always going to be a year of growth. With growth comes a lot of growing pains of having to see a side battle and struggle against better sides. The consensus among the A3 boys was that the Swans were going to either be wooden spooners or thereabouts.
The Reality
The Swans were the only side to not register a win in the AFLW this season. There were some good moments throughout the season. They started strongly against Hawthorn in the opening quarter of their round five clash before fading away horribly, they competed strongly against Fremantle in the penultimate round and they perhaps should’ve had Essendon’s number in round eight, given the post-game fiasco with the goal-umpire wrongly calling a goal, a point.
But nevertheless, after being comprehensively beaten in the opening month, the Swans started to find strings of competitive football against those around them, only to finish on a disappointing note to the Geelong Cats, being the second team in the history of the AFLW to concede 100 points or more.
The Swans got plenty of games into their younger brigade of players. Montana Ham, Sofia Hurley and Cynthia Hamilton all starred across the year and other players like Ella Heads, Paige Sheppard Lauren Szigeti all showed that they’ve got a future within the league.
Stats That Matter
The Swans were ranked last in the competition for disposals and tackles, and ranked 17th in the competition for marks. The Swans also conceded an average of nearly 58 points per game – last in the competition and averaged just over 20 points per game – also last in the competition.
Most Improved Player
It’s very hard to pick out a player in this category when a whole lot of them are just starting out in the AFLW. However, there are two players who stood out when I think of when it comes to improvement. That being Brenna Tarrant and Bella Smith. Both struggled for opportunity at Melbourne and Collingwood respectively, but both broke through to play every game at the Swans in season seven and were the steady heads in the defence.
Tarrant averaged career-highs in disposals (8.1 per game), marks (2.1 per game) and intercept possessions (5.0 per game) across the half back line. Meanwhile, Smith’s averages in disposals (9.1 per game), marks (2.5 per game), metres gained (250 per game), rebound 50s (3.5 per game) and intercept possessions (4.4 per game) all shot up after spending more time as a ruck-forward at Collingwood.
The MVP
Much like the most improved, it was particularly hard to find standouts in a year that saw the team win no games. But touching back on the youth getting games, one positive was Cynthia Hamilton, who won the club’s inaugural best and fairest from Montana Ham (Who missed a few games due to injury at the start of the year) and Sofia Hurley.
The fact that these three headed Sydney’s best and fairest (and by a fair margin, Brooke Lochland finished 4th by a further 20 votes), speaks volumes about not just the level of potential these girls can achieve, but the rest of the team needs to pick up their slacks and come along for the ride.
On Hamilton’s year, it was a year that saw her effectively impact games both in the forward line and in the midfield – headlined by a two-goal game against Essendon in round eight and a 19-disposal game against Hawthorn in round five. She averaged 10.9 disposals, 3.2 tackles, 2.6 clearances, 130.7 metres gained and 2.2 score involvements per game.
Rating: 2/10
A hard season for the Swans, but things will only get better for them. With a list that lacks star talent across the board, it was always going to be a struggle. But there were a lot of positive spots towards the back end of the season that Sydney fans will look forward to. The kids already there will continue to blossom and they will get the opportunities to bring continue to come in and there will be opportunities to bring in experienced heads from other clubs over the off-season.
Will the Sydney AFLW team win a game in 2023?
Yes
No