Outright honesty and the return of some old hands helped shape Sydney’s epic resurgence from AFL cellar dwellers to premiership contenders.
The Swans will make history in September, becoming the first side in VFL/AFL history to rally from a 0-6 start and reach the finals.
Callum Mills, who inadvertently became the face of Sydney’s line-in-the-sand moment, says several factors helped his side bank 13 wins from the past 15 games.
Senior players at the club were publicly shamed by pundits after their sixth straight loss. One element of that defeat was particularly well scrutinised; the way Sydney let Carlton manhandle 20-year-old Mills.
The Swans have since been a far more pugnacious and polished outfit, steamrolling all opposition in their way with the exception of Hawthorn.
“That we were 0-6, that was a massive thing glaring at us and we didn’t want to miss finals,” Mills said on Thursday, when asked about the catalyst for the turnaround.
“If you want to be a successful club you can’t beat around the bush. Honesty is the best way to move forward and improve.
“We’ve really turned it around …. we look after each other, it’s just what we do.”
Mills is ready for whatever comes his way at the SCG on Saturday, when the Blues will attempt to halt the sixth-placed Swans’ momentum in the final round of the regular season.
“I don’t know. I haven’t been in their meetings at Carlton,” he said, when asked if he could be targeted by former Swan Jed Lamb.
“Every game is different really. You can’t expect going into one game for anything to happen.”
The Swans’ settled back six, of which Mills is a vital cog, has been another hallmark of their remarkable run. Sydney boast the stingiest defence in the AFL, conceding a league-best 10.9 goals per game this year.
Mills admitted the return of Dane Rampe and Jarrad McVeigh, who played a combined total of one game during Sydney’s miserable 0-6 start, had helped a lot.
“It’s great to have two great leaders in your back six … their cool heads under pressure really helps us,” he said.
