Player Watch #14 Callum Mills (c)

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Callum Mills

Callum Mills is one of the best young players in the AFL. The QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduate won the 2016 AFL Rising Star award and was selected in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 team in three of his four eligible years. Mills is a small defender with uncompromising courage who’s also capable of shifting through the midfield. The New South Welshman was elevated to Sydney’s leadership group during the 2018 pre-season at the age of just 21, and he’s now a member of a five-man leadership panel alongside co-captains Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, as well as Lance Franklin.

Callum Mills
DOB: 02 April 1997
DEBUT: 2016
DRAFT: #3, 2015 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: North Shore (NSW)

 
I am not thinking about the last Saturday.

Should we win v Addledville I am declaring we will make the 8
I'm not 100% sure (couldn't be bothered checking), but I don't think you can even place a bet on us now NOT making the 8.
 

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Going to be an interesting conundrum, we've got 3 of Horses favourites - Mills, Parker & Fox who will be vying for a spot. Undeservedly there are probably 3 players (Roberts, Wicks & Adams) who would be seen as potential outsiders.

Roberts makes sense as he's still young and likely won't be the complete difference in a game - everyone saying it'll be Mills in for him which I like, but if this is the case would rather see his midfield minutes dropped dramatically as to not intervene with the current midfield chemistry, plus he's a ripper of a half back.

Wicks simply cannot be dropped, even if he ended up with an average couple of games. Too important to our forward half structure.

Don't want to see Adams dropped. Whatever he's doing in there to help our other mids is working a treat. Might be seen as a like for like for Parker but I feel Parker tries to hard to be the main character. The man would bash through a brick wall for us, which is the problem. We would need him to sacrifice his game to do the intellectual things that Adams is currently doing Perfectly. Rather just not fix something that's not broken. If anything it was broken with Parker until Adams came in and fixed it.

A combination of the above changes could potentially throw off our synergy. Don't want to see Mills and Parker in the same midfield ever again if I'm honest. For whatever reason that just hasn't worked. Is Mills that good of a midfielder? Not sure and never was sure tbh, can't help but think if Horse had him as an option for Carlton and Geelong, magnets would've been thrown around rather than trusting our current mids who went on to dominate. Throw mills back 100% of the time and leave Parker and Fox as injury backups.
 
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Going to be an interesting conundrum, we've got 3 of Horses favourites - Mills, Parker & Fox who will be vying for a spot. Undeservedly there are probably 3 players (Roberts, Wicks & Adams) who would be seen as potential outsiders.

Roberts makes sense as he's still young and likely won't be the complete difference in a game - everyone saying it'll be Mills in for him which I like, but if this is the case would rather see his midfield minutes dropped dramatically as to not intervene with the current midfield chemistry, plus he's a ripper of a half back.

Wicks simply cannot be dropped, even if he ended up with an average couple of games. Too important to our forward half structure.

Don't want to see Adams dropped. Whatever he's doing in there to help our other mids is working a treat. Might be seen as a like for like for Parker but I feel Parker tries to hard to be the main character. The man would bash through a brick wall for us, which is the problem. We would need him to sacrifice his game to do the intellectual things that Adams is currently doing Perfectly. Rather just not fix something that's not broken. If anything it was broken with Parker until Adams came in and fixed it.

A combination of the above changes could potentially throw off our synergy. Don't want to see Mills and Parker in the same midfield ever again if I'm honest. For whatever reason that just hasn't worked. Is Mills that good of a midfielder? Not sure and never was sure tbh, can't help but think if Horse had him as an option for Carlton and Geelong, magnets would've been thrown around rather than trusting our current mids who went on to dominate. Throw mills back 100% of the time and leave Parker and Fox as injury backups.

Fox will come into the 23 for Campbell.

Mills will come in for a very unlucky player (sadly it’ll probably be Roberts 🤷‍♂️).

Parker won’t get into the 23 unless there’s an injury or two.
 
Fox will come into the 23 for Campbell.

Mills will come in for a very unlucky player (sadly it’ll probably be Roberts 🤷‍♂️).

Parker won’t get into the 23 unless there’s an injury or two.
You are most likely correct. Some difficult conversations coming.
Fox or Roberts as the sub is essentially a defensive move ie a replacement if someone is injured. Campbell is a more attacking sub. He needs some full games though.
The more time goes by I'm comfortable with Mills playing off half back. Like Papley or McInerney he can attend the occasional CBA for variety and be around the stoppage in defensive half. No shade on Roberts but that will improve the team.
Parker is the tough one. The temptation to replace Wicks will be high. Horse resisted once. I hope he does again. The problem with depth.
 

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You are most likely correct. Some difficult conversations coming.
Fox or Roberts as the sub is essentially a defensive move ie a replacement if someone is injured. Campbell is a more attacking sub. He needs some full games though.
The more time goes by I'm comfortable with Mills playing off half back. Like Papley or McInerney he can attend the occasional CBA for variety and be around the stoppage in defensive half. No shade on Roberts but that will improve the team.
Parker is the tough one. The temptation to replace Wicks will be high. Horse resisted once. I hope he does again. The problem with depth.
Just worried Horse plays him in the midfield significantly. Which don't get me wrong amazing problem to have but right now our midfield is humming. Would hate for a spanner in the works that just puts us off balance unnecessarily. It's taken a long time to get the mix right in there.

If it's as simple as replacing the minutes afforded to jmac and papley with mills then I'm ok with that, that'll mean the current main midfield group would be uneffected, and mills focus will be on improving on Roberts influence across half back. Just don't want to see the current main groups mix and minutes affected.

That's where the Parker problem can be even more significant because no doubt even if he replaced wicks, he'd still be getting midfield time. Would throw it off even more so than just Mills. And that's not even taking into consideration that he's no chance at replacing wicks pressure and speed, let alone improve on it. Struggle to see a world where Parker is running freely with speed in the forward half.
 
Going to be an interesting conundrum, we've got 3 of Horses favourites - Mills, Parker & Fox who will be vying for a spot. Undeservedly there are probably 3 players (Roberts, Wicks & Adams) who would be seen as potential outsiders.

Roberts makes sense as he's still young and likely won't be the complete difference in a game - everyone saying it'll be Mills in for him which I like, but if this is the case would rather see his midfield minutes dropped dramatically as to not intervene with the current midfield chemistry, plus he's a ripper of a half back.

Wicks simply cannot be dropped, even if he ended up with an average couple of games. Too important to our forward half structure.

Don't want to see Adams dropped. Whatever he's doing in there to help our other mids is working a treat. Might be seen as a like for like for Parker but I feel Parker tries to hard to be the main character. The man would bash through a brick wall for us, which is the problem. We would need him to sacrifice his game to do the intellectual things that Adams is currently doing Perfectly. Rather just not fix something that's not broken. If anything it was broken with Parker until Adams came in and fixed it.

A combination of the above changes could potentially throw off our synergy. Don't want to see Mills and Parker in the same midfield ever again if I'm honest. For whatever reason that just hasn't worked. Is Mills that good of a midfielder? Not sure and never was sure tbh, can't help but think if Horse had him as an option for Carlton and Geelong, magnets would've been thrown around rather than trusting our current mids who went on to dominate. Throw mills back 100% of the time and leave Parker and Fox as injury backups.
Wicks simply cannot be dropped, even if he ended up with an average couple of games. Too important to our forward half structure.
 
Havent rated mills very highly but you can put him ahead of Roberts but at best a B grader (in my view) and wont be the match winner anyway


Mills is more than Handy
 

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Player Watch #14 Callum Mills (c)

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