Player Watch #14 Callum Mills (c)

[Kennedy Parker]

Callum Mills

Callum Mills

14

Callum Mills

Age

27

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.4

5star

M

5.3

5star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

D

18.4

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

6.9

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

3.4

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.4

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.2

4star

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

26

Luke Parker

Age

31

Ht

183cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

24.2

5star

K

12.6

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

3.8

4star

T

5.6

5star

CL

5.8

5star

D

22.1

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

9.9

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

5.0

5star

CL

5.5

5star

D

21.2

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

8.0

5star

CL

5.2

5star

and Dane Rampe

24

Dane Rampe

Age

34

Ht

187cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.0

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

4.9

5star

T

2.5

4star

MG

358.8

5star

D

14.1

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.1

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.5

2star

MG

284.5

4star

D

10.6

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.4

4star

, as well as Lance Franklin.

Callum Mills

14

Callum Mills

Age

27

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.4

5star

M

5.3

5star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

D

18.4

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

6.9

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

3.4

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.4

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.2

4star

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

Callum Mills | AFL

Follow Callum Mills's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[SSwans2011]

I suspect Mills is a good leader. He’s certainly a very fine player when in form.

He’s just woefully lacking preparation and the sharpness that comes from playing.

Hard to inspire when you yourself are not performing.

Question is: can we afford to wait for him to re-capture form in the seniors?

I don't think so. He should be playing VFL or defence. He absolutely shouldn't be anywhere near the midfield at the moment.

I'm not even sure about having him in the backline, because his ability to defend looks shaky at the moment and his lack of speed is being exposed and really hurts our rebound game. I'd give him a full game back there this week, but also wouldn't be mad if he was dropped.

 

[The King!]

Current form criticism is valid 100%.

2 things though

1/ we don't know if he was pressured to play or pushed it himself, maybe they wanted him back , we all just assume he pushed to play and didn't play VFL. Why is it up to him to decide this stuff? He doesn't pick the side


2/ People need to stop acting like he was never any good, he is a great player

 

[bedford]

Papley played with broken ribs and under performed just going to search where you called him selfish...

Do it just gives you another excuse

 

[caesar88]

Sorry Caesar, but the likes of Parker, JPK, Rampe, even Kirk and Goodes back in the day, could lift the team up on their shoulders and grab the game by the scruff of the neck and at least give it a red hot go, but there was absolutely nothing last week.
From the (very) small sample size of Mills being solo captain, it looks to me like he's most like Cotchin as a captain - a good player, a player the others all look up too and can inspire with words, but needs others to do the grunt work. Luckily for Cotchin, he had the players around him willing to do the hard yards, we don't appear to have that at the moment.

But if we're basing it on last week, there's not one Swan deserving of the captaincy. Absolutely no one was turning that game around for us.

I just think it's very harsh to judge his captaincy on the back of one flogging.

Parker was a captain when we lost by 90+ points to Geelong last year. Rampe was a captain when we got flogged in the GF in 2022. Jack was the captain for our 2014 GF no-show.

Yes last week was the worst of them all, but an insipid performance is still an insipid performance. (And I would argue Mills has a tougher job of trying to lead more egos than any of the aforementioned captains previously had to.)

 

[MF]

I'll probably be giving the poor guy a season or so before commenting on his captaincy.

 

[The King!]

Sorry Caesar, but the likes of Parker, JPK, Rampe, even Kirk and Goodes back in the day, could lift the team up on their shoulders and grab the game by the scruff of the neck and at least give it a red hot go, but there was absolutely nothing last week.
From the (very) small sample size of Mills being solo captain, it looks to me like he's most like Cotchin as a captain - a good player, a player the others all look up too and can inspire with words, but needs others to do the grunt work. Luckily for Cotchin, he had the players around him willing to do the hard yards, we don't appear to have that at the moment.

What do we want from a captain. A lot of captaincy in footy teams is off field and in the rooms I think too.

Actually at times it felt like JPK played a bit burdened with the captaincy.
Ditto Goodes to be honest. You want a captain to play better than Mills is and be clearly worth a spot in the team.

I mean Cotchin did captain 3 flags and to sort of say it was just good luck the rest covered for him? I just don't think If say Parker was still skipper Saturday it goes any differently , I mean he captained in 22 as did Rampe, didn't see any of them (including Mills) stand up in any way as captain ?

We don't really get to hear them talk, but we have to assume the players want Mills as captain unless Horse didn't put it to a vote? I also assume they want him out there and 20 pages ago we all thought he was a great choice as a leader

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

But if we're basing it on last week, there's not one Swan deserving of the captaincy. Absolutely no one was turning that game around for us.

I just think it's very harsh to judge his captaincy on the back of one flogging.

Parker was a captain when we lost by 90+ points to Geelong last year. Rampe was a captain when we got flogged in the GF in 2022. Jack was the captain for our 2014 GF no-show.

Yes last week was the worst of them all, but an insipid performance is still an insipid performance. (And I would argue Mills has a tougher job of trying to lead more egos than any of the aforementioned captains previously had to.)

How on earth do we keep trusting this team

Looking in hindsight i remember how like everyone was excited to have him back in the team and counting down the weeks lol it would of been one less headache if he was just ruled out for this season

 

[The King!]

I think he will turn his form around , I mean what a shit way to come back.

The roos game he looked good , rusty but cmon after that game who actually said **** why did he play ( a couple of outliers maybe). Then he loses Jmac

Then he was sore so it was a bit frustrating and he misses and loses Papley and Rampe , Hayward gets hurt and the side can't hang on.

Then he comes back for two weeks where all the guys we have relied on and have delivered all year shit the bed and go missing and get flogged and people think it's all on the captain?

If Gulden Warner etc actually need the skipper to tell them how to play we are ****ed anyway.

Mill is a very very good player imo, at his best he is one of our better players and I think he will show that this next month

 

[KingV23]

Played McVeigh as well unfit , both selfish

Ted Richards played injured too in the 2012 gf. Selfish. Oh wait we won that one, so no one cares.

 

[The King!]

Ted Richards played injured too in the 2012 gf. Selfish. Oh wait we won that one, so no one cares.

If Buddy kicked straight

 

[KingV23]

If Buddy kicked straight

Buddy inaccurate: Team player, Selfless, Sacrifices oneself for team.

Buddy accurate: Selfish prick. **** him.

 

[SSwans2011]

2/ People need to stop acting like he was never any good, he is a great player

100% this. He's easily still a top 3 player in the team at his best. And if he finds anywhere near his best this year, it will go a very long way to us turning things around.

Even as a defender, not solely relying on Rampe as our general down there would be monumental.

 

[ashep]

It's tough to judge leadership from afar, but Mills has always had a tendency to show poor body language on the field, and gets sucked in by opposition niggle too often.

I've also never heard him mic'd up and demonstrating on-field leadership the way we have Rampe, Parker, Gulden or Rowbottom (though I may have just missed it).

None of this is to say he isn't a worthy captain. He's clearly very well respected within the club and is capable of leading by example. He's got a perfect opportunity to show it now.

 

[SM]

Cynic in me says he got the sole captaincy this year for the number he wears on his back more than any other factor and it'll be Gulden before long.

 

[caesar88]

It's tough to judge leadership from afar, but Mills has always had a tendency to show poor body language on the field, and gets sucked in by opposition niggle too often.

I've also never heard him mic'd up and demonstrating on-field leadership the way we have Rampe, Parker, Gulden or Rowbottom (though I may have just missed it).

None of this is to say he isn't a worthy captain. He's clearly very well respected within the club and is capable of leading by example. He's got a perfect opportunity to show it now.

You can isolate moments where any of them you've named have shown poor body language or leadership on the field though.

Rampe losing his mind and climbing a goal-post (and potentially blowing the game for us in doing so) wasn't very captain-like. Nor was him remonstrating with an umpire by saying he sounded "like a little girl."

Gulden and his "gimme gimme gimme" attitude of late has been frustrating to watch.

Some of Parker's taunts and carry-ons have been cringe and not exactly becoming of a leader.

I guess this is why, as you say, it's tough to judge leadership from afar. Because are any of the above examples a true reflection of their leadership or how they conduct themselves in the other 99.99% of the time? No they aren't.

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

Stick to defence from now on please.

Would even take a Captain McPointy play style over what he’s doing atm.

 

[rustycrate]

But if we're basing it on last week, there's not one Swan deserving of the captaincy. Absolutely no one was turning that game around for us.

I just think it's very harsh to judge his captaincy on the back of one flogging.

Parker was a captain when we lost by 90+ points to Geelong last year. Rampe was a captain when we got flogged in the GF in 2022. Jack was the captain for our 2014 GF no-show.

Yes last week was the worst of them all, but an insipid performance is still an insipid performance. (And I would argue Mills has a tougher job of trying to lead more egos than any of the aforementioned captains previously had to.)

And

Mills has more talent in his team arguably than any other captain in Swans history.
Is he going to call a meeting of players, challenge them, rally them. He is the captain. When the chips are down the leaders lead. How is he leading? What is he doing THIS WEEK to stamp out the piss weak efforts of the last two weeks and turn the team around.
He will be judged by the teams performance this week.

Last week was the Swans NADIR.

Mills needs to lift the team by words or actions. Preferably both.

History will judge him. So will we after Friday night's game.

What did he do and did it work.

He is the captain. He deserves the praise and the criticism.

 

[SM]

You can isolate moments where any of them you've named have shown poor body language or leadership on the field though.

Rampe losing his mind and climbing a goal-post (and potentially blowing the game for us in doing so) wasn't very captain-like. Nor was him remonstrating with an umpire by saying he sounded "like a little girl."

Gulden and his "gimme gimme gimme" attitude of late has been frustrating to watch.

Some of Parker's taunts and carry-ons have been cringe and not exactly becoming of a leader.

I guess this is why, as you say, it's tough to judge leadership from afar. Because are any of the above examples a true reflection of their leadership or how they conduct themselves in the other 99.99% of the time? No they aren't.

Gulden wanting the ball is what I want from a captain, so long as he does something with it. Would have no issues with Gulden being captain even in his current form.

 

[bedford]

lol

 

[Nuggetz]

He's coming back from multiple serious injuries with no pre-season, most players would return with sub-par games. Lets not judge him from 2 games, give him a month of footy. Some of the expectations on his return were wrong.

 

[Millky95]

He's coming back from multiple serious injuries with no pre-season, most players would return with sub-par games. Lets not judge him from 2 games, give him a month of footy. Some of the expectations on his return were wrong.

Why can't he do that in the reserves?

 

[Kennedy Parker]

Going a bit early dismissing Mills as captain imo

He’s in shit form and has probably been brought back too early

But even the great JPK led the team to 0-6 when he had the sole captaincy

 

[KingV23]

Going a bit early dismissing Mills as captain imo

He’s in shit form and has probably been brought back too early

But even the great JPK led the team to 0-6 when he had the sole captaincy

He is shit house, mate. Put a line through him. No where near the levels of the great JPK.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Cleary is effectively copping the Corey Warner treatment.

Coach showing no faith in a young player.

Again.

Sack Horse.

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

D-fence. Chachacha. D-fence. Chachacha