- Swans captain Callum Mills was seen on the pitch at half-time
- The injured star tried to cheer up his failing teammates at MCG
- The AFL granted Mills permission to sit on the bench
A highly unusual on-field act from injured captain Callum Mills came with the AFL’s blessing but didn’t stop what was a nightmare grand final for the Sydney Swans on Saturday.
Mills, 27, who was ruled out earlier this week with a hamstring injury, was seen in the middle of the MCG laying down the law on his teammates as the Brisbane Lions roared to a 46-point lead in half time.
It was a conversation that usually took place behind closed doors in the locker room, but the AFL approved Mills and Brisbane rival Oscar McInerney to sit on their respective benches after both sat out the league’s biggest game. season.
According to football journalist Tom MorrisHead of football Laura Kane used her discretionary powers to widen both teams’ benches for the grand final to allow Mills and McInerney to sit on the bench.
Swans defender Dane Rampe was captain in Mills’ absence and revealed taking on the role was bittersweet.
‘He is one of my great teammates and leader of our club. “We’ve been through a lot together,” Rampe said Friday.
“He and I cried after the news broke on Wednesday afternoon, but as soon as it was done and the way Millsy would have wanted, everything was back to normal.”
Coach John Longmire admitted he felt sorry for Mills, but couldn’t risk a player under a cloud of injuries.
Injured Swans captain Callum Mills (pictured middle) was seen in the middle of the MCG laying down the law on his teammates at half-time after a poor performance in the AFL grand final.
Brisbane took control early in the match and never looked like losing (pictured Logan Morris celebrating a goal)
Charlie Cameron (left) helped the Lions end their premiership drought that stretched back to 2003.
In 2022, Longmire appointed Sam Reid, and he failed as Geelong cruised to victory.
“It’s one of those things where you have to make decisions, you sit down as a group, a medical conditioning staff, and you go over everything,” Longmire said Friday.
“It’s difficult because Callum is a great person and a great leader of our football club, but he also understands that decisions need to be made.
“When we weighed everything and the risks of a game like this, it seemed to outweigh and go against Callum.”
In the end it mattered little as the Lions atoned for last year’s loss to Collingwood, claiming a 60-point victory and ending their first-place drought stretching back to 2003.
