Callum Mills has been named captain of the Sydney Swans for the new season after sharing leadership responsibilities with co-captains Dane Rampe and Luke Parker for the past two campaigns.
Mills becomes the Swans’ first sole captain since club champion Josh Kennedy led the side during the 2017 season, marking a departure from the trend of two or three players sharing the leadership job at Moore Park.
The midfielder’s promotion to sole captain comes after he sustained a serious shoulder injury in September when a Mad Monday wrestle with teammate Jacob Konstanty ended in a torn rotator cuff.
Mills admitted he had learnt from the incident and hoped it would ultimately make him a better leader of the club.
“I think I’ve learnt a lot about myself over the period and as a leader as well,” Mills said. “I obviously made a mistake, but I think I’m not going to let it define me, and I’ll be able to lead the group the best I can. It’s been a big couple of months. I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Asked whether he worried about his future as a captain at the club after the Mad Monday incident, Mills admitted that it had been a concern.
Swans Captain Callum Mills with head coach John Longmire after the midfielder was named Swans captain for the new season.Credit: Janie Barrett
“Yeah, it runs through your mind when you make mistakes, that definitely runs through your mind,” Mills said. “But as I go back to the conversations that I had with Horse [John Longmire], the support I felt from the club, [from] board down, it was something that was quite reassuring and when you make a mistake, to have people that have your back is extremely important.”
Mills was told by Rampe a week ago that he and Parker were stepping down as captains and that he saw him as the man to lead the club into the 2024 season.
