Callum Mills, Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey and Errol Gulden are all products of the Swans Academy, which remains controversial among some Melburnians.
It is a cold Monday night in July and rain is pummelling 100 kids running around Tramway Oval, an AFL field next to the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Similar scenes will continue into the evening with older age groups and around NSW as the AFL tries to motivate talented children who can easily be pulled towards alternative football codes such asIsaac Heeney and Callum Mills, with Nick Blakey and Errol Gulden in background, were all members of the Swans Academy.Over the winter, 800 boys and girls train with the Swans Academy.
Indeed, Callum Mills and Isaac Heeney, the two Swans chosen in the All Australian team this year, both came up through its ranks. Ruby Sargent-Wilson, an 18-year-old from the Illawarra, was Sydney’s first AFLW recruit and trained with the Swans Academy.