Amartey’s Protective Instincts and Journey to the Swans
The air at the SCG crackled with anticipation just moments before Sydney’s Round 1 clash against Carlton. As the opening bounce loomed, Swans forward Joel Amartey made his way towards new teammate Charlie Curnow. Curnow, preparing to face his former club for the first time, stood alongside the smaller Swans talents, Chad Warner and Errol Gulden. It was then that Amartey, sensing the impending physical contest, bounced on his heels. The confrontation arrived swiftly, with Carlton defender Lewis Young attempting to shove Curnow aggressively. However, Amartey was quick to intervene, defusing the situation and returning the favour.
After six months of training alongside Curnow, Amartey had forged a strong connection with his fellow forward, and he was clearly ready to defend him on the field. “I think it’s a natural thing, being that physical,” Amartey shared. “It was such a big game for a few players, but especially Charlie against his old team. Of course, you knew there was going to be slightly more physicality, maybe more than every other week, but the way he’s come in and made us better, you just want to protect him out there on the field.”
Amartey elaborated on the camaraderie within the Swans. “A lot of other teammates here at the Swans are all from interstate, so we all live with each other. So the players, they become your best mates, and I didn’t grow up with any brothers, so it’s as close as I’ve had to having brothers. It’s a similar feeling – you want to win for them, you want to play for them and you want to protect them out in the field.”
A Surprise Entry into the AFL
Amartey’s journey to the Swans also involved a reunion with a former school and Swans teammate, Oli Florent, who was now playing for Carlton. Amartey admitted that he never truly believed an AFL career was within his reach during his formative years. However, the prominence of Florent at their school, Mentone Grammar, brought increased attention to the team. This spotlight, Amartey believes, contributed to him being noticed and subsequently drafted by Sydney in the second round of the rookie draft with pick No. 28, a moment that caught him entirely by surprise.
“Luckily, Oli was a year above me at school, and he was a pretty high draft pick, so a lot of the scouts would go to watch him, and I’d be playing ruck for the same team and probably because he probably got a little bit of attention, then when I was in year 12 I got a bit lucky,” Amartey explained.
He recounted the surreal experience of his draft night. “I was on schoolies at the time – it was back in those days – it was on Twitter, the rookie draft, so one of my mates said, ‘Joel you’re in the rookie draft’. It was about seven or eight o’clock at night, so I think I was well and truly on my way [having had a few drinks]. I don’t remember too much about the rest of the night, but it was a lot of lucky circumstances on my end to be here.”
Overcoming Adversity and Inspiring Others
Amartey’s father, Clement, a former talented soccer player in Ghana, instilled a love for the game in his son while growing up in Melbourne. However, Amartey eventually transitioned to Australian football after experiencing racism from opponents. Years later, the memory of those taunts remains, and Amartey is determined to demonstrate that anything is possible for multicultural children with aspirations in Sydney.
“It’s one of those things [racism] – as a multicultural athlete, you go through it, and it still happens in your social media and stuff, but you just got to know that you’re inspiring other people,” Amartey stated. “You block out the bad, and knowing you’re doing more good than you are harm, and everyone’s got an opinion, and everyone’s a bit high on emotion sometimes, so it’s always an evolving challenge. But you think about all the positive impacts you could be having as a person, just by being yourself, and you’re hopefully paving a way for a couple of other people, who are similar to you when you were growing up, to pursue whatever sport it is, or whatever it is they want to pursue, they have the confidence to do so. So if I’ve got a little foot in that sort of pathway for other people, then I’m pretty proud.”
Since being drafted by the Swans in 2017, Amartey’s AFL career has been somewhat stop-start, with just 62 games played due to a combination of early career form and injuries. However, his recent performance against Carlton, where he kicked three goals, offered a tantalising glimpse of his potential as a tall, physical forward, especially when playing alongside Curnow.
Amartey is currently in the final year of his contract, and reports suggest interest from rival clubs. Ahead of the Swans’ clash against reigning premiers Brisbane at the SCG, Amartey expressed his desire to extend his tenure with the club, acknowledging that this hinges on him consistently reaching his on-field potential.
“I’ve spent nine years here in Sydney, and I’ve been through a lot with this playing group, on and off the field, so I wouldn’t change it for the world, and wouldn’t see myself playing anywhere else at the moment,” Amartey said. “But as I said, I’ve only played low 60 AFL games, so I’m pretty happy just being out on the park, given I’ve had a few injuries and non-selection over my first few years. I don’t take for granted just being able to run out on an AFL field and play at the highest level … I don’t put too much pressure on myself to think about what can be. I just control what I can.”
McInerney’s Rapid Return to Reality Ahead of Brisbane Clash
Swans midfielder Justin McInerney received a swift reminder of the relentless pace of the AFL season from his teammates just before speaking to the media prior to Friday’s captain’s run. Despite delivering what was widely considered the best game of his career in the previous Thursday’s comeback victory over Carlton, where he amassed 31 disposals and booted three goals, McInerney’s media engagement was cut short by teammates in the background urging him to move on.
“I got brought back down to life pretty quickly by all the boys,” McInerney recounted. “It was good to get the first win and hopefully we go again this week. They let me know that it’s a team game and that there’s plenty more work to do, it’s only one game and there’s another 20-odd to go.”
The Swans are set to face Brisbane, the reigning premiers, at the SCG on Saturday night. Brisbane arrives with a depleted squad, missing key players Darcy Gardiner, Zac Bailey, and Harris Andrews due to suspension, while Hugh McCluggage and Logan Morris are sidelined with injuries. Having themselves battled significant injury concerns last year, the Swans are in the unusual position of being able to name an unchanged team for Saturday’s encounter.
McInerney is acutely aware that despite Sydney’s explosive 75-point third quarter against Carlton, they were outplayed in the midfield during the first half and were fortunate to only trail by ten points at the break. Brisbane’s formidable midfield, featuring Josh Dunkley, Lachie Neale, and Will Ashcroft, poses a significant threat and could prove even more challenging for the Swans than Carlton if they start slowly for a second consecutive game.
“They’ve got one of the best midfields in the competition,” McInerney commented. “In the first half against Carlton last week, they got us done in the contest, and they were a lot better physically in the contest. We know that if we do that again this week the scoreboard probably won’t be as kind. We’ve got to be on from the start and hopefully, we can nullify a few of them.”
Heeney and Gulden’s Midfield Brilliance and McInerney’s Role
Beyond McInerney’s standout individual performance, the Swans’ remarkable third-quarter turnaround against Carlton was largely spearheaded by the exceptional midfield efforts of Isaac Heeney and Errol Gulden. Champion Data analysis revealed that Heeney and Gulden are only the second Swans pairing in the past decade to combine for over 25 disposals and more than two goals within a single quarter.
McInerney believes that the opposition’s defensive focus on containing Heeney, Gulden, and the running prowess of Chad Warner in the midfield could create opportunities for him to play a more significant role in the Swans’ attack.
“I think we’ve got a lot of great players and it’s a privilege to play alongside a lot of them,” McInerney remarked. “I just try and play my role and hopefully, I can get a bit of a lick of the ice cream off the back of that. They’ve got to put so much work into Isaac, Errol and Chad, so hopefully you can get a bit off the chain. You have the same focus going in every week, just play your role and hopefully the team can benefit off the back of that.”
