Rising Stars and Strategic Moves
The West Coast Eagles have seen a significant influx of A-grade young talent, transforming them from last year’s wooden spooners into a highly attractive destination club once again. However, Sydney coach Dean Cox has a clear strategy in place to ensure that Chad Warner remains with the Swans, despite the growing interest from his home state team.
Warner is currently back in Western Australia ahead of the upcoming AFL clash against the Eagles at Optus Stadium. The 24-year-old player had previously turned down substantial offers from both West Coast and Fremantle before re-signing with the Swans on a contract that will keep him at the club until 2027.
While the Dockers may find it challenging to accommodate Warner within their salary cap due to their star-studded roster, the Eagles seem well-positioned to make another bid for the talented midfielder at the end of this season or next. This potential move is further supported by the Eagles’ impressive progress during their extensive rebuild, highlighted by recent victories over North Melbourne and Port Adelaide.
Key players such as No.1 draft pick Willem Duursma, No.4 pick Cooper Duff-Tytler, and fellow first-round pick Josh Lindsay are already showing signs of becoming future stars. Other elite talents on the Eagles’ list include Harley Reid, Jobe Shanahan, Archer Reid, Bo Allan, and Reuben Ginbey.
Cox is keen on retaining Warner long-term and is actively working to ensure that the 2024 All-Australian sees the Swans as his best fit rather than a rising club like West Coast.
“I don’t really look at who’s a destination club and who’s not,” Cox said during a training session in Perth on Friday. “I worry about whether people want to come to our football club and whether people want to stay at our football club.”
“Mine’s about trying to make sure that we can keep all our people happy and play the footy we want to play, which will, in turn, hopefully keep them there. We’ll always speak to Chad about the possibility of staying and, first of all, just creating a team around him that he wants to be a part of.”
Despite some early struggles, prized Swans recruit Charlie Curnow has shown promise, even though he has only managed five goals in three games this season. Cox defended the former Blue, stating, “It’s three games, my expectations are he plays a really strong four or five years at our football club.”
“When we got him, we knew it was going to take time to fit into a new team. I don’t think you’ve seen too many key forwards around the competition – when they’ve gone to a new team – click straight away.”
The Sydney Swans (2-1) are set to welcome back Isaac Heeney for Saturday’s match, while the West Coast Eagles will be looking to fill the gaps left by midfielders Elliot Yeo (groin) and Deven Robertson (suspended).
