Current Sydney Swans pay homage to former players in effort to connect with their AFL history

Created by club great Brett Kirk, players, coaches and staff have written to those who have filled their positions before them.

The handwritten letters have thanked the people who have laid the foundation for their current success.

John Longmire has written to Paul Roos and each of the current players have penned notes to their predecessors in red and white.

Former captain Mark Browning was one of those to receive the correspondence. His came from young forward Will Hayward.

“It was a nice surprise,” Browning told CODE Sports.

“I got a real kick out of it but the important thing for me was the fact that the current playing group said thank you.”

What has prompted the show of appreciation from the current Swans personnel is their recent move into a spectacular $70 million training and administration facility.

It’s light years away from the almost total lack of resources Browning and his teammates experienced in their formative years in the Harbour City.

In his multifaceted role, Kirk has made sure the present day players, coaches and staff appreciate the humble beginnings the club came from and the sacrifices people like Browning made to keep the club alive and promote the growth of footy north of the Murray River.

“After the 40 year celebration last year it’s good for the club to reflect on the past and to recognise those who have been part of that is fantastic,” Browning says.

“A lot of kids don’t know where the Swans came from, the fact we were originally South Melbourne. Will (Hayward) is part of the leadership group and he’s still pretty young. I can relate to that because I was a vice-captain and deputy vice-captain when I was only 22.

“There’s no doubt the most important thing in any footy team at any level is having a strong core of leadership. If you have that you are on the way to success. You need six to eight in that category. That doesn’t just happen.”

Kirk famously grabbed his guernsey and said, “This is for the Bloods”, when he received his 2005 premiership medallion.

Paul Roos had an equally memorable line when he lifted the Cup and bellowed, “Here it is”.

He received his letter from Longmire via email in California.

“There’s a really strong connection between John and I,” Roos told CODE Sports.

“John was part of the original group which adopted the Bloods culture over 20 years ago. It involved Stuart Maxfield, Brett Kirk, Ben Matthews and others. John had a real connection to the original manifestation of this.

“I actually met John when he was a 16 year old playing for Corowa in the Ovens and Murray League. Fitzroy had a bye and some teammates and I went to watch him and some of my old Lions mates play. So we’ve known each other for almost 40 years. To get something from John who I share so much history with was pretty special.”

Longmire recently extended his contract to the end of 2025 which will bring his service in red and white to a grand total of 25 years. He arrived at the club in 2001 and spent 10 years as an assistant coach, initially with Rodney Eade and then teaming up with Roos.

The Roos-Longmire transition remains one of the very few coaching succession plans to work. Both understand the unique challenges AFL clubs face in the developing states.

“In Sydney there isn’t a massive number of past players so that history isn’t there like it is in Melbourne where there are so many more,” Roos says.

“It’s a lot harder in NSW than the southern states, it’s a rugby league stronghold. The Swans are a key part of the Sydney sports scene now but it wasn’t always that way especially in the 1980s. When you have a team that’s been relocated you need to make them aware of the history.

“A lot of young players don’t follow the game that closely so it’s fantastic that the Swans are educating their players. It talks to the strength of the footy club to educate the players about who came before them. To understand where the team has come from is really important.”

Another to receive a handwritten letter was Swans team of the century member David Murphy. His came from Ryan Clark.

Murphy also received a phone call from another player, Caleb Mitchell, the Swans’ third round pick (40) from Yarrawonga.

The dots have been connected perfectly by the Swans with Murphy and Mitchell having plenty in common. They are both wingmen, their hometowns Yarrawonga (Mitchell) and Finley (Murphy) are just over 60 km apart and they share the number 35.

“It’s not easy to pick up the phone and call a complete stranger,” Murphy says.

“He just said to me my name is Caleb Mitchell and I’ve been given your old number 35. It’s pretty good for the young man to do that.

“He told me my name was the only one on the locker and I said that’s the beauty of 35, nobody wants it, not like 14 (Bob Skilton, Paul Kelly, Callum Mills) where the locker is covered in names. Stick with it if you start going well.”