The Sydney Swans have confirmed grand final heartbreak for their captain Callum Mills.
After straining his hamstring at training a fortnight ago, Mills had been touch and go to play in Saturday’s decider at the MCG against Brisbane.
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Mills played in the qualifying final against GWS but missed the team’s preliminary final victory over Port Adelaide last Friday.
In a desperate bid to make the team, he trained on Wednesday (today), but the club said, “after taking everything into consideration”, a joint decision was made by medical staff and coaches to rule Mills out.
7NEWS football reporter Ryan Daniel said Mills was “devastated” by the decision.
“He left (coach John) Longmire’s office in tears,” Daniels said.
“Grand final week can be incredible for some – but pure heartbreak for others. Mills was always up against it.”
Wednesday’s closed main training session was D-day for Mills, who had been challenged to train fully and put himself in contention.
While he had fronted media after the session and insisted he had trained at “100 per cent”, the club soon afterwards made the call not to play him.
It’s been a challenging 2024 for the 27-year-old who was named as a standalone skipper for the first time.
He has played just seven games in an injury-marred campaign.
He was ruled out of the first half of the season after tearing the rotator cuff in his left shoulder in a Mad Monday mishap last year, before a calf injury delayed his return further.
He then rejoined the team as it started to have a form wobble.
Daniels said Mills would “no doubt lift and support teammates” during the game as he had done earlier in the season when he was recovering from his shoulder injury.
Mills was often seen on the bench encouraging his teammates while he was out of action.
Utility Robbie Fox – the sub in the prelim against Port – appears likely to hold his spot as a result of Mills’ absence.
Earlier on Wednesday, Longmire said Mills had trained at “110 per cent” but said he hadn’t made a decision on whether to recall the skipper.
A couple of hours later, Mills was out.
Mills was previously picked for the 2016 grand final loss to the Western Bulldogs after overcoming a hamstring injury suffered in the first week of that year’s finals.
Longmire knows all about playing injured players in grand finals and the risk-reward benefit.
He lamented playing the injured Sam Reid in the 2022 decider as a “mistake”, after the severely hindered big man had to be substituted out soon after half-time in the embarrassing loss to Geelong.
But in 2012, Ted Richards was picked off an ankle injury and successfully quelled Lance Franklin to help the Swans to victory.
There are no concerns over key forward Logan McDonald, who has overcome the rolled ankle suffered against Port Adelaide.
“Nah, he was good,” Longmire said of McDonald.
– With AAP
