Player Watch #14 Callum Mills (c)

[Kennedy Parker]

Callum Mills

Callum Mills

14

Callum Mills

Age

27

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.4

5star

M

5.3

5star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

D

18.4

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

6.9

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

3.4

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.4

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.2

4star

is one of the best young players in the AFL. The QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduate won the 2016 AFL Rising Star award and was selected in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 team in three of his four eligible years. Mills is a small defender with uncompromising courage who’s also capable of shifting through the midfield. The New South Welshman was elevated to Sydney’s leadership group during the 2018 pre-season at the age of just 21, and he’s now a member of a five-man leadership panel alongside co-captains Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker

26

Luke Parker

Age

31

Ht

183cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

24.2

5star

K

12.6

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

3.8

4star

T

5.6

5star

CL

5.8

5star

D

22.1

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

9.9

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

5.0

5star

CL

5.5

5star

D

21.2

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

8.0

5star

CL

5.2

5star

and Dane Rampe

24

Dane Rampe

Age

33

Ht

187cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.0

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

4.9

5star

T

2.5

4star

MG

358.8

5star

D

14.1

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.1

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.5

2star

MG

284.5

4star

D

10.6

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.4

4star

, as well as Lance Franklin.

Callum Mills

14

Callum Mills

Age

27

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.4

5star

M

5.3

5star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

D

18.4

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

6.9

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

3.4

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.4

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.2

4star

DOB: 02 April 1997
DEBUT: 2016
DRAFT: #3, 2015 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: North Shore (NSW)

Callum Mills | AFL

Follow Callum Mills's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[barry fu]

Worpol amd Sicily go alright

Add Blake Hardwick to the list, like his hustle.

 

[Punts]

So your evidence is one single game? Also conveniently forgetting the week before when he was our best midfielder.

And you evidence is nothing because he didn’t play the tac cup

Your so called natural elite junior star mid is going to let you down

He looks like a C grade plodder that wouldn’t get a game at 10 other clubs atm

I hope like heck he shuts my mouth and becomes this ultra elite star everyone keeps saying because by almeans we need it

 

[RUNVS]

And you evidence is nothing because he didn’t play the tac cup

Your so called natural elite junior star mid is going to let you down

He looks like a C grade plodder that wouldn’t get a game at 10 other clubs atm

I hope like **** he shuts my mouth and becomes this ultra elite star everyone keeps saying because by almeans we need it

Fans on this site disagree with you. I just did a bit of quick checking after our practice match and this is what people on this board had to say about Mills efforts

I think there’s about the same amount of young’ns on both teams. Ours were just better in that quarter. Our midfield of Dawson, Florent, Mills, Rowbottom and Hewett just looked tougher

Not that I necessarily want to encourage this but Mills handballing in packs is elite.

Blakely looked good too and was happy seeing Mills in the centre. You put your best players in the guts!

WOW How good was that hard ball pickup and spin from Mills. Orgasmic

George barely blinked! Thought he stood out. Mills also pretty good, as were Haylist and Paps .

Cunningham was a clear BOG for us today, if he can produce form like that in the season then he's already improved on his 2018 season where he improved a lot. Liked what we saw of Florent, Mills, Hayward, Papley, Blakey, Rowbottom and O'Riordan. McInerney did some nice things but I'm gonna assume he was a relative of the commentator.

Mills was really good, so bloody hard. His delivery in close is elite.

The half year off looks to have transformed Mills into the quality mid he was destined to be, a great addition to the needy midfield.

How bloody good is Millsy?!?



Am super pumped to have him in the middle this year.

 

[Punts]

Fans on this site disagree with you. I just did a bit of quick checking after our practice match and this is what people on this board had to say about Mills efforts

Fantastic a few people

Let’s go to the jlt and his recent

 

[caesar88]

I finally get where Punts is coming from re Mills. We can’t say one way or the other whether Mills is a great midfielder. He has the potential to be, but it’s just so hard to tell as he is a) playing as a defender, and b) just not playing very well in general.

He needs to prove that he still has those midfield traits that made him such a junior star. He won’t be able to prove it by just being swung into the guts at the start of a match. He has to unlearn some of the things he’s developed to be a defender, and he needs to rediscover the things that made him a good midfielder. He can’t be going through this learning curve in the senior side. He’ll get nowhere.

Needs a solid block of games plying his trade as a midfielder in the reserves. It’s the only way he’s ever going to be able to prove whether he’s meant to be a midfielder or not.

 

[Punts]

Fans on this site disagree with you. I just did a bit of quick checking after our practice match and this is what people on this board had to say about Mills efforts

Why not put mills in the 2s where he deserves to be atm on current form?

 

[RUNVS]

Fantastic a few people

Let’s go to the jlt and his recent

Buddy got only 1 goal against the Bulldogs in round 1. Guess he must be awful. I am not going to take into account any other match he has ever played though, just his round 1 form.

 

[Punts]

Buddy got only 1 goal against the Bulldogs in round 1. Guess he must be awful. I am not going to take into account any other match he has ever played though, just his round 1 form.

Open your eyes and watch the game , his form in general is plain s**t and really think putting him in the middle is the best for him and the club on form

He needs a run on the ball in the 2s

 

[RUNVS]

Open your eyes and watch the game , his form in general is plain s**t and really think putting him in the middle is the best for him and the club on form

Delusional

Yes I do. Put Mills in the guts, leave him there and let him find his form.

 

[Punts]

Yes I do. Put Mills in the guts, leave him there and let him find his form.

In the 2s correct

 

[RUNVS]

In the 2s correct

Given how awful our midfield is and given that we are not going to be making the 8 this year we will lose nothing by playing Mills in the midfield for the next month. I mean Mills can't possibly make our midfield worse.

 

[Superstar swan]

The kid is a gun. Put him in the middle and he will adapt quickly. Rest of the year, mid set up should be heeney jones and mills. Let them build up chemistry for next year.

 

[RUNVS]

The kid is a gun. Put him in the middle and he will adapt quickly. Rest of the year, mid set up should be heeney jones and mills. Let them build up chemistry for next year.

Rowbottom as well.

 

[Punts]

For the record I don’t hate the kid , for crying out.

I hope he shuts my mouth and becomes a gun mid but I’m going off what I have seen and current form and to me he is looking far from anything elite.

Since 16 he hasn’t been much at all

His kicking and awareness atm are far from anything elite

Takes the occasional good grab but the rest is ordinary for an so call afl elite

 

[caesar88]

Yes I do. Put Mills in the guts, leave him there and let him find his form.

I would like to see Mills in the midfield as much as anyone, but have a look at him. He’s got no confidence and is playing ordinary footy of late. He’s not in the right form to just be able to handle being thrown in the guts. I think that would just stuff him up even more. It will be a bit of a learning process for him. Most learning curves should take place in the reserves.

If we’re looking for someone who could have an immediate impact, it won’t be Mills, but it should be Rowbottom. Thrived in the NEAFL and earned his place in the team, and unlike Mills, is actually in the right form and place confidence-wise to be playing in the midfield.

 

[Superstar swan]

Rowbottom as well.

Agree however he is an in and under player, physically not ready for that role at afl level yet, i wouldnt put him in full time but id definately be playing him in spurts

 

[RUNVS]

Agree however he is an in and under player, physically not ready for that role at afl level yet, i wouldnt put him in full time but id definately be playing him in spurts

Maybe not full time, but even 40% of his match time as an in and under midfielder would help his development a lot, something Mills never got in his first few years.

 

[The King!]

putting him in the guts is at least trying something

may as well

 

[Superstar swan]

Horse has beaten the confidence out of mills. He thrived in his first year because he snuck under the radar in defence and was a very good intercept mark. Now oppos are putting in work on him and making sure he cant impact those contests. Incredibly tough for a guy not in his natural position.

Horse needs to cut him loose. Play him in the mids and just say to him "show the footy world how good you are"

Ultimate faith in him. Imo he and heeney are neck and neck, he just hasnt been allowed to showcase it

 

[The King!]

heeney is a fair way ahead imo

 

[Punts]

heeney is a fair way ahead imo

Not even on the same talent chart

 

[Superstar swan]

heeney is a fair way ahead imo

Heeney has played forward and mid with zero accountability. Mills has played a role he is undersized and never played in his life. Heeney is the better player right now but hes also had it easier than mills

 

[dosser]

and yet Mills was rated a better midfielder than Oliver in his draft year.

It would be like if Longmire drafted Papley and refused to play him anywhere other than in the ruck. Papley is forced to play in the ruck and then everyone on this board would be screaming that Papley can't play, that he is a liability to the team. Of course he would be a liability because he is being played in a position he is not suited. It is the same with Mills. He is a natural midfielder, that is his position, and playing him out of position is of course going to make it look like he doesn't know how to play.

So as someone who isn't suited to playing off the hbf, he was able to win the Rising Star? It sounds to me like he is pretty much suited there tbh.
Mills in the middle gives us nothing that we don't already have. I'm with Punts here, as Mills apparently was ranked as a standout midfielder by simply not playing for a year - and this was most likely because that draft was a crap one for midfielders.
I desperately want to see him succeed, but on the odd occasion he went into the mids in the JLT he did nothing to make a case for himself.
I really don't think he has been as good as his first year for us, and therefore has used up all of his brownie points from that year. I would drop him to the NEAFL to try to get back what he once had, but the problem is that we have nothing better to replace him with. COR and Stoddart would get chewed up and spat out by most AFL opponents, so we probably have to keep Mills in and just hope that something 'clicks' for him.

 

[The King!]

Heeney has played forward and mid with zero accountability. Mills has played a role he is undersized and never played in his life. Heeney is the better player right now but hes also had it easier than mills

its all opinions of course,
But i think just watching them heeney has class, awareness, skills, just comsistency is the issue. he can play tall, get contested, get outside

kicks quite well generally

mills doesnt display the same skills and footy smarts

no shame in it, just not near him imo

 

[Superstar swan]

How would heeney look off the half back flank? He wouldnt be as rated as he is now thats for sure