Tonga Bob
Call me Ishmael
- Oct 26, 2013
- 38,199
- 93,925
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- SFFC, LFC, ADO, CI Warriors
- Moderator
- #1
Adam Sweid
Position: Midfielder-ForwardClub: Calder Cannons
Height: 176cm
Weight:
D.O.B: 14-09-2007
STRENGTHS:
- Defensive pressure
- Evasiveness
- Resilience
- Scoreboard impact
- Speed
- Work rate
IMPROVEMENTS:
- Composure
- Size
Heading into the 2025 season, Adam Sweid was relatively unknown to many. However, those in the know were well aware of his potential as a junior. After successfully overcoming an ACL rupture sustained in 2023, he spent most of 2024 building his fitness for a comeback in 2025, where he showed why he was highly regarded by AFL recruiters and the Essendon Next Generation Academy (NGA).
Playing his junior football with Hadfield, Sweid would come to prominence in his bottom-aged Under 16 year as he earned selection for the EDFL Under 15 representative squad and came runner-up in the Under 16 Division 2 best and fairest, all in 2022.
It was off to Pascoe Vale for 2023 where he played in a Grand Final loss. Unfortunately for Sweid, that’s also when he suffered his ACL rupture which meant most of season 2024 would be wiped out. However, he already had been noticed earlier in the season, kicking five goals in an Under 16 game for the Calder Cannons against the Western Jets, and representing Vic Metro in the Diversity All-Star game.
Making the most of the resources available to him with the Essendon Next Generation Academy, Sweid’s recovery from injury would be fast-tracked, and by August 2024 he was beginning to play football again. While he didn’t manage to break into the strong Cannons side, Sweid would manage 19 goals from eight games at local level, with 16 of them coming from in just four of those games.
Heading into season 2025, there was much anticipation around Hussein El Achkar being the next big thing coming from the Essendon NGA. However after the opening few rounds of the season, starting with strong performances against Oakleigh, Tasmania and the Northern Knights, Sweid would be rewarded for his efforts with a call-up to the Vic Metro trial squad.
After further top form against Vic Country and the Young Guns, Sweid was selected for the final Vic Metro squad and his best performance came against a strong Allies side, where he kicked four goals and had nine score involvements. He finished averaging 17 disposals and 4.8 tackles per game and earned All-Australian selection for the championships.
Sweid capped off his Coates Talent League season averaging 25 disposals and five tackles per game, returning to Calder colours with a full head of steam. He also managed to make his VFL debut for Essendon on a Saturday night in June, managing a respectable 10 disposals and one goal for the game.
Capable of rotating between the midfield and forwardline, Sweid bases his game on two players that play in his preferred positions – Richmond’s inside bull Dion Prestia, and Hawthorn’s resilient small forward Dylan Moore. Another player that Sweid also looks up to for inspiration is fellow Bachar Houli Foundation alumni, Essendon’s Saad El-Hawli.
Sweid has already shown resilience to bounce back from some early adversity in his career. As mentioned, his bottom age year at Coates Talent League level was wiped out by a knee injury and he therefore had to bide his time back at local level in 2024, essentially in elongated preparation for 2025. Even though he wasn’t selected for the Calder Cannons, he did what he could to get himself right post-surgery and used that as motivation to have a strong 2025, which is exactly what has occurred.
In several games throughout the season, Sweid would exhibit his never-say-die attitude, especially when things weren’t his or his team's way. This was best typified in Round 12 against the Western Jets where he fought hard to the end with repeat efforts, despite his side having a bad loss. Another example was in Round 7 against Dandenong, where he was on the receiving end of a big hit from an opponent, but got back up straight away and ran out the game.
Sweid’s speed and evasiveness were on show constantly throughout the 2025 season. He would use it to blaze away from the stoppages having read his ruckman’s work well, driving his side forward with quick ball movement. He also managed to do the same thing when it came to the fall of the ball from contests. When able to shark the ground ball, his acceleration would then kick in to catch the opposition off-guard, making him hard to play against - especially with his disposal being so accurate by hand and foot on the way out.
His impact on the scoreboard was best shown in the National Championships. While his best game came against the Allies where he kicked four goals, Sweid also had nine score involvements, highlighting his ability to damage the opposition by setting up others. This was backed up for Vic Metro in the last game of the championships where he also managed to have an equal team-high eight score involvements against Vic Country.
His defensive pressure and work rate were other key features of his game throughout the year. His pressure acts were repeated, while he also used his endurance to provide excellent ground coverage. With his strong technique, Sweid would average 5.2 tackles a game with the Cannons, and 4.8 tackles per game with Vic Metro, highlighting his ability to impact out of possession.
One limitation for Sweid is his size. Standing at 176cm, he is capable of putting his body on the line against bigger and taller opponents, though his approach may have to shift slightly at the top level. Being a crash-and-bash ball winner, he'll be challenged competing against mature bodies and midfielders who could be up to 20cm taller than him. Having said that, he did manage to compete well on his VFL debut against Casey. While Sweid does possess great pace, there were times where he did look rushed at times with his disposal early in the season, however this is an area of his game that continues to refine.
source: https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/adam-sweid/
Last edited by a moderator:
. Happy with this one - good contrast to bolton, dudley, fredericks, reid switta
