Sydney Swans big man Callum Sinclair made his presence felt in both the ruck and forward line in 2018, and the 29-year-old says he’s working overtime on both crafts on the verge of the 2019 campaign.
A season-ending knee injury suffered by Sam Naismith opened the door for Sinclair to play as Sydney’s primary ruckman in 2018, but it didn’t stop the 87-gamer from having an impact on the scoreboard.
Not only did Sinclair record 90 per cent of Swans hit-outs and do battle with Max Gawn, Brodie Grundy, Sam Jacobs and a host of other formidable ruckmen, he booted 12 majors to top all ruckmen in the goals column.
Sinclair says he’s putting in the hard yards as a ruckman and forward as the countdown to Round 1 continues.
“You’ve got to get the balance right between working on rucking craft and forward craft,” Sinclair told SwansTV.
“I think it just comes down to planning and the coaches are quite good with structuring a development plan for each player. So I’ve got certain focusses I’ve got to work on at training and at the moment that balance is quite good. I’ve been getting some good exposure to the forward line and midfield.
“I’m pretty comfortable with where I am with my footy at the moment, and I’m happy to play a role wherever needed again this year. Over the last few years, I’ve played a variety of roles for the Swans and we’ll see how things pan out in 2019.”
As Sinclair’s teammates strive for perfection in kicking and handballing drills and match-simulation scenarios during the pre-season grind, the towering Swan can often be seen grimacing his way through lap after lap on the track.
The recipient of the Swans’ 2018 Most Improved honour has placed a premium on endurance over the past couple of pre-seasons, and he says clocking up the kilometres is crucial to his game.
“With the amount of minutes a ruckman has to play in today’s game, you’ve got to be out there for long periods on the ground,” Sinclair said.
“As a ruckman, you’ve got to be pretty versatile these days in terms of playing in the ruck and going forward and hitting the scoreboard. Getting continuity of kilometres in the legs is very important so you’re able to handle those demands.”
Naismith is on a mission to be ready for Round 1 and young ruckman Darcy Cameron is charging into 2019 off the back of a stellar 2018 NEAFL campaign.
It means Sydney’s ruck department has a clean bill of health on the cusp of the 2019 season, and Sinclair says it’s making for a thriving training environment.
“There’s plenty of competition in the ruck stocks at the moment and that’s the same every year in regards to any position on the ground,” Sinclair said.
“The group is really competitive at the moment and we have good numbers on the track, so it’s exciting.”
