The 25-year-old defender, who had 26 games to his name across five seasons at Geelong and the Blues, played 19 senior games for the Swans in 2014 and added important depth to the club’s defensive unit.
While Laidler missed out on playing in the club’s finals campaign, he did earn a two-year contract extension with the Swans.
Speaking to SwansTV about his first season at the club, Laidler said he could not be more grateful to the Swans for giving him a chance in 2014.
You played 19 games in your first season at the club. How do you reflect on how you performed in your first year at the Swans?
I’ve had a few weeks without playing footy, which was a bit unfortunate, but I suppose coming up here I didn’t expect that I was going to play 19 games, let alone one game. Coming up here from Melbourne was also really eye-opening. A lot of people say that footy is not that massive up in Sydney, but compared to Melbourne it isn’t actually that big. You can really find a life away from footy and I’ve absolutely loved it, and it’s really helped me focus on my footy. You can really drive your career up here because you can get away from it and clear the mind. I’ve absolutely loved my time here so far, and I cannot wait to start again.
At you previous clubs you struggled a bit to find that consistency and find your place in the team. Were you pleased to have played so many games, and so many consecutive games here at the Swans?
This year was the first year in a couple of years that I’ve done a full pre-season, and that was massive for me. Once you get your body together, and in the past few pre-season I had my knee issue, so to get over that and to do a full pre-season was huge for me. I suppose just being out on the track with all the boys was great to build relationships and really helped me find out how others liked to play the game. I worked really hard with the backline group and had to pay attention to what foot they kicked with and how they played the game and worked together so I could try to fit into that group.
Your form was rewarded with a contract extension late in the year. Was it a good feeling to know that the club had so much faith in you?
I was absolutely rapt when my manager told me that Sydney had come forward with a contract. Getting delisted last year was a massive kick in the guts and I was a rookie when I started in the AFL and I knew I had to start again just like I did back in Geelong. I knew I had to work my way in, so I was rapt to get a contract extension.
Who have been some of the senior players who have helped set you on the right track this season?
Working with the defensive group, Rhyce Shaw has been massive. Especially when I got dropped from the side, he was the first one to come up to me and tell me that I’d get back in the team in no time. I’ve also been working with Heath Grundy and Teddy Richards, who have been awesome.
One who is very underrated is Nick Smith. He probably doesn’t look like he says much on the field but he is the most underrated player I’ve ever come across. Dane Rampe has also been awesome for me. His story – he came up to me and told me how hard he had to work and he also gives me little tips to develop my career.
What do you hope to work on in the next pre-season?
The first thing will be to have another full pre-season. I’ll be working on my two-way running and defending well and also trying to get a bit more of the ball. I suppose having this year under my belt, I know what is expected to get a game and I’ve just got to push through to that next level.
What are you plans for the off-season?
My girlfriend and I are off to America. We’ve going to New York and LA for a couple of weeks, and then we’ll come back and go to a couple of weddings. I’ve also just been invited to go to New Zealand for a little golf trip, so I can’t wait for that. Then in November, I’ve got my brother’s bucks, so that will be good too.
