What would happen if Dean Cox walked into the SCG training area and said ‘right, I want every player from the 2018 draft to jump into the pool?’ He’d get a big splash. And more than a quarter of his senior team would be wondering why they were wet.
It would seem an unlikely thing for the coach to do – because it is – unless he wanted a special celebration for Justin McInerney’s 100th AFL game against Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday night. And he wanted to single out players from the same 2018 Draft.
It’s a talented group. McInerney was pick #44 behind Nick Blakey at #10, James Rowbotton at #25 and Melbourne pick James Jordan at #33, and ahead of rookie Sam Wicks and pre-season supplementary choice Hayden McLean.
While Jordan, pick #33 to the Demons, is a ‘ring in’, with Blakey and Rowbottom having reached 100 games in 2023 and 2024 respectively, McInerney’s 100th game will make the 2018 Draft the fourth since its inception in 1986 that has delivered three Swans centurions.
The first was a monster result in 1998 when the club picked up Nic Fosdike (164 games) at pick #3, Jude Bolton (325 games) at #8 and Brett Kirk (241 games) at #40 in the Rookie Draft.
In 2009 the club chose pick #6 Gary Rohan (106), pick #14 Lewis Jetta (127) and pick #38 Sam Reid (181), and in 2016 it was #11 Ollie Florent (179), #21 Will Hayward (174) and rookie pick #32 Robbie Fox (106).
There is another Swans centurions hat-trick beckoning, with 2014 rookie pick #52 Lewis Melican (89 games) soon to join pick #18 Isaac Heeney (212) and Jake Lloyd (260).
McInerney, from Marcellin College in Melbourne and the Northern Knights, will forever be known as the Sydney player who surprised his teammates with a personal reveal a moment before coach John Longmire announced his debut selection.
Asked to tell his teammates something they wouldn’t know about him, McInerney revealed he was born with his umbilical cord around his neck and “came out blue”.
But, having debuted in Longmire’s 200th AFL game as Sydney coach and the 400th of his AFL career as a player and coach, McInerney will be just the second player to wear Swans jumper #27 in 100 games. The other was Reg Gleeson, who played 128 games from 1970-76.
After his one game in 2019 the hard-running midfielder has logged year-by-year game counts of 9-21-22-19-20-7. He’s been an emergency six times, missed one game with Covid, 12 through three different injuries in 2022, ’23 and ‘24, and four games through two suspensions this year.
He’s polled just once in the Brownlow Medal – two votes in Round 4, 2022 against North Melbourne at the SCG when he had his the only 30-possession game.
McInerney, who will be the Swans’ 144th 100-gamer, joined a group which was launched on 20 June 1903 when Mick Pleass, a member of the very first South Melbourne VFL side in 1897, became the red and white’s first 100-gamer.
Playing in an era before the advent of the Brownlow Medal in 1924 and possession counts in 1965 Pleass was aged 28 years 220 days, had a win ratio of 47.5 per cent and had kicked 39 goals.
How do those numbers compare with the equivalent 100-game numbers that have followed?
Mark Bayes, 22 years 170 days old in his 100th game in 1989, has been the youngest Swans 100-gamer from Michael O’Loughlin (22/190) and Dan Hannebery (22/202), while Bill Windley, another member of the Swans first side, was the oldest at 34 years 296 days in 1903. Imports Rhyce Shaw (32/150) and Paul Williams (32/140) were next oldest.
Ted Richards has had the best win ratio at the time of his 100th game, sitting at 74.5 per cent in 2010, ahead of 1933 premiership star John Austin (73 per cent), Lance Franklin (72 per cent) and Jake Lloyd (71 per cent). Unfairly, ex-superstar Paul Kelly had the toughest run to 100 games for the club, going 18-2-80 at 18.4 per cent.
Bob Pratt, the Swans all-time leading goal-kicker, heads the goal list among the 144 centurions, having kicked 458 games at the time in 1935. In his sixth season, he kicked 103 goals that year after 109 in 1933 and the League’s all-time record of 150, which he shares with Hawthorn’s Peter Hudson.
Ted Johnson (321), Lance Franklin (315) and Barry Hall (307) were next best at the top end of the 100-game goal list, while four players got there without a major – Bill Dolphin in 1911, Arthur Rademaker in 1920, Hec McKay in 1932 and Rod Carter in 1994.
Greg Williams recorded the highest 100-game possession count in Swans history with 2864 in 1991, from Josh Kennedy (2446), Norm Goss (2378), Barry Mitchell (2287), Dan Hannebery (2205), Jake Lloyd (2200). Daryn Cresswell (2117) and Luke Parker (2095).
Progressive Brownlow Medal vote counts are uncertain because game-by-game votes were not recorded in the early years, but barring a sizzling start to the 1962 season from Bob Skilton the leading vote-getter at 100 games has been Lance Franklin. He had 79 votes at the ‘ton’ in 2018.
Skilton had 72 votes from 96 games to the end of 1961, having won the first of his three medals in 1959. He polled 13 votes in 16 games in ’61, so a votes-per-game average would put him at 75.25 votes.
Using the same calculation method for comparison purposes prior to 1984, others beyond 50 votes at 100 games were Greg Williams (62), Jack Graham (58.7), Ron Clegg (58.5), Graham Teasdale (55.9), Herbie Matthews (53.25), Barry Hall (51) and Peter Bedford (51). Bill Gunn was 49.5 votes.
McInerney will be the 17th player from the 2018 Draft to reach 100 games. It is a list headed by rookie pick #3 Callum Wilkie (143), pick #5 Connor Rozee (140), #10 Blakey (139), Rory Atkins (138), #1 Sam Walsh (130), #12 Zak Butters, #25 Rowbottom (128), mid-season rookie pick John Noble (122), #13 Isaac Quaynor (119), #2 Jack Lukosius (118), #57 Lachie Schultz (116), #15 Jordan Clark (113), #7 Bailey Smith (113), #49 Bailey Scott (108), #27 Tom Sparrow (106), #61 Connor Idun (104) and #33 James Jordan (102).
Pick #18 Xavier Duursma (98) and #24 Bobby Hill (98) are also closing on 100 games, while the potential 4th and 5th members of the Swans 100-Game Club are Hayden McLean (87) and Wicks (76).
