AFL 2026 finals: Sydney Swans appoint Dane Rampe as captain after Callum Mills injury, Isaac Heeney ban

Sydney has turned to veteran defender Dane Rampe to steer the September ship for what might be the final fortnight of his AFL career.

The 36-year-old was thrust into stand-in captaincy after Callum Mills suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the qualifying final.

The Swans selected just a two-man leadership group for the 2026 season, which included Mills as captain and the suspended Isaac Heeney as his vice-captain.

Heeney, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Chad Warner are sitting out of the finals for breaching club standards after a boozy night after Round 24.

They are all separately co-operating in a sexual assault investigation which occurred on the same night.

Rampe was a co-captain for four seasons across 2019-2023 and has played 288 senior games.

He has played in four heartbreaking Grand Final defeats in 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2024.

Rampe is out of contract at the end of this season, meaning he could finish with a fairytale premiership in a fortnight’s time as captain.

“Dane has always been an exceptionally tough footballer,” Sydney coach Dean Cox said.

“And he continues to show remarkable leadership qualities, which we see on a daily basis inside the four walls

Sydney takes on Fremantle this Friday night at the SCG for a place in the Grand Final.

The winner of that preliminary final will face the winner of Hawthorn and Brisbane Lions on Saturday night.

“As devastating as it is to lose Millsy so late in the season, we feel Ramps has the perfect characteristics and experience to lead this team for the rest of this season.

Originally published as AFL 2026 finals: Sydney Swans appoint Dane Rampe as captain after Callum Mills injury, Isaac Heeney ban