Swans name 'perfect' stand-in for injured captain Mills

Sydney have turned to Dane Rampe to try and lead the Swans to an unlikely AFL premiership in injured captain Callum Mills' absence.

A heart-and-soul player who has played in four grand final defeats for the Swans, Rampe will captain the club in Friday's preliminary final against Fremantle at the SCG.

It is the second time the 36-year-old has stood in for an injured Mills, leading the Swans in 2024 en route to that year's decider loss to Brisbane.

Mills' vice-captain Isaac Heeney is among five Swans players serving club-imposed bans after last month's post-match incident at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne.

The decision to select Rampe was made by Mills, coach Dean Cox and club leaders.

"Dane has always been an exceptionally tough footballer, and he continues to show remarkable leadership qualities, which we see on a daily basis inside the four walls," Cox said in a club statement

"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.

Rampe's return to captaincy comes after being re-drafted as a rookie by the Swans with fellow defender Jake Lloyd at the end of last year.

While Lloyd has signed on for a 15th season, neither Rampe nor the Swans have made a call on whether he will continue next year.

But the door is open for the former Swans co-captain, with defender Mills facing the possibility of missing the entire 2027 season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.

Drafted at age 22 in 2013, Rampe was named co-captain with Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker for the 2019 season.

The trio handed the reins to Mills at the end of 2023, but their successor endured a tough 2024 season pockmarked by injury.

Mills was restricted to seven games, hurting his shoulder in a "Mad Monday" wrestling contest with a teammate before being sidelined from the 2024 grand final defeat to Brisbane with a hamstring strain.

This year was the first time the 29-year-old had played more than 20 games since Sydney's 2022 grand final run.