‘Remarkable leadership qualities’: Rampe to captain Swans for rest of season

Dane Rampe will serve as Sydney’s captain for the remainder of what could be his final season for the AFL club.

Rampe, 36, will take over as skipper on an interim basis following the ACL injury suffered by Callum Mills in the Swans’ thumping qualifying final victory over the Brisbane Lions in week one of the finals.

The defender previously served as the club’s co-captain between 2019 and 2023, and was a part of Sydney’s four most recent grand final appearances, all of which ended in defeat.

The decision to elevate Rampe to the captaincy was made by Mills, coach Dean Cox and club leaders, according to a Swans statement.

“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.

“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 made his debut for the Swans in 2013 and has since played for them 288 times. He has not yet signed a contract to play next season.

He will lead out the team on Friday night at the SCG for their preliminary final - the sixth of his career - against minor premiers Fremantle , who prevailed by 38 points in the only meeting between the two sides this season.

The Dockers, who defeated Geelong by 14 points in their semi-final at Perth’s Optus Stadium last week, are considered favourites to account for the Swans, despite Sydney’s phenomenal against-the-odds performance against two-time reigning premiers Brisbane.

Few gave the Swans a chance due to the suspensions handed to five key players - Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon - for breaching team standards by partying at the team’s hotel in Melbourne into the early hours of the morning following a win over Essendon in round 25.

Speaking to this masthead after the victory against the Lions, Rampe admitted he had wondered to himself, in light of those bans, whether his chance to finally play in a premiership team had passed him by.

“Look, it does come into the back of your mind, but then at the end of the day, we still got a job to do ... if it wasn’t to happen, then I’ll grieve that at the end of the year,” he said.

“But while we’re still in with a chance, I’m still hoping, I’m still believing.”