Pair join Kennedy in Swans leadership
ADRIAN WARREN SYDNEY have reverted to their co-captaincy model, with twotime best and fairest Luke Parker and local lad Dane Rampe joining Josh Kennedy as the AFL club’s senior leaders.
Midfielder Kennedy has held the captaincy outright for the past two seasons. Before that, Sydney had co-captains for the previous 11 full seasons and also part of 2005 after Stuart Maxfield stood down.
Parker and Rampe were both vice-captains for the past two seasons.
The players voted for the leadership group with the coaching staff opting for cocaptains.
“My first reaction was, ‘What was I doing wrong?’” Kennedy said. “But after a long and honest discussion (with head coach John Longmire), it was less about me and more about what how good these two (Parker and Rampe) have been in a leadership sense off the field.”
Key defender Rampe, 28, who last week inked a threeyear contract extension, has played 138 games and like Parker, was named an All-Australian representative in 2016.
Raised little more than the proverbial stone’s throw from the club’s SCG home, Rampe missed out on four drafts and played in the Sydney competition being taken as a rookie by the Swans.
“The overriding emotion is just unbelievably proud and humbled to lead such a great club and one that I’ve grown up supporting and had so much respect for coming from the out- side,” Rampe said. “I feel like my strength is probably I’ve got a good emotional intelligence and I think that’s what I can bring to the table.”
Midfielder Parker, 26, has played 173 senior games, including the 2012 grand final win, kicking 142 goals since being taken with pick 40 in the 2010 national draft.
“I’m 100 per cent excited where the club is going … and this next journey for my football career,” Parker said.
Longmire said leadership wasn’t about a set number of players but getting the right people for the job.
“We’ve seen what a competitor Josh has been over the journey but to now have two just as driven, hard-working and allround good people in Luke and Dane join him as co-captains is a great result,” Longmire said.