Tom Swift (footballer)

Last updated

Tom Swift
Personal information
Full name Thomas Swift
Date of birth (1990-07-06) 6 July 1990 (age 34)
Original team(s) Swanbourne JFC/Claremont Tigers
Draft 20th overall, 2008 National Draft (West Coast)
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Position(s) Midfield
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2009–2012 West Coast 34 (8)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2012.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Thomas Swift (born 6 July 1990) is a former Australian rules footballer listed with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Educated at Christ Church Grammar School, he originally played for the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and was recruited by West Coast with the 20th pick overall at the 2008 National Draft. He made his debut for the club in the 2009 season.

Contents

Swift now works as an Investment Banker at Citi.

Early life

Swift attended Christ Church Grammar School between 1996 and 2007 where he was the captain of the 1st XXII in 2006 and finished in the top 40 for the Beazley Medal.

He was heralded as an elite young footballing talent at the 2006 NAB AFL Under 16 Championship where he played 3 games for Western Australia averaging 36.3 disposals per game, the highest of any player at any under-16 or under-18 carnival since 2001. He also averaged 8.7 marks, 5.0 inside 50s, 6.7 clearances and 5.3 tackles per game for the championships and earned a place in the 2006 AIS-AFL Academy intake.

In 2007, he ruptured his ACL during a 2007 AIS trial game vs Subiaco at Subiaco Oval, after a routine change of direction, which saw him miss the rest of the football season.

In 2008, he was selected in Western Australia's NAB AFL Under 18 Championships squad, but a grade 2 lateral ligament tear as a result of hyperextension, after landing poorly from a leap during one of Under 18 trial games caused him to miss both the Championship series and the rest of the season.

Despite his injury woes, he still received an invite to the 2008 AFL Draft Camp and after a strong performance where he finished 3rd in the standing vertical leap (72 cm), 5th in the 20m sprint (2.89s) and equal 9th in the beep test (14.1), he was selected at pick 20 in the ensuing Draft by the West Coast Eagles. [1]

Football career

2009 season

Swift performed well in the WAFL for Claremont in first half of 2009 and was named to make his debut for West Coast against Carlton in Round 10. [2] He has since played ten games at AFL level and experienced his first win against Essendon in round 18, when he also kicked his first two goals. In the Eagles' round 22 win over Richmond at Subiaco Oval Swift received 3 Brownlow Medal votes for a best on ground performance, the first Brownlow votes of his career.

2010 season

Swift played the opening 3 games of the 2010 AFL season, before being omitted from the side. He returned to the side for the Western Derby in round 6 and played the next 5 games, before being a late omission from the round 12 game against Richmond. He returned to the team in round 14 against Collingwood, but missed the next week with abdominal soreness and he only managed a further 3 AFL games for the year from round 18–20 before being omitted and playing the rest of the season with Claremont in the WAFL.

2011 season

Swift started the season with Claremont Football Club in the WAFL and didn't get his first AFL opportunity till round 11 against Gold Coast. He was omitted for the next game, but returned in round 13 against Port Adelaide and played the next 2 games against Carlton and Geelong before being omitted again.

2012 season

Swift played six games, starting as a substitute in all but two games. He impressed as substitute on a few occasions but was unable to string together consecutive games in the starting 22. He completed his season winning a WAFL premiership with the Claremont Football Club. On Friday 5 October, Swift remarkably announced his retirement from AFL football at the age of 22 in order to study medicine at university. It was understood that he had been offered a one-year contract from the West Coast Eagles but declined, instead announcing his retirement to pursue his studies in medicine.

2013 season

Due to no appearances in the WAFL, and an article in the Sunday Times stating Swift's enjoyment for life at the University of Western Australia, it was presumed that Swift's football career was officially over. However, in the morning of 18 June, an article in the West Australian confirmed that Claremont had requested that Tom play in Claremont's first match of the Foxtel Cup as a result of their extensive injury list. Swift accepted and partook in a 58-point demolition of Southport. He had 17 disposals and kicked one goal. Swift gave no clear indication of whether or not he will continue playing in matches to come.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Embley</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1981

Andrew Gerard Embley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is known for winning the Norm Smith Medal as the best player in the 2006 AFL Grand Final.

Peter Travis Mann is a former Australian rules footballer. who played a total of 118 matches in the AFL for the North Melbourne and Fremantle Football Clubs. Peter is currently residing in Perth.

Mark Nicoski is a former Australian rules footballer who previously played with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). From Perth, Western Australia, Nicoski first played for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), before being recruited by West Coast in the 2003 Rookie Draft. Promoted from the rookie list prior to the 2004 season, he made his debut for the club in round five, and became a regular in the side the following season as a half-back flanker, playing in West Coast's grand final loss to Sydney. In 2006, Nicoski fractured an ankle midway through the season, and thus missed out on playing in the club's premiership victory. Over the next seasons, shoulder and groin injuries restricted his time on the field, but in 2011 he took up a different role in the team, kicking 41 goals playing as a forward. Nicoski also represented Australia in the 2011 International Rules Series. However, after serious injuries, including a torn hamstring during the final of the 2012 pre-season tournament, he did not play at AFL level over the following two seasons. Having played 112 games for West Coast, Nicoski retired from the AFL at the end of the 2013 season.

Desmond John Headland, Jr is a retired Australian rules footballer, Following on from his AFL career he continued on finishing his playing career for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League. He was also a former conservative political candidate. He plays as a half-forward flanker or midfielder. Headland was selected with the first overall draft pick in the 1998 AFL draft by the Brisbane Lions. He had a 166-game Australian Football League career, playing for Brisbane and Fremantle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Jones (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Brett David Jones is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Jones represented Western Australia in under-18 football and under-19 cricket before being drafted by West Coast at the 2004 Rookie Draft. Playing mainly in defensive roles, he played in the club's 2006 premiership victory over Sydney, overall playing 102 games for the club before retiring at the end of the 2011 season.

Matthew Harley Priddis is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Brad Dodd is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Schofield</span> Australian rules footballer

William John Schofield is an Australian rules footballer who formerly played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). At 196 centimetres tall and weighing 92 kilograms (203 lb), he is a versatile defender who has played key-position and half-back roles throughout his career. West Coast drafted him from the Geelong Falcons with pick 50 in the 2006 national draft, and debuted in round 17 of the 2007 AFL season. Schofield has played in two AFL Grand Finals: a loss in 2015 and a victory in 2018. He achieved life membership at West Coast in 2016 after playing 150 games for the club. He retired following the 2020 season.

Ryan Edwin Turnbull is a former Australian rules footballer who represented the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Turnbull was a member of the Eagles' 1994 premiership side, and was the club's first-choice ruckman for much of the 1990s. He also played with the Claremont and East Perth Football Clubs in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and was awarded the Sandover Medal in 2001 as the best player in the competition, as well as winning the Simpson Medal in 2001 and 2002 as the best player in the league's grand final. In State of Origin football, Turnbull represented Western Australia in five matches between 1992 and 1999, and captained a Western Australian representative team in 2003.

Chad Jonathon Jones is an Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), having previously played for the Kangaroos and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). From Perth, Western Australia, Jones made his debut for Claremont in 2003, and was recruited to the Kangaroos in the 2003 National Draft. Over three seasons at the club, he played six games, kicking a single goal, before being traded to West Coast prior to the 2007 season. At West Coast, Jones played seven games over two seasons before being delisted. Remaining with Claremont where he played as a key forward, Jones led the club's goalkicking in 2009 and 2010, also winning the Bernie Naylor Medal as the competition's leading goalkicker in both seasons. He went on to play in Claremont's 2011 and 2012 premiership sides, having also represented Western Australia in two interstate matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nic Naitanui</span> Australian rules footballer

Nicholas Naitanui is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was born in Sydney to Fijian parents, and his family moved to Perth, Western Australia after his father's death. Growing up in Midvale, Naitanui attended Governor Stirling Senior High School, and played football for the Midvale Junior Football Club. After representing Western Australia in the 2007 and 2008 AFL Under 18 Championships, he debuted in 2008 for the Swan Districts Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Naitanui was drafted by West Coast with the second pick in the 2008 National Draft.

Gerrick Peter Weedon is an Australian rules footballer who previously played with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Weedon moved to Perth to play for Claremont, before being recruited by West Coast with the 22nd pick overall in the 2009 National Draft, playing his first game for the club in round seven of the 2011 season. Due to his inability to break into West Coast's senior side, Weedon spent most of his time at the club playing in the WAFL, playing in Claremont's premiership sides in both 2011 and 2012. He was delisted from West Coast at the end of the 2012 season.

Clancy Alexander Rudeforth is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), captaining the side from 2009 to 2011. He was previously rookie-listed at the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Still, he did not play a senior game for them. Rudeforth currently works as a solicitor at a Perth-based commercial law firm.

Ryan Neates is an Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), having previously played with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). From Perth, Western Australia, Neates represented his state at the 2009 National Under-18 Championships, and debuted for Claremont at the senior level the following season, before being drafted with the fifth pick in the 2010 AFL Pre-season draft. For a period the shortest player on an AFL list, Neates played his first and only senior game for West Coast in round seven of the 2012 season, having missed the entire 2011 season due to injury. He was delisted by West Coast at the end of the 2012 season, but continues to play WAFL matches for Claremont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliot Yeo</span> Australian rules footballer

Elliot Yeo is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Brisbane Lions between 2012 and 2013. Yeo won a premiership with West Coast in 2018, and is a dual All-Australian, dual John Worsfold Medallist and dual Glendinning–Allan Medallist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dom Sheed</span> Australian rules footballer

Dominic Sheed is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Barrass</span> Australian rules footballer

Thomas Donald Barrass is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has played as a key defender since his junior career with Claremont. Barrass was drafted by West Coast with pick 43 of the 2013 national draft, but did not make his senior debut until round 17 of the 2015 AFL season. He was nominated for the 2016 AFL Rising Star and won a premiership with West Coast in 2018. He has most recently joined the Hawthorn Hawks in the 2024 AFL Continental Trade Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Duggan</span> Australian rules footballer

Liam James Duggan is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for and co-captains the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He also hosts the 4WD Podcast with YouTuber Ronny Dahl.

Callum Jamieson is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Zane Trew is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Trew was drafted by the Eagles at pick 12 in the 2021 rookie draft.

References

  1. Quartermaine, Braden (29 November 2008) West Coast pick ends nightmare run for Tom Swift; PerthNow
  2. O’Donoghue, Craig (28 May 2009) Swift close to Eagles debut after long battle; The West Australian