‘It’s pretty special for him’: McCartin set for long-awaited AFL comeback

Paddy McCartin is poised to play his first AFL game in almost four years, with Sydney coach John Longmire confirming the ex-St Kilda star will feature in Saturday’s season-opening derby at Accor Stadium.

McCartin was the top pick at the 2014 draft but his promising career was seemingly dashed by a series of eight concussions across five seasons – and the 25-year-old was ready to retire had that been the advice of brain specialists.

Paddy McCartin is set to join his brother Tom (left) in Sydney’s AFL team this weekend.Credit:Nick Moir

However, the former key forward was given medical clearance to keep playing and was last year handed a lifeline by the Swans, who handed him a spot on their VFL reserves list.

Now McCartin has been converted into a key defender like his brother, Tom, and the pair will line up together against Greater Western Sydney this weekend, giving him the chance to add to his 35 AFL games – provided he gets through the Swans’ main training session on Thursday unscathed.

“He’ll play this week. It’s a great story,” Longmire said.

“You step back for a second and you realise some of the challenges that Paddy’s gone through, to get himself to the point of playing his first AFL game for quite a few years this weekend, it’s pretty special for him.

Concussion-prone Paddy McCartin in his St Kilda days.Credit:AFL Media

“He’s playing a new role, down back, he’s still getting used to that, still learning the game from that perspective. We’re not playing him because it’s a good story, we’re playing him because we believe he can help us win, and he’s earned the right to be able to play this week and hopefully, he gets through training on Thursday, pulls up well – if he does that, he’ll play this week, which is fantastic.”

Even McCartin’s short time in Sydney has not been without its challenges, having copped a five-week suspension for punching an opponent in the face behind play during a VFL game, which limited him to just five matches for the year.

But the Swans gave him another chance, signing him up as a rookie-listed player for 2022, and has impressed teammates with his level of desire to return to the top grade.

“He absolutely surprised a lot of us, players included,” Sydney veteran Josh Kennedy said. “Halfway through last year he was travelling with us a lot, still probably a fair way off it. If you had have told me he was playing round one this year then, I would have been pretty surprised.

“But fast forward to the start of pre-season, he came back in terrific condition, so you could obviously tell the hunger was there. I think he’s loving the new environment, playing down back with his brother – they’re a great combination.”

McCartin’s involvement in the derby was just about the only thing Longmire was willing to give away on Tuesday, as he fronted a joint press conference with Kennedy, Giants coach Leon Cameron, and their ex-skipper Callan Ward.

Longmire was peppered with questions about Lance Franklin’s impending 1000-goal milestone, which he needs just five more goals to surpass, and even whether he would play on beyond his bumper nine-year contract into 2023.

“I know it disappoints you … I understand the outside focus on it. It’ll be a big thing if and when it happens,” he said.

“I do feel more comfortable talking about it after that, instead of predicting it, because I just know how hard the game is. Whether it’s this week, next week, the week after – it’ll happen when it’ll happen.

“From our internal perspective, it’s just not a focus for us at all because there are other things we need to get right in our footy team. That doesn’t take away from the fact of how incredible the achievement will be.”

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