It was Miller-time at Suns says Swallow

Ed Jackson | March 16, 2022

Gold Coast foundation player David Swallow knew the time was right to hand over the AFL club’s co-captaincy to Touk Miller.

The 2010 No.1 draft pick stepped down from the role last month after three seasons sharing the leadership with ruckman Jarrod Witts.

It’s a decision the 29-year-old is completely comfortable with, moreso after Miller’s stellar 2021 campaign where the midfielder won his first club champion award and earned All-Australian selection.

“Me and Dewy (coach Stuart Dew) had a few conversations starting pre-Chrissy and I suppose for me personally it just felt like the timing was right,” Swallow said.

“It was certainly felt that Touk was ready to step into that role.

“Just hoping it can free myself up to play a different role for the team and I’m looking forward to that.

“It wasn’t something that we just thought about one second and made the decision the next day. It was probably a two-month process.

“We didn’t rush into it but certainly the more we spoke about it, we felt like it was the right decision for myself and also for the club.”

Swallow also appears be taking on a new role on the field in 2022, having made a shift to the half-back line for the club’s pre-season matches.

“To be honest Dewy only dropped it on my door a couple of weeks ago,” Swallow said.

“I trained as a mid all pre-season but we’d had a couple of injuries in the back half. It’s more through personnel than anything.

“I’ve enjoyed it. Played two games there so far. We’ll see how long it goes.”

The Suns begin their season on Sunday in Perth chasing a first-ever win over West Coast in Western Australia.

In nine trips to play the Eagles at their home ground, the Suns have conceded 100 points six times.

It’s a record Swallow is only too aware of, despite the Eagles’ woes leading into the 2022 opening weekend.

“They’ve got a lot of injuries but playing them over there is a different kettle of fish,” he said.

“Playing West Coast at home, in front of their home crowd, is always a challenge.

“While we respect them, we’re going to go over there and we’re confident the way we’ve gone about it that we can get the right result.”