Callum Mills was always going to walk back into the senior Sydney Swans side when fit, given his body of work over many years leading the side to September success. The club is in somewhat of a transition phase with Matt Roberts and Riley Bice showing a lot off a half back flank, but those two young players have been consigned to substitute vests or left out entirely as Mills has reassumed his most comfortable role behind the ball as designated garbologist. Fantasy owners of Bice and Roberts gnashed their teeth, but Mills is too good for Dean Cox to leave out.
Callum Mills was always going to walk back into the senior Sydney Swans side when fit, given his body of work over many years leading the side to September success. The club is in somewhat of a transition phase with Matt Roberts and Riley Bice showing a lot off a half back flank, but those two young players have been consigned to substitute vests or left out entirely as Mills has reassumed his most comfortable role behind the ball as designated garbologist. Fantasy owners of Bice and Roberts gnashed their teeth, but Mills is too good for Dean Cox to leave out.
Callum Mills was given the rare honour of a comparison to the great Lenny Hayes by Ross Lyon in the media during the week, following a mammoth effort to lift the Swans out of an early hole and into a winning position in Launceston against Hawthorn. Fantasy coaches know his game very well, having been a fantasy premium since his move to midfield and retaining his BAC designation last year. He is merely a CTR this season so his value has lowered somewhat, and it's hard to see him being a top eight midfielder by season's end as his floor is not quite high enough.
Callum Mills has, along with Isaac Heeney, been talked about constantly over the past few years as almost inevitably being destined to play full time midfield despite being elite when starting deeper upfield. In round 1 it was Mills who played a full game in the guts with Heeney mostly staying up front, which makes the former an excellent prospect to fit into the top six fantasy defenders in 2021. He was productive in every midfielder stat last week including two goals, underlining that he has the complete game to deliver premium scores every week. Trade him in if you can!
Steady at Mills
Consistency has been Callum Mills' bread and butter since debuting in 2016, always averaging between 69 and 75 fantasy points. Besides a freak foot injury in 2018 that ended his season early, he hasn't missed a beat. He played every match last year across half back, averaging 89 during his best spell between rounds 12 and 19. Mills is a middle-tier selection based on what we've seen, despite continuous hype. Annually touted for more midfield time, breakouts have been expected and not delivered. The retirements of Jarrad McVeigh and Nick Smith imply Mills won't be leaving a rebuilding back six. As always, a watchlist candidate in case those mid minutes appear.
Callum Mills is one of the younger parts of a Sydney list that seems to be getting older at a faster rate than the rest of the league. Along with Isaac Heeney, he is the subject of a lot of fan rants about how coach John Longmire should move them to midfield and leave them there, to fix what an increasingly alarming set of clearance statistics from an ageing engine room. The problem in Mills' case in particular is that he may be best suited to play outside the centre, and he certainly wouldn't address the Swans' lack of pace. His fantasy owners await the resolution of this dilemma.
Back half grist for the Mills
Callum Mills slid into Sydney’s defensive unit in his first season, earned the title of Rising Star, and that’s where he’s stayed ever since. Despite being a ball magnet as a junior, Mills has yet to make the move into the middle of the ground. 2018 might have been the year, as he started on a wing in rounds 7 and 8. The week after, his season was terminated after suffering an off-field foot injury. Watch Mills closely over the preseason to see if where John Longmire plays him. At worst, he’ll make natural progress with another preseason under his belt and will be a reliable defender. At best, his midfield time will increase and his scoring will jump. He could prove to be a bargain if taken with a middle round pick.
Mills through the ringer
Contrary to speculation, Callum Mills did not make the transition into the Swans engine room in his second season, though he did spend a lot of the first half of it up the ground covering for injured teammates. He returned to defence for good after the bye where he delivered only one fantasy score over 80. Mills' scores, while likely remaining serviceable and improving slightly with another solid preseason under his belt, won’t reach the heights we hoped for just yet. He is worthy of a middle-round pick, but success in his current team role suggests there are better defensive options for fantasy.
