Hayden McLean had a brief window during the first part of last season where he looked like the best player on Sydney's list. The Swans had been looking for a tall to build their post-Franklin forward line around and, while McLean is a different beast as more of a forward/ruck than a genuine spearhead, his form hit a peak which he has not been able to reach since. He spent most of the first half of 2026 in the VFL, after the club recruited Charlie Curnow in the off season to fill that marquee goalscorer role. His recent return to the seniors is more about Brodie Grundy's need for support in ruck.
Hayden McLean had a brief window during the first part of last season where he looked like the best player on Sydney's list. The Swans had been looking for a tall to build their post-Franklin forward line around and, while McLean is a different beast as more of a forward/ruck than a genuine spearhead, his form hit a peak which he has not been able to reach since. He spent most of the first half of 2026 in the VFL, after the club recruited Charlie Curnow in the off season to fill that marquee goalscorer role. His recent return to the seniors is more about Brodie Grundy's need for support in ruck.
Hayden is a unit
With Callum Sinclair down for shoulder surgery, youngster Hayden McLean was brought into the senior lineup from rounds 18 to 21. While inconsistent, he showed enough to get us excited, notching up an 87 and an 88 adjacent to a 53 and 31. As a forward at NEAFL level, McLean's best return was a four-game, 11-goal purple patch late in the piece. McLean now has the experience of two years at the second level: one in the VFL pre-draft, and one mostly in the NEAFL. Expect him to irregularly pop up when injuries hit but don't put him into any draft considerations unless both Sinclair and Sam Naismith go down with injury in preseason - which, with Sydney's luck, is not out of the question.
