Dane Rampe will become the 15th player to play 100 AFL games at the SCG as he returns from injury in Sydney Derby #27 on Saturday afternoon.
After a four-week injury layoff, Rampe will resume for an unlikely reunion with Taylor Adams as the boom off-season recruit becomes just the second player to wear the colors of both clubs in the Sydney Derby.
Eleven years ago, in Round 1, 2013, Rampe, then a 22-year-old rookie, made his AFL debut in Sydney Derby #3 at the Olympic Stadium when a 19-year-old Adams played his 16th game and only Sydney Derby for the Giants.
Rampe was subbed out of the game for Tony Armstrong, while Adams was subbed into the game to replace Will Hoskin-Elliott as the Swans enjoyed a 30-point win.
Rampe, Adams and Hoskin-Elliott are three of 13 players from that game who are still in the AFL system, but the Swans pair, who will play together for the first time, are two of only five who will play in the eagerly awaited 2nd v 3rd contest from 1:45pm on Saturday.
Hear from Swans senior coach John Longmire as he goes over the team for our Round 8 clash with GWS. Team Selection, presented by QBE
Lachie Whitfield, who debuted in the same game as Rampe, will return for GWS with Callan Ward and Toby Greene, who is back from suspension.
The number could have been seven if Sydney Derby ‘king’ Luke Parker had been included, and if Stephen Coniglio not been ruled unfit for the Giants.
Two others from derby #3 are still at the same clubs but not playing this week – the Swans’ Sam Reid and GWS’ Adam Kennedy – while five Giants players from that game are now playing elsewhere – Hoskin-Elliott (Collingwood), Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Adam Treloar (W/Bulldogs), Dylan Shiel (Essendon) and Lachie Plowman (Carlton).
Also playing in the Rampe debut, which was John Longmire’s 50th game in charge of the Swans, was the only other player to wear red and orange in the derby – Shane Mumford.
A then 26-year-old Mumford earned two Brownlow Medal votes for a dominant display in the ruck as Sydney teammates Josh Kennedy (28 possessions and a goal) picked up three votes and Kieren Jack (25 possessions and three goals) one vote.
Mumford, a 2012 Sydney premiership player who is now the Giants ruck coach, played for the Swans in the first four Sydney derbies in 2012-13, and in the next three and 12 overall for GWS to rank equal 15th overall for derby appearances at 16. He polled twice in the medal for each club.
Hear from Swans star Chad Warner and GWS player Connor Idun as they address the media ahead of the Sydney Derby.
Ex-Melbourne midfielder James Jordan and 15th-gamer Matt Roberts will play their first Sydney Derby this week as Rampe writes his name into SCG folklore.
He will join a 100-Game SCG Honour Board that includes Adam Goodes (143), Michael O’Loughlin (136), Jude Bolton (128), Mark Bayes (125), Daryn Cresswell (123), Jarrad McVeigh (122), Paul Kelly (116), Andrew Dunkley (115), Parker (115), Kennedy (110), Leo Barry (103), Stuart Maxfield (102), Ryan O’Keefe (102) and Dennis Carroll (100).
The Rampe milestone comes after Isaac Heeney became the 15th player to kick 100 AFL goals at the SCG in the season opener against Melbourne.
Heeney now has 102 SCG goals to rank behind Tony Lockett (295), Lance Franklin (265), O’Loughlin (246), Goodes (190), Barry Hall (176), Warwick Capper (176), Cresswell (130), Tom Papley (120), Tony Morwood (117), Barry Mitchell (112), Paul Kelly (108), Dale Lewis (107) and Stevie Wright (103), and ahead of Bayes (100).
Parker’s absence tomorrow afternoon will see GWS’ veteran Ward play his 24th Sydney Derby to join Parker at the top of the derby games list. And with 32 possessions, Ward would equal Parker’s all-time derby possession record.
What is not at risk is Parker’s derby record of 19 Brownlow Medal votes or his extraordinary five Brett Kirk Medals as the player judged best afield in the derby.
Parker heads the derby medal votes with 19 from Kennedy (16) and Franklin (15), while Kieren Jack (3), Franklin (3), Kennedy (2) and Ward (2) are the only other multiple winners of the Kirk Medal.
Sydney will take a 16-10 aggregate derby record into Saturday’s game, and a 6-5 record against GWS at the SCG.
Ollie Florent reflects on a special journey in and the red and white, and one that will continue for at least the next five years.
Statistical leaders in the Sydney Derby are:
GAMES: Luke Parker (S) 24, Callan Ward (GWS) 23, Josh Kennedy (S) 22, Lachie Whitfield (GWS) 21, Jake Lloyd (S) 20, Nick Haynes (GC) 20, Dane Rampe (S) 19, Josh Kelly (GWS) 19, Stephen Coniglio (GWS) 19, Toby Greene (GWS) 19, Isaac Heeney (S) 18, Harry Cunningham (S) 18.
GOALS: Lance Franklin (S) 50, Toby Greene (GWS) 35, Jeremy Cameron (GWS) 33, Tom Papley (S) 26, Isaac Heeney (S) 24, Luke Parker (S) 19, Harry Himmelberg (GWS) 19, Josh Kennedy (S) 16, Kieren Jack (S) 16, Jon Patton (GWS) 16, Sam Reid (S) 14, Will Hayward (S) 14, Ben McGlynn (S) 14.
POSSESSIONS: Luke Parker (S) 575, Josh Kennedy (S) 548, Callan Ward (GWS) 543, Jake Lloyd (494), Lachie Whitfield (GWS) 457, Josh Kelly (GWS) 452, Stephen Coniglio (GWS) 435, Toby Greene (GWS) 391, Dan Hannebery (S) 363.
BROWNLOW MEDAL VOTES: Luke Parker (S) 19, Josh Kennedy (S) 16, Lance Franklin (S) 15, Shane Mumford (S/GWS) 8, Kieren Jack (7), Callan Ward (GWS) 6, Stephen Coniglio (GWS) 6, Toby Greene (GWS) 6, Dan Hannebery (S) 5,Nick Haynes (GWS) 5, Errol Gulden (S) 5.
BRETT KIRK MEDALS: Luke Parker (S) 5, Kieren Jack (S) 3, Lance Franklin (S) 3, Josh Kennedy (S) 2, Callan Ward (GWS) 2, Nick Malceski (S) 1, Dan Hannebery (S) 1, Shane Mumford (GWS) 1, Callum Mills (S) 1, Tim Taranto (GWS) 1, Jacob Hopper (GWS) 1, Toby Greene (GWS) 1, Errol Gulden (S) 1, Heath Shaw (GWS) 1.
DERBY GAME RECORDS
Most Possessions
Jarrad McVeigh had 37 possessions in Sydney Derby #2 and shared the record for most possessions in a derby with GWS’ Lachy Whitfield after he had 37 in derby #7 … until derby #25 when GWS’ Tom Green had 38. Luke Parker has had seven games of 30+ possessions in the derby, Josh Kennedy and Dan Hannebery four, Kieren Jack, McVeigh and Tom Green three.
Most Goals
Six times a player has kicked a derby record five goals. Four times it was Lance Franklin, who shares the record with Kurt Tippett and Luke Parker. Toby Green has been GWS’ most dangerous forward, with three bags of four goals in the derby.
Highest Score & Biggest Win
The Swans posted the highest derby score and the biggest derby win in derby #4 in 2013 when they kicked 24.27 (171) to win by 129 points at the SCG. They had 13 different goal-kickers, with Kurt Tippett, Mike Pyke, Tom Mitchell and Jesse White kicking three each. GWS’ highest score is 18.12 (120) in 2019 derby #15 at the SCG.
Lowest Score
The lowest derby score is GWS’ 3.7 (25) in derby #19 in Perth. The Swans’ lowest score is 4.6 (30) at the SCG in derby #16 in 2018.
The Bud Factor
Lance Franklin has set a Sydney Derby benchmark for goal-kicking that is going to take some beating. He kicked 50 goals in 17 derbies, including three finals. Next best is GWS’ Toby Greene, with 35 goals in 19 derbies, and ex-Giant Jeremy Cameron with 33 goals in 16 derbies. Tom Papley (26) and Isaac Heeney (24). Game-by-game Franklin kicked 1-5-5-4-2-0-3-4-2-5-0-5-4-3-1-3-3 in the derby and polled seven times in the Brownlow Medal for 15 votes.
Debut in a Derby
Harry Cunningham debuted in derby #1 in 2012 to blaze a path followed by Dane Rampe (2013), James Rose (2015), Lewis Melican (2017), Zac Foot (2020), Angus Sheldrick (2022) and Marc Sheather (2023).
Youngest Derby Players
Harry Cunningham’s was 18 years 109 days old in derby #1 and 12 years on he remains the club’s youngest derby player. Six other Swans played as 18-year-olds: Angus Sheldrick (18/132), Will Hayward (18/178), James Rowbottom (18/220 and 18/318), Tom McCartin (18/231 and 18/252), Errol Gulden (18/273) and Isaac Heeney (18/348).
Gulden, McCartin and Hayward played four derbies as teenagers, Callum Mills, Heeney and Rowbottom three, Sheldrick, Logan McDonald and Nick Blakey two, and Braeden Campbell, Brandon Jack, Chad Warner, Dylan Stephens, Cunningham, Jason Rose, Luke Parker, Ollie Florent, Tom Papley, Zac Foot and Zac Jones.
Oldest Derby Players
Lance Franklin has been the Swans’ oldest derby player, having played in Round 7, 2023 at the SCG aged 36 years 89 days. Adam Goodes played at 35 years 226 in 2015 and Josh Kennedy at 34 years 40 days in 2020. Franklin played 11 derbies beyond the age of 30, Kennedy and Jarrad McVeigh eight and Ted Richards seven. Others in the derby 30-plus club have been Heath Grundy (6), Tom Hickey (6), Adam Goodes (5), Kieren Jack (5), Dane Rampe (5), Jude Bolton (4), Rhyce Shaw (4), Ryan O’Keefe (3), Ben McGlynn (3), Mike Pyke (3), Luke Parker (2), Lewis Roberts-Thomson (1), Martin Mattner (1), Callum Sinclair (1), Sam Reid (1) and Robbie Fox (1).
