Caleb Daniel is optimistic fellow young gun Callum Mills has given himself every chance to play in Saturday's grand final and set up a showdown between the pair in the season decider.
Sydney half-back Mills won this year's Rising Star award – finishing with 49 votes – eight ahead of runner-up Western Bulldogs midfielder Daniel.
Mills, 19, hurt his hamstring in the Swans' qualifying final loss to Greater Western Sydney, but has recovered sufficiently to put himself in the mix for the grand final. The Sydney academy product got through training on Wednesday, and is set to be considered for selection alongside co-captain and fellow half-back Jarrad McVeigh, who missed the Swans' preliminary final win over Geelong with a calf problem. Whether there is room for both in the grand final team to face the Bulldogs is unclear given the strong preliminary final showing of small defender Zak Jones. There is already one opening in the Sydney line-up after tall backman Aliir Aliir was ruled out of the side with a knee issue.
Only two Rising Star award winners have played in that season's grand final – Byron Pickett in 1998 and Joel Selwood in 2007 – and the top two have never played off for the premiership.
But Daniel praised the emerging Swan, saying that Mills would have put himself in the frame to play. "He's a very good player. I'm sure he'll do everything that he can do to get up," Daniel said.
Whatever happens with Mills, Daniel's presence on grand final day is itself momentous. At 167 centimetres, the South Australian is the shortest player in the AFL, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming a mainstay of the Dogs' side during the past season and a half. Still, the 20-year-old says it hasn't been a challenge to keep his feet on the ground – and that has nothing to do with the fact his head is closer to the ground than those of his teammates.
"It hasn't been hard," Daniel said. "I don't read too much into what's being said. I'm just here to play for the football club and to be able to play to the best of my ability for the football club, and to do what I can do and bring out the best of my performances every week. I don't read too much into the media side of things. I just love being around the fellas."
Daniel also lauded sidelined teammates Mitch Wallis, Jack Redpath and captain Robert Murphy – all of whom suffered season-ending injuries earlier in the year. "They've shown tremendous resilience. They're still as happy as anyone. They give you a big hug, wrap their arms around you and they love it. The boys are playing good footy and they're doing great things."
Daniel spoke glowingly too about teammate Stewart Crameri, the former Essendon forward suspended for the duration of the season in January as one of the 34 current and former Bombers found guilty of taking banned substance thymosin beta-4 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "Stewy's one of a kind. He's just fun. You just love seeing him around the club. He's pretty dry and he just does what he does," Daniel said.
"The way that he came back ... it just showed how resilient he's been."
Crameri remains ineligible to play, but returned to Whitten Oval earlier this month. Fairfax Media revealed on Tuesday that the forward's compensation claim against the Dons is set to increase as a result of the Dogs' unlikely run to the grand final. Strangely Crameri is also getting married on Friday night – grand final eve – meaning several Bulldogs will be unable to attend the wedding.
