There is an iconic space at the SCG that boom Sydney recruit Charlie Curnow is keen to settle into, but he has vowed to delay a visit until the Swans are rolling in 2026.
The latest in a long line of champion forwards lured to the Harbour City, the former Blue is enamoured with his new home, with The Long Bar among the special features at the SCG that has caught his eye.
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Not that Swans fans should be concerned. Curnow has investments in brewing companies and an appreciation of a good space, with the wide pockets at the SCG taking his fancy ahead of tonight’s season opening clash against Carlton.
“It is such a sick stadium and I wouldn’t mind going into that bar after the game, that Long Bar, because that looks pretty cool, (to) have a beer off the wood hopefully after a few wins,” he told Fox Footy.
“It’s just such a great club and every time I go to play there, you look at that big heritage stadium and it looks awesome. The ground is a bit different. It’s a unique ground. It’s a bit smaller and not as long. It’s actually got a bit of width and it’s a bit of a unique ground to play on.”
Should the dual-Coleman Medallist prove the missing link for Sydney, the superstar forward who catapults the Swans to a flag, he will have no shortage of fans wanting to shout him a schooner in the SCG Members.
The recruitment of Curnow, whose debut for the Swans on Thursday comes against the Carlton team he spent a decade, continues a longstanding tradition for the Swans.
Dating back to long-term Carlton benefactor Geoffrey Edelston’s controversial stint as owner of the Swans from the mid-1980s, Sydney has had a high-profile forward leading its attack.
From the high-flying ‘Wiz’ Warwick Capper to legendary Tony Lockett, from bustling Barry Hall to ex-Crow Kurt Tippett and everyone’s ‘Buddy’ Lance Franklin, the Swans have had a penchant for selling their wares based on having a rock star upfront.
Similarly to Lockett and Franklin, Curnow arrives in Sydney as a blue blood recruit, and not just because he comes from Carlton, but also because he is well-versed in winning matches off his own boot.
Curnow makes immediate impact for Swans | 00:56
The legendary pair were dual-Coleman Medallists when recruited by Sydney and went on to become the AFL’s champion goal kicker twice more in their storeyed careers. Both took the Swans to grand finals during their tenure.
Curnow has similar credentials as the AFL’s leading goal kicker in 2022 and 2023 but will hoping to deliver for Sydney something Lockett and Franklin never managed – a premiership.
Former Geelong champion Tom Hawkins first met Curnow, a Surf Coast boy who loves an ale, in his late teens and enjoys the way he has approached his footy.
Having grown up in regional New South Wales, the Fox Footy expert analyst is aware of Sydney’s love of a superstar and has no doubt Swans fans will be crowing about Curnow in years to come.
“I’ve always followed Charlie’s career because he was a Geelong boy who went to Geelong College, and his brother Ed was in the same year as me, so there has always been a connection,” Hawkins told foxsports.com.au
“Naturally, we have come across each other when playing and at the end of games, I always made an effort to have a chat with him and see how he was going, not so much pick his brain, because he is more of a player who plays his footy on talent.
“But I have always loved watching him play. Those sort of players, with that rare talent, they don’t come around very often.”
‘BUDDY’ LOVE
Curnow almost choked when it was put to him during a chat with Fox Footy last month that he had been likened to Franklin by one of his new teammates.
“Who said that?” he demanded, seemingly incredulous at the comparison that was offered by Errol Gulden.
“That’s lovely by Errol and I always loved watching ‘Buddy’,” he said.
“I have got this big hook kick that I do and I grew up watching ‘Buddy’ kicking his long balls. Sometimes mine go along the ground, which is a bit shattering, but sometimes they come off.
“You take your bits and pieces from lots of players and he was a great for such a long time when I was coming up through high school. It is cool but … you kind of get on with things after those comments, but it is nice, I suppose.”
To be fair to Gulden, he is not alone in making a comparison that is related to Curnow’s capacity to straighten the Swans up, as Sydney skipper Isaac Heeney offered this week.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on him, but (it is) like a bit of a ‘Buddy’ presence,” Heeney said.
“If we can allow him to have fun out there and we look after him, then goals will come. The pressure isn’t on him kicking goals. It is him to play 25 games this year.”
Curnow has ‘Buddy Presence’ Heeney | 03:54
Hawkins, too, says comparisons between Franklin and Curnow can be made given their athleticism and their freakish gifts with the footy.
“I know he gets compared to Buddy and they are different players in a lot of ways, but similar in that they are so athletic and they can get up the ground and they have got power and speed,” he said.
“They have got it all in a lot of ways and they bring this flair that not many forwards possess.”
The Geelong champion was at the other end of the SCG the night Franklin kicked his 1000th goal when mayhem broke loose on a momentous night for footy and has no doubt Curnow fits the mould of the type of players Swans fans love.
“The demographic of the Sydney supporters, they love to be entertained. It is built inside them,” he said.
“I’m not saying they don’t care for the nitty, gritty detail, but they love personalities and being entertained. Buddy. Capper. Lockett. Those big personalities who entertained, the crowds fell in love with them and rightfully so.
“I was there the night that Buddy kicked his 1000th goal and it was probably one of the more memorable moments in my career. You could feel the anticipation of ‘will he? Won’t he?’ and it was one of the most monumental moments in the game in the last 25 years in the AFL.
“Those big names bring an excitement and level and buzz that not many grounds have. It is a little bit like the Gabba when the Lions are flying and at maximum capacity. And Charlie can do that for them.”
THE SUPERSTAR IMPACT
Wally Mason has seen superstars come and go at the Swans while sitting in the stands at the SCG as a fan and also when framing the back pages during a lengthy career in journalism.
Formerly a long-term sports editor for The Australian newspaper during the Hall and Franklin tenures, Mason is excited by what he believes Curnow can do for the Swans as they seek to return to the finals in 2026.
But he also notes that the landscape and discussion surrounding his arrival when compared to Franklin a decade ago, and Hall and Lockett before that, is more subdued with good reason.
The Swans no longer need a high-flying forward to sell tickets. Their sustained success over the past couple of decades has made Sydney games at the SCG box office outings.
During Capper’s tenure between 1983 and 1987, the average attendance for home games grew from just over 12,000 to almost 22,000 before he headed north to Brisbane prior to venturing back for a season in 1991.
From Lockett’s first season in 1995, when the SCG average was almost 16,000, it jumped to more than 30,000 by 1999 when he retired, a brief comeback in 2002 aside.
The attendance average in 2007, when Hall was firing in attack and the Swans were coming off consecutive grand final appearances, was 35,632.
It hovered a couple of thousand fans below that during Franklin’s tenure and was as high as 38,000 just two years ago when the Swans last made the grand final.
“Curnow’s arrival at the Swans is not as important as the recruitment of Buddy Franklin, Barry Hall or Tony Lockett for marketability reasons,” Mason told foxsports.com.au
“The days when Sydney needed a superstar forward with a model girlfriend to get fans through the turnstiles are over. The Swans are well established in the Sydney sporting landscape and they are drawing big crowds and breaking membership records already.
“Buddy’s move to Sydney in 2014 was the biggest story in town for a while; Curnow’s arrival has been greeted with less fanfare. But there is a bit of a buzz about it among dedicated fans – and I reckon with good reason.
“Curnow could be the missing piece of the puzzle the Swans have been looking for since Buddy hung up his boots: the big, physical, goal kicking forward who can give the classy midfield a target.”
Every Curnow goal from Swans debut! | 02:43
IS CHARLIE THE MISSING LINK?
That midfield is among the reasons Curnow, who has storeyed himself in the ‘Bloods’ history in the months since his move north, is excited by what lies ahead, though he does face the prospect of some fireworks against his former team tonight.
Breaking his duck at the ground is his first goal. The 29-year-old has played at the SCG six times and is yet to post a win. And he cannot wait to be leading up the ground to his new teammates.
“I’ve never actually won a game there, because we’ve always been (up against) the Swans, and they’ve been pretty handy, so hopefully we can turn that win-loss record around pretty quickly,” Curnow, who is a Kayo Sports ambassador in 2026, said.
“But the players coming through the midfield – you have obviously got Isaac (Heeney), you’ve got Chad (Warner), Errol (Gulden), Rowey (James Rowbottom) … and there’s so many other guys too, so I’m just excited to have a few good games with them, and enjoy that first win, which would be nice.”
Curnow, who has overcome serious knee injuries, said that he loved the space on offer at the MCG and is mindful that it will the SCG will present a different challenge given its dimensions. But it could work to his advantage.
“There is always a bit of chat about it. I love big grounds and I love running around, but I also like smaller grounds because you can have shots from everywhere,” he said.
“It will just be cool. Carlton sort of had it (with a training venue) but having a home ground, knowing that is the home of Sydney, that is cool. It is something that will be unique to me, because we played at (Marvel), we played at the MCG, we moved around a bit. But the SCG will be it. That’s pretty awesome, I think, to have that as a home ground advantage.”
Hawkins said it would not surprise him if it takes Curnow a little while to adjust to his new surroundings given the SCG’s characteristics, which includes a slope from the middle.
“Even with Charlie’s elite level and class, I think there will still be a period where he will get used to his environment, the new ground and teammates and the way they deliver the footy,” Hawkins said.
“I always found that you tended to be downhill a little bit, so the ball tended to travel a bit more, so … it just takes a little bit of getting used to. But those wide pockets, Charlie is a player who is not afraid to mark the ball anywhere from 50 to 55 metres from goal, so I think the width in the pockets will certainly help him.
“I don’t think I’ve played too many wet weather games there and it is generally played pretty fast, and will there speed – I’m thinking guys like Warner and Heeney when he plays in there, and Errol Gulden – they are really classy ball users. Their midfielders can find targets a long way inside 50m and they use the corridor, at their best, really well, so there are going to be lots of opportunities.
“I just think for Charlie that those elite ball users, they would have been really attractive to him, and playing under a relatively new coach who has had success at the highest level, and their culture is really attractive … and for Charlie, for whatever footy he has left in him, I think it is going to be a great move.”
While the Swans lost club favourites Ollie Florent and Will Hayward to Carlton in exchange for Curnow and draft selections, Hawkins said his recruitment will help stabilise Sydney.
He is confident Curnow will help the Swans, who last won a premiership in 2012 and were well beaten by the Cats in 2022 and Brisbane two years later, contend for a flag.
“In terms of his team, it is going to be great, because they have just lacked that real presence up in their forward line since Buddy left,” he said.
“And even Buddy had great success when he was banged up at the end, because even though he was not able to perform at his best, he was still able to produce some big performances. I think it is a smart move from Sydney to bring in a player of Charlie’s calibre.
“They get what they have been craving for a couple of years, and it gives them stability in the front half, but also, you look at a guy like Tom McCartin who, I think, last year trained in the pre-season as a potential forward, but it gives him some stability down back. Overall, it just stabilises their team.”
Curnow impresses in Intra-Club challenge | 03:09
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