Sydney swingman Sam Reid has risen from the ashes yet again to become Swans X-factor

And to prove he hasn’t been fluking it, he is ascending yet again.

The 30 year-old is an unlikely X-factor in Sydney’s premiership push, which has a pulse after beating Fremantle in Perth. He was quiet against the Dockers but his game-high 19 contested possessions, 13 tackles and 25 hit outs two weeks ago against the Bulldogs was the latest sign from the heavens that he isn’t done with yet.

Further proof of life came with a game-turning three goals against Melbourne in round 12, when he filled in for Lance Franklin.

It’s a vastly different picture to 10 months ago, when he was dropped on the eve of the finals.

The versatile swingman was about to turn 30 and the Swans had a long list of youngsters he was competing against, including Hayden McLean, Joel Amarty and Logan McDonald.

They were also about to add Paddy McCartin and Peter Ladhams to the mix.

His one-year deal was essentially an insurance policy against these players getting hurt or falling out of form.

It wasn’t the first time that Reid has looked his football mortality in the eye. Soft tissue injuries have been the bane of his existence.

He missed the entire 2016 season with calf injuries and played just one game in 2018, when he suffered a serious quadriceps tear.

Then there are the seasons (2013, 2020 and 2021) when he’s spent more than half the year on the sidelines.

Former skipper Josh Kennedy has had his injury worries of late but has still played over 100 games (276) more in red and white than Reid (172) after arriving at the Swans at the same time (2010).

Reid now recalls seasons by his injuries.

The Year of the Calf

“2016, that was the year of the calf,” Reid remembers with a laugh. “I tore my soleus (Calf) half a dozen times that year.”

The continual stretches of rehab, followed by an almost inevitable recurrence, would drive most players to breaking point but for Reid it was different.

“It was funny because I always thought I could get back,” Reid said.

“It was a lot of small injuries and there was always the possibility of a return not too far away. I always thought I could get back, I’ve never had an ACL where I had the whole year off.”

Remarkably in The Year of the Calf, Reid was almost recalled for the grand final against the Western Bulldogs despite not playing a single match during the season.

“I knew I was a chance,” Reid said.

“I could have played, I’d done five weeks of solid training. It was thrown up in match committee even though I had no games behind me. I did the captain’s run. I wasn’t named as an emergency but I asked Tom Harley (Swans CEO) if I should stay in that night and he said yes, just in case there were any late withdrawals. There weren’t and it was a terrible grand final to watch. I’ve blanked it out.”

Reid’s absence remains a big ‘what if’ in the minds of Sydney’s selectors, who opted for Xavier Richards over Reid. The grand final was the last game Richards (Ted’s brother) played for the Swans, who lost to the Bulldogs by 22 points.

The Year of the Quad

Reid returned to fitness and health in 2017, playing 22 games and kicking 30 goals, but the injury curse returned the following season and 2018 became The Year of the Quad.

“Lewis Melican and I both had season-ending injuries in the exact same play,” Reid said.

“I blew my quad tendon and Pelican (Melican) blew his hamstring tendon. Our surgeon Julian Feller did some of his finest work. I saw photos of the operation because I’m interested in that stuff, I like seeing gore. My quad looked like pulled pork, it was a mess.”

Feller’s good work had Reid back in action in 2019, when he played 22 games, but the recurring injury nightmare was back with a vengeance in 2020 and 2021, when calf and hamstring injuries combined to ruin those seasons.

Reid’s injury run left the Swans’ list managers with no choice but to look to the future and recruit replacements.

The drop down the pecking order also left Reid with no other course of action but to train his backside off and win back his spot in the team.

“I’m training like I’m 18 again,” Reid said.

“For the last five or six years, I was concerned about not overtraining. This year, it’s a different approach. I’ve done more this year training than in the last six or seven combined. It’s added resilience to my body and I’ve got the pressure of not having my spot locked in.”

West Coast Eagles great and Swans midfield coach Dean Cox couldn’t be more impressed with Reid’s resurrection.

“His effort when Peter Ladhams was injured against the Bulldogs was unbelievable,” Cox said.

“Tim English is in the top five ruckmen in the comp. Sam competed and then followed up with pressure, he led from the front.

“The thing with Sam is his ability to impact as a key forward and ruck. He needed luck with his body. When he gets the chance to ruck he does well within his capabilities, he’s cagey and strong.

“His versatility is a huge asset, he can go forward, play in the middle and down back. That desperation he’s been showing. His tackling has been among the best at the club for the last month.”

Ben’s brotherly love

While Sam Reid has had an infuriating career due to injury, his older brother Ben had an even worse run in his 14 years at Collingwood.

Ben played a key role in the Magpies’ 2010 premiership but managed just 152 games over his journey in black and white. Soft tissue injuries forced him to retire from the AFL in 2020 and limited him to just 57 games in his last seven years at the Pies.

“We didn’t talk a lot about injuries even though we both had plenty,” Ben Reid told CodeSports.

“In fact, we didn’t talk a lot about footy to be honest, it was more about catching up with what we were doing outside footy. Injuries are part of the game; some guys are lucky and some are unlucky. At the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world, there are a lot more serious injuries players suffer. We are playing a sport and injuries are a small part of a lot of good stuff.”

Now 32, Ben is captain-coach of top of the ladder Wangaratta in the highly-regarded Ovens and Murray League. He too has thrown off the family injury curse and is playing some very good football; as a key forward, kicking 45 goals this season to be second on the goalkicking list behind teammate Callum Moore.

“Sam is in career-best form and I’m really happy for him,” Ben said.