Peter Ladhams is quickly adjusting to his new life in Sydney, after making the move from Port Adelaide in the trade period.
The trade went down to the wire and bobbed up late in the window, with the ruckman revealing that getting the chance to work with Swans assistant and Eagles ruck legend Dean Cox was a big part of his decision to move.
“I think more opportunity was a big thing. I just want to play AFL footy so just talking to my manager and whatnot, we thought that coming across to Sydney would be a good opportunity for me and it’s a fresh start and I’m really looking forward to it,” Ladhams told SEN SA Breakfast.
“(The sell from Sydney) was a bit of both to start off with, forward and ruck, similar to what I was playing this year.
“Having Dean Cox there was a massive selling point for me. My ruck stuff is something I really wanted to work on, so I think having him as a mentor and as a coach will be awesome for my footy as well.”
The Swans have only just returned to training, with Ladhams knowing he’ll need some time to adjust to a brand new stoppage playbook.
“They’ve got a good balance of young talent and plenty of older boys in that leadership role, I’ve been really impressed and everyone has been really welcoming,” he said.
“I’m just trying to learn the ropes and all the formations they go about which has been pretty tough, I’ve been running around like a headless chook at training, but once I learn that I think I’ll be sweet.”
Given how close the trade came to missing the deadline, Ladhams admits he was nervous it might not have happened.
“I sort of found out five minutes before the end of the trade period so I was sitting there by the phone waiting to see what happened,” he said.
“My manager called me five minutes before it ended and said that I was going to be a Swan so I was pretty excited.
“I was more nervous of the uncertainty and not knowing what it would mean for me next year (if the trade fell through). If I had to go back to Port Adelaide, that stuff happens all the time, the boys move on pretty quickly.”
Ladhams should step straight into a key role with the Swans, pairing with Tom Hickey in the ruck and giving them another marking option inside 50 alongside Lance Franklin, Logan McDonald, Joel Amartey and Sam Reid.
His addition also gives Sydney some serious ruck depth, with Callum Sinclair, Hayden McLean and, hopefully, Sam Naismith, if he has some injury luck following a third knee reconstruction.
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