Sydney’s deadline-day swoop for Charlie Curnow was more than a bold trade. It was the right move for all parties. Carlton gained crucial draft capital, Sydney landed a star, and Curnow found the change he quietly needed.
The 28-year-old dual Coleman Medallist departs after eight seasons alongside his brother Ed, leaving behind deep family roots at Princes Park.
Yet, as Brad Lloyd wrote for The Herald Sun, the transfer “needed to happen for all parties”.
A change in scenery and spirit
There was no dramatic fallout with Michael Voss, no behind-the-scenes tension. “A lot of people have beefed up relationship issues with Blues coach Michael Voss but I never witnessed a strain between the two of them,” Lloyd said in News Corp. “From what I could see, Charlie just needed a change as a person and a player.”
Curnow’s move to Sydney, a club “potentially out of the spotlight”, offers a reset.
“The change of lifestyle and the excitement of going up to a new beach location… they are things that either consciously or subconsciously would have been brewing in Charlie’s mind for a period,” Lloyd added.
The perfect fit for Sydney’s next step
With his love for the ocean and interests beyond football, Sydney’s environment appears tailor-made. The Swans traded heavily, sending Ollie Florent and Will Hayward to Carlton, to secure their new spearhead.
For Curnow, it’s a chance to enjoy football again in a system that values balance and freedom.
“He’s a generational talent,” Lloyd wrote. “It was a long season for Charlie in 2025, but he has a number of high-end seasons left in him. Listening to him speak, he’s conscious he’s coming to the back-end of his career and just wants to go out and enjoy his footy.”