Dean Cox has admitted that Sydney’s pursuit of Charlie Curnow came at a personal cost, revealing the difficulty of farewelling long-serving players Will Hayward and Ollie Florent.
The pair were traded to Carlton as part of the Swans’ blockbuster deal for the two-time Coleman Medallist, which also saw Sydney hand over three future first-round picks.
Curnow has already begun training with his new teammates, joining the Swans’ AFLW squad in the gym as he settles into life in red and white. But for Cox, the excitement of landing one of the league’s biggest names came with some difficult conversations behind closed doors.
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‘I’ll always put the club first’
“They were tough (conversations), I won’t shy away from that,” Cox said. “Unfortunately … we had contracted players. And to get in a quality player, you have to lose some quality players and people of your football club. So, it was a tough couple of weeks.”
Both Hayward and Florent had played 184 games for the Swans, and Cox admitted their departures were felt deeply within the group. “A lot of players are really close with those two boys, and so they should be because they’re great people,” he said. “People will adjust at certain time frames and we’ll support them all the way through it.”
Still, Cox was adamant that the club’s long-term vision had to take priority. “One thing I’ve always said, when I got to the football club, is I’ll always put the club first,” he said. “We need to improve in certain areas of our game, and ahead of the ball is one of those. Charlie was the option.”
Curnow’s arrival has already lifted Sydney’s premiership odds for 2026, with Cox confident the star forward will be fit and firing by Round 1.