Colin O’Riordan set to extend Sydney Swans stay

Colin O'Riordan: Staying put with the Sydney Swans. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Tipperary’s Colin O’Riordan is expected to be offered a new one-year contract at Sydney Swans.

Injuries meant O’Riordan, who won a Munster SFC medal with his native county last year, was restricted to five appearances for the Swans this season when they finished sixth in the AFL ladder although he did line out in last month’s elimination final. In 2020, he played eight times largely because of a hip issue.

The 25-year-old was also an All-Star nomination this year and according to the official AFL website is in line for an extension as the Swans assess the 15 players they have out of contract next season.

After captaining the Premier County to an All-Ireland U21 final in 2015 and an All-Star nomination the previous season O’Riordan was picked up by the Swans on a rookie contract. He has since made 28 appearances for the club.

With the support of the Swans’s player leadership group, O’Riordan convinced his coach and the club last November to allow him to line out for Tipperary in their historic Munster final victory over Cork where he played a starring role.

Mark O’Connor, Mark Keane and Conor Nash are expected to see out the final year of their deals with Geelong Cats, Collingwood and Hawthorn respectively. Dingle man O’Connor was ruled out of Geelong’s preliminary final defeat through injury earlier this month, while Mitchelstown’s Keane was allowed to return home early by his Melbourne club.

Meath’s Cian McBride recently inked new contracts with Essendon and James Madden is expected to remain part of the Brisbane Lions roster next season.

Veteran Zach Tuohy has another year remaining in his current deal with Geelong and O’Connor’s fellow Kerryman Stefan Okunbor is also part of the Cats’s plans for 2022. 

Kilkenny man Darragh Joyce’s two-year deal with St Kilda expires at the end of this season.