Brodie Grundy’s 250th game: the ruckman who rebuilt his career by embracing vulnerability

Key facts

• Brodie Grundy will play his 250th AFL game on Sunday at the SCG against Melbourne.
• Grundy was traded from Collingwood to Melbourne after 2022 due to salary cap constraints.
• Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin’s experiment to pair Grundy with Max Gawn as a forward failed.
• Grundy was dropped to the VFL by Melbourne and traded to Sydney after the 2023 season.
• Sydney coach Dean Cox walked off the training track mid-session to recruit Grundy.
• Grundy is averaging 19.6 disposals, 35 hitouts and 5.4 clearances in 2025.
• Sydney has a 6-1 record this season, the best in the AFL.
• Grundy signed a five-year deal with Melbourne that fell apart after one season.

A career reborn at the SCG

Brodie Grundy will run onto the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday for his 250th AFL game, a milestone that once seemed improbable. Two years ago, the dual All-Australian ruckman was languishing in the VFL, discarded by Melbourne after a failed partnership with Max Gawn. Now he faces Gawn again, this time as the linchpin of a Sydney side that has roared to a 6-1 start. The transformation is not merely statistical. Grundy, 32, has rediscovered the joy of the game. “The last few years playing for the Swans have brought so much joy to the back end of my career,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

From Collingwood to Melbourne: a deal that soured

Grundy’s journey to this point has been anything but linear. He was pushed out of Collingwood at the end of 2022 because of salary cap constraints, and signed a five-year deal with Melbourne. The Demons envisioned a dominant ruck duo with Grundy and Gawn, but then-coach Simon Goodwin’s experiment to rebrand Grundy as a forward quickly faltered. By the end of 2023, Grundy had fallen out of favour and finished the season in the VFL. Questions lingered over whether he would ever return to his peak. “I’d signed a five-year deal there (only) for that to fall apart,” Grundy recalled. “To make the bold decision to come up here with my wife, to put myself (out there again) and be vulnerable.”

The phone call that changed everything

Sydney’s pursuit of Grundy was led by then-assistant coach Dean Cox, a former West Coast ruckman. Cox was so eager to secure Grundy that he walked off the training track mid-session to take a phone call. “I tried to ring him before the session, and it was during the session (he called back), and I got the approval to walk off the track and have a conversation,” Cox said. The connection between the two men predated the recruitment. Grundy recalled a beer they shared over the Christmas break more than a decade ago, when he was a young up-and-coming ruckman at Collingwood. Cox remembered the encounter too: “The thing I love about Brodie is he’s really inquisitive. He wants to work on his game and be the best player he can be.”

A simple directive: play to your strengths

Rather than attempting a complex overhaul, the Swans offered Grundy a simple, liberating directive: play to your strengths. The approach has paid dividends. This season, Grundy is averaging 19.6 disposals, 35 hitouts and 5.4 clearances per game, anchoring a Sydney midfield that has powered the team to a 6-1 record. Grundy credits the coaching panel, particularly head coach John Longmire, for reigniting his love for the game. “To have the belief and conviction of the coaching panel when I came up here, particularly John, was instrumental in reigniting the flame and my love for the game. I’m forever in debt,” he said.

The crossroads that defined him

Grundy’s willingness to be vulnerable during his move to Sydney has become a point of pride. “I tend to think about the … crossroads (I reached) at Melbourne,” he said. “To say ‘I want to recapture my best footy’ and to have the belief and conviction … was instrumental.” The decision to uproot his life after a single, disappointing season with the Demons was not easy. But Grundy now views that leap of faith as one of the proudest moments of his career. “In the early days, I always had strong self-belief, but that’s been tested. When you play as long as I have, you know you’re going to have ups and downs — whether it’s form, injury, being dropped, or traded … twice.”

A tantalising reunion with Gawn

Sunday’s match-up between Grundy and Gawn adds an extra layer of intrigue. The two were meant to form a dream-team partnership at Melbourne, but the experiment lasted only one season. Now they will face off as opponents, with Grundy’s Swans hosting Gawn’s Demons at the SCG. For Grundy, the game is another chapter in a career that has seen him traded twice and doubted by many. “The last few years playing for the Swans have brought so much joy to the back end of my career,” he said. The milestone game is a testament to his resilience — and to the environment that accepted him for who he is.

The bottom line

• Brodie Grundy will play his 250th AFL game on Sunday against Melbourne at the SCG.
• Grundy was traded twice in two years — from Collingwood to Melbourne, then to Sydney — after a failed ruck partnership with Max Gawn.
• Sydney coach Dean Cox walked off the training track to recruit Grundy, offering a simple directive: play to your strengths.
• Grundy is averaging 19.6 disposals, 35 hitouts and 5.4 clearances in 2025, helping Sydney to a 6-1 start.
• Grundy credits the Swans’ coaching panel, especially John Longmire, for reigniting his love for the game.
• His willingness to be vulnerable after being dropped to the VFL has become a defining moment in his career.