‘You just have a lot more to lose’: How fatherhood has centred Swans star Grundy

Brodie Grundy became a father for the first time at the start of August, when the Swans ruckman and his partner Rachael welcomed a baby boy, Darcy, into the world.

The experience has proved invaluable in helping him stay grounded during the drama that beset the club later that month, when the Swans suspended five key players for the rest of the season for breaching behavioural standards, and the stunning qualifying final win over Brisbane that followed last weekend.

Grundy has always sought balance in his life and career, grappling with ruckmen in his day job while earning degrees in human physiology and business administration in his spare time. Fatherhood has given Grundy less sleep and an aching lower back, but also a sense of what really matters.

“You just have a lot more to lose,” Grundy said. “I just put so much energy and emphasis on showing up as a husband and a father in the best way that I can and pouring everything into that.

“I know I’ll be a footballer for a short period in my life, but I’m going to be a father and a husband for hopefully the best part of my life.

“It’s about valuing that and seeing the long-haul perspective of it. That’s probably why I’m trying to show up as best as I can and really throwing the kitchen sink at that role, despite what’s a really important time as a footballer.

“It’s been really challenging to hold those things, really important parts of my identity as a footballer and then as a husband and as a father, finding the space for those parts of me at different times. I’m not always getting it right, but that’s just what it means to be a human.”

Grundy shared the devastation of all at the club when Callum Mills ruptured the ACL in his right knee during the first quarter of last weekend’s epic against the Lions. He had been one of the senior Swans players who stood to support the club captain as he addressed the media after the suspensions of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, James Jordon and Nick Blakey.

Grundy hasn’t thought of taking on the armband himself, but is focusing on the legacy of Mills’ captaincy through what has been one of the most turbulent periods in the club’s history.

Like Grundy, Mills is a young father, and the injured captain’s ability to put his teammates before himself has resonated with the ruckman.

“Cal just wants to do the very best he can, he puts a lot of pressure on himself and has the weight of the world at times on his shoulders,” Grundy said.

“I was just so proud of him in what has been an unprecedented time for the club. He’s just leading through his values, and that’s all you can ever do ... when he puts his head on the pillow at night, he’s himself and that’s what we encourage all our people to do when they come and play for the Swans.

“They’re the best version of themselves, and I think Cal’s doing that beautifully as a captain. We’re going to have an enormous hole in the next 12 months to fill without him, but true to his character and his values, he will no doubt still have his fingerprints all over this year and next year.”

Grundy is playing some of the best football of his career and has benefited from the new rules in 2026 where rucks are forbidden from crossing the centre line before engaging with their opponents, and umpires throw the ball up rather than bouncing it.

According to Champion Data the ruckman boasts the highest hitout-to-advantage rate in the AFL, with 43 per cent for the season.

At 32 years old and in one of the most physically demanding positions in the league, Grundy is reluctant to take on the extra responsibility of the captaincy, and is instead focused on leading by his actions.

“Honestly, I’ve been just thinking about being Dad and getting through training, to be honest, I’ve got the ‘Dad Back’ already,” Grundy joked. “It’s just been getting my body right, looking after the family … that’s sort of been my No.1 priority.

“Obviously, it’s been a really exciting but challenging time here at Swans, and I’m just trying to lead as best as I can on the field and leading through my actions.

“I’m just trying to add to the mix in there without feeling like I need to put the Superman cape on or anything. It’s just about playing my role and stepping up in moments when I feel like I need to.”