Charlie Curnow ahead of Sydney’s match against Fremantle in Round 18 2026. Photo: Phil Hillard
Emily Patterson was given access to the safe house during Sydney’s trip to Perth for the showdown against Fremantle. Watch live from 7:30pm AEST.
EVEN during away games, Charlie Curnow always heads to the ocean.
Despite currently being more than 3,800km from his beloved Tamarama Beach when the Swans travel to Perth for their headline clash with the Dockers on Thursday night, the star forward remains stuck to his familiar matchday routine.
Whether it’s borrowing a team member’s minivan or repossessing a family member’s car, he always finds his way to the water.
When the Swans last traveled west to face West Coast in the fourth round, Curnow borrowed head coach Dean Cox’s father’s Land Cruiser to head to North Cottesloe for a swim.
Ultimately, no matter how big the match is, Curnov keeps his mindset completely grounded and relaxed.
Despite the cessation of interstate travel, Curnow is trying to focus on his regular habits.
“I always try to get to the ocean, touch some water in the morning and drink coffee,” he said. AFL.com.au over a cup of coffee at Sydney Airport ahead of the Swans’ trip west.
“I’m trying to steal a van from buses or something, so it doesn’t change much.
“I like to go have coffee with the boys and swim in the ocean. After that it’s nice to take a little nap in the afternoon and watch a movie. I’m rocking House of the Dragon at the moment, so I’m loving the new season.
“When you’re younger, you get nervous because you have so much free time and it takes time to figure out what to do.”
It’s a routine that works for Curnow, especially in the last six weeks at his new club.
Since Matchday 11, Curnow has been ranked as the game’s number one key forward by Champion Data Player Rankings, while ranking sixth overall in the League.
| Rounds 11-17 | Rating points | Position Rank | AFL ranking |
| Charlie Curnow | 17.5 | 1 | 6 |
| Jake Stringer | 14.9 | 2 | 28 |
| Mabior Chol | 13.0 | 3 | 49 |
| Riley Thilthorpe | 12.5 | 4 | =58 |
| Daniel McStay | 11.4 | 5 | =85 |
Statistics show that following Sydney’s Round 10 win over Collingwood, the 29-year-old began moving significantly further into midfield to gain possession of the ball.
Along with this tactical change, his aerial superiority increased dramatically, with Curnow averaging 3.1 points among forwards 50. His win rate in one-on-one duels also increased dramatically, making him far more effective and dangerous than ever before.
Despite these numbers, Curnow credits his success to his new teammates.
“I’m very lucky to be on a team that does a great job with me,” he said.
“I’ve been able to play with Joel Amartey, Logan MacDonald, Hayden McLean and Joel Hamling and we’ve got ‘Pops’ (Tom Papley) and all the small and medium forwards running around. They’re really experienced players who just help me and make my job a lot easier.”
Curnow notes that his movement up the court has evolved naturally as the tempo of the season has changed.
| Rows 11-17 | General | Classify |
| Disputed marks | 15 | =1 |
| Goals | 24 | 1 |
| Shots on goal | 34 | 1 |
| Impact points on the scoreboard | 171 | 2 |
| Participation assessment | 46 | =11 |
| Player rating points (average) | 17.5 | 1 |
“At the beginning of the year, all the games are so open and you often run back towards goals,” he said.
“I had to adapt to the way Isaac (Heaney) and all those guys played. They’re very fast.
“The rise on the ground came naturally as the game slowed down a bit at the end of the season. As the year goes on, the competition gets a little more intense, which lifted me up a little more. Getting up on the ground is also nice every now and then. It gives you a little more confidence.”
When asked about his lethal form and whether he feels he is playing the most effective football of his career, Curnow remains down to earth.
“It’s funny, I didn’t feel anything like that at all. But I’m happy with my performance,” he said.
“Football is a fun game and it gets you down quickly, so I learned not to get ahead of myself.
“I’m just trying to play well with the guys, get to know them and think about how lucky I am to be running around the SCG. I think about it a lot. It’s been a whirlwind 12 months and I’m really grateful to all the guys and the coaches.”
Adjusting to life at his new club brought him a few surprises. Having moved from Carlton to Sydney in October last year, Curnow was initially overwhelmed by the length of the journey west. He had previously flown from Melbourne but didn’t realize the trip from Sydney added an extra hour in the air.
“I never thought about it until I got on a flight and I was four hours into the flight and they said, ‘We’ve got another hour left.’ I just realized how far this place is,” he said.
Curnow admits that a five-hour flight is taxing, meaning players need to pay more attention to their performance and recovery procedures.
“If you fly with us, we’ll be annoying because we’ll have to get up and walk around and stretch. That would be very annoying for the average Joe,” he said.
“Then once we get there, we need to move. I like to get to the ocean or try to find a bathhouse or some sort of rehab center in the area. There are a few tricks you learn along the way.”
While facing a mid-haul flight and subsequent hostile crowd of 60,000 at Optus Stadium can be daunting, Curnow is genuinely enjoying the trip out west as a chance to bond with his new teammates.
Instead of viewing long distances as a negative, he views them as a “secret weapon” for team chemistry, noting that being together on planes and hotels strengthens the bonds between players much faster than returning home immediately after practices and games.
Charlie Curnow celebrates with his teammates in Round 17, 2026. Photo: AFL Photos
“I actually really enjoy playing with the guys, especially early on when I’m new,” he said.
“It’s such a good opportunity to meet everyone, mess around, play table tennis and just talk absolute nonsense in a conference room for a few hours while watching Chad (Warner) roll around and throw tennis balls at the wall.
“As I’ve noticed with the boys, they love to travel. We probably complain from time to time that Collingwood and Carlton don’t travel too much, but I think it’s a real secret weapon for the road teams. It brings you together, spends time together and it’s fun.”
Table tennis is a staple of the game, and a large group of 10 to 15 people are constantly huddled around a table in the conference room of the team hotel. Most hotels provide a table and players are subject to strict rules regarding its use.
“You play with up to five players and the next player leaves, or you just hang out and chat,” Curnow said.
“There’s a lot of energy there. You sit all day, so you have to flex it somehow, and it probably all comes out in that command room. There’s just some stupid stuff going on.”
The trip also gives the team’s Western Australians the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends back home.
“Washington is a huge football state. They love a couple of local guys – ‘Gussie’ (Angus) Sheldrick and the Warner brothers,” Curnow said.
“Chad and Corey’s mom made us cookies last time and they were really handy. So hopefully she’ll have some more cookies this time. When they were younger they had a brownie ritual or something like that before the game; it’s nice.”
Sydney’s coaching staff also caters to individual training styles, allowing players to travel early if necessary.
“I think some of the boys have traveled two nights early at times. They handle it very well. They let you do what you need to do to get ready for the game,” Curnow said.
“If I want to see my family in Melbourne, they’ll let me come a couple of nights earlier and things like that. So everyone’s a little different.”
Dean Cox (left) and Charlie Curnow before the 13th round of 2026. Photo: AFL Photos/Getty Images
The Swans currently have the best winning percentage of any interstate team at Optus Stadium, including their record 128-point win over the Eagles earlier this year.
They face a 1v2 battle and Curnow admits traveling teams have to perform at their best.
“When you’re an interstate club you have to do well. You have to make sure you’re in the game from the start; you can’t be on the sidelines until the end of the game,” he said.
“To go away and beat teams on their own turf is an amazing feeling and any team loves to do that.
“Perth is a bad stadium and that’s in line with how the boys have played for a number of years because they’re a high-performance team that competes in a lot of competitions. Plus it’s a nice big oval.”
Charlie Curnow training in Sydney, July 7, 2026. Photo: Phil Hillard
With a top-two finish essentially locked in for both teams due to their 10-point buffer to third and a huge percentage with seven weeks to go, the Swans could view this trip as a dress rehearsal for a qualifying final or a potential grand final against the Dockers.
“It’s a great opportunity for us as a football team to just try and see where we stand against them,” Curnow said.
“It’s great that we’re going there to do it on their turf. It’s obviously a very important one-on-two clash and the boys understand what’s coming.”
“It’s a great match that we can take a lot from and I’m sure they feel the same way. We talked about how lucky we were to actually be playing in a game like this at this time of the season. I know it’s going to be a fun match.”