Tom Papley

Papley made his AFL debut in Round 1 of the 2016 AFL season against Collingwood Football Club, kicking three goals. He earned the Rising Star nomination for Round 5 following an impressive display against the West Coast Eagles in which he kicked two goals, earned 20 possessions, had six inside-50s and took eight marks in a match played in wet weather. Arguably his best season was in 2019, impressing many after the absence of Lance Franklin when he tied in 14th for goalkickers, with 37 goals. He kicked 5 goals against North Melbourne Kangaroos and 4 against West Coast Eagles, proving to be two of his best performances. But throughout the year, Papley had a desire to return home back to Victoria despite being contracted to the Swans until 2023 and was heavily linked to both Carlton and North Melbourne. During the trade period, he requested a trade to Carlton, but Papley wasn’t given his wish as the trade didn’t go through. Papley was selected to play for Victoria in the State Of Origin Bushfire Relief game, where he kicked 5 goals.

Tom Papley (born 13 July 1996) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted with pick 14 in the 2016 rookie draft by the Sydney Swans

His grandfathers, Jeff Bray and Max Papley, were teammates with the South Melbourne Swans from 1964 to 1966, before the team's move to Sydney. Tom Papley wore number 41 for his first two seasons, but following the retirement of Jeremy Laidler after the 2017 season Papley was able to take on number 11, the number Max Papley wore for 45 of his 59 matches with the South Melbourne Swans.