Sydney Swans bolting defender Nick Blakey won his first Kirk-Ward Medal as the best player in the Sydney Derby on a stormy night at the SCG.
‘The Lizard’ had 34 disposals and 882 metres gained in his side’s convincing 41-point win over the Giants. He topped off his brilliant night with a late goal. Taking his chance, Blakey (#22) sprinted through the centre circle arms outstretched, collected the ball without breaking stride, ran his full measure and drilled a straight drop punt through on the bounce from 65 metres out.
Nick is in his eighth season with the Swans. He has been selected twice in the All Australian squad of 44 players (2023, 2024), making it into the final 22 in 2024. If his current form continues, a place in the 2026 All Australian team is well within his reach.
His football journey started as a junior with the UNSW-Eastern Suburbs club. He only played one senior game for the Bulldogs (at Henson Park in 2018). By half time the tall and skinny half forward had kicked five goals, sitting on players heads in the forward line and kicking accurately from the 50 metre mark. The coach took him off at half time so that his talents were not further exposed, as the Swans would have wished.
Nick attended Sydney’s Waverly College completing the HSC in 2017. With options under the father-son rule, Nick instead chose the Swans over his father’s (John Blakey) clubs North Melbourne and Fitzroy (Brisbane Lions). The Swans selected Blakey with pick #10 in the 2018 AFL National Draft.
The University of NSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Sydney football. Its origins go back to 1880, as the East Sydney FC, at the very beginning of Australian Football in the city. The five initial clubs in the competition were East Sydney, Newtown, Sydney, South Sydney and Sydney University. Easts won the first Sydney Football League premiership in 1903 and since that time, under various iterations, have claimed a further 27 flags. The Bulldog’s most successful era was the 1950s when they claimed seven back-to-back premierships between 1953 and 1959.
The club was known as Eastern Suburbs between 1926 and 1968 when it reverted to the East Sydney name for several decades. In 1999 Eastern Suburbs amalgamated with the University of NSW club (formed in 1962).
Meanwhile in the Carey-Bunton Medal voting, Nick Blakey has jumped into second position with his 10 votes in Round 6. Taylor Walker has also entered the frame with his 10 vote performance against St Kilda. The evergreen ‘Tex’ booted five goals, which rocketed him up into equal first place on the Bill Mohr Medal goalkicking leaderboard.
Casey Bunton Medal Leaderboard – NSW player leading in AFLCA votes
26 (-) Isaac Heeney (Cardiff/ Sydney Swans)
18 (10) Nick Blakey (University of NSW-Eastern Suburbs/ Sydney Swans)
12 (-) Matthew Kennedy (Collingullie/ Western Bulldogs)
10 (10) Taylor Walker (North Broken Hill/ Adelaide Crows)
9 (-) Shaun Mannagh (Walla Walla/ Geelong)
8 (-) Jarrod Witts (Sydney University/ Gold Coast Suns)
8 (-) Errol Gulden (University of NSW-Eastern Suburbs/ Sydney Swans)
Bill Mohr Medal Leaderboard – NSW player leading goalkicker in the AFL
10 (5) Taylor Walker (North Broken Hill/ Adelaide Crows)
10 (-) Isaac Heeney (Cardiff/ Sydney Swans)
7 (3) Patrick Voss (Turvey Park/ Fremantle)
7 (2) Phoenix Gothard (Albury/ GWS Giants)
7 (1) Cooper Sharman (Leeton-Whitton Crows/ St Kilda)
7 (-) Jobe Shanahan (Moama/ West Coast Eagles)