Mad Monday celebrations in the AFL are known for elaborate costumes and occasionally too many drinks for some of the protagonists.
Every now and then, they lead to serious mishaps and that’s what has happened to Swans co-captain Callum Mills.
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Following reports Mills had undergone shoulder surgery due to a Mad Monday mishap, the Swans released a statement late on Tuesday evening to confirm the news.
Clearly, the club is not pleased with the reasons behind the incident.
“Losing players to injury in the off-season is always upsetting,” Swans football manager Charlie Gardiner said in the statement.
“Callum is our captain and an important member of the squad. We are extremely disappointed this injury has occurred.
“Callum is equally disappointed, as you can imagine, but he is recovering well and will get to work on his rehabilitation immediately.”
Earlier, Channel 7’s chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary had broken the news about the Mad Monday event – the term for a team’s final get-together once its season has ended.
The Sydney star has undergone shoulder surgery as a result of the wrestle and is in “severe doubt” to line-up at the start of the 2024 campaign according to Cleary.
In their statement, the Swans did not give a timetable for Mills’ return.
“And tonight we can reveal the shock surgery for Callum Mills after Mad Monday celebrations went wrong,” Cleary said.
“He injured his shoulder while wrestling with a teammate at the post-season drinks.
“And (he) is now in severe doubt for round one next year.”
It was not confirmed who Mills had been wrestling with or the exact nature of the injury.
The 26-year-old Mills had his best season as a professional 12 months ago, named an All Australian and club best and fairest in 2022.
Elevated to co-captain alongside Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, Mills played in 20 matches for the Swans this season.
He missed four matches in the middle of the year due to a calf complaint, returning in round 15 as the Swans made a late charge towards the finals after a horror first half of the year.
Mills led the Swans onto the MCG for their elimination final against Carlton on 8 September, which ended with a six-point defeat.
It is likely the club had its traditional Mad Monday celebrations on the following Monday, 11 September.