Three down, two to go: Florent signs long-term extension with Swans

Ollie Florent has continued the trend of Swans players sacrificing more cash elsewhere to stay put in Sydney, signing a five-year contract extension that is likely to ensure he remains a one-club player.

By pledging his future to the Swans, the 25-year-old has followed in the footsteps of Errol Gulden and James Rowbottom, who both signed on for four more years — and, in the case of Gulden, doing so despite the lure of a whopping 10-year offer from a rival club.

Florent, who is originally from Melbourne, can’t say for sure what other options he had on the table because he was so set on remaining at the Swans that he didn’t even ask his manager who else was interested.

He does know he could have earned more money by leaving but with the Swans staring through a wide-open premiership window, he never seriously entertained the thought.

“My mindset was, I want to stay, so I didn’t even ask — I let them do all the negotiating, so I could just focus on my football,” Florent said.

“Honestly, they did a great job, keeping my mind off it. Being with my best mates and playing footy together, and living in North Bondi, it’s something that I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to put my mental health and welfare before anything else, really.

Ollie Florent has re-signed for four more years at the Swans.

“For a bit of extra money … it’s a long time, five years, so you want to get it right, but I’m very, very comfortable with my decision.”

Florent’s new deal, which will keep him in red and white until the end of the 2029 AFL season, leaves the Swans with just two major retention targets: Logan McDonald and Will Hayward.

McDonald has made all the right noises about re-signing, declaring last month that he was happy in Sydney and that his teammates were eager to “stay together for as long as we can” to turn their potential into premiership medallions.

Hayward, meanwhile, is reportedly being courted by the two clubs from his native South Australia.

“Everyone’s obviously going to do their thing and look after themselves, but I personally really want them — everyone — to stay,” Florent said.

“Me and Will are so close, we’ve just spent so much time together, and I want us to win a premiership together. It’d be hard for big names like those boys, getting big offers from back home and stuff like that — I could imagine you’d have something in your [head] telling you to go. You’ve got to weigh up what’s important to you.”

Florent will play his 150th AFL game in Saturday afternoon’s derby against Greater Western Sydney, which will also be his 101st consecutive match — the fifth-longest active streak in the competition, and one he puts down to his increasing confidence as an elite-level player, his diligence in his preparation, and a little bit of luck, too.

“It’s definitely crept up on me,” he said of the milestone.

“I remember speaking to ‘Kirky’ [Brett Kirk] when I first got here. He said, ‘Mate, just enjoy it, and take don’t take anything for granted.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ Now I’ve literally blinked, and I’m 25, turning 26 this year.

“I’m really not trying to take anything for granted, and enjoy the little things, now that I’m getting older. It’s exciting because premierships don’t come around often. For me, they haven’t come around at all, so that’s something I really want to get before I’m done.”

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