Sydney's newest AFL hero Callum Sinclair has had too many ups and downs to get carried away after the biggest game of his career.
Sinclair notched career highs of five goals and eight uncontested marks and equalled his best of ten marks in the Swans' 42-point win over St Kilda at the SCG on Saturday.
He made sure the surging Swans, who have won ten of their past 11 games, hardly missed injured key forward Sam Reid, the man he replaced.
The 27-year Victorian has played 57 games in almost five seasons across a journey that has taken him from his home state to WA and then to NSW.
He played five games in each of his first two seasons with West Coast then enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2015, tallying 20 appearances including the grand final.
Traded to Sydney at the end of that season, Sinclair quickly established himself in the Swans' side, but an untimely late season knee injury sidelined him after round 18 for the rest of the season.
"My 20s have been all over the shop. I've ridden the waves with a few highs and a few lows along my career," Sinclair said.
"But it's something I wouldn't change. It's moulded me to who I am today."
Sinclair had no inkling he was going to enjoy a career night as he endured his usual pre-match nerves.
"I'm probably one of the worst players in the club, I'm very anxious pre-game, so the feeling doesn't change week to week, so obviously very nervous as I always am," he said.
"But obviously clunking a few early and the boys giving me opportunity to put a few through the big sticks early helped the confidence throughout the game."
Sydney coach John Longmire stressed Sinclair's demotion from the senior side after round 14 was due more to a structural change than for form reasons and he lauded the player's attitude and work ethic.
"He works really hard, comes in and grabs the coaches and drags them and tells them what he needs to do rather than the other way around," Longmire said.
"He's really proactive in getting better."
Sydney now face Hawthorn, the last team to beat them.
They've pipped the Swans by five and six points in their last two contests.
"We disappointed ourselves the last couple of times against them. I think they got us in the last few minutes of the game," Sinclair said.
"They are going to be hungry, but so are we."
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