“Look, I’m not a robot”: Grundy reveals what he told Goodwin before Sydney trade request

Few players have had a bigger change of fortunes from last year to this than Sydney’s Brodie Grundy.

In June 2023 it had become clear that Melbourne’s plan for Grundy and fellow ruck Max Gawn to play in the same side was in big trouble.

Grundy was dropped after Round 17, played one more game in Demons colours and requested a trade to Sydney.

The Swans had spent much of that season outside the eight and only scraped into finals. Grundy is one of the key reasons John Longmire’s side now sits clearly atop the AFL ladder and the 30-year-old told SEN Afternoons he’s loving life in the harbour city.

But reflecting on his time at Melbourne, Grundy says he’s not bitter.

“I had a pretty honest conversation with Simon (Goodwin) three quarters of the way through and said, ‘look, I’m not a robot’,” Grundy said.

“Obviously I want to be playing AFL footy. I made that transition to jump in at the Dees and I said I’m going to come in and come to work and put on a brave face and do what I can to get back in the side, but there are going to be times when I feel pretty flat.

“He was understanding of that but I think at large, you do try and go about it the right way. But at the end of the day, we’re not robots.

“When things aren’t working that resilience gets a bit tested and I think in the long run, it’s something that will hold me in good stead.”

With multiple suitors lining up, Grundy eventually settled on Sydney, reportedly because of the lifestyle and opportunities available after his career.

The Swans are now producing one of the most stunning campaigns of recent memory and sit three games clear of Carlton in 2nd.

Grundy’s name is firmly in All-Australian conversation, but the man himself isn’t thinking too far ahead.

“At the moment, to be frank, there’s not too much to complain about, life is good,” he said.

“But when the chips are down it might be a different narrative… hopefully we don’t have to cross that bridge but we know in football, things can change really quickly.

“So that’s why I think maintaining an even keel on life, cities, teams and things like that is important.”

Grundy’s 2024 numbers are back on par from when he was an All-Australian in 2018 and 2019. He’s averaging 20.4 disposals, 5.4 clearances and 2.9 inside 50s ahead of his side’s clash with Fremantle in Round 16.