'So they should': Sydney coach welcomes climbing expectations after attainment of Charlie Curnow

Sydney coach Dean Cox has welcomed the climbing expectations that have come with the attainment of gun key forward Charlie Curnow, admitting the bar "should be high" given the "magnitude" of the signing.

The Swans have lacked a dangerous key forward since Lance Franklin retired at the end of the 2023 season, but in Curnow they have a dual Coleman Medal winner, a two-time All-Australian and a spearhead who's booted at least 57 goals in a season three times.

The Swans dropped away in 2025, going from reaching two grand finals in three seasons to falling short of the top eight.

READ MORE: Tigers star set to quit after wife's ruthless axing

READ MORE: NFL owner publicly scolds player after winless start

READ MORE: 'Great mentor' Folau joins Suaalii in Wallabies camp

But the former Carlton star is expected to propel them back up the ladder in their bid for a third flag since their 1982 move from South Melbourne to Sydney.

"And so they [the expectations] should be high. We need to make sure we can get Charlie fit and available and ready for the season. That's our first job that we have to do," Cox said.

"We have to gel the group as quickly as we possibly can ahead of the ball and the cohesion that's required to kick some decent scores.

"And on top of that, the players are really excited about the prospects."

The luring of Curnow follows that of Tony Lockett in the 1990s, Barry Hall in the 2000s and Franklin in the 2013 trade period.

"We understand the magnitude of a key forward and what's happened in the past," Cox said.

"We've had some pretty big names after Lance in Isaac [Heeney] and Erroll [Gulden] and Chad [Warner] and 'Lizard' [Nick Blakey] and the like.

"Hopefully we can just get them all playing the way we want them to."

Since the retirement of Franklin, the Swans have relied on Joel Amartey, Hayden McLean and Logan McDonald for tall options up forward.

Heeney is a major threat forward of the ball but the triple All-Australian spends a lot of time in the midfield.

The thought of Heeney, Gulden, Warner and Blakey streaming through the midfield and hitting Curnow with pinpoint drop punts has Sydney fans salivating.

"You always have to try and develop, you have to try and move your list in the way you need to, and this is the way we wanted to try and do it," Cox added.

"[We're] really excited about what next year entails for us, but there's a lot of work that needs to be done before the season starts."

Cox was speaking after being unveiled as Western Australia's coach for the return of State of Origin.

The West Coast Eagles great will oversee WA in a standalone exhibition match to be played in Perth next February.

"It's a huge honour," Cox said.

"I grew up watching State of Origin footy, I wished one day I got the chance to play for WA. That didn't eventuate with the last State of Origin game being in '99.

"I was just really excited when Andrew [Dillon, the AFL's chief executive] called and the opportunity presented itself. It was something I couldn't knock back.

"There's so many great WA players spread out across the country. Chad's already texted saying he'd love to be a part of it. So we'll see how his summer goes; he's got to perform and get to the level," Cox added with a cheeky smile.

He listed Patrick Cripps, Aaron Naughton, Darcy Cameron, Sam Taylor and Jesse Hogan as some of the players he was looking forward to calling upon.