'He's burnt them': James Hird saw something he did not like from Charlie Curnow

Former Essendon coach James Hird has called out Charlie Curnow for burning teammates in a passage of play during the club's AAMI Community Series clash with GWS.

In his first semi-official outing as a Swan, the key forward took a contested mark around 60m from goal. In classic Curnow fashion, he wheeled onto his right boot and launched a long shot that bounced through for a goal.

His teammates came from everywhere to celebrate and it was his first real statement in red and white.

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However, a replay of the shot at goal shows both Chad Warner and James Jordon flying past Curnow after he took the mark, ready to receive a handball and put the ball into dangerous space inside 50.

Even ignoring the handball options, he had Isaac Heeney streaming into space inside 50 as a short target, and Joel Amartey in a strong position on his opponent heading back to the goal square.

Hird believes the low percentage long bomb shot for goal is something he has brought with him from Carlton, and coach Dean Cox should get it out of his game.

"It's great that he's kicked the goal, but he's burnt them," Hird told Nine's Footy Furnace.

"And this was the criticism at Carlton, and we talked about this a lot last year. We really want him to succeed and I think he's started really well, but that piece of play ... he's burnt two teammates.

"There's players he should be giving it to inside 50. Maybe two out of five (of those long shots) go through."

Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel wonders how coach Dean Cox can give the right level of constructive criticism to a star recruit, particularly after he kicked the goal.

"It was great, we saw the double cobra he loves to give, his teammates got around him ... but if you're Dean Cox, how do you coach him?" Bartel said.

"We hear coaches always say 'you take the good with the bad', how do you coach him hard then?"

Hird believes missing the long range shot for goal can too easily turn into an opposition chain back down the other end of the ground, something Cox should make clear to Curnow.

"If he's kicking 100 per cent of them, then keep doing them, but he doesn't kick 100 per cent of them," Hird said.

"There's an old saying in football, and I think it's come from Geelong, use your numbers. When you've got numbers, you have to use them, because if you don't use them, the other team will have numbers in front of the ball and will use them.

"Too often over the last few years at Carlton, those kicks were often marked on the line or missed. You're giving the ball back to the opposition.

"So, hopefully he kicks them all. If he's going to take that risk, they have to go through."

While Curnow is the major addition this season, Bartel believes Sydney's ability to climb the ladder will come from some injury luck, after a devastating 2025 in that respect.

Logan McDonald missed the full season, while Errol Gulden, Tom Papley and Callum Mills all missed over 10 games.

"If the Swans are the big riser this year, it'll be off the back of these guys being fit," Bartel said.

"As much as they say next man up, quality players are hard to replace. Especially Gulden with his ball-use, Papley is the fire-starter as we know and Callum Mills is a fascinating one for me.

"When you go back to when he first started, it was he and Isaac Heeney and we didn't know who was going to be better. Of course, Heeney has skyrocketed to be a superstar and Mills just can't get his body right.

"Is it worth sending him back to defence, where it all started?"

Hird agrees, saying the Swans have the midfield depth to free Mills up across half back.

"His leadership really shines at half back and obviously as the captain of the club, having that shoulder injury in the off-season two years ago, then the injuries last year, to have Gulden, Warner and Heeney in the midfield and Mills off half back, it's going to be very hard for teams to stop," the former Essendon captain said.

Curnow will face his old side Carlton on Thursday night at the SCG, in the AFL's season opening game.

The Swans gave up three first round picks, Will Hayward and Ollie Florent as part of acquiring the dual Coleman Medallist.