Oliver Florent Biography

Jai Florent, the brother of breakout Sydney midfielder Ollie Florent, will train with the Swans ahead of the 2019 AFL Draft.

"Jai's got a light frame, but he's definitely got dynamic speed and he has a good sideways step, too, so he's a very dangerous player on the outside," Sandringham talent manager Mark Wheeler said.

"He needs to build on his defensive pressure as a small forward but he just had a lack of opportunity with us.

"We watched him a couple of times in school footy and he did things in a quarter that were AFL-like, then he went missing a bit, but he was one of the most talented in the Mentone Grammar team."

Oliver Florent signs a new two-year extension with Sydney to remain at the club until the end of 2022.

"There's so many quality people around the club, I'm stoked to be here until the end of 2022," he said.

"We've got such a young and exciting group coming through and there's so many good older players that are leading the way, so I'm really excited."

Oliver Florent says he's worked closely with his assigned mentor Dan Hannebery both on and off the field at the Swans.

"He's taught me a lot, we frequently go over vision of my game and his little critiques here and there will hopefully help me take my game to another level," Florent said said of Hannebery.

"We're similar players in the sense that we're both hybrid midfielders.

"He's really encouraging and gives me a lot of confidence and belief, that I can go out there and match it with the best players, but if I ever do something wrong he'll definitely let me know about it."

Oliver Florent is the 2018 round 11 AFL Rising Star nominee after tallying 20 disposals and 4 inside-50s at an efficiency of 85% in the Swans' 30-point win over Carlton at the SCG.

"There hasn't been such a big gap between my best games this year, so I'm happy I'm stringing a few consistent efforts together," Florent said.

"For me, it's probably a lot to do with the trust the players and the coaching staff have in me.

"They're trusting me to play a role in the side, play my own game, play freely, take it on and do what I naturally do."

Oliver Florent signs a new two-year deal with the Swans that will keep him at the club until the end of 2020.

"Oliver has settled in well – he’s a Melbourne boy – so to have your first-round draft pick commit beyond his mandated two-year contract is great," Sydney's head of football Tom Harley said.

Oliver Florent makes his AFL debut for Sydney at the SCG with 8 disposals (5 kicks and 3 handballs) and 3 tackles in a 28-point loss to Port Adelaide.

Oliver Florent will make his debut for Sydney in the Swans' 2017 season opener against Port Adelaide at the SCG?

"I am in shock, I never thought I would play so early and I am just so excited to get out there with the team," Florent said.

"In the team meeting before training John Longmire called me up and asked me a few questions before saying I was playing round one.

"Everything else was a blur pretty much – standing there in shock, in front of the boys as they were slapping the walls and going crazy.

"It was a really good experience."

Sydney select Oliver Florent with pick No.11 in the 2016 National Draft.

A draft week visit to Melbourne from coach John Longmire shows just how eager Sydney were to bring Oliver Florent to the club.

The Sandringham Dragon lost his father to bowel cancer earlier this year, so it's hardly surprising that home is where he'd like to stay to begin his AFL career.

But Longmire's trip to have lunch with Florent showed the Swans' intent, and they landed the onballer with their first pick, and selection No.11 overall.

"Oliver has had a hell of a year which has been well documented but the way he's handled himself just speaks volumes about his mental toughness," Swans recruiting boss Kinnear Beatson said.

"We went and met Oliver and his mother Rachel and had a good chat about things, and they were happy for him to come to Sydney."