'Playmaker's EFL 72': #64 Dan Sweeney

With the current campaign entering its final straight, Playmaker is again walking the tightrope of Twitter opinion in its quest to rank the top 72 players from across the EFL this season. 

Those who followed 'The Playmaker 72' last season know the drill: this is less a countdown of the 'best' footballers across the EFL, more a celebration of those players who have lit up the Championship, League One and League Two throughout 2022/23.

To once again paraphrase the great Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, these are just, like, our opinions, man - and we will do our utmost to back up them up with facts, stats and analysis.

Up next, Stevenage's Dan Sweeney...

Number 64: Dan Sweeney (Stevenage)

It's a right scrap at the top of League Two, but Stevenage are firmly in contention for an automatic promotion place and their central defensive duo of Dan Sweeney and Carl Piergianni has been pivotal this season. 

League Two Player of the Season nominee Piergianni has won the bulk of the plaudits this season, but number 64 on our list is his sidekick Sweeney - who looks on course for back-to-back promotions from the fourth tier.

Though an integral part of Forest Green's L2 title win last season, Sweeney made 16 of his 36 appearances for Rovers off the bench and left them last summer when his contract expired.

If Sweeney were looking to earn more game time and establish himself front and centre in another promotion charge, he has very much succeeded. Now 28, he has been a rock for Steve Evans' side and played more minutes (3600) than anyone in Stevenage's squad in 2022/23, missing just one game through illness. 

Although his partner Piergianni has been peerless in the air this season and scored seven League Two goals, Sweeney's stats are impressive in their own right - the physical centre-half netting four strikes (including a memorable match winner vs Harrogate!) and making more interceptions (52) than any Stevenage player. 

Perhaps more surprisingly, Sweeney has completed more dribbles (37) than any of his team-mates this season; more, in fact, than any player in his position throughout the division.  

Now a crucial component of another L2 promotion bid, Sweeney ranks 17th in WhoScored's top performers in League Two this season and has earned a well-deserved spot in our 'Playmaker 72'!

Playmaker's EFL 72...the countdown

64: Dan Sweeney 65: Tom Ince 66: Dan Kemp 67: Finn Azaz 68: Dan Agyei 

69: Freddie Woodman 70: Will Collar 71: Anis Mehmeti 72: Ibou Touray