Dane Swan insists there is plenty of AFL life left in this old tattooed dog yet despite a 2014 season he rates as putrid.
The worst form of the 30-year-old’s stellar career has made Swan realise his very best football is probably behind him.
But the Collingwood midfield ace also learned his lesson the hard way about the perils of a bad pre-season.
“The days of me worrying about winning best and fairests and making All-Australian sides have kind of gone now,” said the 2011 Brownlow Medallist, three-time club champion and five-time All Australian.
“I just want to get back to playing good, decent footy and help this side get back into the eight, where we think it belongs.”
A year ago, Swan was coming off another great season where he finished third in the Brownlow and made the All-Australian team again.
But a wrist reconstruction and glandular fever restricted him to walking laps at the start of pre-season.
He only managed 17 games this year – his worst tally since 2005 – and was a shadow of the player who normally headlines the Collingwood midfield.
Swan has never been a fan of pre-season work, especially the running, but after this year the straight-talking star knows he needs it.
“It was horrendous – I had one good game on Anzac Day and that was about it,” he said.
“It was putrid, so I certainly don’t expect to be like that next year.”
Swan also admitted he had paid for not being honest with the club about the state of his body.
Adding to this transition phase in his career, Swan is now easily the oldest player on Collingwood’s list.
Captain Nick Maxwell and Luke Ball have retired, while Heritier Lumumba is at Melbourne.
Swan’s great mate Dayne Beams, another senior player, has also moved to Brisbane.
“I have lunch on my own now – no-one really talks to me,” Swan sarcastically replied when asked if he now felt lonely at Collingwood.
“I think I’m the oldest by three years, so the footy club says ‘stop talking to all the young kids, because everyone you hang around just ends up getting the boot’.
More seriously, Swan said he wanted to be a better mentor to Collingwood’s many youngsters.
“My relationship with the guys away from the footy club is probably a lot better than what it is with leadership aspects on the field,” he said.
“It’s something I clearly have to work on, to pass on whatever little knowledge I have of the game.”
Damien Smith
Guest
What does the author mean, when he says in his title, "final year at Pies"? I'm pretty sure Swan is still at Collingwood, and is playing on in 2015, so the title to the article makes no sense.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Haven't seen him since the end of the season, so it sounds like he is tracking well. His other main issue this year was a serious heel pain due to a plantar fasciitis. I treat a lot of sports injuries myself and I know this is an absolute ars***hole of a condition to manage as a physiotherapist, let alone train or play with as a player. Without knowing Swans full medical history though, I would imagine he is a bit like a mid weight boxer trying to go up and fight in the cruiser weight class. He has trained and played well above his optimal playing weight for most of his career and this is one of the reasons players are more likely to develop a plantar fasciitis, as it is a possible causative factor for such a condition to develop. He is one of the best players I have seen in the past 10 years and is an absolute ball magnet. He also has an enormous tank on him, so it pains me to think how good he could have been had he been a little leaner over the years. Great player non-the-less and I hope we see him back at his best during the 2015 season.
lyn
Guest
I saw him on the news last night and he is looking very lean.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Swan needs to lay off the old Four'N Twenty Pies. If he is serious about playing for another 3-4 years at a high level like his contemporary in Ablett, then he needs to lose some weight. It's as simple as that.