TYNTYNDER will have their own Swan running out for battle against Swan Hill in next month’s King’s Birthday clash – Brownlow medalist and Collingwood premiership player Dane Swan.
The five-time All-Australian will take to the field for the Bulldogs in the match between the two local rivals, in a one-off appearance for the team which has local fans up and about.
Having called time on his 258-game AFL career in 2016, Swan has travelled across Australia and pulled on the jumper of a number of teams in grassroots football leagues.
No stranger to rivalries through his time with Collingwood, Swan will now take part in a rivalry between the two clubs separated only by Pritchard Street.
The June 8 clash will be a massive for both the Swans and the Bulldogs, with both sides chasing a return to finals football this year.
Swan, with his manager Ricky Nixon, told The Guardian he was always pleased to get out of Melbourne and travel north for the marquee match.
“It’s very exciting,” he said.
“I haven’t had a game up in that area for a while, and for some reason we find that the games played along the Murray River are usually the most successful ones.
“I’ve played at Mathoura, I’ve played at Billabong Crows a couple of years ago, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting up to Swan Hill that’s for sure.
“Over the last five years, over $3 million have been raised for local football and netball clubs through these games.
“It’s something that only really gets acknowledged at the local level – the local people really get around it.
“It’s not just the team I get to play for who benefits from this, the team I play against gets great promotion out of the game and it seems like local footy players love it as well.”
Tyntynder Football Netball Club president Peter Hawkins said the game was going to be “enormous, not just for the Tyntynder football netball club, but for the entire community.”
“To have somebody that is a premiership player and a Brownlow medalist come to the district is a great opportunity for people here to see someone of that stature play,” he said.
“I’ve had many phone calls and text messages from people far and wide saying how great this is going to be for the club and the town.
“Swan Hill footy club have currently got Jimmy Toumpas, who played for Melbourne and Port Adelaide, so at the end of the day footy is going to be the winner on the day.
“It’s a great chance to see a couple of ex-AFL footballers running around out there.”
Hawkins said he had reached out to Nixon on the off-chance Swan would be free to play in the big game – which was somehow the only week Swan could play.
“It was just a bit of a brainstorm that I’d had,” he said.
“The brain was ticking over to bring a bit more interest to the match and really put us on the map.
“It sort of happened by fluke as well, I had only had one weekend in mind and it just happened to be the only weekend that Dane was free to play.
“That night we’ve got our sportsman’s night upstairs as well where we’re going to be auctioning of memorabilia – things like Collingwood football jumpers and a lot more.
“From all the feedback we’ve got, it seems Dane is very generous with his time, giving the kids autographs which is going to be great as well.”
“Dane and Ricky have both been fantastic, and really excited about it all.”
Swan’s manager Ricky Nixon said Swan had kept himself in great shape, allowing him to take part in as many games as he can.
“Dane does a pre-season at the start of each year, to get himself fit for these games,” he said.
“He’s only missed one game in four years, which is just extraordinary, which comes down to the way he looks after himself
“It’s not often they get a chance to see someone like that out there on the local field, so it’s pretty exciting for everyone
“Something like this can be pretty big for the development of the sport around the area.
“It’s not just the children who love it, but also to see the looks on the farmers faces as they watch a player like Swanny.”
It’s expected Swan will line-up in either the half-forward or half-back lines, which Nixon said the star was evenly adept at playing.
“When he first started playing these games, Swanny asked me where he should be playing,” he said.
“I’d told him that people always love to see goals being kicked, so he started there but has also played across the half-back line.
“It was a little different for him, but I swear in the first match he played there he had probably 70 possessions.”
Nixon said the Swan Hill racing carnival was another big draw, and that the ex-Magpies star was “looking forward to getting along to the races”.
“Swanny is a mad racing nut, he’s got some great horses at the moment – one of which just ran in Singapore,” he said.
“Carl Hufer, who works for Racing Victoria, is actually the opposition president but he’s a good friend and a ripper bloke as well.”
