THE secret is out – Dane Swan is going to play a match for Milawa in the Ovens and King FNL this year.
The 2011 Brownlow Medallist and AFL Hall of Famer is confirmed to be suiting up in the red and blue for the Demons in round five on Saturday, April 26, when the Demons host Whorouly.
Swan’s footy resume speaks for itself – premiership player in 2010, Brownlow Medal in 2011, five All Australian blazers, three-time Copeland Trophy winner, and AFL Hall of Fame inductee last year.
Milawa senior coach Matt Graham said the stars aligned to bring Swan to the North East for a game.
“We sat down as a club last year as soon as the draw was out, had a look where the fixture was, and it looked like there was a marquee weekend there at round five where having the local football pulling the crowds was an option,” he said.
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“Through a bloke I’d dealt with in the past, we ended up chatting and it was an option for an availability for Swanny to do a sportsman’s night and pull on the jumper for the Dees.
“Once the opportunity presented itself, we went there.
“We were fortunate enough that he was open and available on that weekend to play, so we made sure we grabbed it with both hands.”
Whenever a player of this calibre makes the trip to a country footy club, heaving crowds are a given.
In recent years, Brendon Goddard played for North Wangaratta as part of the Carlton Draft initiative, while the Lions have had Eddie Betts don their colours.
In both cases, crowd sizes soared, and made the Ovens and King the centrepiece of the football weekend.
In a beautiful piece of coincidence, both Milawa and Whorouly have strong ties to O&M clubs Wangaratta and Myrtleford, who are slated to play on Friday, April 25, allowing them to head out to the ground and witness Swan play in the O&K.
“It would be a rarity that a Brownlow Medallist has been playing at a local football club,” Graham said.
“We’d be hoping we could draw 1000-2000 people out of town to come out for a look - Collingwood supporters are around every second tree, so we should be able to get a fair crowd.
“We’re going to make sure it’s a great day, with plenty of food trucks, multiple bars, all of the amenities will be there, so we’ll be encouraging people to come out and enjoy the day.
“It should be a good local spectacle, not only a great day for Milawa but the Ovens and King as a whole to really showcase how good this league can be.”
With Whorouly signing a number of quality players in the off-season, including former AFL player and Wangaratta Magpies gun Michael Newton, the match is sure to be an incredible spectacle.
Interestingly, it will be a rematch of sorts between Swan and Newton.
The pair last played against each other back in round two of the 2010 AFL season, which saw Swan’s Collingwood defeat the Demons 12.14 (86) to 12.13 (85).
“It’s going to be a cracking game, regardless,” graham said.
“With the improvement Whorouly is going to have, really pushing to play finals and be a big part of it, and us doing the same, it should be a cracking game.
“We can’t wait, the stars have aligned perfectly – I don’t think there’s a better game this season for it to have happened in.”
Milawa will hold a sportsman’s night after the match, for the community to have a drink and a chat with Swan – further details will be available on the Milawa Football Netball Club’s Facebook page once confirmed.
