Legendary coach Mick Malthouse has paid an emotional tribute to Dane Swan after the Collingwood great was inducted into the AFL‘s Hall of Fame.
Swan was one of six former players inducted at Tuesday night’s ceremony, alongside Chris McDermott, Ralph Robertson, Kelvin Templeton, Ray Schofield and Michael Graham. Jason Dunstall was elevated to Legend status at the same time.
Swan was a decade-long mainstay of a champion Magpies team that won the 2010 premiership.
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He collected the 2011 Brownlow Medal and made the All-Australian team five years in a row from 2009.
But the tattooed larrikin was famous for his off-field antics and personality as much as his feats on game day.
Malthouse says Swan painted himself as a “bad boy” in the public eye, but the coach saw a very different person behind closed doors.
“He’s an outstanding young bloke. I know the way he comes across, he’s a bit of a lad and this sort of stuff, but the testament to me is the fact how many people wanted to be on his table (on Tuesday), and (how many) he invited,” Malthouse said on Nine’s Today.
“He was only able to get 35 I think – most people have about 10 – and if they gave him a few more tables he would fill those as well.
“That’s testament to anyone, if you can count so many great friends… you are doing pretty OK in life.
“Swanny is that sort of bloke. He played for his team and played for his teammates. His life is all about his teammates, and his family now.
“If you’ve got some good friends and they are prepared to stick with you, you’ve done something very well in life.”
Malthouse appeared on Today in a joint interview with his former pupil Swan.
Swan paid credit to his former coach during a heartfelt speech on Tuesday night, and on Thursday took the chance to poke some fun at Malthouse.
“I was a bit disappointed Mick you didn’t come to the after party on Tuesday night,” Swan joked.
“Clearly Mick was the biggest influence in my sporting career. He turned someone who was sort of a battler into a Hall of Famer.
“If I didn’t have Mick as a coach I wouldn’t be standing here talking about being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
Swan had a reputation for being one of the AFL’s biggest party boys during his playing career, and it seems he hasn’t slowed down much all these years later.
“It feels good just to be alive after the last 24 hours,” he laughed.
“Still getting over yesterday… maybe in a couple of days ask me (how I feel).
“We got to bed, a long time after the night finished. The sun was certainly up.
“I was meant to do some media yesterday morning – I read back through my text messages and I text the AFL about 7.30am yesterday morning saying ‘I haven’t been to bed yet’.
“It was a solid night but it’s the last thing I’ll get to celebrate in my AFL career, so thought I may as well make the most of it.”