Dane Swan talks The Albion, football and musical theatre

FORMER AFL footballer Dane Swan is known for his hard exterior and penchant for tattoos. So after injury ended his time on the football stage, many would be surprised of his interest in theatre of a different kind.

IT wouldn’t be surprising if somewhere on the heavily-tattooed body of Dane Swan are words relating to never giving up.

Swan was written off as a footballer in 2005, but surprised his club and the footy world by reinventing himself as a gut-running, explosive midfielder.

In 2018, he’s still not giving up.

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His South Melbourne club, The Albion, had its own rebirth this weekend as doors opened for the first time since a builder burned it down more than two years ago.

Swan is now talking up his venue as the hottest in town — pun intended.

Its rooftop bar sports stunning views of the city, and is an asset the original venue didn’t have when everything “hit the deck” in 2015, Swan said.

And the 5am weekend licence is sure to be a drawcard for late-night revellers.

Dane Swan behind the bar at The Albion. Picture: Josie Hayden

The Albion’s long-drawn-out facelift may even mirror Swan’s own rocky ride to fame, which saw the Collingwood great endure a slow start to his AFL career — mainly due to his love of partying — before he boosted his commitment to football in 2006.

He went on to win a Brownlow Medal, three Collingwood best-and-fairests, and was named in the All-Australian team on five occasions.

Not bad for a player nearly delisted by his then-coach Mick Malthouse.

But now a foot injury has ended his AFL career, Swan, 33, said he was primed to give the Albion bar taps a workout.

Firefighters put out the blaze at The Albion in 2015. Picture: Hamish Blair

He met business partner Matt Darcy at the venue during its previous incarnation as The Motel.

“He was looking to do something special (here)...he asked me if I wanted to get involved and it was a no-brainer. Everything else he’s had has been successful,” Swan said.

“My management and my financial guys, they weren’t so sure about it, but in the end I said it’s my money and I’ll do what I want with it.

“I try to invest in things that I like and that I have fun in. This suits me down to the ground.”

Mr Darcy also owns other popular Melbourne haunts including Richmond’s Precinct Hotel and Melbourne Public in South Wharf.

He said the York St venue had been transformed into a place that attracted patrons to the kitchen as well as the bar.

As for Swan, he said he would stick to doing what he does best: drinking and eating.

He’s a man who plays to his strengths, and since quitting football he’s managed to keep his name in the news simply by being his affable, larrikin self.

Most recently he was in the United States with Four’N Twenty to give the Americans a cultural lesson in how to eat the humble meat pie, while sitting courtside at an NBA game for his beloved Philadelphia 76ers.

Then there was his stint in the South African jungle as a contestant in last year’s season of I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

Swan with fellow I’m a Celebrity... contestants Natalie Bassingthwaite, Nazeem Hussain and Casey Donovan. Picture: Nigel Wright

Swan will be back in the states next weekend for the NBA All-Star weekend as a guest of Coors beer, and he’s got a gig on The Footy Show with Chris Judd and Brendan Fevola.

He also has investments in the Ratbagg clothing line, tattoo shop Renegade Art Society in Moonee Ponds, and plans to open a sport travel company before the year’s end.

But he told the Leader that marriage to long-term girlfriend Taylor Wilson is still off the radar — for now.

Swan said his brush with the law early in his AFL career taught him to appreciate a good thing when it comes his way.

“I got arrested for fighting in early 2003 and I got told I was going to be sacked,” Swan said.

“I thought for all the whinging and moaning I did about playing footy, I’m under no illusion that it’s a pretty awesome job. If the penny hadn’t have dropped there’s no way I’d be sitting here with all this.”

At home in Prahran, the former star midfielder still finds time to relax, and has also jumped on the F45 fitness trend — he lost 14kg in the jungle and he’s keen to keep it off.

Swan, with Ash Pollard, is keeping fit with the F45 craze. Picture: Tony Gough

But few would think that beneath that heavily tattooed, six-foot exterior beats the heart of a man with an appreciation for musical theatre.

It’s an anomaly, he knows, but he said whenever he and the “Mrs” were in New York, he loved nothing more than to catch one of the latest Broadway shows.

“I do love musical theatre, which some people seem to be shocked about. I watched Hamilton last time I was there. It was good, but I didn’t know who Hamilton was. And because they were rapping I couldn’t understand what they were saying. But it was brilliant.

“Mary Poppins came on the television the other day and I got stuck watching the whole thing. I just can’t help it. It came on the telly about five minutes in. I was about to walk the dog or something, and I sat on the couch and watched the whole thing, sang along.”