Southern club lodges a clearance for Brownlow Medal champion Dane Swan
St Kilda City confirms it has signed the former Collingwood premiership star, as well as two other ex-AFL players and a former VFL captain and best and fairest.
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Brownlow Medal champion Dane Swan is heading for the Peanut Farm.
St Kilda City confirmed this morning it had lodged a clearance for the Collingwood great, who played for Westmeadows in 2018.
The 36-year-old lives not far from City’s home ground, the Peanut Farm Reserve.
St Kilda City put through paperwork for Swan yesterday.
“Dane is mates with Dan Connors (City’s major recruit for 2020) and he wants to have a kick with him,’’ St Kilda City president Rod Gamlin said this morning.
“He’s keen. He’s within 2km of our club. I don’t know how many games he’ll play but hopefully we’ll get the season underway and get to watch him.’’
In an honour-filled, 258-match career, Swan won the Brownlow in 2011 and played in the Pies’ 2010 premiership.
He also snaffled three Copeland Trophies as best and fairest and was a five-time All Australian selection.
Gamlin said the prospect of a Brownlow Medal winner playing for the club was exciting.
“It’s one of the few things that hasn’t happened at our club,’’ he said.
City has also secured two players from Frankston Pines – former AFL forward Aaron Edwards and ex-Frankston VFL captain Luke Potts – as well as ex-Collingwood midfielder Brent Macaffer.
Pines is part of the Mornington Peninsula Nepean competition, which called off its season this morning.
Edwards is one of its most decorated players.
He joined the Pythons after a 94-game AFL career that took in stints at West Coast, Richmond and North Melbourne. Edwards also won the 2006 JJ Liston Trophy at Frankston, where Potts was best and fairest in 2011.
Macaffer, Swan’s 2010 premiership teammate, will be signed with a COVID-19 permit, which allows players from leagues that have scrapped their seasons to cross to leagues still trying to get up competition in 2020.
Southern and the VAFA are the only metropolitan leagues aiming to bounce the ball.
Gamlin said he was confident the SFNL would get underway.
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He said the league was prepared to go ahead with six teams in Division 1.
“It could be a super season or it could buckle, depending on the COVID situation,’’ Gamlin said.
“We’re positive at St Kilda City. We’ll play anyone, anywhere, at any time. We just want to play footy.’’