Brownlow Medal winner Dane Swan's father not a fan of the tattoos

HIS son is the latest footy star to secure a place in history as the owner of a coveted Brownlow medal.

HIS son is the latest footy star to secure a place in history as the owner of a coveted Brownlow medal.

But Dane Swan's proud dad still can't get past those tattoos. Billy Swan admitted yesterday he was no fan of his boy's body art, but he had learned to keep his opinions to himself.

"I'm not a big rap for them," the 302-game VFA player said. "I wasn't overly impressed when he got his first tattoo but it's like everything, once they come of age there is not much you can do about it.

"There's no point whinging because the more I had a crack at him about it the more he got, so I soon woke up and learned to shut up about them."

But it mattered little now his son had earned a place as one of the greatest in the game. "We are extremely proud of what he's achieved," he said. "You look back and you never really think those sorts of things are going to happen, but it's a testament to him, he's worked hard and he fully deserves it."

Swan stormed home with 34 votes to clinch the Brownlow Medal on Monday night and was quick to pay tribute to his parents for helping him from the very start. But Mr Swan said it was all Dane's hard work.

"That's just what you do for your kids," he said. "He is the one that has put in the hard work. He feels all the pain, we don't have to go through all that stuff."

And knowing a career carved out in footy isn't always a long one - Mr and Mrs Swan have attended pretty much every game during their son's remarkable rise to the top.

"Our philosophy is that it's a short time span and you might as well enjoy it while you can," he said.

Dane Swan was straight back into his training with teammates yesterday, saying he "wasn't big on trophies" and had left his new bling on a bench at home just hours after winning.

He would happily hand it over to his parents.

The midfielder also reserved praise for outgoing coach Mick Malthouse for giving him a second chance.

"He's been everything to me as a coach and has been the only one I've ever had, so he's made me the player I am," Swan said.

He hoped the Brownlow win would have a positive effect on the entire team for Saturday's grand final battle. "It is an individual award but I certainly wouldn't have won it without the other 21 guys each week," he said.