Sydney Swans recruit Michael Talia holds no grudge towards Western Bulldogs

SYDNEY recruit Michael Talia insists he holds no grudge towards the Western Bulldogs despite his bitter exit from the club.

SYDNEY recruit Michael Talia insists he holds no grudge towards the Western Bulldogs despite his bitter exit from the club.

Talia was traded to the Swans while under investigation into allegations he leaked sensitive information to brother Daniel before the Bulldogs elimination final loss to Adelaide.

The 22-year-old was later cleared of any wrongdoing following a two-month AFL investigation.

“I’m thankful for my time there, but now I’m moving onto a different chapter in my life so I’ll see how it unfolds,” he told the Sydney Swans website.

“My sole focus from pretty much the start of the investigation was to move on from it. I denied any wrong doing the whole time. I know I’m definitely over the whole situation ...”

Talia played 30 AFL games in his four seasons at the kennel and hopes to settle into the Sydney defence come Round 1.

However, his first pre-season at the Swans hit a speed bump when he suffered a finger dislocation during a training accident.

The 22-year-old required surgery, but he is expected to rejoin full training after the Christmas break and is on track to feature during the NAB Challenge.

Talia said a silver lining was that the injury would allow him time to build his aerobic capacity.

“I’ve definitely noticed there’s more endurance-based running here at Sydney. That’s probably the one thing I’ve noticed most — the amount of running between drills. At the moment I’m still adjusting ... across the board they are a lot more fitter group here at Sydney.”

Originally published as Sydney Swans recruit Michael Talia holds no grudge towards Western Bulldogs