Nathan Buckley tells Dane Swan Collingwood wants him to play on in 2017
COLLINGWOOD wants injured star Dane Swan to play on, but the Brownlow medallist remains steadfast that he won’t continue his career if he has even the slightest doubt.
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COLLINGWOOD wants injured star Dane Swan to play on, but the Brownlow medallist remains steadfast that he won’t continue his career if he has even the slightest doubt.
Swan, 32, met with coach Nathan Buckley over breakfast last week and said the conversation was “really positive”.
The midfielder is contracted to the end of this season but is facing a battle to return to football after suffering three broken bones in his foot — including a serious Lisfranc fracture — in Round 1 of this season.
“From what I can gather, yeah, they would be really keen to have me play on but I’m not going to play on if I don’t think I can contribute at the level that I want to and I know I can,” Swan said on Triple M on Friday morning.
“It really all comes down to my foot. If my foot is OK and I think I can play at a high level, I certainly will try and play on, but I’m not going to go through a year like I did a couple of years ago and get half way through pre-season and think ‘What am I doing, I can’t even run’ and all the supporters start hating me and the club starts thinking they’ve made a mistake my re-signing me.”
Swan said he would never consider playing at another club.
“Absolutely not. Maybe Westmeadows – the local club,” he joked.
Magpies president Eddie McGuire praised Swan’s honesty throughout his recovery, saying the club won’t put itself before his long-term health.
“There is no-one who loves the club more than Dane Swan and he has been absolutely nothing more than so honest in the way he has gone about it,” McGuire said.
“We don’t want Swanny having to think ‘Oh jeez. I’m going to have to really go hard here and show that I can get back’ and maybe even muck up his leg for the rest of his life or something.
“We want him to get himself right and if it is all systems go, the first bloke picked on the list is Dane Swan.”
Key forward Travis Cloke — who hasn’t featured at senior level since Round 4 — will find out later on Friday if he is in the final 22 that will face Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Swan said his teammate will be better for his time in the VFL and is backing him to return to being a dominant force.
“The footy club have made him earn (his spot), which is their decision. He got sent back and told some things he had to work on and had to find some enjoyment again,” Swan said.
“He had to be picked on his merit and on his form and I think the last game he played he marked really well and kicked four and contested really well which was exactly what Bucks was asking of him.
“He hasn’t been gifted it – they wouldn’t have picked him if he hadn’t played well.
“I have no doubt that he’ll have a big impact for us going forward. We certainly need him in the finals.
“He’s a big-game player and when he’s at his best, he takes as good a contested mark as anyone. In finals you know that’s exactly what you need. I have no doubt that he’s going to be better for the month in the twos and he’ll come out and really play some good footy.”
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