Collingwood great Dane Swan admits ‘I had zero interest in being an AFL footballer’ and names the sport he calls his ‘first love’ – before hitting Kane Cornes with a BRUTAL put-down
- Said he only played footy cause there were no video gamesÂ
- Enjoyed another sport, but admits he was not very good at itÂ
- Took a big swing at former player Kane CornesÂ
Could Dane Swan have been the next big Aussie name in the NBA back in the ’90s?
While the Collingwood great probably would have loved the chance to join the likes of Andrew Gaze and Shane Heal in the glory days of the sport, his chances probably would have been slim.
But speaking on Channel’s 7 The Front Bar on Thursday night, Swan admitted that playing AFL was never on his radar as a kid – but slam dunks were.Â
‘I had zero interest in being an AFL footballer,’ he said.
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‘I always played footy, I guess [because] there was no internet and online gaming back then. The Nintendo had just come out with Duck Hunt.’
Instead, Swan spent his youth playing basketball during a boom period for the sport. There was only problem. Â
‘Basketball was probably my first love, but I can’t jump, shoot or dribble,’ he said as the studio audience laughed.
Despite not loving the game as a kid, Swan became an AFL champion and enjoyed a long career with CollingwoodÂ
Swan admits he probably would have chucked footy away if online video games were a thing when he was a kid
Swan was then asked to name the toughest opposition player he had ever lined up against and had to have a brief think about it.
He then named former Geelong champion Cameron Ling because with the likes of Gary Abblett and Chris Judd ‘you can get your own footy, they don’t care about you’.
When asked who was his easiest opponent, Swan was much quicker to answer.
‘Kane Cornes,’ he declared.
What made him so easy?
‘Where do we start?’ Swan fired back.
Even as a grown up Swan looks cranky as he emerges from the freezing cold ocean during a recovery session with the Magpies
While Swan never reached any dizzying heights in basketball, he did get to live out his hoop dreams recently – sort of.Â
In 2018, Swan was appointed as an unconventional Australian ambassador to the United States.Â
As part of the agreement, he was tasked with promoting iconic Australian products such as meat pies and footy, while also participating in a high-profile NBA basketball game.
While footy might not have been his first love, it become one of Dane Swan’s greatest – especially in 2011 when he claimed the Brownlow Medal
The Brownlow Medallist flew to the US to attend an Australia-themed match featuring Melbourne’s Ben Simmons who was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers at the time.
The goal was to strengthen the sporting ties between the two nations.
During his visit, the Collingwood legend had the opportunity to ring the Nasdaq Stock Exchange bell in Philadelphia, as well as the ceremonial bell at the Simmons-led clash between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Chicago Bulls.Â
Swan also presided over a pie-eating competition and made an appearance on a morning TV show in Philadelphia.
