2009 season
Continuing on from his 2008 successes, Dane Swan took his game to an even higher level in 2009 leading the competition in total disposals (760), total kicks (444), third in total inside 50s (122) and sixth in total goal assists (23).

The 2009 Copeland Trophy winner joined an elite group of Collingwood players who have won back-to-back best-and-fairest awards, accomplished by only 12 men before him including club champions Bob Rose, Murray Weideman, Len Thompson and Nathan Buckley.

Receiving extra attention from his opponents, Swan’s ability to find the ball never let up collecting over 30-possessions at one point for eight straight weeks (round 13 to round 20).

He electrified the crowd when he hit 48-possessions in the side’s big win over Port Adelaide in round 10.

The only disappointment to a wonderful season was Swan’s return at the Brownlow polling only 12 votes.

If there is any room for improvement in Swan’s game it’s his poor delivery by foot (60.4%), a statistic he will look to improve on in 2010.

Career
Swan managed just 30 games in his first four seasons in the system at Collingwood, and although he played some solid football in that time, no one predicted his startling rise to prominence in 2006, where he played 21 games and finished sixth in the EW Copeland Trophy voting. Swan mainly rotated through the midfield and seemed to be able to drift forward at the most opportune moments. His first nine weeks, where he averaged nearly 26 disposals and kicked 15 goals, were simply outstanding, before a hamstring injury suffered against Brisbane in round ten sidelined him until round 13. He didn't let his excellent 2006 be a one-off though, with Swan taking his game to yet another level in 2007 with a fourth-place finish in the Copeland voting and a fine finals series.  In 2008 Swan won the Copeland Trophy and the Bob Rose Award (best player in the finals) after a remarkable season.  His major improvement came in the form of consistency never dropping below 15 disposals a game.   His 2009 season led commentators to place Swan in the ‘elite’ bracket of midfielders after he averaged 30.8 disposals for the season.  Capped off another sensational season by winning back-to-back Copeland Trophies.�

Draft history:
2001 AFL Draft 4th round selection (Collingwood) No. 58 overall