All roads led to Nangwarry on Saturday when Collingwood legend Dane Swan joined the Nangwarry Saints senior side for Round 1 Mid South East footy action against the Mount Burr Mozzies.

Swan marched onto Nangwarry’s home turf in the red, white and black much to the delight of the huge crowd which filled the ground.

Senior coach Shane “Tassie” Raymond, pictured above with Swan, said the event received a fantastic turnout.

“It was really pleasing to see the supporters come and support the event,” Raymond said.

“It was a great finals-type atmosphere, which is exactly what the club was aiming for,” Raymond said.

“Through all the hard work of all the volunteers behind the scenes and on the day, it is great to see their efforts rewarded.”

Despite the classy play of Swan, the Saints went down to the Mount Burr Mozzies by 89 points 17.24 to 5.7.

“Swanny had an impact early in the game, taking plenty of intercept marks across the back line,” Raymond said.

“Our first half started really well, but probably the experience of Mount Burr got a hold of us in the second half.

“We are pretty well a new side and we are remaining positive and upbeat, we will dust ourselves off and we will be a lot better for the run.”

Raymond said the match was a great way to showcase the club and said the feedback from the public had been fantastic.

“A lot of people have not ventured to Nangwarry before or set foot in our clubrooms, so it was fantastic exposure for our club,” he said.

“We are really thankful to the hard-working volunteers that put such a great event on and to be supported by the supporters in the way it was is a fantastic achievement and result for our football club.”

Swan hoped putting a spotlight on Nangwarry for the day showed people what a great club it was and hoped they could work their way up the ladder.

“There are some wonderful people in the club,” he said.

“I thought the weather might turn a few off but it was a full crowd that I played in front of, so that just shows that people here love their footy club.

“Hopefully I helped a little bit out on the ground with some words of advice, but in the end it is more just about getting people here, having a good day, raising some money and showing people that this is a great club.

“It was an awesome turnout, great to see.”

Event coordinator Mick ‘Chappo’ Chaplin said Swan playing for Nangwarry was the talk of the town in the lead-up to the game.

“We were stoked, I think it was a great turnout considering the weather was not really on our side, but it ended up being a good day all in all,” Chaplin said.

“At a rough guess I would say there would have been around 1500 people or so.

“I think it was a good event to showcase our new facilities and showcase what we can actually do and how much of an organised club we can be.

“I never thought in all my time that I would ever be able to say that I had seen someone as big as Dane Swan play in a place like Nangwarry, just a little country town that most people would never have heard of.”

Chaplin said the auction held after the game raised funds for the club and all the hard work organising the event had paid off.

“Thank you to everyone that helped make it happen and everyone that made the effort to get out and support what we put a lot of time and effort into to try and make happen,” he said.

“It was just all-round a terrific day and very well supported by the wider community.

“Thank you to all the sponsors, all the people that helped make it happen, these sorts of things do not happen without all the sponsors helping make these days happen.”

Nangwarry Football Club president Shane Ploenges thanked everyone involved in organising the first game for the season.

“Whilst we did not get the win and points for the game overall it was a massive win for the club,” Ploenges said.

“The exposure and vibe around the day was incredible.

“To all those who were involved in getting the day sorted thank you for your efforts.

“To the great sponsors who jumped on board thank you very much, your support was greatly appreciated.

“To all the volunteers who put their hands up and gave us a hand, some not even associated with the club, cheers for your help.”