The 32-year-old produced 36 goals in 16 games in 2008 before an ankle injury cut his season short.
Recovery from the subsequent surgery slowed his preparation for this year, but O’Loughlin said he was on the verge of his best after the Swans’ 55-point win against Port Adelaide on Sunday.
“It was seven and a half months since I played my first game against Richmond and I felt a bit out of whack. I was getting my hands on the footy, but it’s just great to be back running around,” he said.
“Every week I’m improving and when I get six, seven or eight games under my belt, I’ll be back to where I was last year.
“The touch is there early now, so I feel okay when I’m getting around the footy. There are few times when I get a bit tired – fitness-wise, I’m still playing catch-up – but overall, as each week’s going past, my body’s feeling good and hopefully, another three or four games, I’ll be better.”
O’Loughlin was lively up forward against the Power on Sunday but he was one of the few Swans who didn’t enjoy a flawless goalkicking record on the day.
The home side had 10.1 at one stage during the second quarter as they blew Port Adelaide out of the water in the first half.
He finished with 1.2, which could have been 2.2 had he not dropped a simple mark just seconds before the final siren.
Coach Paul Roos was delighted with O’Loughlin’s creativity, lauding it as a key part of the club’s best performance of the season.
“It was disappointing I couldn’t hold on to that mark – it would have finished it off,” he said.
“It was an okay game and I got my hands on the footy a little bit, but I think overall that was probably our best team game for the year and the workload was shared among everyone.
“It was important that our midfielders got their hands on the footy early and got in into the forward line. I think we had 11 midfield goals so it was great to share that role.”
O’Loughlin said it was even more satisfying to celebrate the AFL’s Indigenous Round with a victory in front of his home crowd.
“We’ve got a big indigenous following in Sydney with the Koori people. They really get behind the Swannies every time I’m out at schools and communities; they love watching Goodesy and they love the Swannies,” he said.
“It was great to play in this round and to win it, especially. Commiserations to the indigenous boys at Port but we’ll take the win and it really sets our season up now.
“That’s the first time we’ve won two in a row, so hopefully we can get the ball rolling now.”
