Dan Hannebery will forever be a Swans favourite. And five years after his exit from the club he’s declared he’s still a Swans man, and always will be.
“I think when you spend 10 years at a club, win a premiership, share so many great experiences and make so many great friends like I did in Sydney, it’s always going to be the case,” Hannebery said this week.
“I loved my time there and will always be grateful for everything they did for me. In the end, what happened happened (when he moved to St Kilda in 2018), but nothing will change my connection to the Swans.
“I miss all those people (although) I’m still in regular contact with guys like Joey Kennedy, Kieren Jack, Dane Rampe and ‘Macca’ (Jarrad McVeigh) … and even Bud (Lance Franklin) and Tommy (Papley). And I see a lot of Alex Johnson in Melbourne too.”
But, speaking ahead of the unofficial ‘Dan Hannebery Cup’ between Sydney and St Kilda at the SCG on Thursday night, the now 32-year-old was careful not to exclude a strong bond he built in a much shorter time at the Saints with limited success.
Restricted to 18 games in four injury-plagued years in red, black and white, Hanneberry admitted if he knew in advance what was going to happen at St Kilda he would not have gone.
“But that’s football, and everyone at St Kilda was great to me .. especially all the medical people who gave me so much time and help. It’s just a pity my body let me down and it didn’t work out.”
Eight months younger than Rampe and four years younger than Franklin, Hannebery is still young enough to be playing. He even made a comeback this season with Old Xaverians in the Victoria Amateurs.
“I fell out of love with football a bit in my time at St Kilda, and in even in the couple of years in Sydney when I was injured. I’d pretty much stayed away from footy and I thought having a kick with my old school team might be a good thing,” he said.
It didn’t work out. In his first game back Hannebery copped an errant elbow and suffered a broken jaw. He’s had surgery to put a plate in his jaw, and although he didn’t totally discount a return later in the season it sounded unlikely.
Living in suburban Brighton in Melbourne with his partner, Hannebery is six months off finishing a master’s degree in finance and has a job lined up in the in property funds management space.
If his new career has anything to do with numbers and he can make them work like he did his football numbers, he’s going to be hugely successful.
Statistically, for a player who is 34th on the all-time Swans games list, Hannebery’s numbers are extraordinary. He is ninth in all-time possessions (5069), third in 30-possession games (57), third in all-time wins (135), seventh in all-time Brownlow Medal votes (106), equal fifth in finals (22) and third in finals possessions.
He finished equal sixth, fifth and equal fifth in the Brownlow in 2013, ’14, and ‘15, and in the six years from 2012-17 he ranked third-first-fifth-second-second-fourth in the Sydney Swans vote count.
He won the AFL Rising Star Award in 2010, was the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year in 2015, and while he didn’t win a Bob Skilton Medal, he finished top 10 seven times. He was runner-up in 2015 and ‘16, fourth in 2013, seventh in 2011 and 10th in 2010, and ‘12.
Originally from the Oakleigh Chargers in south-east Melbourne, Hannebery was only 27 when he played his 208th and last game in the #4 Swans jumper he wore more times than any other player in club history.
Hannebery was traded to St Kilda in October 2018 and his 18 games in four years with the Saints reaped eight wins, 374 possessions and five goals.
And, almost as if he was teasing his second club, the ever-combative left-footer produced his best in his only two games against Sydney, with his only 30-possession game and his only four Brownlow votes.
He had 28 possessions for one vote in the last game of 2019 at the SCG, when the Swans won by 45 points, and 30 possessions for three votes in the last game of 2022 at Marvel Stadium – his last game overall – when the Swans by 14.
The trade for the three-time All-Australian, in which St Kilda got Hannebery and pick #28 in the 2018 draft for Sydney’s pick #39 in the same draft and a future second-round pick, didn’t impact massively on the fortunes of either club.
Pick #39 helped the Swans ‘pay’ for Academy graduate Nick Blakey after GWS bid on him at #10, and the future pick, which became pick #36 in the 2019 draft, was used on Elijah Taylor, who played four games in 2020 before he was delisted.
The Saints traded pick #28 to Melbourne for pick #36 and #46, which they used to draft Jack Bytel, who has played 21 games in four years, and Matthew Parker, who played 19 games with St Kilda in 2019-20 and, after being delisted, added 11 games for Richmond in 2021-22 after being picked up in the 2021 mid-season rookie draft.
While his primary focus on Thursday night will be Franklin’s 350th game, Hannebery might also keep an eye on Ryan Clarke, who is wearing his old #4 jumper for the Swans, and the #10 jumper he wore all too briefly at the Saints, which is now the property of exciting youngster Mitch Owens.
Sydney v St Kilda – By the Numbers
Head-to-Head
The Sydney Swans have enjoyed a 24-1-12 head-to-head record against the Saints this century and have won 13 of the last 15 meetings between the sides, losing only at Marvel Stadium in 2021 and at the Gabba in the Covid season of 2020.
It’s 13-2 to the Swans at the SCG and 2-1 at Stadium Australia, 7-1-7 at Marvel, 1-1 at the MCG, 0-1 at the Gabba and 1-0 to the Swans in the first AFL played for premiership points overseas, when Sydney won by 16 points in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2013.
Common Players
Ten players have worn the colours of both clubs since 2000 – and it’s a star-studded list that between them boast 19 grand final appearances for the two clubs.
In addition to Dan Hannebery, Barry Hall, the Swans 2005 premiership captain, played in the 1997 AFL grand final with the Saints. Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster played in the Swans 2005 flag and the 2006 grand final loss before joining the Saints to play in three grand finals in 2009-10 – a draw and two losses. Paddy McCartin and Tom Hickey played in the 2022 grand final with Sydney after playing previously at St Kilda, and Zak Jones has taken the alternate route after playing in the 2016 grand final with Sydney.
The others to represent both clubs this century are Peter Everett, Trent Dennis-Lane and Tim Membrey.
Brownlow Medal Votes
Josh Kennedy polled more votes against St Kilda than any other club in his stellar 290-game career and topped the medal votes in Sydney v St Kilda games in this period. He was best afield five times and polled 17 votes to lead Luke Parker (10), Jarrad McVeigh (9), Adam Goodes (8) and Lance Franklin (8). Nick Riewoldt (14) leads the Saints’ count from Jack Steele (7), Brendon Goddard (6) and Lenny Hayes (6).
And if there’s a message for the Swans coaching staff from recent meetings between the clubs it is ‘’watch Steele”. The Saints captain has polled in four of the last five meetings between the two clubs, with a possession count of 23-31-34-29-27.
Like Dan Hannebery, who polled seven votes for Sydney against St Kilda and four votes for St Kilda against Sydney, Barry Hall has polled for both clubs in head-to-head meetings – one for St Kilda and two for Sydney.
Overall, Sydney lead the aggregate votes 116-88, have polled 55 times to St Kilda’s 47, and are 20-14 in three-vote ratings, but, oddly, in their last meeting at Marvel in Round 23 last year, when the visitors won by 14 points, St Kilda picked up all six votes – Dan Hannebery (3), Ben Long (2) and Jack Steele (1).
Possessions-Plus
Josh Kennedy topped 30 possessions in 35% of games throughout his career, but against the Saints it was a career-best 41% – seven in 17 to head the 30-possession game count in games between the clubs since 2000. Dan Hannebery topped 30 five times in the same period – four times for the Swans – while Jake Lloyd has had four of his 39 games of 30+ against St Kilda. Seb Ross and Jack Steven have had three each for the Saints. Lloyd and Hannebery share the record for most possessions in a Swans v Saints game at 39, while Brad Crouch (38) has had most for the Saints.
Major Goal-Kickers
Lance Franklin played his 200th AFL game against St Kilda at the SCG in Round 21, 2014. It was his first game for the Swans against the Saints and he celebrated with nine goals in a 71-point win. With 9-4 to his credit, ‘Bud’ out-scored the Saints (8-8) himself to hold the goal-kicking record between the clubs this century.
Franklin has had five games of four goals or more for Sydney against St Kilda – 9-6-4-4-4 - to be far and away his team’s most dangerous weapon.
Fraser Gehrig has been a similar standout for the Saints with 4-4-7-6. And in a freakish coincidence, his seven came in his 200th game against the Swans at Marvel in Round 10, 2006.
Barry Hall had a four and a five for Sydney against St Kilda, and two five-goal games for St Kilda against Sydney.
Highs & Lows
The Swans’ highest score against the Saints since 2000 was at Marvel Stadium in Round 21, 2016, when they kicked 23.8 (176) in a 70-point win. Lance Franklin kicked six goals and Tom Papley, Luke Parker, and Xavier Richards three each. Their biggest win against St Kilda was 12 months earlier in Round 22, 2015, when they prevailed by 97 points – 20.15 (135) to 4.14 (38). Isaac Heeney (4), Adam Goodes (3) and Kurt Tippett (3) led the onslaught. The Swans lowest score and biggest loss to the Saints came in Round 9, 2020 at the Gabba, when it 6.12 (48) to 15.11 (101).
Special Games
Michael O’Loughlin opened the 21st century with one of the great individual games between the clubs, picking up 31 possessions and kicking five goals in a 34-point Sydney win at Marvel Stadium in Round 1, 2000. He is the only player from either club to have 30 possessions and kick five goals in the same game. With footballer turned funnyman Ryan Fitzgerald kicking five goals on debut for the Swans and Brett Allison, Jason Ball and Andrew Schauble playing their first game in red and white, the Swans were six points down at halftime before O’Loughlin came to the rescue as they kicked 14.3 to 7.5 in the second half. In his 102nd game O’Loughlin picked up his first three-vote rating in the medal.
Matthew Nicks kicked a career-best six goals against St Kilda at the SCG in Round 21, 2001 and perhaps walked off a little disappointed. Playing his 109th game the 175-game Swan turned Adelaide Crows coach kicked 6.7 in an 87-point home win for three votes.
Two Old Mates
Thursday night’s game sees John Longmire and Ross Lyon lock horns in the coaching box for the 13th time in something of a reunion from almost 20 years ago after the pair were assistant-coach under Paul Roos at the Swans from 2004-06. The record favours Longmire 8-4, with one draw.
St Kilda Form Guide
Eleven games into their second stint under coach Ross Lyon, St Kilda will bring a 7-4 record to the SCG, having won their first four games before alternating win-loss since then. After beating Fremantle, Western Bulldogs, Essendon and Gold Coast they lost by six points to Collingwood at Adelaide Oval in Gather Round, beat Carlton by 22 points, lost by seven points to Port Adelaide at Marvel, beat North by 30 and lost by 52 to Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. They had their first interstate win when they beat the Giants by 12 points at the Sydney Showgrounds and suffered a surprise 10-point loss to Hawthorn in Round 11 before last weekend’s bye.
At Round 11, the last time the ladder was even, the Saints had the second-best defensive record in the League, having conceded just 761 points in 11 games (average 69.4 points) – two points more than ladder leaders Collingwood. And that despite giving up 121 points to the Crows – the only time their opposition has topped 90. At the same time St Kilda ranked 10th for scores for at 80.8 points per game.
Jack Sinclair (304) and Brad Crouch (295) have been far and away their leading ball-winners, while Jack Steele in third on averages 23.0 possessions per game from eight games. Small forwards Jack Higgins (22) and Jack Butler (16) have been their leading goal-kickers from Mitch Owens (13), Mason Wood (10), Jade Gresham (10) and Anthony Caminiti (10). Max King has kicked four goals in each of his two games returning from a knee reconstruction.
Callum Wilkie, who has played 96 games in a row since his debut in 2019, and Jack Sinclair, a 152-gamer in his ninth season, were named in the AFL website’s mid-season All-Australian team and head the St Kilda vote in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award. Sinclair has 39 votes and Wilkie 37 to head Rowan Marshall (33), Mason Wood (16), Mitch Owen (11) and Jack Higgins (10).
