Swans rapt with big Fan Day turn-out

Sunny skies saw over 2000 Swans fans flock to the SCG on Sunday morning for the Club's first Sydney Fan Day in eight years.

The Sydney Swans team and coaching staff were on deck to meet the red and white faithful, as supporters got acquainted with the team's many new faces. It was an extremely warm welcome for the newest Swans, with loud cheers reserved for young guns Lewis Jetta and Gary Rohan as they were formally introduced to the crowd.

And the fans showed how excited they are about having Tadhg Kennelly back on board this year when he was greeted with rousing applause.

Those at Fan Day were treated to skills sessions with the team, autographs sessions, tours of the locker room and clinics on the SCG.

The Sydney Swans membership team were also on hand and were very happy with the number of people who signed up today.

One of the activities that drew most interest was the media zone, where members of the public got to play reporter for a day and ask questions of players and coaches, including Daniel Bradshaw, Ryan O'Keefe, Adam Goodes, Stuart Dew and John Blakey.

Dew, a development coach who joined the Swans at the end of 2009 after winning premierships with Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, was asked about the new draftees and said there was an exciting year ahead for the Club. He predicted 2009 draftees Lewis Jetta, Gary Rohan and Trent Dennis-Lane were highly likely to make early debuts in 2010.

“Looking at the team, there is going to be quite a bit of depth and if you put the best team up on paper, and the reserves, it looks pretty promising," Dew said.

“We’ve already seen Lewis Jetta play some good football so you’d assume he’d play at some stage. Gary Rohan has improved a lot since he got here so you’d put some money on him playing seniors too and Trent Dennis-Lane was on track to push for selection in round one until he copped a knock on his knee.

“I would think in the first 10 rounds all those three guys would play some football, which is probably a little bit different to what Sydney has been used to. In the past they’ve had a lot of experience and quite a set selection, so it can only be good for the club if these young players are putting pressure on the senior list because that is where success comes from, when you’ve got pressure from within," Dew said.

Co-captain Adam Goodes was asked about the biggest challenge facing the team this year. “The biggest challenge is that there are a lot of new faces, and we are all keen to see how we respond as a group when the pressure is on in round one. The team looks different, feels different, and that feels quite exciting at the moment," Goodes said.

The day concluded with a huge kick-to-kick session on the SCG turf, with hundreds of young (and young at heart) footballers taking advantage of the opportunity to live out their dreams of being star Swans players - throwing on their Guernseys, grabbing a footy and having a kick.

Coach Paul Roos said it was a great day for the Club and its supporters. “We are really excited by the year ahead and so pleased by the support we have received today at our Fan Day.

“It seemed like everyone who came through the gates today enjoyed getting to meet all the players. It is important to show all our members and supporters how much we appreciate their support," Roos said.

“We only have two weeks until our round one game at ANZ Stadium against St Kilda and we hope between now and then that we can sign up even more members and get a big crowd to cheer us on against last year’s grand finalists.”