Dan Hannebery backed up his breakout 2010 AFL Rising Star year with a solid 2011 season which further enhanced his reputation.
Dan played all of the Swans 24 games, and despite a fairly quiet start to the season, he was a key ball winner for the club in the second half of the year. Dan finished as the Swans fourth-highest possession-getter for 2011.
The young Swan brought more to the team than just possessions, however. Dan is always one of the most vocal players on and off the park, and his fearless acts against Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer and Essendon's Michael Hurley showed courage beyond his midfielder frame.
Hanners caught up with sydneyswans.com.au to discuss the highs and lows of his 2011 season...
You started the season fairly quietly but then hit your straps. What started to go right for you?
I worked hard the whole time on the training track and didn’t change too much there. But it was probably that I just put less pressure on myself and started to get back to the real basics of playing, and not over-analysing every kick and handball or every stoppage. I played a bit more on instinct. If you go back to the basics when you’re in a bit of a form slump, that is the best way to get out of it.
Who amongst your team-mates stood out for you this year?
The young guys, Reidy and Luke Parker were sensational, the way they stepped up, but for me it was Alex Johnson. I grew up with him and I always knew he was a great athlete but I wasn’t sure how he’d go this year, after playing with him at school and at Oakleigh Chargers. I was just amazed at how good he was all year, to be honest. He was sensational and he’s got so much upside, I think he’s set himself up for a huge year in 2012 and a great career.
My housemate Gary Rohan doesn’t need to be pumped up too much, he just needs to make sure he keeps a level head. I always pump up Gazza so I have to give those other guys a wrap.
Does the group of young players coming through the Club make you feel positive about the next few years?
It’s really good playing with those guys and when Parks and Alex came in during the season I remember looking at them and thinking ‘I’ve got these young guys beside me’ and it gives you confidence knowing you’ve got guys a similar age to you out there. You can drive each other and help each other out as you’re in the same situation. There are other young guys like Trent and Jetts, and Josh (Kennedy) is only 22, and Mummy is 23 and Kizza is only 24. There’s a good 10 or 12 of us, and if we work hard we can be a part of some success.
What steps does the team need to take next year?
If you look at West Coast who got the wooden spoon in 2010, they obviously came back and worked hard but they also improved their skills and I think that’s what we need to do to climb the ladder. Just make sure we work on those and get really predictable with each other from the backs to the mids to the forwards, so our skills are right up there. The way we go about it, being hard and tough and the way we tackle, there are no issues there with contested footy. We know we’ve got to keep doing that and if we don’t we’ll lose. But if we keep doing that as our foundation and improve our skills we can jump up.
