It was a far cry from playing in front of 100,000 at the MCG and the ill-effects were felt for the next fortnight, but Ben McGlynn wouldn’t have had it any other way.

It has been a lifelong dream to play football with his three brothers and, on a sunny afternoon last month, the wheels were set in motion when McGlynn returned to his home town of Dareton to pull on the boots again and line up alongside his younger sibling Zach for the local Wentworth Kangaroos.

Wentworth, the neighbouring town to Dareton in the south-west corner of NSW, at the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers, loves its country football but loves the McGlynn family more.

Generations of talented McGlynns have pulled on the red, white and blue jumper over the years including Ben and Zach, and their older brothers Shaun and Jason, so it was no surprise to anyone from around those parts that nearly every man and his dog turned out to catch one of the Swans’ favourite sons in action.

And the marquee recruit didn’t let the masses down, his three goals and best-on-ground performance led the Roos to a three-point first-round victory over the Imperials.

“It was a pretty special occasion, for me and the family and the footy club,” McGlynn said. “To the get the win was a moment Zach and I will cherish forever.”

One game down, will we see all four of the McGlynn boys back for that highly-anticipated return?

“That’s the dream,” he added.

“They’re (Shaun and Jason) both living in Western Australia at the moment but once they settle back home we might pull the boots on again.

“I’m pretty lucky that injuries haven’t hampered me post-football and that I can get back and have a kick. It was great to get back home, have a bit of fun with no pressure and to just enjoy footy for what it is.

“I do miss running around but, honestly, I think my body is appreciating retirement though because after the game it took me a good two weeks before I could even break into a trot.”

Retirement has been far from quiet for the 31-year-old, who these days works for St Kilda as a development coach.

He’s been putting his experience and knowledge to good use since calling time on his playing career, working closely with the Saints’ VFL affiliate Sandringham, which sits fifth on the ladder with three wins and one loss after four rounds of competition.

McGlynn admits while it has been quite a challenging transition, staying involved in the game has made adapting to life after football much easier.

“I’m enjoying still being involved in football, I still get that fix seeing the boys prepare for the weekend and competing week to week,” McGlynn said,

“If I was in a different industry or field it would have definitely been harder and made me miss football more.”

Soon after switching to Sydney in 2009, McGlynn became a living embodiment of the Swans’ widely-admired culture.

His competitiveness, resilience and team-first approach quickly won the respect of his coaches and teammates, while the small midfielder-forward became a favourite among fans.

Though things didn’t always go his way, having missed out on the 2012 Premiership due to injury before playing in two losing grand finals (2014 and 2016), McGlynn never felt wronged by football and by the end felt extremely honoured to have enjoyed a career spanning 171 games and 11 seasons with Sydney and Hawthorn.

It was probably this strong character which appealed to St Kilda, prompting the Saints to come a-knocking.

“It has been great to see a different culture and organisation,” McGlynn said of his new surroundings.

“St Kilda is a great club and they’re building, so it has been great to learn a few things while help them in a few different areas, not only in a football sense but in an off-field sense as well.

“They’ve really embraced me in regard to where I’ve come from and I’ve fitted in well.”

McGlynn will enjoy “one last hoorah” with his former club at Friday’s Legends Lunch in Melbourne, joining former teammate Ted Richards for an afternoon of celebration and reflection at ZINC at Federation Square.

Still coming down from the euphoria of his lap of honour at the SCG in Round 3, McGlynn says he’s been amazed with the support shown by supporters since his retirement and can’t wait for tomorrow’s event.

“I think I can speak for Ted as well in saying we’ve been overwhelmed with the support shown in terms of the lap of honour and being recognised for our contribution,” he added.

“To be sent off by our Melbourne supporters this time and to celebrate with them is something I’m really looking forward to.”