Swans Hall of Fame star Barry Round has revealed the emotion of South Melbourne’s final game at Lake Oval, spurred on his best on ground performance, leading him to claim the 1981 Brownlow Medal.

Recounting the day in episode one of ‘The Bloods’, presented by QBE, Round describes the Round 22 clash against North Melbourne as ‘dark day’.

• Click here to listen to The Bloods - Leaving South Melbourne, Episode 1 on Apple Podcasts
• Click here to listen to The Bloods - Leaving South Melbourne, Episode 1 on Spotify

“People were genuinely crying. I tried to steel myself and do everything in my power to get us over the line that day against North Melbourne. But we fell a bit short. I was pretty emotional after the game, but as it turns out, that was the game that got me the three votes that won me the Brownlow,” Round recalls.

“It was a sad day. When we went in the rooms afterwards and some of our guys were throwing their boots in the rubbish bin, it was pretty bleak,” he says.

After running through an entirely black banner, Round went on to dominate the match, amassing 31 disposals and 19 marks.

But despite his best efforts to send South Melbourne out of Lake Oval on a winning note, Round was unable to orchestrate a victory, with the Swans ultimately going down by 33 points.

Later, Round would receive three Brownlow votes for his efforts, helping him claim the 1981 medal along with Fitzroy’s Bernie Quinlan.

Round is just one voice amongst a host of Swans stars to feature in the launch episode of ‘The Bloods’.

‘The Bloods’ begins in the turbulent times of the early 1980s, with South Melbourne facing severe financial distress and relocation to Sydney. Among those featured in episode one, are Tony Morwood, Rick Quade, Silvio Foschini and John Rantall.

Episodes of ‘The Bloods’, presented by QBE will drop weekly.