Dane Rampe called time on his illustrious 14-year AFL career last Friday morning, with the 36-year-old deciding to hang up his boots after a career that saw him become one of the most respected and decorated players in the Club's history. 

The 2019 Bob Skilton Medal recipient enjoyed and experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows throughout his time at the Sydney Swans. Playing in four Grand Finals, All-Australian selections and leading the Club he grew up dreaming to play for. 

The start to Rampe’s career was one characterised by hardship, perseverance and overall resilience - attributes that Rampe has become known for during his tenure with the Sydney Swans.    

Rampe was denied at four national drafts until he landed a spot at the Club with pick 37 in the 2013 AFL rookie draft.  On his final day at the club, the 289 game-seasoned professional reflected on the start of his career and how he has matured from a 22-year-old training-on rookie, that was last for his first-team meeting to finally being drafted by his boyhood club.  

“My first day was I was training on to try and get drafted. So, I spent a pre-season as a non-listed player,” Rampe said. 

“I'm going to start with my first day because I was pretty, I was pretty… Lackadaisy. I'd found myself at the Swans through a year playing with UNSW, and it was the year after I'd come back from Melbourne.  

“[After a successful year in the VFL, I had the] I don't care about footy kind of outlook, which in turn helped me play better footy. That wasn't the case, but I didn't know that at that stage.”  

Needing to be at a pre-season team meeting at 8 am, Rampe, who lived only 15 minutes away from the SCG, encountered countless interruptions from school traffic, parking delays, gate closures and building access.  

“I was like, I'll leave Clovelly at 7:45, and I should be there, you know, 10 minutes. I can just fang around, and I'll go through Centennial Park, come out just the other side of it. It's like not a big issue,” Rampe said 

After navigating the entertainment quarter parking and road closures, Rampe finally made it down to the team meeting room after gaining access to the building through a confused but helpful physio.  

“This was, like, a comedy of errors. It's about 8:15 by this stage,” Rampe said.

“One of the physios ended up coming downstairs and seeing me and just, like, being like, who are you, mate?  [So we] walked down [and] he's like, they're in a meeting. 

“[This was] my first interaction with the club, the first of five years. They're watching through some vision in the meeting in the room where we sit after the games. 

“And I just walk in, put my thumb up [and] I go, g'day, boys. I'm Dane and just, like, park myself on the floor. There was, like, a minute left in the meeting and I managed to hear that we were doing a 3K time trial. I was like, okay, this is how it starts.” 

Rampe, in disbelief in what was his first impression to the Swans playing group that consisted of premiership winner Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery who questioned the new Swan. 

“They're kind of looking at me, just being, like, who are you? How dare you? And then I get a message from a call from Kinnear Beetson, who was the recruiting manager, being like, you are taking the absolute mickey, aren't you?”  

 “Anyway, I'd like to say I let my football do the talking then and had a really good pre-season.” 

It was that pre-season that would ultimately lead to Rampe getting drafted by the Swans. For many, being drafted is an enormous occasion filled with joy, excitement and euphoria. For Rampe, who had already faced false promises when it came to being drafted, the moment was less celebratory and more reliving, knowing that years of extra work and decision-making finally paid off.   

“So, Kinn came to tell me in the weights room before… He'd probably come to me at 9 a.m. and was like, mate, congratulations. We're going to take you in the rookie draft,” Rampe said. 

“I was like, oh, hell yeah. Like, let's go. Kind of stoked. 

“But then I was a little bit reluctant to get too excited. The reason is that my first year in Melbourne, I did a preseason with the Western Bulldogs, and I had the same thing happen to me by one of the recruiters there.  

“I remember in my car in Melbourne just being like [waiting for the announcement], and I was like, this is it, this is my moment. Refreshed, and it was like the name was Patrick Rose, who was another Williamstown player at the time.  

"I was 19 at the time, and I ended up just driving home that night. Packed my bag and drove. I was like, I'm done with this.” 

Waiting eagerly and anxiously in Fox Studios, Rampe’s name was finally called, a moment that he had longed for and a moment that would set up one of the most storied careers in the club's history.   

“It was like pick 37 or something in the rookie draft, and it came up and refreshed the feed, and I saw my name pop up, and that was the moment,” Rampe said 

“I remember having a moment to myself, getting a little bit emotional… and yeah, that was the first moment. I remember that really clearly because I guess I'd been hurt; I'd been teased with it before, and to finally see my name pop up was everything I'd dreamed of and just, a lot of reward for the hard work."