When the South Melbourne team ran onto Collingwood’s Victoria Park ground for the opening round match of the 1973 season, it marked yet another link in an extraordinarily varied Swan career.

The game represented the VFL coaching debut of former champion centre half-forward Graeme John, who had played 77 games in the red and white from 1964-69.

John’s games total might have been modest, but his playing influence was immense as he had battled a serious knee injury for much of his career and also combined football with a rapidly influential business career.

Collingwood defeated South by 76 points in that opening 1973 match, but John had few stars at his disposal, with Peter Bedford as club captain. Although the Swans struggled for most of the season in collecting the wooden-spoon, insiders could tell that the Swans would not be at the bottom for long.

In fact, South climbed to ninth the following season, with John winning a newspaper award as “coach of the year”.

Unfortunately John’s burgeoning business career in the trucking industry meant his coaching career lasted just three seasons. However, his devotion to the Swans was never-ending and, over almost a lifetime of service, he played pivotal and diverse roles in the Swans’ fortunes, including serving as the Club’s president (1978-82).

Recruited from WAFL club East Perth, John was rated one of the best key forwards in Australia when he signed with the Swans.

As he put it in one interview, he wanted to be part of a rise to the top. Sadly, it took him until 2005 – more than 40 years after joining the Swans – to see his team taste the ultimate success.

John, whose son Gareth played 21 games with the Swans from 1990 to an enforced retirement because of a throat injury in 1993, was inducted into the Sydney Swans Hall of Fame in 2011. There have been few more worthy recipients.

John also served the AFL with distinction as a Commissioner from 2001-11 and ended his business career as CEO of Australia Post.