The Sydney Swans’ fairy-tale victory at the SCG on Saturday afternoon could not have been scripted better.

Those are the words of emerging Swan Jordan Dawson after the footy gods appeared from the clouds in Sydney’s 45-point win over St Kilda, ensuring the farewells of four clubs greats and a star forward’s 300^th AFL match were celebrated in magical fashion.

A spirited 33,722-strong crowd flocked to the SCG to wave goodbye to Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack, Heath Grundy and Nick Smith, and cheer on Lance Franklin as the 32-year-old joined the 300-game club.

The footy gods were at their playwriting best as McVeigh and Jack goaled in the final quarter, and there was one question on everyone’s mind as the jubilant Swans departed the turf under a fading Sydney sky: have five players ever been chaired off together?

An adoring Dawson offered an insight into the emotional afternoon.

“I was talking about it with a few of the players and you couldn’t have scripted it better,” Dawson told SwansTV.

“To get ‘Macca’ and ‘Kizza’ a goal in the last quarter was pretty special.

“I was on the bench with Josh Kennedy when McVeigh kicked his goal, but it was unbelievable. You couldn’t have scripted it any better and the boys got around it pretty hard.

“About five minutes before ‘Kizza’ kicked his goal, Josh Kennedy told him to get forward because he was playing down back, so he swapped with Tommy McCartin and pushed himself forward. It was unbelievable. To see how the boys got around him like that shows how big a player he’s been for the club and how well liked he is as well.”

Sydney lost 1048 games of experience as the final siren reverberated throughout the SCG.

McVeigh rounded out his career on 325 AFL games, joining Jude Bolton as the second-most-capped Swan in history, with Jack and Grundy finishing on 256 matches and Smith 211.

McVeigh, Jack, Grundy and Smith were all members of Sydney’s 2012 premiership victory against Hawthorn, and they lay claim to three All Australian blazers and three Bob Skilton medals between them.

In an indication of their enormous impact on the thriving growth of Australian rules football in NSW, McVeigh and Jack are also members of the greatest NSW team of all time.

Dawson was among the many young Swans in awe of the four retiring Sydney champions as they headed for the rooms after the game.

“It probably hasn’t sunk in for a lot of us that those guys are retiring, but I’m sure they will cherish today for the rest of their lives,” Dawson said. 

“To see them all get chaired off after a win like that was pretty special.”

He stands at 199 centimetres and weighs in at 105 kilograms, but the Swans had no trouble finding the cattle to chair off Franklin, with big-framed teammates Sam Reid and Aliir Aliir doing the honours. 

The four-time Coleman medallist returned for his first match since tearing his hamstring in Round 14 to become just the 89^th player in VFL/AFL history to have reached 300 games.

The seventh-greatest goal-kicker in the game’s history marked the occasion with a match-high four goals as his parents – Lance snr and Urshula – and four sisters – Katherine, Rechelle, Bianca and Bree – watched on from the stands.

Dawson marvels at the footballer Franklin is.

“He’s come off nine weeks out with a hamstring injury and come out and kicked four goals in his 300^th,” Dawson said.

“It was just as special to get the win for him as it was for the other boys.”

While the boots of four long-time warriors of the Sydney Swans Football Club were hung up on Saturday, it’s now time for Dawson and company – led by Franklin – to enter the new frontier.