Dane Swan gives the impression off the field that the AFL is far from the most important thing in his life.
The Collingwood star's manic work to set up team-mate Jarryd Blair for a crucial goal in Saturday's win over Carlton showcased the true extent of his competitive nature.
The 2011 Brownlow Medallist produced a vintage performance and was best afield as Collingwood broke their six-game losing streak with a scrappy 18-point win over Carlton.
The Blues closed to within three points early in the last quarter, before Collingwood pulled clear to win 16.9 (105) to 13.9 (87).
Swan had 41 possessions and kicked three goals, two in the last term.
But the highlight of his game was a passage of congested play where he battled furiously and finally worked the ball out to Blair.
The resulting goal put the Magpies three goals ahead late in the final quarter to ensure the win.
The laid-back, heavily-tattooed Swan has rallied superbly from last season, which was ruined by injuries and described by him as putrid.
"He's always had that breakout (from) congestion as one of his really strong points," coach Nathan Buckley said.
"One thing that he hides behind that exterior that looks like it CBF'd is a real want to win."
Asked what CBF'd meant, Buckley smiled and said "I don't even know".
Buckley said his players would not have an uglier win in their lives but was pleased and relieved that they eventually closed out the match.
"When you have a run like we've had, invariably it doesn't come with a breakout, it comes with a bit of an ugly performance," Buckley said.
Another highlight was the successful return of tall utility Ben Reid, who kicked four goals in his first game this season after a succession of injuries.
Buckley said Magpies fans should not expect too much from Reid but added he gave them a target in attack that they had missed the past few weeks.
It was a much better performance from Carlton, who were coming off a record loss to Hawthorn and a hiding from North Melbourne.
Coach John Barker made a point this week by dropping Chris Yarran and Troy Menzel.
"I talked about grit last week and talked about intent this week," Barker said.
"We showed that for the full four quarters - we just let ourselves down with our decision making, skill execution, over-use (of the ball)."
The Blues also paid for several costly errors in the last term.
Captain Marc Murphy was their best, while second-year player Patrick Cripps again showed he is a well on the way to star billing.
Cripps, a Rising Star award favourite, had an outstanding six clearances in the last quarter.
"He's turning into a man very, very quickly," Barker said.
Only 48,133 fans attended the match, reflecting the two teams' poor form.
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