The Sydney Swans have today announced their acquisition of former Geelong Cats forward Dan Menzel on a 1-year contract.
Taken by Geelong in the 2009 AFL Draft with pick 17, the forward played 73 games, kicking 100 goals for the Cats before being delisted after the 2018 AFL Finals.
The 27-year-old was a rising star of the game in 2011, winning a nomination for the AFL Rising Star against St Kilda in Round 13, before suffering his first ACL rupture on his right knee in the first round of the finals.
Menzel suffered three more ruptures before finally returning to the senior team in Round 22, 2015 against Collingwood, booting four goals.
Despite several injury setbacks, Menzel played 18 and 19 games in 2016 and 2017, going goalless just four times, while kicking four goals on five separate occasions.
He was one of the early runners for the Coleman medal this season, booting 14 goals in his first four games, including a career-equal high haul of five against St Kilda, picking up the three Brownlow votes.
New Swans Head of Football Charlie Gardner says the club is looking forward to having Menzel in the forward line.
“Dan is a great talent and a proven performer at senior level with Geelong. He brings a wealth of footy experience to our group and we are confident he can add real value to our squad,” Gardiner said.
“Dan has shown tremendous character to work through his injury challenges in his career to date and has shown in his past three seasons that he’s still got a lot to offer at senior level. We hope that a change of scene and a new environment will only strengthen his football.
“Dan will add to our attack and our scoring ability and has a lot to offer our team and our young and emerging forwards.”
Menzel, who's still overseas in the United States, said that he can't wait to start the next chapter of his career.
“I’m really thankful and excited at the opportunity the Swans have given me and I’m looking forward to getting into the club and training with my new teammates,” Menzel said.
“Success is obviously a real motivator and the Swans were really appealing to me for that reason.”
This is a fantastic acquisition for the Sydney Swans and gives the maligned forward line another genuine attacking option.
Menzel's average of 2 goals per game over the last 50 games is elite, with only a handful of forwards bettering it.
Welcome to the Swans Dan! Can't wait to see you banging through 3-to-4 each game.
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