mmg.com.au

The lure for players to return home to play football has had positive and negative implications for Shepparton Swans this week.

Danny Haysom has left Princess Park to join home town club Nagambie, but former local Andrew Riordan has jumped on board.

Riordan was raised at Katandra and attended school in Shepparton, before moving to Geelong, where he won Geelong Football League club Grovedale’s best-and-fairest award last season.

He follows in the footsteps of fellow GFL recruit Dan Lovick and is yet another significant addition to the Swans’ list, which now includes experienced trio Tyson Sidebottom, Hayden Best and Rob Osborne.

Developing Rumbalara on-baller Nathan Terlich also joined the Swans this week.

A talented cricketer, Riordan rejoined his home town club this season and when Swans coach Brett Warburton heard of his interest in moving home, he pounced.

‘‘He’s a terrific guy and he went to Notre Dame (College) with probably 60 per cent of our boys,’’ Warburton said.

‘‘He’s a Katandra boy through and through and wanted to play top level football.

‘‘The way he moves he can play many roles, he has a nice height about him and he’s in the top group in running, so he can play in most positions around the ground.’’

On Terlich’s arrival, Warburton described him as a ‘‘talented young midfielder’’ who ‘‘wants to learn’’.

Despite the encouraging work at the recruitment table this off-season, Warburton said the incoming players did not guarantee success for the Swans.

‘‘I’ve heard a few people talking us up, but we’ve got a lot of improvement to do to warrant that reputation,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re coming from a long way back and the competition is as good as I’ve seen it.’’

Warburton said he was sad to see Haysom leave, but could not begrudge his decision.

‘‘It would have been nice to see him stick around for a second year, but he wants to play with his mates,’’ he said.

‘‘He’s a Nagambie boy and we wish him all the best.’’

Lakers coach Linc Sullivan said Haysom officially notified the club of his decision on Wednesday night.

‘‘Being a local boy we were working on him to come back and at the end of the day he wanted some sort of leadership role that he might not have had if he stayed at the Swans,’’ Sullivan said.

‘‘He’ll come in as a senior player in the midfield-forward set-up just to help out with directing that group and he’s young enough to have a good impact as a player.’’

Haysom joins brothers Hamish and Mitchell Winter-Irving at Nagambie for this season.