A wrist reconstruction and glandular fever forced him to virtually start 2014 without a pre-season but he is already back running after a hip operation 10 weeks ago and hopes to be in full training by February.
"Last year taught me a pretty good lesson that you need to come in with some kind of [fitness] base under you, otherwise you're chasing your tail, and that's when injuries start to happen and that is exactly what happened last year," Swan said.
"It was putrid, so I certainly don't expect to be like that next year."
Swan said the injuries may have contributed to him "hardly getting a kick at times", but eventually he found himself in a form rut that he could not escape.
Not one to dwell on the past, Swan, 30, said his main objective now was to be injury free by February and in reasonable condition.
"I expect a lot more of myself. I still think I can play footy at a pretty elite level," Swan said.
"I have to listen to my body a bit more."
The laconic Swan said he was forever reminded that he was the oldest player on the Pies' list and he joked that he had been warned off speaking to the young players.
"I have lunch on my own now," he said.
"No one really talks to me. I think I'm the oldest by three years, so the footy club said 'Stop talking to all the young kids', because everyone I hang around ends up getting the boot … they have quarantined me," Swan said.
On a serious note, he said players such as Dayne Beams, Nick Maxwell and Heritier Lumumba were 'irreplaceable', but he still expected the team to compete for a high finish in 2015.
Swan said the injuries may have contributed to him "hardly getting a kick at times", but eventually he found himself in a form rut that he could not escape.
Not one to dwell on the past, Swan, 30, said his main objective now was to be injury free by February and in reasonable condition.
"I expect a lot more of myself. I still think I can play footy at a pretty elite level," Swan said.
"I have to listen to my body a bit more."
The laconic Swan said he was forever reminded that he was the oldest player on the Pies' list and he joked that he had been warned off speaking to the young players.
"I have lunch on my own now," he said.
"No one really talks to me. I think I'm the oldest by three years, so the footy club said 'Stop talking to all the young kids', because everyone I hang around ends up getting the boot … they have quarantined me," Swan said.
On a serious note, he said players such as Dayne Beams, Nick Maxwell and Heritier Lumumba were 'irreplaceable', but he still expected the team to compete for a high finish in 2015.
The club introduced Travis Varcoe, Levi Greenwood and Jack Crisp during the trade period and recruited Jordan De Goey with pick No.5 in the NAB AFL Draft.
Despite the jokes, Swan was looking to talk more on the field and provide the leadership and direction the younger players needed.
Despite the jokes, Swan was looking to talk more on the field and provide the leadership and direction the younger players needed.
"I talk to [teammates] away from the footy club a lot. My relationship with the guys away from the footy club is probably a lot better than it is with leadership aspects on the field. It's clearly I something I have to work on to pass on what little knowledge I have of the game," Swan said.
Despite his battles in 2014, Swan has been one of the best midfielders of his era.
He played in the 2010 premiership, won a Brownlow Medal and three consecutive best and fairest awards at Collingwood and five consecutive All Australian selections.
He also finished in the top four of the Brownlow Medal for four consecutive years between 2010 and 2013.
Although Swan knows he won't spend 100 per cent of the game in the midfield any more, he expects to spend more time there than he did in 2014 if his body is right.
Swan said he enjoyed playing in the forward line as the game changed.
"I'm not too fussed to be honest," he said. "I just want to get back to playing some good decent footy and help this side get back into the eight, where we think it belongs."
Swan's greatest attributes are perspective and loyalty, which made him the perfect candidate to speak football in the foyer of the Royal Children's Hospital before the team headed into the wards to speak to the children.
"Us coming in for an hour or two and … putting a smile on a kid's face or signing a jumper or doing whatever, having a laugh with a kid, it's pretty rewarding for us, and hopefully they get a little bit out of it too," Swan said.
"Footy is a game and your family and friends are number one and you have to look after them the most."
