The 19-year-old has been a constant at the front of the pack, engaging in regular battles with fellow endurance machine Ed Barlow.
And it’s that sort of commitment that has earned Gordon a place on the Swans’ rookie list for 2010.
Coaching coordinator John Longmire said the NSW/ACT scholarship holder had impressed both the players and coaches in his two years with the Club
“He’s a player who has worked exceptionally hard. He’s an elite runner. He’s up the front of all of our running groups and last year showed that he’s starting to pick the game up,” Longmire said.
“It’s something that he needs to keep working on all the time and something that he really took on board last year with the development coaches. He started to pick the game up and show some great athletic ability.”
In May this year, Gordon was awarded the Geoff Curran Scholarship, which allowed him to train full-time with the Swans during the season.
The Baulkham Hills junior played out the season with the Swans reserves in the AFL Canberra competition and despite the team’s lack of success, he showed enough to earn a place on the Swans’ rookie list for 2010.
Longmire said Gordon, who represented the NSW/ACT Rams in 2008, had made great strides in his football development during his time at the Swans.
“A lot of the NSW kids don’t have that full-on football background but Nathan’s one who has picked the game up,” he said.
“He’s sucking in all the information at the moment and trying to make the most of it.”
Henry Playfair interviews Nathan Gordon in Playing Fair - click here to launch video
