SYDNEY great Adam Goodes has joined his former teammates at the SCG as part of the Swans' 10-year premiership celebrations.
Goodes and much of the team that beat Hawthorn in the 2012 Grand Final started the Swans' official premiership reunion with a lap of honour at the SCG.
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The dual Brownlow medallist has distanced himself from AFL events – but not from the Swans – since being booed out of the game and retiring at the end of 2015.
Goodes did not join the motorcade of retiring players at the Grand Final that year and has since declined invitations to attend Brownlow Medal events or be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
A sizeable crowd arrived at the SCG in time to watch the lap of honour but the Sydney faithful saved their biggest cheers for Goodes who was pressed to recall events from the second of his two AFL premierships.
"It’s a bit blurry, to be honest. But I was reliving it a little bit last night with the boys," Goodes said.
"It’s great to be here and seeing the fans that were there 10 years ago."
Almost all of the Sydney team that beat the Hawks by 10 points in the 2012 decider joined in the pre-match celebrations, while premiership captain Jarrad McVeigh was working in his current role as a Swans assistant coach.
Rhyce Shaw was also in attendance as a Gold Coast assistant coach, Sydney’s opponents on Saturday.
Current Swans players Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Sam Reid were also at the venue for the clash with the Suns.
The premiership group formed a guard of honour for the current Sydney team as they ran out for their round eight match against Gold Coast that they eventually lost by 14 points.
Despite the defeat, Sydney coach John Longmire was pleased that Goodes had joined his former teammates for the reunion.
"It was terrific. Obviously it means a lot to him to be around his teammates from that period," Longmire said after the match.
"It was great to see him at the game and great to see him with his mates, it's as simple as that.
"It's great to see him with his mates."
