Coming home was the best thing that could have happened for new Sydney Swans rookie Dane Rampe.
The 22-year-old, who returned to Sydney late last year after a stint with VFL team Williamstown, has now found a home at the Swans following an impressive 2012 season of football in the Harbour City.
Rampe produced excellent form with the UNSW East Sydney Bulldogs in the Sydney Football League, before capturing the attention of Swans recruitment consultant Ric Barham while representing New South Wales at the Australian Country Football Championships in Wagga Wagga.
The 189cm utility was then invited to play a number of Swans Reserves games before being invited to train with the Swans this pre-season and has now gained a spot on the club’s rookie list.
Hailing from Clovelly in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, Rampe toldsydneyswans.com.au that he was ‘over the moon’ that his football dream was alive at the Sydney Swans.
“I moved down to Melbourne but it was always the Swans that I wanted to be at and it’s just happened and I’m just so rapt,” he said.
“I was playing in Sydney early on and then went down to Williamstown to try and chase the footy thing, but it didn’t work out down there, but it’s been good to come back up here and I think I’m just enjoying my life and my footy up here more.
“To have it happen here in Sydney, I’m just over the moon.”
After a difficult stint in Melbourne, which saw him just miss out on a spot on the Western Bulldogs list in 2010, Rampe said he felt the pressure lift when he returned to playing football in Sydney in 2012.
“I think coming back to Sydney meant the pressure was off and the confidence came back and I just backed myself,” he said.
“I am just now so content with everything that is happening at home and in life that I’ve just been able to enjoy my footy and it’s worked out.
“I grew up in Clovelly, so I like to think I belong here.”
For full article follow the link http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/2012-12-11/rookies-find-a-home-at-the-swans
Last Modified on 18/03/2013 11:26