Shepparton Swans making recruiting statement with ex-North Melbourne trio heading to Princess Park

Wright follows his brother to Princess Park after playing the past two seasons alongside him at Picola District Football League Club Katamatite, a club where Macmillan also made a brief appearance in 2019.

While Hrovat has not played any football in the region and made the decision to come up the Hume Hwy as a result of his connection with the Wright brothers.

Exciting news for all those involved with Shepparton Swans, coach Jedd Wright explained how the club positioned itself to secure the trio.

“We are really excited to have Sam, Nathan and Jamie commit to the club,” Wright said.

“They are three really good people and the fact they can play good footy as well is a bonus.

“This had been in the pipeline for a while, they are three really good mates and always wanted to play a few years together at club level, so together with Sam we caught up with the other two guys and pitched to them the opportunity to come join an up and coming group.

“They were pretty keen to come on board and it ended up working very well.”

Since finishing their respective AFL careers, all three players have stayed involved with North Melbourne in coaching and administrative capacities.

Macmillan is the current head of operations in the men’s football department, Hrovat leads the club’s AFL women’s program, while Wright is an assistant coach with the AFLW team while filling a number of other roles with the Kangaroos.

Wright said he was excited to see the affect this professional experience would have on the young group at the Swans.

“It will be so great for our guys to have Sam, Nathan and Jamie around the club, they will learn so much,” he said.

“With their line of work they are all natural leaders and I’m sure they will add a lot to the coaching staff both on game day and during training.

“As a club we are super lucky to have so much AFL experience coming through the door and it will make us a better club both on and off the field.”

As for what Swans fans can expect from the trio on the field, Wright has already planned how he will look to use their strengths and integrate them into the group.

“Nathan is a super fit, quick and tough inside mid who can go forward and kick goals, so we are looking for him to be another weapon with BJ (Squire) and Zac (Banch) in the middle,” he said.

“Jamie will float across half-back, most of his AFL career he was a lock down defender, but we will look for him to really generate some drive for us from the back half.

“While Sam will play up forward and be a really dynamic target for us.”

In what is a further boost for the club, the trio is fully committed to playing at the Swans next season, with no VFL affiliations set to hinder their availability.

Set to join the likes of young guns Zac Banch, Max Clohesy, Joeve Cooper and Diesel Batey in the red and white, Wright said he was excited to see what the club could accomplish in 2023 and beyond.

“A big part of me coming to the club was the fact that they had such a young and exciting list,” he said.

“You could clearly see the development they made under ‘Riordo’ (Andrew Riordan) last year and I am super excited to continue that on now.

“These three guys coupled with the growth of our existing players will help us get back to pushing for finals footy, which is where we belong.”