KEY POINTS:
Logan Swann never wanted to leave the Warriors in the first place. Officially, it was for salary cap reasons - Swann just wouldn't fit into a burgeoning squad that then coach Daniel Anderson wanted to freshen up.
Unofficially, he and Anderson didn't get on and the coach, as
was his prerogative, showed him the exit door along with the likes of Ali Lauitiiti, Thomas Leuluai and Motu Tony.
Now, however, after stints with Bradford and Warrington in the UK Super League, Swann is back at the place he feels most comfortable, playing for the club where he made his name.
He's a little older, perhaps a little wiser, than the Swann who departed Mt Smart Stadium at the end of 2003 but there's one major difference.
"When I turned up back at the Warriors, I found myself looking over my shoulder," the 31-year-old explains after another brutal pre-season training session in the Auckland heat. "In 2002 and 2003, you were put on edge by the coaching staff and management, so you were never comfortable.
"It was good because it kept you edgy but at the same time, it's not good. It messes with your head a bit. But now there's just a great ethic here. In every aspect of the club, everything is solid. It's a new era and there's a great team culture and spirit."
Swann was signed by the Warriors in October to offset the departure of Awen Guttenbeil and then the sacking of Sione Faumuina. Despite carefully managed recruitment and retention, the Warriors were lacking experience and ability in the second row. It came as a surprise to most when Swann was signed on a one-year deal, not least the ball-playing forward himself.
"I thought I was going to be out in the UK for another couple of years and we were just finalising a couple of options we had up there, [my manager] Frank Endacott and myself," he explains.
"The opportunity came up out of the blue. Frank threw my name into the mix with the Warriors.
"It raised a few eyebrows and turned a few heads in the boardroom. The next thing we knew, they were keen. That stumped me. I had no idea I would get the chance to come home and play for the Warriors again. When I left [in 2003], I thought that was it."
Swann is used to second chances. A judge gave him one when he was discharged without conviction for an assault in May 2003, although Swann still maintains he was unfairly treated.
He pleaded guilty to common assault but explained to the judge that it was a "situation out of my control". After banter with another patron at an Auckland club, he was challenged to tackle the man. The victim condemned the first couple of attempts as feeble before he found himself flat on his back nursing injuries.
"I still maintain, hand on heart, that I didn't punch or assault the guy in any way," he says. "It got out of hand, people jumped in and I found myself trying to break things up. And that's what I get done for."
It was a salutary lesson for Swann about taking care when out in public, one not all Warriors have heeded. It is perhaps ironic that Faumuina's antics opened the door for Swann's return.
Despite the nature of his departure, Swann has only fond memories of his time at the club. He was famously selected by Endacott to make his test debut for the Kiwis in 1996 before he'd even made his first-grade debut.
He was also instrumental in helping the club to the grand final in 2002.
"They were the best times, definitely," he says of the 2002 and 2003 seasons. "As a player to be involved in a team like that was special."
Only Louis Anderson, Wairangi Koopu, Lance Hohaia, Evarn Tuimavave and Epalahame Lauaki remain from the 2003 squad, as well as, of course, coach Ivan Cleary.
In many respects, Swann is a new boy this season. Just a very familiar one.
Logan's Run
Logan Swann
Age: 31
Position: Second row
Previous clubs: Warriors (145 games from 1996-2003),Bradford (2004), Warrington (2005-06.
Tests: 26
Swann has the distinction of making his test debut for the Kiwis before he played first-grade football.
He joins Nigel Vagana, Tony Tatupu and Richie Blackmore as players who have turned out for the Warriors in two separate spells.
