Hall of Fame Biography: Darin Cresswell

Darin Cresswell
1992-2003
244 games
208 goals
The best and fairest 1994
All-Australian 1997
Swan team of the century

When people describe Darin Cresswell, they invariably use words like “tough,” “tenacious,” and “brave.” He consistently demonstrated these qualities throughout his 12 AFL seasons, becoming one of the Sydney Swans’ most celebrated players. With an unerring strengthening mindset, he faced many challenges.

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote: “Life has its hidden powers, which can only be discovered by living.” Cresswell’s story reveals a life inspired by tenacity and spirit. Raised in the iron ore town of Savage River, on Tasmania’s rugged west coast, the Cresswells moved 154km south to Queenstown when he was three. In Queenstown they play football on gravel.

Cresswell spent his foundational football years developing flexibility and competence, and after his father’s petrol station burned down, they moved to nearby Strahan when he was 12. Creswell played for the Zeehan Bulldogs and said he lived for the ferocity, the spirit camaraderie and courage. Football demanded this – a pure football fanatic.

The family moved to Hobart when he was a teenager and after playing Glenorchy, Geelong selected Cresswell as a 17-year-old with pick 32 in the 1988 VFL Draft. Having said goodbye to his diesel engine fitting apprenticeship, Cresswell jumped at the chance to test himself at the highest level. However, homesickness and self-proclaimed immaturity led to his return to Hobart soon after, and after starring in the Tasmanian League with North Hobart, he earned his second chance when the Sydney Swans selected him at number. 39 in the 1992 mid-season draft.

Now 21, the Swans have welcomed a mature Cresswell ready to hit the ground running. He joined the club on his knees and played eight games for the side that finished bottom of the AFL. Wanting to achieve greater results, he returned home temporarily, committing to a grueling but transformative off-season training program.

Describing Cresswell’s devotion in his autobiography Swan songBloods Legend, Paul Kelly said: “Firstly, he has earned the respect of everyone at the club. But he also did something for the greater good of the club: his hard work showed there was a guy there. willing to go the extra mile just to remain part of the club and that was good for our esprit de corps and it gave us an example – a role model that we could point to as proof of what can be achieved when a player Really invests.”

In his first 50 games in red and white, Cresswell recorded four wins. After 17 defeats, his first win was a famous 40-point win over Melbourne, ending a 26-game losing streak. It was also Ron Barassi’s first win as Swans coach and helped lay the foundation for further development. Cresswell flourished under Barassi, winning the club’s best and fairest award in 1994.

Barassi passed the baton to Rodney Eade before the 1996 season and the Swans emerged from the previous darkness. In his biography KrezzaCresswell said: “And when Rocket arrived in Sydney, he did it quickly. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of all his new players, and he had already matched them with our opponents. He threw it all into the bank. and developed a clear plan for how we can compete and win.”

And they won victories – 17 times. Eade’s debut season in 1996 inspired the Swans to their first finals series since 1987. Level on the score, Cresswell scored in the dying moments of the qualifying final against Hawthorn at the SCG. His set-piece conversion gave the club their first final victory since 1945. Two weeks later they hosted Essendon in the all-time preliminary final.

“It was a really important night for our club. We had a home preliminary final, a big crowd and what an epic game it was,” Cresswell recalls. “We came back from being down 17 points in the last quarter and that was symbolic of our culture. When we lost, we just kept fighting and it became very difficult to play against us that year.”

The following week Sydney lost the Grand Final to North Melbourne after leading at half-time. For Cresswell and his teammates, the game represents a missed opportunity, but it has created such a wave of support for the code in New South Wales that they can be immensely proud of their achievement.

Cresswell had a phenomenal final run and was considered by many to be the club’s best player on Grand Final day, recording 35 possessions. He continued this form into the 1997 season, winning All-Australian honors alongside Swans teammates Roos, Kelly and Michael O’Loughlin. During the 1997–1999 seasons, Cresswell finished second in the Swans’ best and fairest rankings each year.

The Swans played four finals series in a row and were hosted by the city of Sydney. “People started coming to the football who might not have been there in the past because they really enjoyed the atmosphere at the SCG. But also, Sydneysiders have always loved a winner and we started to become winners at that time as a football club which has solidified our support to this day,” Cresswell said.

For the 2002 season, the Swans replaced Eade with former Cresswell teammate Paul Roos, who was eventually appointed as his successor. Roos, who described Cresswell as a brilliant attacking midfielder, implemented a player-driven system that returned the club to the top of the game. Amidst all this turmoil, Cresswell once again finished second in the best and fairest.

“When Ruzi introduced Blood Culture it really laid the foundation for what we are as a football club,” Cresswell states. In the landmark 2003 qualifying final win over Port Adelaide, Cresswell excelled, leading an understrength Swans squad to a home preliminary final against a powerful Brisbane side.

Following the defeat to the Lions, Cresswell played his final match in front of 71,019 spectators at Stadium Australia. IN KrezzaHe said: “I joined the club in 1992, 11 years ago. I was there for the better part of 12 months before we won a game. Towards the end of my playing days we were involved in many finals. We didn’t win at the most important stage, but we came close and set the club up for future success.”

Once a highly regarded mentor to young Sydney Swans teammates, Cresswell rediscovered the power of positive influence after being released from a 10-month prison sentence in 2011. He now mentors young Australians facing the dangers of gambling addiction.

Cresswell’s imprisonment set him on a path of reinvention. That journey brought him back to the club in 2022 when he was inducted into the Swans Hall of Fame in a highly emotional ceremony.

“Life is learning. Today I help people who are in the same position as me. During the tough times I felt bad about what happened and about letting the club down and I’m just really grateful to be back,” Cresswell said.

“I have a lot of respect for the club and the people at the club and the work they have done. It’s not often you get an award like this and I just love the club; always loved. “I’m so grateful that the club opened its arms to me and my family, I’m glad I was able to come back and feel relaxed in this environment again.”

Cresswell’s outstanding contribution was recognized in 2003 when he was selected to the Swans Team of the Century and the following year to the Tasmanian Team of the Century. By the way, Jim Main once said, “I love the way this guy plays the game—no nonsense, just straight.”