The Brownlow medallist not only produced a best-on-ground display for the Crows but delivered a financial bonanza for the club.

His one-off appearance attracted a crowd of more than 800 with gate-takings close to triple compared to average.

Crows volunteer Rikki Robb said the gate-takings would have been even larger except for an oversight with club officials forgetting to organise an EFTPOS machine.

"Good old Billabong Crows are a bit behind the times and we didn't have an EFTPOS machine on the gate," Robb said.

"That was a bit of a balls up and I suspect quite a few people snuck in for free.

"We have ordered some EFTPOS machines but they didn't arrive in time.

"The other problem with little old Urana is there is nowhere to get cash out on weekends.

"Other than that it was an awesome day.

"It was a massive crowd and the club is thankful for everybody who supported the day.

"Swanny was really generous with his time, especially with the kids, getting photos taken and signing autographs.

"He is such a laidback character and doesn't take anything too seriously.

"I looked at the scoreboard after we finished playing netball and thought to myself 'we are in trouble here.'

"But Swanny really stood up when the match was on the line and to win by two points was a huge thrill."

The sportsman's night held at the Urana hall was sold out with more than 170 people attending at $100 per head which included a two-course meal.

More money poured into the Crows' coffers with several auction items proving popular.

Swan refrained from drinking alcohol at the sportsman's night after injuring his hamstring.

ALSO IN SPORT

The Collingwood champion is booked to play a match in Tasmania this weekend.

"I think Swanny was originally planning a big night but decided not to drink after hurting his hamstring," Robb said.

"It didn't dampen the night though and he was an entertaining guest speaker and was happy to have a chat with anyone.

"A couple of the auction items exceeded expectations including a framed piece of Shane Warne memorabilia that went for $3500.

"Swanny's Crows jumper that he wore sold for $1500 which was bought and then donated back which was a generous gesture."

Robb said the club had already approached Ricky Nixon about doing something similar in the future.

The club also marked the occasion of umpire John Whitehead's 700^th match milestone with both sides forming a guard of honour after the match.

Whitehead also had his photo taken with Swan before the match.

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