Shane Mumford Biography

Shane Mumford nominates for the upcoming national draft just weeks after his second retirement.

The Giants are covering all bases so that if they have any injuries to their ruck stocks in 2022, Mumford would be eligible to join them at the mid-season rookie draft.

Shane Mumford has called time on his career, retiring for the second time after 13 seasons in the system.

"My time on the football field has come to an end for now," Mumford said.

"I'm incredibly proud of all that I've achieved across my career in the game including winning the ultimate, a premiership, in 2012."

GWS coach Leon Cameron says veteran Shane Mumford will be managed throughout the 2021 seasons and will play in only a handful of games despite starring against Collingwood with 17 disposals, eight clearances and six tackles in the Giants' win at the MCG.

"I don't think anyone was surprised by what Mummy can deliver in a competitive sense. He can certainly work himself to that point where he just goes out and gets the job done," Cameron said.

"He's always been like that, massive competitor, very good with his ruck craft too, able to manoeuvre and shift people out of the way really well. He's very good at his craft."

GWS coach Jeremy Cameron says Shane Mumford is aware of his aging body.

"He understands where he's at. We know that his knees and his ankles are sort of old and hanging on a little bit, and he was hanging on a little bit towards the end last year," Cameron said.

"We started him late, gave him an extra month off and we're building him up."

As he prepares to take his place in the 2019 Grand Final, Shane Mumford knows what his role is as the Giants' ruckman.

"I'll be going out there to try and send a few bodies flying and doing everything I can to help us get the win," he said.

"I've done that week in, week out throughout my whole career, so this week will certainly be no different."

Shane Mumford, 33, admits his body struggles at times to cope with the demands of AFL football.

"I'm still very up and down, one week I pull up well and other weeks I struggle to walk for most of the week and come good in time for the weekend," he said.

"I've been feeling pretty good considering (the year off), and when I retired I wouldn't have thought there was any chance I could play as many games as I have. It's all about finding that balancing act about what I do (to recover) throughout the week."

Marc Murphy is hospitalised after suffering a suspected rib injury from a heavy hit to the body from Greater Western Sydney enforcer Shane Mumford.

Late in the first term of the Blues' 93-point loss, Murphy won possession in the clinches in defence and quickly dished off a handball as he fell, before Mumford crashed into him.

Dustin Martin is fined $2500 for a controversial pair of hand gestures towards Greater Western Sydney players during a fiery encounter.

Martin was fined a total of $7500, with $5000 suspended until the end of 2020, for raising his middle finger towards a Giants player and then appearing to imitate snorting drugs.

Martin also sent a written apology to the AFL, explaining his actions during the clash at Giants Stadium.

It has been alleged that Martin made the second hand gesture towards Giants ruckman Shane Mumford, who was returning from a two-game suspension after a video surfaced of him snorting a white powder late last year.

Martin apologised for his gestures on Wednesday afternoon, saying on Twitter: "Frustrating one on the weekend. I understand my reaction is not a good look for the game. I apologise for my actions. Thanks."

Shane Mumford has described his first game out of retirement as a massive weight off his shoulders and admits he wasn't sure how his return against Richmond would pan out.

"I was still able to get a lot of game time in to prepare myself (while suspended) but it was good to get the rust off," he said.

"There was a bit of nervous energy before the game, and the amount of texts and calls I got, it was like I was playing my first game."

Shane Mumford has his one-match ban for striking overturned at the AFL Tribunal, making him eligible to return for Greater Western Sydney in round three.

Mumford successfully argued his strike on Sydney midfielder George Hewett had not been intentional, with the Tribunal ruling his action was careless, a finding that downgraded his penalty to a $3000 fine.

Shane Mumford's return to football will be delayed another week, with the veteran Giants ruckman suspended for one match for striking Sydney midfielder George Hewett.

Despite the incident occurring in an unofficial practice match, Mumford will serve his one-match suspension during the home and away season.

GWS coach Leon Cameron confirms that Shane Mumford will re-join GWS under the competition's new supplemental selection period.

"We're willing to take a calculated risk because we've done all the research on him," Cameron said.

"The way he's gone about his boxing and his cross-training in his own time and present himself in a manner that we think can stand up to AFL footy has been great.

"The most important thing is that Shane is really driven and when he's driven, he can do some things."

Shane Mumford is suspended for two games and fined $25,000 after a disturbing video emerged last month which showed him snorting a white powder off a table surrounded by other men.

The two-game suspension will apply if Mumford is re-listed by GWS again in 2019.

As part of his penalty, Mumford must also voluntarily accept a strike under the League's illicit drugs code, take part in a program of community work focused on mental health and drug rehabilitation, and undergo his own program of drug and alcohol education and counselling.

"Shane is deeply remorseful and embarrassed by his behaviour from three years ago. As a club we were very disappointed in Shane's actions and the circumstances generally," GWS chief executive Dave Matthews said.

"While Shane has unquestionably been an important part of the Giants as both a player and coach in recent years, the club feels these sanctions are absolutely appropriate to ensure he fully understands the implications of his actions."

Shane Mumford's hopes of a fairytale comeback with Greater Western Sydney could be in jeopardy after a video emerged of the retired ruckman appearing to snort significant amounts of a white powdered substance using a rolled-up banknote.

"The club is extremely distressed by the footage and views Shane’s actions as completely counter to the club’s values," a statement from the Giants read regarding the footage that allegedly took place in 2015.

"The club is disappointed in Shane's choice of actions at this time and also understands that Shane requires a level of medical support with his health and well-being in mind. The club will be working with Shane to ensure he engages in a rehabilitation program along with a range of other measures.

"Shane has expressed deep remorse, embarrassment and distress in relation to his actions. He understands he has let himself, his family and the club down and caused great embarrassment to those around him."

Shane Mumford announces his retirement after 10 seasons with Geelong, Sydney and GWS.

"I think I've injured just about every part of my body throughout my career but the foot was the turning point," he said.

"I've had problems with my knees for many years and had the ankle reconstructed, now to injure the foot as well, I want to be able to run around with my kid in years to come.

"If I continued playing there was potential to do more damage and for me it's not worth the risk, I want to have a life after football as well.

"For me to play on and not be 100 per cent would be selfish, so I'd much rather finish up while I was still playing some good football."

Shane Mumford is seeking medical advice on his injured foot and degenerative knee before deciding whether to fulfil the final year of his contract at Greater Western Sydney.

"In his mind, he feels he can go again, the Giants seem to feel otherwise and they want to look after Shane as best they can. They feel he's been a great servant of the club for the period he's been there and feel like he has a lot to offer the Giants going forward outside of football," Mumford's manager, Anthony McConville said.

"It's looking at what those situations are and medical opinion speaks volumes as it always should. We're just waiting on that to come through."

Greater Western Sydney's premiership hopes have taken another massive blow with ruckman Shane Mumford ruled out for the rest of the year with a foot fracture.

GWS coach Leon Cameron reveals that Shane Mumford has been playing under duress after the ruckman was seen on crutches at Adelaide Airport on the morning after the Giants' qualifying loss to Adelaide.

"He's battling to get up at times," Cameron said.

"He just keeps finding a way. I thought his second half was better than his first half.

"He's a determined player and he'll be looking forward to playing again next weekend."

Heath Shaw defends the on-field aggression of teammates Shane Mumford and Toby Greene despite both player copping suspensions in recent weeks.

"Not everyone goes out there and has to belt people and rough people up, or get aggressive at the ball and the man to play well, but some people do and that’s how they become really, really good players," Shaw said.

"We're not going to take that away from two of our most important players and curb what has made them who they are."

Shane Mumford could miss the next fortnight after finally to succumbing to an ongoing ankle injury.

"It's progressively gotten worse over the last few weeks and it got to the stage during last weekend's game that it was really hard for him to push through," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"We had to bite the bullet and he's had a few injections to see if we can fix it up."

With Port Adelaide's ruck stocks depleted, Jackson Trengove will again be relied upon to carry the Power's ruck load, this week against the Giants' Shane Mumford.

"'Jacko' has been our ruck basically for the last 12 months anyhow on his own. He'll look forward to taking that challenge on. Big Mummy is a great player but we know that Jacko will give him a real contest for the whole game," Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said.

"There's not too many secrets with Mummy. He's an aggressive, big ruckman who creates a lot of play for his exciting midfielders. For us we need to quell some of his importance but also limit the damage they do on the floor."

Shane Mumford will miss the early stages of the JLT Community Series after undergoing elbow surgery.

The Giants ruckman is expected to be sidelined for up to a month after he had some floating bone removed from his right elbow.

"The surgery was a success and we don’t expect Shane to have any ongoing issues," Giants head of athletic performance David Joyce said.

"Shane has had a really good pre-season to date and has hardly missed a beat, so we’re confident this shouldn't affect his preparation for the premiership season."

Shane Mumford apologises to Lance Franklin for his controversial sledge in the Swans' qualifying final against the Giants.

During the spiteful clash Mumford used words to the effect of: "It's good to see you're not on holidays this year". The GWS ruckman was referencing Franklin's decision to skip last year's finals series to deal with ongoing mental health issues.

Mumford said he had spoken to Franklin over the phone.

"I gave Lance (Franklin) a call in relation to my comments on the weekend, to apologise if I've stepped over the line," Mumford said.

"Obviously with mental health being such a serious issue, (it was) really not a good choice of words.

"But he's taken my apology on board and (is) happy to move forward from where we are now, and focus on our relevant games in the coming weeks."

Kurt Tippett is ruled out of the Swans' semi final against Adelaide after scans revealed a non-displaced, hairline fracture in his jaw.

Tippett suffered the injury following a first-quarter collision with Greater Western Sydney pair Shane Mumford and Callan Ward in the Swans' qualifying final.

Shane Mumford says he is looking forward to squaring up against his former Swans teammate Sam Naismith when GWS face Sydney at ANZ Stadium in their qualifying final.

"I actually spent a bit of time training with him before I left the Swans, so I know him quite well," Mumford said.

"He's really improved this year so it's going to be a big challenge for me."

Greater Western Sydney's past two club champions are at odds after kick machine Heath Shaw robbed teammate Shane Mumford of a potential League record in round 19.

Mumford had 16 handballs and zero kicks in Saturday's 88-point thrashing of Richmond in Canberra, falling one short of the AFL record of 17 set by Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands in round 13, 2015.

The star ruckman had his chance to equal the record but the ball was stolen from him by Shaw, when the reigning Kevin Sheedy medallist snatched the footy out of his teammate's hands just as he was about to dish it off in the second term.

As he often does, Mumford got back inside the Giants' defensive 50 to help his back six and lunged for a diving mark just before half-time, but when he failed to realise that the umpire hadn't paid his diving effort, Shaw swooped.

"I told him to slow it down but I turned around quicker than him because ruckmen aren't that smart," Shaw laughed when recounting the story to AFL.com.au.

"The umpire called play on and he was in 'no man's land' as usual, Mumford-style, so I just grabbed it out of his hands and took off.

"I'm not even sure if it was a legal manoeuvre."

Shaw said wasn't aware that he'd destroyed Mumford's chance at matching Sandilands' feat against the Tigers, but would try to make it up to his ruckman.

"It makes me a little bit happier because we don't want Mumford walking any taller than he already does around the club," he joked.

"No, I will definitely apologise because big men love those records for most hit-outs and things like that, they thrive on it.

"If I've robbed him of a little bit of history, then I know he'll be a little bit upset."

Shane Mumford has been rewarded for his outstanding early-season form with a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the Giants until the end of 2018.

Shane Mumford wants to play on in 2017 and is hoping to start contract talks with Greater Western Sydney soon.

It is understood the Giants are happy to wait a little longer before opening negotiations with Mumford, so they can monitor how his body holds up as the season progresses.

Mumford's manager, Anthony McConville, said Mumford's good form in the opening three rounds would have helped alleviate any concerns the Giants had about his body.

"The impact that Shane's been able to have on his return this year I think would have been reassuring to the club," McConville said.

Callan Ward and key defender Phil Davis will co-captain GWS for a fifth-straight season, but Shane Mumford and Tom Scully have made way for four new additions to the group.

Reigning club champion Heath Shaw will again support Ward and Davis, who have shared the skipper's role since the Giants entered the competition in 2012.

Gun midfielders Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith, and defender Matt Buntine, all 22-year-old Giants' 'originals', have been given a spot on the leadership team for the first time.

"We've had young guys who have been doing leadership stuff for four years that they've been here and they're ready to step in," Ward said.

"We didn't want the group too large, and seven is the perfect number for us.

"We've got four fifth-year players who are terrific leaders, terrific men; that's what we're about at this football club, great men and great people so I think it's really good signs for us.

"They'll fill the shoes really well."

Shane Mumford says the ankle he seriously injured last season will never be 100% again.

"I think my whole body has got pain in it these days - there's not really anywhere that doesn't. It's just about managing how much pain (I have)," Mumford joked.

"There'll always be ongoing maintenance so I've just got to continue to keep on top of it with my rehab exercises."

Shane Mumford says the AFL's decision to cut rotations for the 2016 season will hurt the competition's most important asset, the players.

"If it's going to make it harder on the players then I don't think it's a good thing," Mumford said.

"It's going to hurt everyone, because it's going to involve harder pre-seasons, everyone is going to have to be fitter, faster and stronger to be able to play the extra time on the ground.

"If you get an extra three or four minutes per quarter (on the ground) that's 12 minutes per game, that doesn't sound much but that's pretty tough coming towards the end of each quarter before you get that break."

Watching North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein destroy his side with a competition-record 80 hit-outs last season has helped inspire Shane Mumford's comeback from major ankle surgery.

Mumford said being forced to witness Goldstein's performance against his Giants – which earned him three Brownlow medal votes – and being powerless to stop it wasn't easy.

"He came out and played an absolute blinder, so it was annoying for me sitting at home watching it on TV," he said.

"Just seeing things like that gives you a real hunger to get out there and prove that you're able to beat these guys and push yourself against the best."

Shane Mumford says the AFL's rules committee has put the aesthetics of the game ahead of the wellbeing of ruckmen.

Mumford said giving the third-man-up free reign at stoppages leaves the game's big men in the firing line, and he would be satisfied if the tactic was banned all together.

Mumford said the interpretation had been bought in to keep the game moving and lessen congestion, and he's not happy about it.

"That's something I've hated for a very long time," Mumford said.

"I don't mind them (third-men-up) coming in but you should be allowed to stop them from jumping, if you're one of the midfielders.

"All you're doing is trying to protect your ruckman.

"There's nothing worse than wrestling with the other ruckman and one of their teammates jumps up and puts a knee in your back.

"I think yes let them do it, but if you let them jump, you should be able to block them, or just stop the third-man-up all together and let the ruckmen fight it out."

After suffering a season-ending knee injury, Shane Mumford says he is now spending the rest of the year mentoring young GWS back-up rucks Tom Downie, Rory Lobb and Andrew Phillips.

"I'm going to try and turn myself into a ruck coach, I've got to do something with this next six months, so if I can do that and look towards life after footy as well," Mumford said.

"I'll put my two cents in, I've already spoken to Tom (Downie) and Rory (Lobb) about doing some stuff with them from the vision from the weekend, there's a few things I saw that I want to have a chat with them about.

"If I'm able to help out with these young guys coming through, and if I can have a positive impact on them it's obviously going to help us this year, and going forward."

Shane Mumford will miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle reconstruction surgery.

Mumford suffered the injury in the Giants' 42-point loss to Collingwood and scans revealed that the 28 year-old tore the deltoid ligament in his left ankle.

"He's an important part of our footy club and everyone's aware of what he's done so far in his short time here," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"It's obviously disappointing to lose him, but the welfare of the player has to come first and the recommendation came pretty strongly to have a major operation on his ankle."

GWS will stick with co-captains Callan Ward and Phil Davis who will share in the leadership of the club in 2015.

Tom Scully and Heath Shaw have been reappointed as vice-captains, while Shane Mumford remains in the leadership group.

"To go into our fourth year with a virtually unchanged leadership group speaks volumes about the stability and maturity of the club and is a tremendous endorsement of our leaders," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.

"Callan and Phil have developed into outstanding young leaders on and off the field and are ably supported by Tom, Heath and Shane."

Shane Mumford has capped a stellar first season with Greater Western Sydney by winning the Kevin Sheedy Medal for the club's best and fairest player of 2014.

Mumford finished with 81 votes despite missing five matches early in the season with a knee injury, claiming the award ahead of Callan Ward and Devon Smith, who tied for second.

"Shane has played an instrumental role in leading the Giants' midfield this year," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"He is one of the leaders of the club and, with the rest of the leadership group, helps set the standards and behaviours of the playing group."

Shane Mumford is ready to make his return to the Giants' side after being sidelined since round three due to an infection in his knee before he picked up a clot from the catheter used to administer antibiotics.

"I seem to be able to get the stupid injuries that no one else has ever heard of," Mumford said.

"It just goes with the personality, I'm a bit weird on and off the field.

"Hopefully this will be the end of it, and I'm looking forward to building for the second half of the year and having a few more wins."

Shane Mumford will miss up to two matches after undergoing knee surgery.

"We thought it was just general soreness. Unfortunately, with 'Mummy' he had a very sore knee and he had a very sore shoulder," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"But his knee's really blown up and he's been operated on today. It's a very, very minor operation, so he's probably going to miss one or two weeks.

"His knee just blew up and they just didn't want it to get infected. They flushed it out."

Former Swan turned Giant Shane Mumford will play against his old team in the NAB Challenge but says he does not expect any ill feelings from his former teammates.

"There's no hard feelings there from anyone at the club," Mumford said.

"They know what happened and that's obviously a part of football. Everyone moves on and we go from there.

"Obviously you want to get it over and done with as quick as possible, that first one, and I guess the NAB Cup is probably not a bad format to do it."

Phil Davis and Callan Ward are retained as GWS co-captains in 2014 with Heath Shaw joining Tom Scully as vice-captains of the club.

Shane Mumford and Stephen Gilham round out the leadership group.

"I don't know what the media in Melbourne think about Heath, because they always seem to be on his back, but he's been unbelievable," Davis said about Shaw.

"What they thought he was going to provide has been nowhere near what he's actually been able to do.

"He's been enormous for our footy club and he's just a natural leader, people are drawn to him, he's an infectious character, he leads by example and sets good standards."

GWS recruit Shane Mumford admits to being hesitant about being a leader at the Giants.

"I've always been a bit of a quieter guy that didn't have to speak up at meetings and around the club (during his four years at the Swans)," Mumford said.

"When (GWS coach) Leon (Cameron) approached me I was a little bit hesitant at the start.

"But I sat down and had a good think about it and I really think it's going to be beneficial for me and the young group.

"There aren't too many older guys here. I've had a bit more experience than them and hopefully I can teach them a bit that I've learned."

GWS names three premiership players to its leadership group for 2014 including Shane Mumford, Stephen Gilham and Heath Shaw.

"These three guys are premiership players at the clubs they've previously been at but they also offer 10 years of experience in football generally and not only on the field but off the field," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.

GWS secure the services of Shane Mumford in exchange for pick No. 35 to the Swans.

Shane Mumford says Sydney's decision to sign Lance Franklin was the catalyst behind his decision to move to GWS.

"When my contract talks were put off and put off again and then they signed Buddy, we started going hard at a couple of other clubs to see where I might be able to continue my career," Mumford said.

"As soon as we saw that (news about Franklin), we realised with the amount of money that he's going to be getting, there's probably not going to be anything there for me."

Sydney Swans ruckman Shane Mumford accepts three-year offer from the Giants.

"The Giants are an exciting club with a great future and I couldn't be happier to be moving across Sydney to join them," Mumford said.

"They have a talented young midfield and it's a great opportunity to help them go to the next level and achieve on-field success."

Shane Mumford's manager, Anthony McConville, expresses disappointment over the Match Review Panel taking no action following the clash between Mumford and Crow Jared Petrenko which resulted in his client sustaining a broken cheekbone.

"A player is supposed to be protected from this, yet here we have my client missing four weeks and sucking food through a straw," McConville said.

"It wasn't even written up in the reports (of the Match Review Panel). That is the most disappointing part of all this – that it was just dismissed. Shane is as disappointed as I am."

Shane Mumford will undergo surgery for a fractured cheekbone and is expected to miss three to four weeks.

"It is disappointing for him, he's probably just got going again and now he misses another slab of footy," Sydney coach John Longmire said.

A depressed fracture of the cheekbone to ruckman Shane Mumford opens the door for Kurt Tippett to come straight into the Sydney side to face Port Adelaide after serving his suspension.

"Obviously with Mummy (Shane Mumford) having to get his cheek bone fixed up there is a spot there,'' Swans coach John Longmire said.

"He was a big chance to play anyway. We just have to decide how much game time he plays.''

Shane Mumford is disciplined for a rare breach of the club's much-vaunted code of conduct after a big night out in Melbourne.

"Going into a long week, Shane went to Melbourne and had a couple of drinks and we dealt with it with our captains and spoke to Shane about it and dealt with it in the players' code of conduct," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"We're not going to go into details of what he was fined, (but) it's disappointing for any player. It was disappointing from Shane's point of view and he acknowledged that."

Swans ruckman Shane Mumford says he played with a sore hamstring during the 2012 Grand Final was never a chance of missing it.

"It was just a little bit sore. There was nothing too bad about it. I pulled up a bit sore after training on Thursday but felt good ahead of the game so it was fine," Mumford said after the game.

"There's no need to talk it up, it was just a little bit sore. We've all played with injuries and stuff like that before."

Shane Mumford must beat a possible misconduct charge against Pies forward Chris Dawes to play in the 2012 Grand Final.

Swans ruckman Shane Mumford is free to play in Saturday's Grand Final after being cleared by the MRP for rough conduct.

Sydney Swans ruckman Shane Mumford is likely to miss just one week after scans revealed bone bruising from a knee injury sustained St Kilda.

"Shane is feeling pretty good today and is walking around the club quite freely, but we will continue to monitor his progress throughout the week," coach John Longmire said.

"Bone bruising is a really tricky injury to assess and recovery time varies from case to case."

Mike Pyke says teammate Shane Mumford sets the standard at the club during training.

"He didn't have the pre-season he would have wanted to have had. His knee was crumbling away or something along those lines, so he didn't get the start he would have liked," Pyke said.

"But he has certainly played himself into some form now. He really puts pressure on guys and runs them hard and works them really hard in the contest, so he sets a standard for the club in the ruck division and we just try to follow him."

Sydney Swans ruckman Shane Mumford says he is still a few weeks away from returning to his best after recovering from a back infection.

"My body's pretty much right now - but the match fitness is something you can't emulate in training," Mumford said.

"Hopefully, I'll be back to my best in the next few weeks .. it usually takes five or six games under your belt."

Ruckman Shane Mumford is set for at least a further three weeks on the sidelines with a back infection.

"The infection in Shane's back did not respond to treatment as we had hoped, so he underwent a simple procedure to remove it," Sydney Swans general manager of football Dean Moore said in a statement.

"He is recovering well and we expect him to resume training in around seven days, with a view to have him available for selection in the next three to four weeks."

The Sydney Swans have finally discovered the cause of Shane Mumford's mystery back ailment which is related to a rare infection picked up from a cortisone injection.

"It wasn't until last Friday that he came into training and was very sore in his back again, and it didn't make sense considering he had played well and then hadn't done much since," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"So the doctors got him scanned and found that infection, most likely from the cortisone injection.

"It's been sitting there and develops over a period of time and was bubbling away and all of a sudden last Friday he was symptomatic with it. At least we know what it is and he's on a course of antibiotics."

Swans ruckman Shane Mumford has rebounded from a mid-season slump to be in career-best form.

"It plays with your head a little bit mentally when your body's not quite feeling right, you're going half as hard as you should be," Mumford said.

"So I had to get it into my head that my knee's right to go and now that I have I'm starting to play good footy."

Sydney coach John Longmire says ruckman Shane Mumford has been influential in the Swans' charge towards the finals.

"We just lough the way he goes about his footy. He's such a competitor, but he's an amazing athlete,'' Longmire told SEN radio.

"When he first turned up here we couldn't believe how fast he was and how good his endurance was. For his size he's an incredible athlete and when you add his competitiveness and his ability at ground level, he's another midfielder.''

Swans ruckman Shane Mumford has been refining his tackling technique after being suspended for two matches.

"It's reasonably clear now that if you take someone to ground in a tackle you are risking suspension," Mumford said.

"I've been working on it for the last couple of weeks now just to pin blokes' arms so they can't get rid of the ball while still standing up.

"You're going to risk them getting the ball out a few times, but I would rather them get the ball clear than risk another couple of weeks' due to suspension."

Sydney Swans ruckman is returning to peak fitness through swimming, boxing and cycling after off-season knee surgery.

"I've worked really hard with my fitness training doing lots of 'off-legs' stuff," Mumford said.

"I've pushed myself very hard in that area so I think that's given me a decent base. It's really just come good now, so I've timed it pretty well in a way. I would have preferred not to have the pre-season I did, but it has all worked out OK, I think."

Once a sausage-eating king from Bunyip who topped the scales at 130kg, Shane Mumford says he is living the dream playing AFL footy with the Swans.

"It's been a bit of a dream, but a dream I never really had as a kid, and it's actually happened over the last couple of years," Mumford said.

"Things have just sort of jumped at a pretty quick rate. When I go back home and chat with my mates, they're still pretty shocked how far I've come in such little time. But I've still got a long way to go to get to where I want to be."

The Sydney Swans are forced to send Shane Mumford in for surgery after persistent swelling around his knee.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson is critical of former Cat Shane Mumford's decision at the end of 2009 to leave for Sydney.

"Ultimately, I think most players, if they are made of the right stuff and they stay here, they get a good footy education and they'll get their opportunities when the time comes," Thompson said.

"We are a good club and I think it would be a great shame for a young person who is just on the verge to actually break their way into the team, and it is taking the easy option going to another club."

Mumford responds to his former coach's comments by saying his game has improved immensely since becoming a Swan.

"In the end I just did what was going to be best for me," Mumford said.

"I saw it as an opportunity and the fact Sydney is going through a phase of building good young talent. We're going to be a great side for years to come and we will be up there if not this year within the next few years."

Swans ruckman Shane Mumford says playing in a grand final with his new club would be the best way to make up for missing last year's flag with Geelong.

"I've moved on, as they've moved on. We're both pretty happy now," he said.

"Of course, you're going to be upset about missing out on a grand final but I'll look forward to playing in one this year with the Swans, hopefully."

Although signed to a four-year deal that guarantees him at least $250,000 a season, Shane Mumford says security, not cash, was his primary consideration for joining the Swans.

"That was the biggest thing for me - the whole four-year deal. You know what you're doing for the next four years. The fact that I was going to be playing every week was my biggest thing. " he said.

"At Geelong, I would have still been 50-50 whether I was going to get a game and Sydney pretty much said to me that I'd be playing."

Shane Mumford will earn more money than half of Cats' premiership team after accepting an offer to join Sydney in a four-year deal worth up to $1.2 million.

The Swans will give pick No. 28 to Geelong in exchange for Mumford.

Geelong ruckman Shane Mumford is offered a lucrative deal with the Swans which he has chosen to accept.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson is unhappy with Mumford's decision to move to Sydney after having put several years into his development since he was recruited from Bunyip.

The Cats will now have to negotiate a deal that will send Mumford over to them.

Shane Mumford has had a taste of senior football and now, as finals loom, he doesn't want to let go after having taken over Mark Blake's position in the ruck.

"Now that I'm here, I really don't want to let go," Mumford said.

"I'm going to grab on with both hands and try and stay here for as long as I can and play in the finals."

Mark Blake's CV from the past 2 1/2 years reads better than most ruckmen, yet conjecture mounts over his position at Geelong.

It's all to do with the imminent return of No. 1 ruckman Brad Ottens and the improved form of understudy Shane Mumford, plus a subtle change in the perception of ruckmen this season.

Bunyip Football Club president Alan Wright uses the word "mammoth" to describe Shane Mumford's eating habits when he first played ruck for the Bunyip Bulldogs.

"He always stood out because he is just this bloody mountain of a man and that was when he was just a boy," Wright said.

"He became really heavy and put on a lot of weight at one stage there because he wasn't worried about making an impression in our league or anything like that.

"Then one day he decided he wanted to have a go at football and, really, he is an extraordinary young man to achieve what he has in such a short time."

Mumford now looks back and agrees he was overweight.

"The thing was I didn't look at myself and think I was that bad," Mumford said..

"But I look back now and think, 'Wow, you were a fat mess'. Some of the photos of mates' birthdays and that, my face was huge and I had this big beer belly.

"I was that big and unfortunately I've still got the excess skin to show for it."