Dane Swan can get under a footy fan's guard just as easily as he does an opponent's.

Not blessed with the in-your-face brilliance of Gary Ablett, Chris Judd in his West Coast prime or Cyril Rioli, Swan inflicts his damage more in a death-by-a-thousand-cuts style.

He may not be fashionable but over the past six seasons Swan has probably been as effective - if not more effective - than any over midfielder in the competition.

Watch the CTV highlights from the match.

Swan played accumulator again against the Hawks on Saturday at the MCG. In fact, he racked up the highest possession tally of his career - 49, surpassing the 48 he had against Port Adelaide in round 10, 2009.

It was the fifth highest possession tally on record (see table below).

It was also the 10th time in his career Swan had had 40 or more possessions in a game.

It's an incredible record. But his performance against the Hawks was drowned out to an extent by the victors' dominant performance and Jordan Lewis' unlikely five-goal haul.

Swan's disposal efficiency was also down slightly on his season average, 63 per cent compared to 68.

Nonetheless, his achievement shouldn't be lost amid the Pies' gloomy day.

Hear from Nick Maxwell after he spoke to CTV in the rooms.

Not that Swan, himself, wanted to highlight it in the Magpies' post-match press conference.

"I knew I had a fair bit of it, but I didn't know the exact numbers. It clearly doesn't matter when you lose," Swan said.

"We got smashed in all the key areas that we focus on as a midfield, so it doesn't matter when I have 51 or one.

"We lost, so I'd give them all back to win."

Swan was more comfortable praising the way Hawthorn had "sliced" Collingwood up on Saturday.

But he was also confident Collingwood had time to get its season back on track.

"The good thing is we've got six games left to try and rectify it before the finals," Swan said.

"Like 'Bucks' (Nathan Buckley) said we'll have a good look at it Monday and just try and fix a few things, keep on plugging away and hopefully the tide turns and we start playing some good consistent footy.

"Because we need to to match the good sides such as Hawthorn."

BALL MAGNETS: MOST DISPOSALS IN A GAME*
53 - Gary Ablett Jr (Gold Coast) v Collingwood, 2012
53 - Greg Williams (Sydney Swans) v St Kilda, 1989
51 - Scott Thompson (Adelaide) v Gold Coast, 2011
50 - Tony Shaw (Collingwood) v Brisbane Bears, 1991
49 - Dane Swan (Collingwood) v Hawthorn, 2012
48 - Peter Featherby (Geelong) v Melbourne, 1981
48 - Stephen Malaxos (West Coast) v St Kilda, 1987
48 - Tony Shaw (Collingwood) v Geelong, 1984
48 - Dane Swan (Collingwood) v Port Adelaide, 2009
48 - Greg Wells (Melbourne) v Fitzroy, 1980

*VFL/AFL matches in the modern era