The rumours are true. It is with great sadness that the Swans’ Blog announces that Wayne “Bubbles” Tinlin has hung up his footy boots in Hanoi and will return to Australia to promote the Vietnam Swans with his lovely wife and two small children. Tomorrow.

Bubbles, famous for his VB singlet and his ability to quabble the Queen’s English like no other, has been an institution in Vietnam for nearly 10 years. Before the Hanoi Swans were born, he was a footy nut. He may also have seen the Hanoi Hawks fly back in 1998?? 

In 2006 when the Hanoi Swans were courting Saigon with the objective of forming a combined Vietnam Club, Bubbles flew down to Saigon to coach Hanoi in the inaugural Vietnam Derby. As always, Bubbles planning was as intense as it was meticulous. As we packed up our things afterwards, we noticed that the team on the Coach’s whiteboard was unchanged from the beginning of the day!  

Meanwhile, another coach and former Captain of the Swans, JD, has also telegraphed the Blog to announce that in the middle of the year he will move to Africa to follow his passion for sport and photography on a tripod.

JD has an even more decorated coaching career than Bubbles winning two of the three games he has coached.

Another already-departed Swans high flyer, when hearing about Bubbles and JD, remarked, “Last person to leave Hanoi has to pay 10 bucks!”.

The Blog is hearin’ him. But the Swans Blog is also hearin’ that the Swans are continually in a state of renewal and regeneration. No chance of us being caught with half a dozen 300-Gamers who all retire on the same weekend. We’re continually culling the old and weak and recruiting the young and strong.

The Swans are on the march in 2008. The footy season officially kicks off on 8 March against the Malaysian Warriors in Kuala Lumpur. In September we have our 2nd Asian Championships in Singapore plus we’re also hosting tours from Singapore, Bali, Malaysia, possibly Jakarta and the Elgar Park Dragons.

The Swans Farewell Footy Club has mastered the delicate art of balancing farewells with the need to field a team.

But back to Bubbles. It has been awwwwwwwesome to be party of Wayne’s World. Good luck back in Brisbane and we’ll miss you long time.