IT'S ALMOST like Nick Davis has an extra initial attached to his name.

Ten years after he broke the hearts of Geelong people, Cats fans still refer to him as "bloody Nick Davis", or "Nick Bloody Davis". At least, the polite ones do.

But the extroverted Davis, now the Swans' team runner and goalkicking/development coach, revels in the backhanded compliment.

"They say stuff like, 'Why did the one good game you played have to be against us in a final?' It's all good fun," the 34-year-old told the AFL Record.

Davis had plenty of fun – the time of his AFL life in fact – in the famous cut-throat semi-final at the SCG in 2005.

He produced what his ex-coach Paul Roos hails as the best quarter he has seen from a player in a final, given the dire circumstances, the wet conditions and the fact it ultimately helped the Swans break their 72-year premiership drought.

"If 'Roosy' gives you a compliment you take it, because it's hard work getting one out of him," Davis said.

Each of Davis' four kicks in a pulsating final 20 minutes were goals – the last four majors of the match in fact – lifting the Swans to a climactic victory.

When the Record asked Davis to recount his heroics, he enthused: "Just press play and let's go."

Davis' astounding performance that night naturally remains one of his favourite subjects, but not entirely for the reasons you might expect.

To him, it's far more than a matchwinning effort. It actually encapsulates his rollercoaster journey in the AFL, and is ultimately a story of redemption.

Sydney-born and bred, Davis had a fine footy pedigree. His Tasmanian father Craig – a cousin of mercurial, four-time premiership star Brent Crosswell – had also been a sharpshooter, slotting 360 goals in 163 games (five fewer appearances than his son) with Carlton, North Melbourne, Collingwood and the Swans.

Critically where the 2005 semi-final was concerned, Davis senior taught young Nick how to kick on either foot.

"You never know when you're going to need your left foot, but years later it came through for me when I needed it most," Davis junior said.

The round-ball code also helped his dual-sidedness.

"I played soccer from the age of six for about seven years," Davis said. "It's a lot easier to kick both feet in soccer because you don't have to worry about the ball drop. That probably strengthened my left side, and added to my muscle memory and foot-eye coordination.

"In my role in skill development with the Swans, I actually get the guys to use a soccer ball to boost their confidence on their left foot."

Young Nick's goal sense was also well-honed from an early age.

"Growing up in a rugby-league state, not many schoolmates had a kick with me, so I spent a lot of time by myself having shots at goal," he explained.

"There might be something in that: that rather than passing to someone I'd always be having a shot. It became a natural thing."

Read the full Nick Davis feature in this week's edition of the AFL Record, available at both semi-final venues.