Although Capper said he regretted his move to Brisbane, he believed clubs such as GWS and Gold Coast were better equipped to succeed than the defunct Bears were when introduced in 1987.

''You only get the money offered once or twice in your career and you've got about a 10-year life span playing footy, so you may as well make the most of it,'' Capper said.

''What I'm saying is the club doesn't really care about you too much. As soon as you hurt your leg they want to get rid of you anyway.''

Capper said he understood why the Giants signed Israel Folau to raise their profile but ''he wasn't as good looking as me and he can't really play, that's the trouble, and he's paid more''. ''But $2 million a year - good luck to him, I would have gone too,'' Capper added.

His comments come on the eve of the Swans' first clash with Gold Coast and as the Giants assemble their list for their inaugural season in the competition next year.

A glamorous high-marking forward while at Sydney, Capper's career floundered after quitting the Swans at the end of 1987 for a three-year deal by the then Bears worth more than $1 million.

After producing hauls of 92 and 103 goals in 1986 and 1987, Capper managed 71 goals from 34 games in his three years with Brisbane. He blamed bitterness from teammates jealous of his huge pay packet for his failure.

''They couldn't handle me, I was too big for them,'' Capper said. ''I was the first $1 million player, I think I was worth that in awareness and publicity. I made the Swans millions out of their marketing. Every time I led out they [the Brisbane players] kicked it over my head. I was the highest-paid decoy full-forward in history.''

Capper, who retired with 388 goals from 124 games, said the move to Brisbane cost him ''300-400 goals'' and cut short his career by three years. ''It was a little bit [of a regret],'' said Capper, who was inducted into the Swans' Hall of Fame this year. ''I should have stayed after I kicked a hundred but unfortunately the club was broke and they needed to pay the tax man.''

Capper is predicting Sydney to win by 10 goals tomorrow night but said the Swans were ''three or four players short'' of becoming a genuine premiership threat. He said the club desperately needed a full-forward and a centre half-forward but was encouraged by teenager Sam Reid's progress this year.

Historically, the Swans' best periods since relocating to Sydney in 1982 have coincided with the presence of a high-class forward - Capper in 1986-87, Tony Lockett in the 1990s and Barry Hall. But Capper said the controversial Brendan Fevola, who was dumped by Carlton and Brisbane in the past two off-seasons, was not the answer for the Swans. ''He's a bit of a loose cannon, I think it's all over for him, [but] they need someone in that mould,'' Capper said.

The AFL needed more ''razzmatazz'' to win fans in Sydney, Capper said. ''It's going OK, isn't it? It's not booming. They need a Buddy [Lance Franklin] or a Warwick Capper.''