And she says if one thing has catapulted Andrew into the AFL's captaincy ranks it's his dedication.
"Andrew is the most dedicated person that I've ever met," Elise says.
"Football has been his passion ever since he was little and it was his dream to play in the AFL.
"He really wanted the role (as North skipper). But everyone in the leadership group was so worthy too, so it's so exciting that he got it. I know he'll be rapt."
Elise spoke with AFL.com.au over the phone shortly after Andrew had been announced as captain at Aegis Park.
Andrew had briefly passed on his good news and just let Elise know I was hoping for a chat.
"Don't say anything silly," Andrew jokingly instructed Elise before passing the phone over.
He need not have worried. In a five-minute conversation, Elise did nothing but sing the new skipper's praises.
She spoke of how he overcame the disappointment of being overlooked in the 2004 NAB AFL Draft.
"We were all at home watching the draft on the internet, so it was a bit sad when Andrew's name didn't come up," Elise said.
"But he was able to use the next year to really set himself up. It helped him mature. He finished school and really concentrated on working on his footy.
"I think sometimes when you get denied something you really want, it just makes you persevere more."
Elise also detailed how Andrew bounced back from a disappointing third season, 2008, when he played just North's opening three games.
Named as an emergency for round one the following season, Andrew then came into North's team as a last-minute replacement for injured teammate Liam Anthony. Elise said Andrew resolved to make the most of his good fortune.
"The 2008 season was a tricky one for Andrew. He went away thinking he just had to attack the next pre-season to get himself in the best possible shape to bounce back the next season," she said.
"So on the Friday night before that round one game he just said he had to take the opportunity and give it everything he had."
It's history now that Andrew was one of North's best players in that game, a 34-point victory over Melbourne.
Having seized his opportunity, Andrew has not let up. He has not missed a game since and, in that time, has won two best and fairests (2009 and 2011) and finished third in 2010 (one vote behind joint winners Brent Harvey and Brady Rawlings).
Such outstanding on-field consistency, along with his impeccable character, swayed the Kangaroos to choose Andrew as Brent Harvey's replacement over fellow leadership group members Jack Ziebell, Drew Petrie and Daniel Wells.
So now that he has the job he coveted, what kind of leader will Andrew make?
Elise's assessment echoes that given by her husband at his press conference on Friday.
"He's not exactly an extrovert, he's not a 'rah, rah' kind of guy," she says.
"He'll be more the type to lead by example. He's also someone who champions everyone around him and his No.1 concern will be making sure that the team goes forward."
Elise also says playing for North Melbourne means "an amazing amount" to Andrew.
"He had an opportunity to go to Sydney (with Greater Western Sydney) last year, but when it came down it he just wasn't interested in leaving."
"North has given him opportunities and championed him as a player and a person. It's a really supportive environment at the club; everyone is there for one another."
North is confident there's no one better placed than Andrew Swallow to safeguard this culture. You suspect Elise is too.
