Swans Dive
I’ve had a few cracks at writing this piece. It’s fair to say that I’m guttered, shattered, flat as a tack and totally confused after the Swans Grand Final performance. We failed, on the biggest of stages again.
My Swans cap, scarf and t-shirt have been packed away till next season. I just don’t need to be wearing that stuff, provoking conversations about why we failed, again.
SEN radio is off and I’m avoiding any of those analytical footy shows. I don’t need any of those so called experts telling me that we failed, again. They don’t know why, nor do I.
I’m avoiding my compulsion to read the various footy websites. There is nothing I can find there that offers redemption. There is no redemption from a Grand Final humiliation.
Congratulations to the Brisbane Lions, a thoroughly deserving winner. What about my Swans? Surely the last six months for them and me has not been a waste of time and effort. What can be salvaged out of this wreckage
At the start of the year my pass mark for the Swans was finishing top 6 or maybe top 4 and winning some finals. The acquisition of ruck Brodie Grundy plus midfielders Taylor Adams and James Jordan was fuelling my optimism. That optimism was jet propelled when we sat on top with 13 wins from 14 games, three and a half games and about 30% points clear. Our gun midfield of Heeney, Warner and Gulden supported by the likes of Rowbottom and McInerney supported that optimism.
Surely at this point we were not that much better than the other main contenders? We were a very good team though we had deficiencies that perhaps were concealed by a good run with injuries. Arguably we are a bit small in defence, have an inexperienced trio of tall forwards and perhaps need another big body in the middle to support the guns. No team is perfect.
We faltered towards the end of the year. We lost four games by a total of 10 points. Though after an appalling loss to Port Power, we corrected, won the last three games and two finals to make it to another Grand Final. A great effort. We finished on top; minor premiers. To be objectively fair, the Swans only had three games where we were not in it up to our eye balls. It’s just that one of those three was the big one.
In the here and now it’s hard to see the year as a success. If I can manage to excise three hours from my mind from last Saturday afternoon, personally I had a terrific year. As a Melbourne based supporter I got to Sydney for three games for three great wins against the Cats, Pies and the Power in the preliminary final. And I made it to Brisbane where we had a narrow loss; a good performance in a great game where we lost a few players to injury. I caught up with family and friends along the way. A big tick.
Our game is a sociable one, or at least it should be. An enjoyable season for me includes the various lunches and catch ups and the never ending analysis and discussion along the way. The game experience is always enhanced by seeing it live or on tv with friends and family. In this regard it was another good year.
Did we progress? We had four players make the All Australian team and others have career best seasons. It’s over to the footy department, coaches and senior players to do a deep dive in to why we failed at the last hurdle. We are a still a youngish list and have secured the likes of Gulden, Rowbottom, Florent, Hayward and McDonald on long term details. There will not be major changes to the squad, so we will need to look to structure and game plan for improvement.
Taking a step back we’ve made the finals twelve times in fourteen seasons under John Longmire; a phenomenal performance. There is no reason why we can’t be back in the mix again next season. I am confident we have some good young talent yet to be exposed. We’ll be looking to add to the list in the upcoming trade and draft periods, though I think acquistions will mostly be young talent that will take time to mature. A few mobile medium size forwards or a tall defender would be great, in my opinion.
We have lost four grand finals in 10 years, three of them by 10 goals or more. We are scarred. And this is a peculiar type of grief that I’m experiencing. We have created our own version of the Colliewobbles, maybe the Swans Dive?
I’m grateful that our continued outstanding performance has given us a chance in most years. I’d much rather be in there with a chance than not making or winning finals like some others clubs. Now only a premiership , sooner rather than later will heal the wounds.
SYDNEY 3.1 4.3 5.4 9.6 (60)
BRISBANE 4.3 11.7 16.11 18.12 (120)
GOALS
Sydney: Parker 3, Warner, Rowbottom, Papley, Heeney, Hayward, Fox
Brisbane: Lohmann 4, Ah Chee 4, Morris 2, Daniher 2, Rayner, McCluggage, Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Ashcroft
BEST
Sydney: Rowbottom, Florent, Fox, Gulden, Parker
Brisbane: Neale, Ashcroft, Lohmann, Ah Chee, Daniher, McCluggage
INJURIES
Sydney: McDonald (ankle)
Brisbane: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Braeden Campbell (replaced Logan McDonald in the third quarter)
Brisbane: Conor McKenna (replaced Logan Morris in the final quarter)
Crowd: 100,013 at the MCG
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About Keiran Croker
Keiran is a lifelong Swans supporter, despite a brief dalliance with the Cats and Tigers in primary school years. Family connections to Port Melbourne and South Melbourne demanded loyalty to the Swans. The long wait for success was worth it.
It will be interesting to watch how deep the scars run, K Croker.
Swans will contend again – but just how far they can go in September without quality key forwards is the big question for me.