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Round 12 – Greater Western Sydney v Sydney: Coming of Age

It had taken a hundred games to get to this but the Giants were finally playing to a full house at Spotless Stadium. There would be those like Eddie McGuire who would always complain about the cost of expansion but it was a great thing to see standing room AFL tickets being sold in the geographic centre of Sydney.

 

It might have been the centre of town in a geographical sense but Homebush might well be a million miles away from the sparkling sea and the glittering silver and blue harbour of the CBD. Yet as the purple dusk settled down around the big lights; it made you raise that this really was one of the best grounds in the country at which to watch the footy. The ground was close; the view was great and the pepper steak pie was to die for.

 

Both teams came into this game in pretty good nick although the Giants had lost a couple in the last fortnight and a loss would have them falling down the ladder. A win to the Swans and they would be top of the table. My friend Neil said thought he Kurt Tippett would be the key. That seemed like a strange comment at the time. It didn’t seem so strange later on.

 

It was an eerie feeling wanting to support both sides as they battled it out. I had supported the Swans for decades but I wanted the Giants to succeed in Sydney. Both sides were a bit wasteful in front of goal and there was a point in it at quarter time. But Tippett went off in the second and Stevie J marked strongly just before the main break to leave the Giants two goals up.The tempo increased in the third but the Giants were quicker and cleaner through the middle and their pressure and counter attack was exceptional. It was 20 points to the Giants and it seemed that a cracker of a last quarter awaited.

 

Then during the break; some bloke got to kick a ball into a tube of tyres from 30 for a hundred grand. He had been a Swans fan and was now into the Giants. He kicked it, the crowd went ape and you knew that anything could happen. And sure enough it did. When troubled child Toby Greene kicked his fourth in the fourth; it looked like the end; and it was. The Swans tried but the Giants were too desperate and ran away with a six goal defeat of the red and white.

 

The Swans did not disgrace themselves. There hadn’t been much in it and a few injuries made the difference. But you had to give it to the Giants. They really are coming of age.

 

Greater Western Sydney 2.4 6.6 10.11 15.15 (104)
Sydney Swans 2.3 4.6 7.9 9.9 (63)

 

Goals
Greater Western Sydney: Greene 4, Johnson 2, Patton 2, Scully, Cameron, Griffen, Coniglio, Lobb, Reid, Whitfield
Sydney Swans: Franklin 2, Jack, Rohan, Sinclair, McGlynn, Rose, Mitchell, Kennedy

 

Our best: Greene, Shields, Rampe
Official crowd: 21,541

Comments

  1. John Butler says

    Ian, Spotless seems to be quickly developing as one of the places to be if you want to see some quality football. In a couple of years I reckon it will be regarded a bit like Kardinia Park or Perth.

    The Giants just need to take it on the road a little more. Then watch out.

  2. craig dodson says

    Enjoyed reading this Ian..

    Thought you might like to read this piece I wrote for the Almanac about the Dartmoor Football club and its links to Jeremy Cameron http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/the-dartmoor-football-club-embraces-a-new-colour/

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