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No “i” in Swans

David Penberthy

by David Penberthy

01 Oct 02:55pm

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Filed under: 2012 Afl Grand Final, Afl, Aussie Rules, Sport, Sydney Swans

49 comments

The Sydney Swans can now lay claim to the title of being the greatest Aussie Rules football team of all time.

Stopped the surge: Swans hero Marty Mattner. Picture: Herald Sun

Not so much in terms of their victories, even though two wins from three grand finals in eight years is impressive by any measure. More so in terms of the sporting cliché that there is no “I” in team, as this team is the most remarkable collection of unfancied, unwanted, and even unknown blokes ever to grace a footy field, who have thrived at a club which places collective effort over the desire to build up a few individual superstars.

A few weeks ago after watching the Swans do a number on my team Adelaide at our home ground, I wrote in Sydney’s Daily Tele about how one of the best things Sydney had going for it was being so consistently underrated by the Victorian football media.

Earlier this year Mick Malthouse, doyen that he apparently is, said it was something of a farce that Sydney were in the top two on the premiership ladder, and no reliable indication of their abilities.

Coming back not once but twice to win Saturday’s remarkable grand final should force Mick to politely eat his words.

While the ability to fly under the radar was a factor, the greatest thing Sydney has going for it as a club is its culture of unity and self-belief. The rollcall of blokes who put in on Saturday includes a who’s who of players who were dumped and discarded by other clubs but who thrived at the Sydney Swans.

While the Hawks are ruing the inaccuracy of the biggest name in Aussie Rules, their glamour forward Lance Franklin, the Swans’ win was made possible by hundreds of heroic efforts across the park.

There were many standout moments in this game, in which the Swans set a new AFL record by becoming the first club to lay more than 100 tackles in a grand final. The opening and closing goals by Nick Malceski, both of them among the best goals ever kicked in a grand final.

Adam Goodes playing on one leg and still kicking the last quarter goal which let Sydney pull back level with the Hawks. Lewis Jetta sprinting away from Cyril Rioli, in one of the most joyful celebrations of the indigenous contribution to the game.

But the best moment for mine was a tackle right at the end by Adelaide Crows’ discarded defender Marty Mattner, when with two minutes to go and the Swans up by just five points he chased down forward Luke Breust to stop a potential Hawthorn surge.

I’ve watched the last ten minutes of the game on the IQ about a dozen times now, and Mattner’s determination says everything you need to know about this awesome footy club. Cheer cheer the red and the white.

Most commented

49 comments

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    • marley says:

      03:07pm | 01/10/12

      Well, if a Canuck (from my home town) can make it with the Swans, all I can say is, they are a pretty inclusive team!

      Reply

    • JoniM says:

      06:22pm | 01/10/12

      Spot on marley !
      And Pike was one of their very best on ground, having to cover for his obviously injured ruckman partner ! A truly brave and totally committed performance ! And this from a Canuck ! Now well infected with the “bloods” culture !

    • Gaz says:

      08:55am | 02/10/12

      Gratest team ever - what are you smoking

    • Jason says:

      03:08pm | 01/10/12

      Greatest Aussie Rules side of all time? Hate to say it but Hawthorn have 10 flags over the past 52 season, Carlton have 8 and both Richmond and Essendon have 5. These are the great clubs, 2 flags in 78 years doesnt equate to being a great club!

      Reply

    • bullwinkle says:

      03:22pm | 01/10/12

      Way to miss the whole point.

    • Mark says:

      03:41pm | 01/10/12

      They were victories for the CLUB, not the TEAM. Way to miss the whole point of the article. What the OP means is that Sydney has a very even team accross the ground and that the club do a very go job at fostering collective success, rather than individual brilliance.
      I definitely agree with him, one of the most evenly spread teams to ever win a flag. Even the certified legend Adam Goodes would agree he is not the superstar he once was, they all do their bit and look where it’s got them. The complete opposite of a side like Hawthorn built around a spine of stars. Makes it alot harder to win when one of them doesn’t fire on the day

    • Dash says:

      08:34am | 02/10/12

      Jason, who’s the better club in teh AFL at the moment? Spoken like a Victorian in denial!

    • Mont says:

      08:38am | 02/10/12

      Well done Jason you have completely missed the point. Read the first line of the article again - it’s not about how many victories, but how a team of unfancied and unwanted (Shaw, Kennedy) players keep winning due to team spirit.

    • JRM says:

      09:00am | 02/10/12

      Yes Mark. But so does Geelong. Geelong did it with home grown and taught juniors. They didn’t buy stars.

      One swallow doesn’t make a summer. All time means a LOT OF TIME.

      And Jason. Geelong has 17 flags over its history. 3 at AFL level. 7 in 8 years in VFA days.  Hawks are pretty much lightweights in comparison.

    • S.L says:

      03:22pm | 01/10/12

      Lance Franklin is now up there in the lofty heights of chokedom. Along with other noted under achievers at high level, Greg Norman, the All Blacks (at world cup time when away from home) and the England soccer team (for the same reason as the all blacks). All I heard in the Victorian press is how this bloke (so well known outside the southern states I had to get a Victorian to point him out to me) was going to make mince meat of the Swans single handedly. What happened? One kick was sooooo wide he didn’t get a point for missing?
      Well done the Swans when you were down by 19 points you hung in there and didn’t give up!

      Reply

    • Bear says:

      05:11pm | 01/10/12

      Still stuck with that fluke flag in 08 and nothing since for the so called perenial “favorites”! I think Carlton might win a flag before the hawks next one.

    • BJA says:

      08:05pm | 01/10/12

      Still stings bear? Lol

    • Phil says:

      03:17pm | 01/10/12

      Could not agree more, well said!

      Reply

    • Upside Down Cake says:

      03:33pm | 01/10/12

      Its UPSIDE DOWN CAKE SEASON

      Sydney Football Rugby League 2012
      Melbourne Champs 2012
      Sydney City Chumps 2012

      Melbourne Football Australian Rules 2012
      Sydney Champions
      Melbourne Demons chumps!

      Reply

    • Meh says:

      03:22pm | 01/10/12

      Ti ok, you’re from Adelaide so we don’t expect you to understand Aussie Rules.

      119

      Reply

    • Rose says:

      04:50pm | 01/10/12

      It appears that he understands it way more than you do, you didn’t even have a point! to make

    • Mahhrat says:

      04:00pm | 01/10/12

      I know I spent most of the last few minutes imploring John Longmire to go find Leo Barry, just in case..

      Turned out it wasn’t needed.  While I’m a Sydney boy and thus biased, Hawks didn’t deserve the win.  They kicked 4 goals in 9, then about 6 goals in 15.

      That’s one quarter of football dominant out of 4 (give or take); it shouldn’t be enough to win a flag, and thankfully it wasn’t.

      Reply

    • Jenni says:

      03:57pm | 01/10/12

      Die-hard Swans supporter since I was 6. I flew from Perth on the red-eye Friday morning to stand in the rain for 4 hours waiting to cheer my boys in the parade. Couldn’t get an actual ticket for the game (spent all my money just getting to Melbourne wink so spent game day in Fed Square at the pub - great crowd with a mix of supporters, giant screen and absolute jubilation when the final siren *finally* blew. Much mayhem ensued for the rest of the night. Sunday morning was down to the old South Melbourne hq to see the boys again, none of whom appeared to have slept since the game LOL flew home to Perth last night and still haven’t wiped the smile from my face.

      Best. Weekend. EVER! Love you Swannies!!!

      Reply

    • shane says:

      05:42am | 02/10/12

      You spent all your money just to get to melbourne without going to the game?

      You’re a champion!!

    • Dash says:

      02:07pm | 02/10/12

      Yep - you are a true supporter! And a champion! Good on ya Jenni! GO BLOODS!

    • stephen says:

      03:57pm | 01/10/12

      Dunno what Bobby Skilton was warbling ‘bout : South Melbourne has nothing to do with the Swans anymore.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      04:02pm | 01/10/12

      Die hard AFL supporters don’t change their colours.  I have a close friend who’s a keen Brisbane supporter only because they used to be Fitzroy.

    • Rose says:

      04:52pm | 01/10/12

      It does according to the Sydney Football Club and it’s supporters, and they would know!

    • Richard M says:

      05:26pm | 01/10/12

      Rubbish, pal.  The Swans strongly celebrate their South Melbourne heritage - see the “SMFC” on the back of the jumpers.  There are thousands of Swans members in Melbourne, and there was absolutely no distinction between any of us at the game and afterwards on Saturday - they were chanting SYD - NEE along with all the rest.  I was next to a bloke at the celebration who has lived in Melbourne all his life and is a Swans supporter because his father and grandfather were both South Melbourne supporters.  He now loves the Swans as much as the rest of us.  One of the great things about the Swans is that they straddle both cities, and many other places as well - eg Canberra, where I’m from

    • Greg says:

      05:57pm | 01/10/12

      Stephen, have a look on the back of the swans jersey, it has SMFC. On a more posiitve note, well done to a great team of awesome players, cheer cheer the red and white.

    • Arnold Layne says:

      09:45am | 02/10/12

      I was one of the many Swans fans who travelled to Melbourne for the game and I wentto the Melbourne fans’ event on Sunday morning.  The number of South Melbourne supporters there was a joy to behold.  I had a conversation with a bloke who must have been well into his 80s who joked with me that there were more people at the fan event thatn South used to draw to the home games that he attended at Lakeside Oval as a young bloke.  The link between South and Sydney is important to acknowledge and maintain.  It should always be remembered that we are Sydney first, but the club’s heritage is something to be proud of and embrace, not lock away and forget about.

    • Nicole C says:

      04:06pm | 01/10/12

      Greatest Aussie Rules football team of all??? Please dont make me laugh how about Brisbane going back to back to back and then making it into their 4th consecutive grandfinal in a row? Geelong winning 3 grandfinals in 5 years? In no way shape or form are the swans even close to being the greatest Aussie Rules football team of all because they managed to win 2 from 3 in 8 years!

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      07:13pm | 01/10/12

      Penbo is not just referring to the results numbers Nicole but more the lack of an ” i ”  or several stars in a team as against the we attitude more fostered and the efforts put in for the team.

      Hannenbury’s mark running across into Hale, a much bigger ruckman a great example of guts personnified.

      Sure Geelong, the Brisbane Lions and you can even go back to Melbourne if you like doing five out of six, Collingwood interrupting their run by defeating them in the 1958 grand final and Collingwood being the only team to win four straight all have had great results and had great teams too though if you go back and look into the team sheets and reports of the time, you may well find there are a handful of stand out players around which a team is built.

      What Penbo is focused on is that the Swans hardly have a standout nucleus of players but more epitomised what a team of good players can achieve by all putting in for oneanother.
      It was even commented on a couple of occasions on how there were no players on one half of the ground, they all being in the Swans defensive zone other than a couple of the hawks backs looking decidedly lonely and then the Swans had to run the ball out, that happening many times and that takes effort.

    • Austin 3:16 says:

      07:35pm | 01/10/12

      Have another read, maybe get a friend to help you - see if you can actually find the point to the story this time.

    • Carolyn says:

      11:50am | 02/10/12

      Didn’t Collingwood win four Grand Finals back to back 1927 - 1930 inclusive?? Or is it a case of Queenslanders (and I’m one of them) moving the goal posts (“but…but…it was only VFL then…)  to suit their ego?

      I’m not Collingwood fan, but I respect them more than the Brisbane Bears, sorry, Lions!

    • Luigi says:

      04:25pm | 01/10/12

      At mid-year some ABC radio commentators talked about the Swans in the same vein as this article.  As they progressed through the finals I got a very strong feeling they were going to get through.  And I am a West Coast Eagles fan.

      Reply

    • Robert S McCormick says:

      05:26pm | 01/10/12

      Just goes to show, David, that those running ‘your’ team Adelaide who discarded Marty Mattner don’t know what they are doing, doesn’t it?
      I was delighted when the arrogant Crows & their supporters got their comeuppance!!

      Reply

    • Peter says:

      05:28pm | 01/10/12

      “One of the best things Sydney had going for it was being so consistently underrated by the Victorian football media.”

      The Victorian football media always underrate non-Victorian teams. That way, they can ignore atrocious umpiring displays or attribute any complaints to bad sportsmanship.

      But the Swans won despite the inevitable pro-Victorian umpiring bias. Does that make me a “bad winner” if I still criticise the umpiring?

      Hawthorn only got past Adelaide the previous week due to a 5 goal umpire advantage. Even the Victorian TV commentators were struggling to justify the obvious bias.

      It is the elephant in the room that cannot be mentioned. The AFL suppresses freedom of speech on the subject. Players, coaches and club official are all muzzled. Umpiring must be beyond any criticism.

      Reply

    • Richard M says:

      06:16pm | 01/10/12

      Absolutely correct, Peter.  The forbidden subject on the Vic Footy media was the free kick count in the GF, which was 21 to 10 - I don’t have to tell you which way.  How can this be justified?  Was Sydney a much more undisciplined team than Hawthorn, by more than double?  The umpiring was, frankly, disgraceful - either utterly incompetent and unprofessional, or simply totally biassed.
      I even heard a Vic commentator say that he thought the umpires had done a great job - presumably he meant, a great job of ensuring that Hawthorn stayed in the game. As you say, the story was exactly the same in the previous week’s game against the Crows.  The bias was just so extraordinarily obvious.

    • JoniM says:

      06:36pm | 01/10/12

      Spot on Peter !
      Whilst the AFL want to dominate the football codes nationally for bragging rights and full coffers, really it is very just much an extended VFL ! The media, the officialdom and the large fan fan base are still of the belief it is a Melbourne centric game ! The rest of the interstate teams are treated as interlopers as the onfield umpiring continues to demonstrate ! Bias abounds !
      The greatest outcome of the Swans brave victory on Saturday was the huge amount of egg now spread far and wide across the face of that egotistical twerp Michael Malthouse and his sycophant mates in the media who showed just how little they really know about team sport via their writing off of the Swans !
      How sweet it is !

    • Rob says:

      07:10pm | 01/10/12

      I was a bit suspicious of the umps too - there were a few obviously dodgy decisions which gave the ball or advantage to the Hawks. If in doubt - leave it out I say. Most people complain about the frees given, not the ones not given - and when the result is so important, this should be considered.
      BTW I’m not a Swan fan or member - not do I dis-like Hawk - just want a great game of AFL

    • Gregg says:

      07:31pm | 01/10/12

      I agree, there was a bit of inconsistency re umpiring decisions and that stood out for me with a couple of holding the ball decisions against the Swans where umps claimed not enough effort was made to get rid of the ball, often there not much chance at all with arms pinned by a couple of players who could even be lying on you.
      Thing was, similar situations occurred with the Hawks and not one holding the ball decision other than for when Luke Hodge decided on attempting to bust free, having had ample prior opportunity and it took a couple of seconds before the ump blew his whistle.

      About the only decision that anyone could say the Swans were given a bit with would have been Jettas run away from Rioli as I’d reckon he did cover a bit of ground prior to bouncing.

      That aside, they always say you can kick yourself out of a win and that’s exactly what the Hawks managed to do.

    • Glenn says:

      08:13am | 02/10/12

      Come on now.  Explain the opening 10-1 free kick count in favour of Sydney when Hawthorn played Sydney in the last round of the regular season? There are some big issues surrounding umpiring but its time to break out the tin-foil hats if you think umpires are favouring the Vic sides.

    • Black Dynamite says:

      09:08am | 02/10/12

      While I think you have a point, given the fact that the Swans won their first premiership on the back of a tribunal decision which was obviously influenced by the opportunity to expand the AFL into Sydney I don’t think they have any room to complain.

      BD

    • Dash says:

      11:16am | 02/10/12

      I’ve asked the AFL for a please explain on the umpiring. I’ll let you know what response I get.

      I cannot believe in a game as close as that, Hawthorn had more than twice the number of frees as awarded to Sydney. 21 to 10!!!

      Sydney laid 110 tackles and got one holding the ball decision all day. Yet Kennedy got done when he had absolutely no prior! You had the Richards deliberate oput of bounds, the ruck infringment which gave Hale a goal and Hawthorn back the momentum. Hodge ducks his head and gets an instant free. Hawk players trying to break tackles = ball up. Hawk players incorrect disposal when tacked correctly = play on.

      I played a lot of football, and I cannot believe the disparity in such a tight game!

    • Brenda says:

      06:48pm | 01/10/12

      Just a few differences between Melbourne clubs and Sydney.

      The Swans was the first AFL club where the supporters insisted on choosing their next coach - Paul Roos. 

      The Swans team contains football’s most statesmanlike player - Adam Goodes.

      Swan Presidents and committees are noticeably absent from the football spotlight.

      Swan culture does not suffer bad player behavior.

      Football’s ugly ducklings consistently transition into magnificent Swans.

      The Swans are blood brothers.

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      07:23pm | 01/10/12

      All we need now Brenda is for the Swans to infect the rest of Sydney and the state may once again prosper!

    • shane says:

      05:56am | 02/10/12

      I’m with you on this one Brenda.  It’s all about the football with the Swannies.  They had a great year and won a a bloody good Grand Final.

    • pa_kelvin says:

      08:02pm | 01/10/12

      No Bill here, but had to put his nonsense comment on Ant’s article. What a troll..

      Reply

    • cameron says:

      05:54am | 02/10/12

      The swans would have to be the most consitent team over the last 10 years. Making 9 of 10 finals making 3 grand finals and wining 2. Yes the geelong and brisbane clubs were fantastic. But after there run of sucsess they droped out of the 8 geelong heading that way now no sydney they rebuilt while staying in the 8 making them one of the gratest teams of all time. Sucsess is nor just counted if flags won good artical.

      Reply

    • Kerryn says:

      07:23am | 02/10/12

      HA!

      Come up to Brisbane sometime.  Attend one of our functions or public training sessions.  Hell, even come to a ressies game - you’ll know all about team then!  I have never met a nicer, more inclusive bunch of people than the Brisbane Lions, their fans and their players have welcomed a silly little girl like me and will continue to welcome anyone who wants to come.  Hell, the players even encourage people to come up and ask for autographs if they see them, whether at official functions or not!

      Reply

    • Dash says:

      08:46am | 02/10/12

      Penberthy - Mate I told you this three weeks ago before the Adelaide match!

      Reply

    • Black Dynamite says:

      09:19am | 02/10/12

      Pretty sensationalist writing, can you claim the Swans game & the team itself are inspiring? Absolutely, and I was happy that they won but come off it. The Geelong team that belted the living suitcase out of the Power would dispatch the Sydney team they fielded on the weekend. I’ve never seen a better team for hard competitive ball than that team and they didn’t only have people “doing their part” all over field they had genuine stars in 80% of the positions they fielded. It pains me to say this as my mate is a cats fan.

      What do you want to judge greatest ever on? Heart, consistency, most premierships, most finals or just post GF euphoria? Herein lies the problem with making claims like this.

      BD

      Reply

    • Linko says:

      03:24pm | 02/10/12

      I seriously don’t understand the bollocks about how South Melbourne and Sydney have nothing to do with each other. I was born in Melbourne to a good working class family in Port Melbourne and moved to QLD when I was 4. All of my family in Victoria continued to support the Swans when they relocated, my familty in QLD supports the Swans and it is a great opportunity for our families to get together every now and then half way to watch games in Sydney. They will always be South Melbourne for us and the fact they play at home in Sydney is an advantage because the Victorian Press continuosly underestimates us. I would love to see someone argue the case that there has been a more consistent team over the last 20 odd years. They are without a doubt the best ‘Team’ in the AFL at the moment and if most of the other clubs are trying to model themselves over us then we must be doing something right. We have no Priority picks unlike all of the sides that have Tanked, we have very few top ten picks because we haven’t bottomed out, our highest rank pick (Gary Rohan) was out all year with an injury caused by a North Melbourne player who did the same thing as Adam Goodes and got away with it when Goodesy got 3 weeks.

      If anyone actually read this article they might see that the author isn’t saying they are the most successful team but the best ‘Team’ and they would surely have to considered in this light.

      Reply
 
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