Swans Review: Preliminary Final vs Fremantle (2 September 2013) #AFLFinals

Dockers far too good for the Swans in Perth, and into their first Grand Final

FREMANTLE 2.9 7.11 11.12 14.15 (99) SYDNEY 2.1 2.2 5.5 11.8 (74) Goals: Fremantle: M Walters 3 M Pavlich 2 N Fyfe 2 N Suban 2 H Ballantyne L Neale M Barlow P Duffield R Crowley. Sydney: G Rohan 2 H Cunningham 2 B McGlynn D Hannebery J Bolton J McVeigh L Jetta L Parker M Pyke.
Best: Fremantle: D Mundy N Fyfe P Duffield R Crowley M Johnson A Sandilands M Walters M Barlow. Sydney: J McVeigh G Rohan B McGlynn. Umpires: Matt Stevic, Simon Meredith, Shane McInerney. Official Crowd: 43,249 at Subiaco.

It is the inevitability of football after (or even during) the first week of finals. When you lose, it's the end of the season, and there is naught by the long summer slog, pre-season and trials, before a Sherrin is kicked again in anger. On a raucous night in front of a rabid Purple Haze of Fremantle fans at Patersons Stadium, and under the pump from an impressively relentless football team - who showed a bit of a rabid streak themselves - the Swans have reached that moment. 2013 is no more. They will not make a second successive trip to the last Saturday in September and the AFL Grand Final. The season is over, the dog days of summer are just around the corner, and a chance for atonement seems a long way off now.

Yet, the Swans should not be discouraged. It is true that they were beaten by a far superior team tonight, and the 25-point final margin hugely flattered the men in the red and white, but it has been an uphill battle since before the first bounce against GWS back in April, but it has ended in a Preliminary Final, which not many expected. Not with how the injury list kept growing in Sydney.

There was not one occasion this year where the team that took the field in the Grand Final of 2012 were on the field together, as a cohesive unit. Alex Johnson didn't see action at all, Rhyce Shaw was a long time on the sidelines, joined by Lewis Roberts-Tompson, Lewis Jetta, Martin Mattner, Adam Goodes and, later, 2013 revelations, Tom Mitchell and Kurt Tippett. With that many good, veteran players out, it's a wonder the Swans made the finals, let alone survived a tough encounter against Hawthorn in the first week, rebounded resiliently against Carlton last week at home and made the long trip across to the west coast to face the Dockers.

I knew it would be tough going against Fremantle. After all, they are the best team in the league as far as defensive numbers go, and they were rested, having earned a week off after - amazingly and courageously - beating Geelong in Geelong two weeks ago. They had a giant home crowd behind them, and didn't disappoint. The Dockers were magnificent, putting the squeeze on the Swans in every way possible in that first half. It was one of the great sustained pressure moments that I can recall. 

Had it not been for some wayward kicking, the home side would likely have held a ten-goal lead at the half. As much as it pained me to realise, the Swans had nothing. They had been outplayed comprehensively, and how often can you say that about this team? I would imagine that the Hawthorn players watching the game tonight would have started getting nervous sometime about five minutes into the contest, when the Dockers really ratcheted up the pressure. It was a clinical effort, inspired by their midfield, which shut Sydney's star-studded one down. It was a tough night for Hannebery, Jack, Kennedy, McVeigh, all of them under constant pressure, with no room in which to move. It can't have been easy.

Fremantle are a very good chance of going to Melbourne and knocking off the Hawks next week. They are the best in the AFL in defence, and the Hawks the best in attack. It will be a colossal contest, if this weekend's games are anything to go by. The Hawks have broken the Kennett Curse, but might find themselves cursing the Purple Haze by this time next Saturday. After all, when attack and defence meet head-on, defence always wins. The Swans showed that last year against Hawthorn. The Dockers will be up and about. Ross Lyon's boys just might do it. Imagine the media narrative in Melbourne if Hawthorn lose two Grand Finals in a row that they were expected/favoured to win. Wow.

The Swans, unfortunately, will not. Perhaps, the less we dwell on that fact, the better, for there really wasn't much good to be taken from the contest today, except that they were able to kick a bunch of goals late to make the scoreboard look a little better, and you would imagine that their Young Brigade of Rampe, Cunningham, Rohan et al, will be better for having been exposed to that sort of contest and that sort of atmosphere. They will come back better for the experience. As will the entire team.

Saddest of all tonight is the farwell of a club legend. Jude Bolton played his heart out tonight as he has for every game of his glittering career. The guy that looks like Jane and plays like Tarzan knew no other way but head-on, one hundred percent at every contest. He realised that he probably wasn't the most talented player on the field, but he made up for it with courage and toughness. In a clutch situation, there would be no one you'd want to have the footy than #24. 

In the greatest, most meaningful way, Jude Bolton was a Bloods warrior and the team won't be the same without him. For that matter, nor will the AFL, and you could tell during the post-game celebrations that the Fremantle players respected him, for they all went up and shook his hand. Classy and an indication of the esteem in which Bolton his held - not just by Swans players and fans, but by players and fans across the entire country. It's a sad night for the League, and a tough one for the Swans, made tougher by the fact that Jude Bolton went out in an aberration of a game that was so unlike what the Bloods culture, which he helped cultivate, was all about. Everyone has their bad nights, of course.

Farewell, Jude, we'll miss you. But we won't forget you.

Enjoy the summer - thanks for reading my Swans recaps in 2013, it's much appreciated. See you in 2014! Go Swans!!

Swans Review - Semi Final vs. Carlton (14 September 2013)

Powerful third quarter sends Sydney into a Preliminary Final.

SYDNEY 3.3 8.6 13.8 13.8 (86)
CARLTON 2.3 4.8 4.8 8.14 (62)
Goals: Sydney: L Parker 3 H Cunningham 2 J McVeigh 2 K Jack 2 J Bolton J Kennedy L Jetta R O'Keefe. Carlton: J Waite 3 E Betts 2 B Gibbs D Armfield M Robinson.
Injuries: Sydney: Kurt Tippett (knee), Tom Mitchell (ankle). Carlton: Ed Curnow (knee), Michael Jamison (head).
Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, Brett Rosebury, Dean Margetts.
Official Crowd: 37,980 at ANZ Stadium.

It was far from a promising start. Only moments after spearhead Kurt Tippett had hobbled from the ANZ Stadium turf on a dodgy knee, midfield tyro Tom Mitchell was headed in the same direction with a shattered ankle and, seeing both in succession on the big screen - about the only thing replayed more than once all night - there was a nervous murmur going through the Swans faithful. Yes, the Swans were ahead, but they had butchered some opportunities and Carlton seemed to be surging. 

Of course, the Green Vest came off Lewis Jetta and the speedster was injected into the game far earlier than he, John Longmire or just about anyone else at the ground ever expected. But there was no such luck for Mitchell, whose absence meant that Sydney were down a rotation. Thus, hope for Carlton fans and despair for the majority of the fans at the Olympic Stadium clad, as they were, in red and white.

A tough first quarter saw the scores level, and the quality of the take on a continuous nosedive. Players were falling over left right and centre, a game riddled with injuries, and questions were again raised about the quality of the playing surface at ANZ, which some refer to as a "cow paddock". Who knows? Playing on a cow paddock tonight might actually have provided a better spectacle. 

It's time something is done about the surface there. I know the AFL has a contract to play a certain number of games there, but that contract (which runs to 2016) would surely a certain minimum standard of turf condition before a game can be played. Surely what greeted the players tonight was not up to that standard? The AFL should be embarrassed for letting the game go ahead as it did. Injuries caused by that ground are nothing new, but complaints seem to fall on deaf ears. The League office needs to sit up and take notice before someone sustains a really serious injury.

Early on, it was a tough game to watch, but the Swans, in the face of a lengthening injury list, had at least withstood an early Carlton surge.Then, Jarrad McVeigh came to the party. This was a contest dying for someone to put up their hand to take control. And in walked the inspirational Swans skipper. There were times in the second quarter when it felt like he'd brought his own footy, or at least had the Sherrin they all chased on a string. He was everywhere: defending, attacking, pressuring, shadowing, chasing, tackling, inspiring. 

Of all the good games McVeigh has played in red and white - and there have been plenty - this might have been his most impressive. He led the way, fighting and scrapping, putting attacking foray after attacking foray into motion. It's not a stretch to say that he put the team on his back in that second quarter, helping the Swans to a 22-point half-time lead, and setting them up for what was to come.

Emerging from the sheds after the half, it seemed as though all of the Swans were of a mind to play like McVeigh. Their third quarter was a brilliant and ruthless one, a shellacking of the highest order, dashing football, strong tackling and dependable defence, to which Carlton had no answers. Ryan O'Keefe kept the influential Blues superstar Chris Judd quiet, the rest of the Blues turned the football over, and Sydney made them pay. Made them pay again and again.

It was as dominant a period of play as the Swans have been able to produce this year and it came at the most opportune of moments. Not surprisingly, McVeigh was front and centre, as he had been in the second, shrugging off whoever Carlton sent to him in an effort to curb his influence. The skipper finished the game with a career-high 42 disposals (twenty in that incredible team-lifting second term) and two goals: a jaw-dropping performance. Not a bad night at the office.

Two goals in three minutes from a red-hot Luke Parker changed the course of the game, and sent Swans fans scrambling to find flights to Perth. It was carnage for the Blues and euphoric for the Swans. The third term was a wonderful microcosm of everything that's good about John Longmire's team. They were kicking majors from all over the park, and every fickle bounce of the footy seemed to go their way. They ran and chased and battered the Blues into submission. From the despair of the first injury-riddled quarter to this, Swans fans were on an emotional roller-coaster of a lifetime. That's September football for you.

Six goals up, and limping though they were, Sydney kept their foot down in that third and blew right Carlton away. The game had been won and there was still a quarter of football to go.. Cunningham, McVeigh, Jack, Bolton (who had a highlight reel goal of his own in the first quarter), Hannebery Kennedy and Jetta seemed to swarm over Carlton as the game sped towards the shadows of three-quarter time, whilst O'Keefe continued his stifling of Judd, who was so much the key to Carlton's barnstorming last-start comeback win over Richmond.

By the time the siren went for three quarter time, the Swans had won the game, up by 54 points, the mountain simply too high for Carlton, who managed to stop Sydney from scoring in the last term. The Swans had done the same to them in the third. But the game was effectively iced late, and the Swans, who will have a nervous wait with Ted Richards possibly in trouble for a late and high hit on Carlton's Levi Casboult, seemed more interested in making sure they didn't sustain anymore injuries en route to the final siren. 

And with that siren, a famous September victory of grit and strength and brute force at times as well, the Swans head to Perth and a showdown for a place in the 2013 Grand Final next Saturday night with the Ross Lyon-coached Fremantle Dockers.

Swans Review - Qualifying Final vs. Hawthorn (6 September 2013)

Swans blown away by ruthless Hawthorn in the second half

HAWTHORN 3.4 4.7 9.9 15.15 (105) SYDNEY 3.3 4.7 5.8 7.9 (51)
Goals: Hawthorn: J Gunston 3 D Hale 2 J Roughead 2 B Hill B Lake J Anderson L Breust L Shiels M Bailey M Spangher P Puopolo. Sydney: K Tippett 2 G Rohan J White L Jetta M Pyke R O'Keefe.
Best: Hawthorn: L Hodge S Mitchell B Sewell S Burgoyne G Birchall B Guerra D Hale J Gunston B Lake. Sydney: K Jack J Kennedy L Parker T Richards C Bird T Mitchell.
Umpires: Shane Stewart, Brett Rosebury, Dean Margetts.
Official Crowd: 59,615 at MCG.

A game of two halves tonight. In the first half, the Swans were right in the contest. It ebbed and flowed, did the opening two quarters. One team had momentum, then another team wrestled it back. It was gripping, high-intensity football, and it seemed like we were in for much of the same in the second half. As the siren went to end the first half, Swans fans had good reason to think that their team had a serious chance at causing an upset.

Then, the Hawthorn machine cranked it's way into top gear and the Swans, the object lesson for the rest of the AFL's Final Eight where the Hawks offensive capability is concerned, had no chance. They were completely outclassed in the second half. The margin was 54 points in the end, and only after Hawthorn butchered some set shots at goal, particularly in the fourth quarter. In that, the Swans can think themselves lucky. 

The way the Hawks were moving the football, through a midfield that thoroughly dominated the Swans opposing unit, which is well in the upper echelon themselves was the sort of good that you can also label as frightening. Hawthorn, led by Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell, were frighteningly good. The difference between the two midfields was night and day today, as was the scoreboard difference, despite the Swans winning contested possessions and clearances. 

Aside from claiming those victories on the stat sheet, they were hammered by a far better team - and the Hawks have Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli to come back. In the end, it might only be Hawthorn's stunning inability to beat Geelong that will deny them the 2013 premiership. Tonight, though, the Hawks took a solid step forward. The Swans, after playing the first half on their own terms, may have gone backwards. The good players - Josh Kennedy and Kieren Jack amongst them, alongside Jarrad McVeigh - continued to be good, but players like Dan Hannebery and Lewis Jetta were shown up under the bright lights of the Finals, and looked horribly underdone. Therein lies the danger of taking in players coming off injury into the Finals. Mistakes are magnified at this level, as is a lack of fitness.

In the week ahead, John Longmire might reexamine his forward line setup. Half the problem tonight was Sydney not being able to score when they got the football into the attacking arc. Granted, their Inside 50s were sparingly allowed by a stout Hawthorn defence, but the single-minded idea of thumping the football long to Kurt Tippett didn't work tonight and, really, hasn't worked for some time. Scoring was far more balanced last week with the spearhead out. They kicked more goals and looked more dangerous, ultimately in a game that didn't matter, when Tippett was out.

With Tippett back in the line up, far from him being the Wild Card for the Swans, it chanelled their attack to the point where it didn't take much thinking for Hawthorn's corps of defencemen to work out what the Sydney tactic was tonight. 7 goals will not win you an AFL Final. Not in this lifetime and not in the next, a fact that Fremantle might well discover that tomorrow in Geelong. 

Conceding 11 majors to the opposition in the second half is something else that won't win you an AFL Final. Particularly when you only kick three in return, the majority of those when the result was far beyond doubt. When Hawthorn applied pressure, the Swans, unfortunately, succumbed. It was a worse loss than I had thought possible. What their mindset going home to ANZ Stadium next Saturday night will be, I don't know. But, consider where we might have been, and what might have occurred had some of the Swans' injured brigade been on the field rather than in the stars. Goodes, Shaw, Johnson, Roberts-Tomson, Reid...all of them dependable players who would have steadied a team stacked with youngsters - talented though they are - when the Hawks rush started. There's nothing like experience in the heat of that Finals cauldron. It's tough to compete with other gun sides who have all their stars up and firing.

Turnovers killed, too. The Hawks were always there to pounce on every mistake the Swans made. They hunted in packs, overwhelmed the youngsters in the Swans line-up, and there were some mistakes made by veterans, too. Heath Grundy seemed unable to take a mark in defence, preferring to punch the football away. Ted Richards and Dane Rampe were brave at the back, as always, but working down there on this night was like standing in front of a spillway trying to stem the tide. The Hawks came and came again. Their possession was impressive, as was their ability to move the ball around just outside fifty, waiting for a target to present itself. More often than not, a target did present itself, leading to a Hawthorn goal. They were impressive. 

Far too impressive for Sydney to handle. Yet, by virtue of finishing in the top four, the Swans have another shot at making a preliminary final next Saturday night against the winner of Sunday's elimination final between Richmond and Carlton. Lots of work to do in the mean time.

Swans Review - Hawthorn (30 August 2013)

Swans defeated but not disgraced in narrow loss to Hawthorn


HAWTHORN 2.2 7.5 11.6 17.10 (112) SYDNEY 5.2 9.2 13.4 16.4 (100)
Goals: Hawthorn: J Roughead 4 J Gunston 2 L Breust 2 L Franklin 2 B Lake D Hale G Birchall J Anderson J Lewis P Puopolo S Mitchell. Sydney: J White 3 L Parker 3 G Rohan 2 S Mumford 2 B McGlynn J Bolton K Jack M Morton M Pyke T Mitchell.
Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Shane McInerney, Dean Margetts.
Official Crowd: 37,980 at ANZ Stadium.

Well, wasn't that something? If you ventured out to ANZ Stadium tonight for your first game of AFL footy, you'd surely come back again and again and again, because it was a value-for-money contest of the highest order: two of the best two - maybe the best two? - teams in the competition going back and forth, momentum swinging this way and that, clutch goals at one end, desperate defensive lunges at the other, two gun midfields, physical contests, tackling machines...AFL footy at its' absolute very best.

If there's such a thing as a 'good loss' then the Swans had their best loss of the season. I wasn't sure how this game would go - Hawthorn have been very good, and they were coming in off a nice-tune up against Collingwood (who beat the Swans two weeks earlier) and form for Sydney hadn't been great, after an insipid and largely uninspiring loss to Geelong in Geelong last Saturday. With injuries piling up, I just didn't know how the red-and-whites would go.

As it turned out, all was not lost, and, indeed, there is great hope heading forward, for a team of largely young kids ran with the best team in the league, the minor premiers, and, at times, ran over them. After a general lack of discipline and effectiveness last week, the Swans were back to their best this week. They showed, despite losing by two goals - and, let's be honest, there were chances to be had in that last quarter, chances which were sadly squandered - they can definitely be a force to be reckoned with in September action. How many people would have said that after last Saturday's clunker in Geelong? Not many, that's for sure.

A blistering Hawthorn assault, five goals in 13 minutes was the difference for the Swans, who tried as best they could to hang tough in the last quarter, and did fight hard. Their competitiveness was probably the most encouraging thing of all tonight. And it was a brilliant game to watch. A little more veteran presence would have helped, particularly in the last quarter, but there are plenty of positives to be gleaned: Tom Mitchell, Luke Parker, Ryan O'Keefe, Mike Pyke and Ted Richards were all outstanding. Jarrad McVeigh was his usual dependable self. Dane Rampe recovered from his worst performance of the year last week.

Once again, unlikely forward target Jesse White played strong footy, but the potent combination of four Jarryd Roughead goals and another impressive effort from Sam Mitchell were the difference, and propelled Hawthorn to the 2013 minor premiership and sets these two teams on a collision course in a qualifying final next Friday night at the MCG.

For that game, there is a lot of hope, if you're a Swans fan. The Hawks can be beaten, and Sydney can be the ones to do it. Spearhead Kurt Tippett will be back after his hamstring soreness (which might've been more about the Sydney brains trust not wanting the Hawks to get a preview of the gun forward than any real injury) along with, you would assume, Nick Smith and Dan Hannebery, too. Even better news: Lewis Jetta will play in the reserves tomorrow, so there's every chance he might return, as well. Imagine a team with Jetta and Gary Rohan in full flight. That'd be something to give opposition fits. Rohan pulled off some incredible chases tonight. He's back to his pre-injury best.

Meanwhile, the AFL world watches and waits for a decision on Buddy Franklin. The Hawks star was reported in the first quarter for a suspect high bump on Nick Malceski, who was momentarily taken from the field. There's every chance that Buddy will be suspended for at least next week's return clash - and maybe longer still. It wouldn't be the lead-up to the finals without some controversy, would it? Lots of pressure on the Match Review Panel over the next few days, and some work to do for the Swans ahead of a trip south to the MCG and another crack at the Hawthorn cherry.

Swans Review - St Kilda (18 August)

Swans see off a determined first half St Kilda challenge for a comfortable win

SYDNEY 2.3  6.6  13.9  18.10 (118)
ST KILDA 2.3  4.4  5.6  8.11 (59)
Goals: Sydney: K Tippett 5 J White 3 B McGlynn 2 J Bolton 2 J Lamb 2 K Jack 2 M Pyke 2.
St Kilda: J Steven 2 N Riewoldt 2 D Minchington T Curren T Hickey T Lee.
Best: Sydney: J Kennedy L Parker R Shaw K Tippett K Jack J McVeigh.
St Kilda: J Steven N Riewoldt L Montagna T Curren D Armitage.
Umpires: Ben Ryan, Jacob Mollison, Jason Armstrong.
Official Crowd: 26,730 at SCG.

The Swans got what they really needed today: a nice, confidence- and percentage-building win over fairly poor opposition heading into the final two, very tough weeks of the season (next week, at Geelong, and the following week, home against Hawthorn) before reloading to defend their 2012 premiership.

Even so, the win didn't come easily for Sydney, and that was entirely due to a very plucky St Kilda side who made life difficult in the first half, maintaining close contact on the scoreboard through a combination of experienced old heads like Nick Dal Santo, Nick Riewoldt and ex-Swan Adam Schneider, and a fleet of kids who look like they'll be the (fairly promising) future of the St Kilda Football Club, like Jack Steven, who fought hard with Sydney's Josh Kennedy for best-on-ground honours this afternoon.

It was a different story in the second half, where the Swans kicked clear, producing a blistering display of hard-running and well-executed ball movement, spearheaded by Kennedy and his midfield cohorts, chief amongst them, Jarrad McVeigh, who, it seems, cannot play a bad game. He's the steadying presence in the engine room, and the lightning rod for so much of what the Swans do offensively. Behind him, Ted Richards battled Saints spearhead Riewoldt to a draw, with able assistance from Dean Rampe and Rhyce Shaw. The Swans are an infinitely better team when Rhyce Shaw is running and carrying from the backline. There are few who can do it as well as he does.

In the third quarter, which blew the game wide open, the Swans played breathtaking football at times, and ruthless, too. In every facet of the game, they put the Saints to the sword, showing glimpses of form which the Sydney faithful really hasn't seen for two straight weeks, after the majority of the team had sub-par performances against Collingwood last Saturday night. Kieran Jack was his usual self, Luke Parker returned to form, Jesse White looked menacing once more (and will be tough to drop as the run to the finals commences) and Ben McGlynn, fresh off of perhaps the worst performance he's ever put in as a Swan, returned to form, a very pleasing thought for the Swans Nation ahead of September action.

Generally, the Swans acted as though last week's game was but a speedbump, and they would want to hope so. It took a while to happen, but the Sydney machine was up and rolling smoothly by three-quarter time, the dreaded Magpie cobwebs blown right out of the water. Swans fans, remembering last week's effort all too well, can only hope that they don't reappear throughout the next six to (hopefully) eight weeks of football still to come in Season 2013.

With five goals to his name before the bell for three quarter time, impressive spearhead Kurt Tippett was subbed by John Longmire in favour of Gary Rohan, whose return to the Swans line-up - and, indeed, to the field - was warmly welcomed by the SCG crowd of more than 26,000 people. Few can forget the horrible vision of Rohan breaking his leg early last season. It's been a tough road back for the red-headed youngster, but, ultimately, a rewarding one. He will be better for a quarter's worth of footy.

It was a smart move both ways for Longmire. Player management is absolutely key at this time of the year. Tippett will be well-rested for Geelong next week, and Rohan was given a chance to find some form heading into the finals, when he will, without a doubt, be the sort of wild card option that could turn momentum at crucial moments in big games. Tippett has looked unstoppable over the last few weeks (and was arguably the only bright spot in last week's loss to Collingwood), but Jesse White, in career best form, impressively stood up and shouldered the load late in the game.

A fifty-nine point win was about a fair indication of how the game went, the Swans doubly better than St Kilda, who noticeably faded late. Next week: a much tougher test, against Geelong in Geelong. It's the hardest assignment in footy, and will be a very good litmus test as to where the Swans are at.

UPDATED: Swans Review - Richmond (28 July 2013)

Shaky early, the Swans steady for an impressive win against a Finals-bound opponent.

SYDNEY 5.3 8.7 13.10 16.14 (110) RICHMOND 5.3 6.4 8.7 9.9 (63)
GOALS Sydney: White 4, Tippett 3, K Jack 2, Mitchell 2, B Jack, Bolton, Lamb, Pyke, Smith. Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Martin 2, Jackson, White, Conca, Vickery.
BEST Sydney: O'Keefe, K.Jack, Mitchell, Hannebery, White, Mumford, Bird. Richmond: Martin, Cotchin, Riewoldt, Grigg.
UMPIRES Stevic, Meredith, Stewart.
CROWD 29,738 at SCG.

It started rather innocuously, with Nick Malceski clobbered off the ball in the opening minutes - it was a legal bump from Richmond's Ty Vickery, and a good one at that - and it seemed that, in those early stages, the entirety of the Sydney side was suffering from a case of the stumbles and the wobbles as the visitors kicked some early goals to cause a murmur of doubt to go through the SCG crowd, which was plentiful on this first ever Sunday twilight game in Sydney.

Slowly, like a bear emerging from hibernation, the Swans found their legs. Six minutes in and two goals down, things shifted. Little did anyone know, but the best passage of play the Tigers would enjoy all night had come and gone. The game shifted quite noticeably after that early Tiger burst. Sydney's midfield got on top, through steady hands from the veterans like Ryan O'Keefe and Jarrad McVeigh. The Old Guard was ably assisted by the New Guard. Brandon Jack looked as good today as he has at any time in his short career. Tom Mitchell continued his excellent season. Luke Parker, Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery, Craig Bird...and the list goes on. It's a list that could take up considerable column inches, and, often, it does.

There were multiple contributors for the Swans today, as there seem to be each and every week. Ted Richards had the best of Richmond star Jack Riewoldt - not an easy feat in Season 2013 - and the Sydney midfield, in the face of a very good group opposing them, looked unstoppable at times, and dominant for much of the rest of the time, too. Surely, the group of mids that the Swans can boast on the field each week is absolutely the best of it's kind going around the AFL at the moment.

Sydney's was a solid, four-quarter effort in most areas of the game - except, in the kicking department, and not for the first time, either; there's been some shocking inaccuracy in some games this season - that allowed the red-and-whites to notch a 47-point win, and to condemn Richmond to seventh straight loss at the SCG. For the Tigers, resurgent in 2013, the Harbour City has not been a happy hunting ground. And it will remain so for at least one more year.

This was an important win for the Swans, who are far from being at full strength. In fact, there's just about a premiership team of players sitting on the sidelines. Goodes, Shaw, Jetta, Reid, Roberts-Thompson and more are still to come back. Yet, the Swans keep on keeping on. It is nice to have such incredible depth, and as premiership stars remain off the field, young kids are gaining valuable experience.

More and more, it is the fringe players who are stepping up and filling the void for those who are missing. As is often said in American sport, next man in. And it's working extraordinary for Sydney. Plug and play. Jesse White played his best game for Sydney today, ending with four majors, and menacing the Richmond defenders often. This in the midst of his best stretch of play, ever. To think that we had been ready to give up on White last year. A powerful stretch of play in the fourth from White helped the Swans really kick clear and a learned and humorous observer I know and love said, "White will win the Brownlow this year!" Not quite, but he's looking good, and will be tough to drop when Sam Reid is ready to come back if he continues in this rich vein of form, that's for sure.

Much the same can be said for Andrejs Everitt, who has enjoyed his best and most consistent month of football. Brandon Jack, mentioned above, is taking his chances and doing good things with them. So, too, Jed Lamb and Harry Cunningham. Dean Rampe is another pressed into service in defence, and coming along in leaps and bounds, making it not seem so bad that the dependable Marty Mattner is no longer with the team.

The end result of a positive night in Sydney: an emphatic win in front of nearly 30,000 fans - a good start for the experiment of Sunday twilight football - against a finals-bound opponent has catapulted them into third position, and with so many good players to come back, the future looks bright as the countdown to the 2013 Finals Series really begins in earnest.

Swans Review - West Coast Eagles (21 July 2013)

Swans ultra impressive in tough western test...

SYDNEY 4.4 10.8 12.9 17.11 (113) WEST COAST 3.4 5.6 6.8 11.13 (79) Goals: Sydney: K Tippett 3 D Hannebery 2 J Lamb 2 K Jack 2 M Pyke 2 B Jack J Bolton J Kennedy J White L Parker S Mumford. West Coast: J Kennedy 4 B Dalziell C Masten C Morton D Cox J Darling N Naitanui S Wellingham. Umpires: Simon Meredith, Dean Margetts, Nicholas Foot. Official Crowd: 35,166 at Subiaco.

Daniel Hannebery said it best in his post-game interview with Cam Mooney on FOX: the trip across to Perth to play the West Coast Eagles is one of the toughest tests in all of football, perhaps second only to the Death March down to Skilled Stadium to play Geelong. Given that, it would be appropriate here to award the Swans full marks. Or, at least, an A-, for their performance today - aside from a ten or fifteen minute period in the fourth quarter - did what the corresponding game last year did: it really announced Sydney as serious premiership contenders.

The game was won in the second quarter, when the Swans did to John Worsfold's Eagles what they've done to so many teams this season: they opened them up, relying on a dominant midfield machine to create scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity, most of which were converted, which gave Sydney what turned out to be a match-winning lead. In days gone by, the Eagles had a midfield that boasted, amongst others, Chris Judd and Daniel Kerr, with plenty of other firepower around them, and their midfield was likened to a Ferrari. 

Fast forward a few years, and that's the Swans, who boast some formidable strength through the guts of the ground. Consider the names: Hannebery (who had his sixth game of 40+ possessions in 2013, and 2 nice goals), Parker, Jack, McVeigh, Bolton, Kennedy...and the list goes on. Hannebery, who had the ball on a string for most of the game, must be an outside chance at the Brownlow Medal, still. And Kieren Jack, who popped up with deft moves and incredible speed, were the chief destroyers. It was a thing of beauty to watch.

It's a tough ask to pick the best midfielder in that team. One thing is for certain: They are a serious problem for opposition teams, for there are so many to shut down. Tag one, and another one or two step up. Consider Tom Mitchell: that kid looks like he's approaching his hundredth game. He's a perfect example of the "plug and play" mentality that the Swans are lucky enough to have. Stick a player into the midfield, around those superstars, and you can almost guarantee that he'll become a superstar himself. Certainly, in Mitchell's case, he's well on the way.

For the most part, the Swans were dominant at Paterson's Stadium, which isn't something that a lot of teams can say. A slow start gave way to outright dominance in the second and third quarters, and a period ensued where, it seemed, Longmire's men took their foot off the accelerator. West Coast stormed back to within 20 points, then Josh Kennedy waded into the fray. He was the man with the Midas Touch there for a cruicial ten minutes, in which everything he touched seemed to turn into a six-pointer and the Eagles challenge was snuffed out.

Impressive today, also, were the defenders. Grundy, Rampe, Richards and co are as good as there is in the AFL. Their pressure is extraordinary, and, for the most part, the big guns Jack Darling and the other Josh Kennedy were well held, and renowned goal sneak Mark Le Cras hasn't kicked a goal against the Swans in his career. In the ruck, Mumford and Pyke had the better of the Cox/Naitanui pairing, and even when one of the Eagles got the tap down, like as not there was a Swans midfielder waiting to snatch it away again. And so it went for most of the game.

With so many injuries, the Swans have been particularly impressive in that they've rarely faltered, and you can only imagine how good a unit they'll be when Goodes, Reid, Roberts-Thomson, Shaw, Jetta and co are back in the team. Stop-gap options at the moment had spectacular games today. It might've been Jesse White's best in red and white, Andrejs Everitt continues to impress in his best season yet, as does the newcomer Jed Lamb, whose influence over the proceedings this afternoon had a major impact on how the game went. Kieren's brother Brandon Jack had his best game, too. The wide open spaces of Paterson's seemed to suit a lot of the Swans team. There are good signs for the continued development of an already impressive team. As for West Coast, the loss today ends their slim Finals chances. 

Elsewhere, Harry Cunningham, the sub today, had an immediate impact, setting up a Kurt Tippett goal late, and the key forward looked as good as he has in a Swans uniform, blessedly kicking straight, and well supported in the scoring department by two of the gun midfielders, Jack and Hannebery. It's like a tide, that midfield. They sweep forward, cashing in on the scoring chances that they've created.

In the wash-up of a very interesting round - how about the Garry Ablett Show last night against Collingwood - the Swans sit in fourth on the Toyota AFL Premiership Ladder, and must be glad of Geelong and Fremantle losses this week, with Richmond heading to the SCG next Sunday afternoon for some twilight footy. The Tigers, on their day, are as good as anyone in the League, and will likely provide a stiff test for the Bloods. It's a match-up that has Trap Game written all over it...

Swans Review - Carlton (28 June 2013)

Swans do just enough to scrape home on an obscenely wet night at the SCG

SYDNEY 4.6 5.9 6.11 8.17 (65) CARLTON 0.3 1.5 4.10 5.13 (43) GOALS Sydney: McGlynn 2, Tippett 2, Bolton, Parker, Pyke, Mitchell. Carlton: Gibbs, Armfield, Bootsma, Lucas, Tuohy. BEST Sydney: Bird, Parker, Mitchell, Kennedy. Carlton: Henderson, Judd, Gibbs, Bootsma. UMPIRES Findlay, Rosebury, McInerney. CROWD 25,349 at SCG.

It wasn't even close to being pretty, but that hardly matters in comparison to the four competition points that the Swans picked up on Friday night. Really, the big story was the weather. To put it mildly, it was atrocious, and many of the 25,000 fans in attendance at the Sydney Cricket Ground would doubtless have thought back to the corresponding game two years ago, played in very similar conditions. If anything, this Friday night was worse. Even the most diehard of supporters had to admit that there were better things they could have been doing with their time. 

Yours truly (left) enduring a wet, poncho-friendly night at the SCG

Two years ago, it was a Chris Judd masterclass that sparked Carlton to a good win, but the still-brilliant Judd, a real barometer of the fortunes of his team, had no such influence on the contest this time around, and despite a surge in the second half, the Blues fell short on a night where, because of the torrential rain - it felt like we were sitting through a tropical cyclone event at times - even the most basic of skills sometimes seemed beyond players on both sides. 

For Sydney, the trajectory of the game was eerily reminiscent of last week's loss: big lead early, the other side makes a comeback. But the result was different; there was no repeat of the Port Adelaide debacle. Unlike last week, when challenged, the Swans found a way to stand up and deliver something more. Considering the conditions, and considering, also, an Injury List that's as long as my arm, and features names like Goodes, Shaw, Reid, Roberts-Thomson, Johnson, Morton and more, this was a good win, and just what the doctor ordered after last Saturday's failure at AAMI Stadium.

With so many premiership stars out, it was up to some of the newer faces to get the Bloods across the line. Craig Bird and Dean Rampe had perhaps the best games of their season, Kurt Tippet, in his SCG debut, managed two goals, and midfield rookie sensation Tom Mitchell kicked a classy goal at the end, sealing the win for the Swans. 

The old stagers had an impact, too: Ben McGlynn had a double on a night not exactly tailor made for kicking at goal. Jude Bolton's performance was to be expected, given his love of the close-in contest, and on a night where you needed to really scrap for the football, when it was tough to get a kick away, the evergreen midfielder stood up and led from the front. Whenever there was a pack, Bolton was at the bottom of it. 

The less said of the howler of a decision from the umpire to penalise Nick Malceski for rushing a behind late in the first half, gifting Carlton a goal that set them on their mini-run into the third, the better. You can bet, though, that the umpires will have a tough week of answering questions about that ruling, the first of it's kind this season. When even the television commentators are struck dumb by the decision and lost for words...well, you know it was a horrendous decision. Good luck in the VFL next week, Mr Umpire.

In the end, rain and all, the Swans came away with a win, avoiding a two-game slide. The rain doesn't seem so bad when you win. Also worth noting that with Fremantle, the West Coast and Collingwood losing around Sydney this weekend, the Swans are still staring a top four finish squarely in the face, and the quest for back-to-back premierships is well on track. Melbourne next week: Sunday at the MCG.

Go Bloods!!

Swans Review - Adelaide (8 June 2013)

Dan Hannebery leads white-hot Swans in twilight rout of Adelaide

SYDNEY 4.4  10.9  17.12  19.13 (127)
ADELAIDE 1.4  3.4  3.9  6.14 (50)
Goals: Sydney: B McGlynn 3 J White 3 M Morton 3 C Bird 2 J Bolton 2 A Everitt A Goodes D Hannebery K Jack L Parker T Mitchell. Adelaide: S McKernan 2 B Vince I Callinan P Dangerfield T Lynch.
Best: Sydney: D Hannebery K Jack J McVeigh J White R O’Keefe T Mitchell. Adelaide: P Dangerfield R Sloane D Talia B Rutten.
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Robert Findlay, Mathew Nicholls.
Official Crowd: 38,374 at AAMI Stadium.


Simply extraordinary. That's what the Swans were tonight. If there's been a more thoroughly complete effort on an AFL footy field this year then, please, point it out to me because the Swans were unstoppable tonight. They were so good that Adelaide, who weren't exactly lying down and letting the red-and-whites run all over them, were left hopelessly reeling, the victims of a football team that was absolutely unstoppable. The Swans were just too good, a pack mentality at every contest, the silky smooth movement of the football through the midfield, the occasional party trick and, most importantly of all, scoring potency. It led to a 77-point hatchet job of Brenton Sanderson's men that, sometimes, was almost beyond belief. A red and white hurricane hit AAMI Stadium tonight, and it didn't let up until the Crows were battered into submission.

This was the complete effort from Sydney, on the back of impressive wins against Collingwood and Essendon in the last two weeks. Heading into their bye week, Sydney, whose record at AAMI Stadium hasn't been great over the years, are perfectly placed for a run deep into September. Another premiership flag is not out of th question, not based on their form of the last few weeks. And, scarily for anyone not aligned with the Swans, will only get better with the likes of Rhyce Shaw, Lewis Jetta, Lewis Roberts-Tomson and the suspended former Crow Kurt Tippett to come back in the next few weeks.

There was so much to like about this Swans effort that it's hard to know where to start. But, really, can you go past the ball-magnet Dan Hannebery, who, time and time again, week after week, bobs up with a game that just makes your jaw drop. This kid has all the skills, and, even more, possesses that rare ability to make good players put on him look like no-talent hacks from some bush league. The Crows might've tagged him in the first half. Who knows for sure? Guys who ran with him were blown away, clear away, and Hannebery set about amassing a ridiculous 28 disposals to half time. He was checked somewhat in the second half, but the damage was well and truly done, and he finished with 42, easily best on ground, and he must be right up there in Brownlow voting.

Particularly impressive tonight were the fringe players, guys in the side because of injury or suspension. Jesse White played the best game that I can remember from him, booting three goals. Andrejs Everitt was solid, also, and the mercurial Mitch Morton, this squad's version of the equally mercurial Nick Davis, came on in the second half, and is proving to be just the goal sneak the Swans need. Key to his continuing place in this team, his pressure on the defensive side is improving week by week. Another success story for the Swans: a player discarded by another club becoming a role player in Sydney.

Debutant Brandon Jack looks the goods. He showed impressive flashes in the final quarter after coming into the game as the sub, relieving Shane Mumford, who also had a strong game, and set up a goal early in the fourth quarter, which pushed the lead into the nineties. The thing for the younger Jack is to get used to the pace of the game at AFL level, but the signs are there. Put it this way: if he proves to have half the talent his brother does, the Swans are onto a good thing. Kieren was amongst the Swans' best today, notching 32 touches, his usual gritty effort. You're never surprised now, to see #15 at the foot of all the packs, in there, fighting hard, maximum effort all the time.

Speaking of being onto a good thing: second-gamer Tom Mitchell looks for all the world like a 100-game player for the Swans. He goes about his work quietly for the most part, in the way of so many great midfielders at the club - Jarrad McVeigh and Jude Bolton, to name just two - but he has an influence. 31 touches and a goal today after a great debut from out of the substitute vest last week, and you wouldn't count out the youngster for the NAB Rising Star. At this rate, he'll street them. Just another midfielder to slot into this team. It's an embarrassment of riches destined to give opposing coaches headaches during the second half of the season!

Really, it was hard to find a bad player. McVeigh was the epicenter of many attacking raids, Ben McGlynn took advantage of a midfield that beat Adelaide's version to a bloody pulp, and the back line were, as ever, towers of strength. Dane Rampe looks ready to slot straight into the hole left by the sad retirement of Marty Mattner during the week. There doesn't look like being a drop off. It's quite a testament to the Swans' system.

For Adelaide...well, the looks on Brenton Sanderson's face said it all. He probably realised that his team had run into a buzz-saw and, in that situation, there isn't much that you can do about that. From a preliminary final run last year, to a scenario where they'll likely be struggling to play any sort of part in September will probably spell trouble - at least in the press - but tonight was one of those nights where everything he did was countered by Sydney. The ball bounced the right way for the Swans. It never did for the Crows. Unfortunately, it happens.

The Swans have the bye next week and they enter it in the best possible way. Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in a fortnight, and in the interim, the hardest task for John Longmire is going to be deciding which players to leave out when the likes of Tippett, Shaw and Jetta come back. On tonight's form, no one deserves to be demoted, though Tippett's power forward status almost demands he gets a game straight up. It's a nice problem to have, though. And one that Longmire will no doubt grapple with during the week off. All will be revealed soon.

Go Bloods!!

Swans Review - Essendon (1 June 2013)

4 Adam Goodes majors leads the Swans to a decisive wet victory against Essendon in Sydney

SYDNEY 3.4 6.7 11.10 17.13 (115) ESSENDON 1.4 3.7 7.9 10.11 (71)
GOALS Sydney: Goodes 4, Malceski 2, Everitt, McGlynn, Bird, Kennedy, Jack, Jetta, Parker, Pyke, O'Keefe, Mumford, Mitchell. Essendon: Goddard 2, Carlisle 2, Crameri 2, Melksham, Winderlich, Hibberd, Bellchambers.
BEST Sydney: Kennedy, McVeigh, Malceski, Jack, Goodes, Mitchell, Bird. Essendon: Stanton, Hibberd, Heppell, Zaharakis, Watson, Carlisle.
UMPIRES Donlon, Dalgleish, Rosebury.
CROWD 29,792, at SCG.

It was the week from hell for Adam Goodes, but he turned hell into something more like heaven, albeit a wet one, on Saturday afternoon at the MCG, kicking four majors, and picking up 15 disposals to just about be the best on ground. Certainly, it was an effort, at times belying the fact that it was wet and that he'd had an emotionally draining week, probably like no other before in his life. 

What we saw on this rainy afternoon was vintage Goodes. Yes, he had a slow start, but when he got going, he played a giant part in the Swans ousting a very good Essendon team by 44 points. Up and about, Goodes is a sight to see, and his celebrations, exuberant at the best of times, came with a little something extra on this night. The crowd rose to their feet pretty much every time he touched the football, which was frequently in the second and third quarters, when Essendon were close enough to challenge.

Goodes, however, was not the only one who played a brilliant game. The rain was kind to the Swans. It always is, as it should be for a team named after a bird who exists mostly on the water. Tonight was a flashback to the Swans of 2004-06 under Paul Roos, the famously "ugly" football - remember that Andrew, Demetriou? - that was apparently casting a pall over the AFL at the time. The lock down, stoppage-heavy brand that was the norm then has been mostly replaced by a game full of attacking flair, courtesy of Messers Jetta, Hannebery, Jack, and others, but the Swans of 2013 proved that they could play like their premiership-winning cousins from that era, completely shutting down a very good Essendon team. 
 
Admittedly, there were times when the Bombers got close, but never close enough in the second half to give Sydney supporters and the coaching staff too much of a fit, and too many recollections of the last time the Swans had played on the Sydney Cricket Ground - the draw vs. Fremantle after a final quarter fade-out. It was a midfield battle in the trenches on a wet and greasy night, where there were almost as many behinds kicked as goals. 

Essendon's dangerous and inspirational Jobe Watson didn't trouble the scorers on this night, and was held to a meager-by-his-standards 23 touches. His match-up with Josh Kennedy didn't eventuate, and Essendon fans must wish that it had, for Kennedy, who was reasonably quiet last week, dominated the game, kicking a goal to go with his 37 touches. Skipper Jarrad McVeigh was brilliant in the midfield again, with 34 touches, and the corps of back-men, led by Nick Malceski, did a solid job on a tough night, holding the Bombers to ten goals. Against his old team, Ted Richards was a pillar of strength. When is he not, though?

Debutant Tom Mitchell looks the good. His numbers playing for the Swans reserves had been extraordinary leading up to today's first grade debut, including a ridiculous 56-disposal game recently, and his early entry into the game after the Tommy Walsh injury - about the only bleak point for the Swans this night - was certainly worth the wait. He ended up with 16 disposals and a goal, and looked very much at odds with his rookie status. Another gun mid for the Swans to plug in and send off to the races. It's an embarrassment of riches at the moment, and it must drive opposition coaches crazy.

Every post was a winner tonight for the team wearing red and white. It wasn't a pretty game in most respects, but for the Bloods, whom the scoreboard favoured by 44 points when it was all said and done, it was pretty enough - and a message-sender to the rest of the League. A seven goal win in the wet against a team spoken about as premiership contenders in 2013? They'll take that every day of the week, and you can imagine that they played for their teammate Goodes tonight, and they did him proud. 

Go Bloods!

Adam Goodes

Update: Goodes has spoken at a Saturday morning press conference, saying that the woman who was ejected, who was actually a thirteen-year-old girl, called him an "ape". Not as bad as what we had feared, but still a comment that has well and truly stepped over the lines - far over - of good taste and decency. I will say again, there is nothing that makes such a comment acceptable. Footy is just a game. A game with a black eye, at the moment.

Quotes from Goodes:

"If she wants to pick up the phone and apologise I'll take that phone call. It's school stuff. I felt like I was in high school again."

"I decided to stand up last night and I'll continue to stand up because racism has no place in our industry ... and in our society."

"Dunno if it's the lowest point in my career but personally I don't think I've ever been more hurt by someone calling me a name."

"To hear a 13yo girl call me an ape...it was shattering. I turned around and I saw it was a young girl I was just like...really?"

"I'm pretty gutted to be honest. The win, the first of its kind in 13 years, to play such a pivotal role just means nothing."

Clearly, Adam Goodes is a better and more level-headed human being than most. Instead of being in a rampaging sort of anger, involving police and whatever else, he's trying to turn this situation into a moment where the AFL, and society in general, can learn a lesson, can try and make sure that this sort of thing never happens again. He deserves all the plaudits and congratulations in the world for that. It proves that he's as good a player on the field as he as a human being off it.

Of great concern to me was the lack of reaction from the fans around this 13-year-old girl at the game last night. Whether they were in such shock that they didn't confront her, didn't think they heard correctly, I don't know, but it was appalling that no one took this girl to task for what she'd said. I don't want to imagine that there were other supporters around who didn't have a problem with her calling Goodes an "ape". That would suggest that, society as a whole, has a very long way to go to stamp out the curse of racism.

Good work by Eddie McGuire, too. I don't usually offer congratulations to the president of the Collingwood Football Club, but he was bang on the mark on this one, and visibly angry about what had happened when shown on Channel 7 cameras going into the Swans dressing room following the game. That he went down there immediately says something about the culture that McGuire is trying to promote at Collingwood - though, on current evidence, failing - and it couldn't have been a happy reminder of Nicky Winmar twenty years ago. 

With the cameras on him, Eddie said some strong stuff, and it wasn't just lip service, I don't think. Rather, he said things that we were all thinking.Watching, I got the sense that he was horribly incensed and disgusted by what was said, and desperately wanted to make amends. Kudos, Ed.

Original Post: Sadly, we must touch on the disheartening story that will, unfortunately, dominate the aftermath of the game: the apparent racial slur directed at Adam Goodes by a young Collingwood fan in the last quarter. Goodes heard it, was obviously appalled, and made security aware of what had happened. We then saw the footage of the fan being escorted from the ground. Suddenly, the result of the game was less important. Goodes left the ground, and didn't return for the final siren or the post-game celebrations. The star of the game not going out onto the field for press commitments? Something obviously very wrong had happened. Goodes doesn't jump at shadows. For him to react like that...you can only imagine what horrible things were yelled over the fence. Senseless, dumb, stupid. Words can not accurately describe this girl's brain fade.

If it was indeed a racial slur, and that is still to be proven, this is a major blight on the game, on a game that has come so far socially, and has worked so hard to eradicate racism from the football community. And it has worked. Their cultural awareness programs are something the League should be mightily proud of. Tonight, it seems, and through no fault of their own, the AFL has taken a giant step backward. 

Let's get one thing straight: There is absolutely no place in footy - or in life - for that sort of behaviour. That it's happened during the AFL's indigenous round is even worse. This is the week, with it's centrepiece Dreamtime at the 'G, where we're highlighting the amazing contribution that indigenous stars like Goodes and Lewis Jetta, Harry O'Brien and Andrew Krakouer, and remembering the great stars of Aboriginal descent who have gone before.

This is going to be a bad week of press, if the worst is confirmed. For Collingwood, in the twenty-year shadow of their supporters villifying Nicky Winmar at Victoria Park, which brought about the St Kilda star's famous jumper-raising moment, this is a travesty. It will do no good for the reputation of Collingwood fans, already not great, and they will surely be in damage control over this. As will the AFL. It was a disgusting act, and a life ban doesn't seem quite enough for a moment that, sadly, will define Indigenous Round in 2013. A shame, because the focus should be on Adam Goodes for his work on the field, which was lifted from the Top Shelf tonight.

Swans Review: Collingwood (24 May 2013)

Swans turn up big-time under the Friday night lights and put a belting on a listless Collingwood!

SYDNEY 4.5 7.9 11.11 15.12 (102) COLLINGWOOD 3.2 3.4 4.5 8.7 (55)
Goals: Sydney: A Goodes 3 B McGlynn 2 D Hannebery 2 M Pyke 2 C Bird J Bolton K Jack L Jetta M Morton S Reid. Collingwood: T Cloke 3 J Elliott 2 J Witts P Seedsman S Dwyer.

Best: Sydney: Goodes, Hannabery, Jack, O'Keefe, Parker, Grundy. Collingwood: O'Brien, Pendlebury, Reid, Clarke, Ball, Elliott.

Umpires: Simon Meredith, Mathew Nicholls, Dean Margetts.
Official Crowd: 65,306 at MCG.


Well, this was a night for the ages. One that most of us won't soon forget. It started weirdly, with the team bus breaking down. Jarrad McVeigh and Dan Hannebery took a cab to the MCG. The rest of the team took advantage of Melbourne's tram service - I hope they had their Myki with them - and it appears that the unconventional game prep actually did the trick. You can imagine that the Swans front office might be considering funding a tram line to every venue they play at, if it's going to reap benefits as it reaped benefits tonight.

Make no mistake, this was a shellacking of the highest order. Yes, the Pies kicked some late goals to bring the game back to around the fifty-point margin, but when the game was on the line, Collingwood went missing. But, for the most part, were slow, listless, hapless, tired, bored. Not really there. The Swans, on fire tonight, played all over them from about halfway through the first period, holding the Pies goalless in the second quarter.

This game was won, the Pies stifled and shut down, thanks to a solid combination of hard running, fierce tackling and an incredible ability, unseen last week at home and two weeks ago at the MCG, ability to move the football from the back line into their attacking zone with relative ease. The scoreboard told the story: 7.6 to 1.3 in the second and third quarter was where the game was won.

The Pies were never really in this. They were second at every contest. Their forward line was impotent, other than Travis Cloke, their defenders run over the top of, their midfield dominated. It was Adam Goodes, now a 400-goal superstar, who had the best game of his season tonight Hannebery fresh off his cab ride to the 'G, Kieran Jack, Jarrad McVeigh, Luke Parker and Ryan O'Keefe, the usual suspects, responsible for the Collingwood midfield stars being neutralised. Dane Swan was barely noticed. So, too, was Scott Pendlebury and Nick Maxwell. The fleet of small Collingwood forwards, Andrew Krakouer amongst them, were ineffective at best, woeful at worst. Lewis Jetta had a return to form, adding another run-and-goal to his ever-growing highlight reel. This highlight effectively won Sydney the game.

It seemed like the Swans had brought their own footy on the tram to the MCG, such was their domination. Most Collingwood raids were snuffed out, Grundy, Malceski and Richards and Rampe patrolled the Swans' back half with relative ease. Cloke was mostly double-teamed, his effectiveness countered by Richards and co getting across, frustrating him, almost worrying him out of the football. Of course, it didn't help that the Pies were so one dimensional in attack. 

This wasn't the same team who knocked Geelong off their perch last Saturday, that's for sure. I must admit a certain amount of nervousness when they kicked two goals straight and looked to have found a spark midway through the fourth quarter. But the score ballooned back out as the Swans, who had possibly taken the foot off the accelerator to some point, jammed it back on, and won by 47 in the end, a result very few saw coming.

A good win, against Collingwood and at the MCG, and the Swans have had trouble doing both in recent times. I wasn't exactly sure it would be a win tonight, and I certainly didn't expect the Bloods to win so handily. But a pleasant surprise, and a warning, perhaps, to the AFL that the Swans can now get it done in Melbourne, and they look in good shape, with the likes of Kurt Tippet, Marty Mattner, Rhyce Shaw and Lewis Roberts-Thomson still to come back. Next week's game against Essendon is a salivating one, and sure to be a belter.

Sadly, now, to the story that will dominate the aftermath of the game: the apparent racial slur directed at Adam Goodes by a young Collingwood fan in the last quarter. Goodes heard it, was obviously appalled, and made security aware of what had happened. We then saw the footage of the fan being escorted from the ground. Suddenly, the result of the game was less important. Goodes left the ground, and didn't return for the final siren or the post-game celebrations. The star of the game not going out onto the field for press commitments? Something obviously very wrong had happened. Goodes doesn't jump at shadows. For him to react like that...you can only imagine what horrible things were yelled over the fence. Senseless, dumb, stupid. Words can not accurately describe this girl's brain fade.

If it was indeed a racial slur, and that is still to be proven, this is a major blight on the game, on a game that has come so far socially, and has worked so hard to eradicate racism from the football community. And it has worked. Their cultural awareness programs are something the League should be mightily proud of. Tonight, it seems, and through no fault of their own, the AFL has taken a giant step backward. 

Let's get one thing straight: There is absolutely no place in footy - or in life - for that sort of behaviour. That it's happened during the AFL's indigenous round is even worse. This is the week, with it's centrepiece Dreamtime at the 'G, where we're highlighting the amazing contribution that indigenous stars like Goodes and Lewis Jetta, Harry O'Brien and Andrew Krakouer, and remembering the great stars of Aboriginal descent who have gone before.

This is going to be a bad week of press, if the worst is confirmed. For Collingwood, in the twenty-year shadow of their supporters villifying Nicky Winmar at Victoria Park, which brought about the St Kilda star's famous jumper-raising moment, this is a travesty. It will do no good for the reputation of Collingwood fans, already not great, and they will surely be in damage control over this. As will the AFL. It was a disgusting act, and a life ban doesn't seem quite enough for a moment that, sadly, will define Indigenous Round in 2013. A shame, because the focus should be on Adam Goodes for his work on the field, which was lifted from the Top Shelf tonight.

Go Bloods.

AFL Round 9: 3 Games To Watch

 AFL Round Nine - 3 Games To Watch

Sydney vs. Collingwood
Friday May 24
7.50pm; MCG

Collingwood and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, two things that have given the Swans plenty of troubles over the past few years. Their Pies hoodoo, broken in such magnificent circumstances in last year's Preliminary Final at ANZ Stadium has to be in the back of the minds of players on both teams, and the Swans would be very conscious about their uneven performances at the MCG over the past few years. They've been nothing short of terrible, and particularly in their last start against Hawthorn two weeks ago, where they were never really in the game.

The Swans are coming off a bad fade-out that almost cost them four points against Fremantle last Saturday night at the SCG, which resulted in the first draw of the season, thanks to Sam Reid's strong mark on the goal line. On the flip side, Collingwood come off their best win of the season, being the first team to knock Geelong off this year. No mean feat, that one.

Both sides have injuries that are concerns. The Swans are missing defenders Lewis Roberts-Thomson and Rhyce Shaw, and there are question marks over another defender, Marty Mattner. The Pies lost Dale Thomas for the rest of the regular season - and perhaps longer - through the week, and the bad news on the injury front was compounded with news that reigning best-and-fairest Dayne Beams' comeback was delayed.

Alarmingly for the Swans, since 1998, they've played on Friday night at the MCG five times, and have come away with only the one victory, against St Kilda in the 2005 Preliminary Final. A big win for the Swans if they can get it. And they need it after last week's disastrous last quarter. For the Pies, who've won 11 of the last 12 against the Swans, they need another win to prove to the critics that their win against Geelong last week wasn't just a fluke.

Verdict: Swans...just. 

***

St Kilda vs. Western Bulldogs
Saturday 25 May
4.40pm; Etihad Stadium

Not exactly a top of the table blockbuster, but an important game nonetheless for two teams towards the bottom end of the 2013 Toyota AFL Premiership. St Kilda lost by forty to Adelaide last week and didn't really threaten to win, but it was the tale of the Western Bulldogs that provided plenty of media fodder through the week: they had a handy enough lead against the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon, and were blown away by a seven-goal third quarter onslaught from the competition's second-youngest team. The Suns kicked seven straight after the midway point of the third term, and were barely threatened after.

The Bulldogs are in the middle of a rebuilding phase, and should probably be glad of the attention focused on Melbourne this year, because it's turned the spotlight off some dismal performances by the men of Footscray. Meanwhile, the Saints seem uncertain of where their list is going. Nick Reiwoldt is still their Big Gun, and he's having a marvelous season, but they are a one-dimensional attacking football team at the moment, and when Riewoldt isn't firing, they can't kick a winning score.

It must be galling for these teams to see the 4-4 Gold Coast Suns above them on the competition ladder, and while GWS probably has a lock on the Wooden Spoon for 2013, this is an important game for both teams. A win here takes a little of the pressure off the team and the club, and keeps alive the - admittedly faint - hope of a finals appearance. If nothing else, it's a chance to be out of the Melbourne news cycle for the coming week.

Verdict: St Kilda.

***

Richmond vs. Essendon
Saturday 25 May
7.45pm; MCG

Essendon were out-muscled by Brisbane last week, falling to their second straight loss when the under-fire Lions came out and dominated in all the key statistical categories. It is becoming an alarming trend for the Bombers: start out fast, then fade towards the end of the season. It happened last year. Will it happen this year? Has the pressure of the ASADA investigation started to take it's toll, that toll manifesting itself on the field? 

It's a big test on Saturday night in the Dreamtime at the 'G game against Richmond, the centrepiece of the AFL's Indigenous Round. Richmond were pushed all the way by a plucky Melbourne team in a scrappy game on Sunday that really didn't rise to great heights. But it was a win that the Tigers needed, getting their season back on track after their own fast start became a slump. 

Should be a brilliant, mouth-watering battle of two A-grade midfields in this one, and that's probably where it'll be won. Essendon are a tough team to figure out, given that there's indications that there was some "list management" going on last week - like Jobe Watson spending little time in the centre of the park, where he earns all his credits - and the suggestion that, perhaps, they took a weaker Brisbane team too lightly. They won't, or shouldn't, do the same against Richmond. A Bomber loss and there'll be two weeks' worth of press on how they're in big trouble down at Windy Hill. Whoever gets on top in the centre of the ground wins this one, I think, and Essendon might just have more firepower there, if the likes of Watson, Heppel, Goddard, Melksham and Zaharakis get off the chain.

Verdict: Essendon