Perfectly primed for the derby

After the sizeable win last week, we very nearly could have let ourselves be lulled into a false sense of security and turned up this week expecting more of the same and not putting in the effort. I am pleased to report that was not the case at all. We turned up wanting a repeat …

A lesson clearly not learnt

Despite the wake up call last week against Richmond, it appears we have not learned our lesson when it comes to underestimating opponents. Everyone knew we were going to beat West Coast today, but what we didn’t know was that it was going to be such hard work. For the good of the competition it …

A side never to be underestimated

Football games do not win themselves, and despite all signs pointing to a very probable win against the Tigers yesterday, what we were served instead was a healthy reminder that no game is ever a foregone conclusion. Neither side displayed total dominance and it was high pressure, hotly contested footy for much of the game. …

Box Office Footy

Almost 35,000 people rolled into the SCG last night to witness the magic of AFL in full flight. They were certainly not disappointed and while the final scoreline suggests it was a one-sided affair, it was actually a close, tightly contested match right up until the final few minutes. It was tough footy and there …

Post Buddy era off to a blinder

I was asked a few times before the season started this year how I thought the Swans would fare this year. Would they win against Melbourne? Would they be able to defeat the defending premiers at the MCG? And both times my answer was the same, ‘I don’t know. They definitely could win, but I’m …

A fitting end to a frustrating season

As Swans supporters we have been spoiled. For the last few years we have enjoyed almost always making the finals and the club has consistently churned out seasons that players and fans alike can be proud of. Not many clubs are that lucky and last night watching the Carlton fans embracing their moment was special. …

The dream is real

We all knew there would be a few more twists and turns before this season was done, but not many people would have seen this last one coming. Given how hotly contested the final precious spots in the eight have been contested, I have spent more time than I would like to admit running over …

The light that refuses to go out

Our season was supposed to be over, and it will be, as soon as we lose a game. But lately, we haven’t lost a game. Tonight’s victory makes it four wins in a row and places us outside of the eight on percentages alone. We still have to win all of our remaining games and …

Striving to be the best of the rest

The string of frustratingly close losses and games our inaccurate kicking threw away this year continue to haunt us. As the finals creep ever closer, it becomes increasingly likely the best we can hope for is gaining a few places on the ladder, only to ultimately finish outside the eight. The footy we have been …

World Cup Worries

There has been a lot of movement behind the scenes over the last few months for Australian rugby and so far, the impact on the field has not been a positive one. I was hesitant to get too excited about the appointment of Eddie Jones as head coach. We had made decent strides under Dave Rennie …

Cut by the knife’s edge

The problem with a competition as close as this one has been, is that everything has been on a knife’s edge for weeks. Last night, we finally got cut and went plummeting towards the bottom of the ladder. Beating Richmond at the MCG was never going to be easy but we put up a decent …

A crime against ourselves

In some sports, a draw is not considered a permissible outcome. I can see why people want definitive outcomes and it makes sense from a business perspective. You’re better off having half the people watching a game be happy with the outcome and the other half sad, than to have the entire audience feel nothing …

The dream is still alive

If we learnt anything from tonight’s game it is that while we have problems this season, West Coast is fundamentally broken. I had seen the scores each week and knew that they were having a tough time, but until I actually witnessed the extent of it, I didn’t realise just how bad things were. I …

The slow march back to full strength

After what felt like a form slump that would never end, at last we are starting to show signs of life. Last night was one of the more convincing victories we have seen in a while and it felt good. For once it was our opponent who struggled horribly in front of goal and our …

A win we can’t count on

The result today was a reminder that sometimes a win is not enough of a reason to celebrate. While media outlets were quick to deem it a controversial result, there was really nothing controversial about it. It wasn’t a contentious call that is up for debate or open to interpretation. It was a simple matter …

A venture into enemy territory

My first venture into enemy territory yesterday proved to be an eventful one. In what turned out to be a very average game of football, the entertainment came from everywhere else. From the minute we stepped off the tram and into the precinct of the MCG, it felt special. The crowd was huge and we …

Buckling under pressure

It’s hard to know what hurts more - the nearly 100 point thrashing last week at the hands of Geelong, or the 1 point loss in the final minute of today’s game against the Giants. What I do know is that at least today we played with more intensity. Granted, it was against a lesser …

Last choice line of defence

There have been few seasons more topsy turvy than the current AFL season but the reason for our wild fluctuations in performance are at least a little easier to diagnose. After riding high over the last week on the awesome performance from Tom Papley in Adelaide, whose six goals were quite literally the difference between …

Aliir, we want you back

Last night was one of those games that hurt so much it actually pains me to think about it. Even nearly 24 hours later I can barely bring myself to relive and analyse all of the reasons why we found ourselves just short of an exhilarating win. I can tell you with complete confidence though, …

Things just got real

The last two weeks were nothing short of breezy and this week was always going to be a real test. What we received today was definitely a wake up call and will hopefully put the fire back in our bellies when we host Port Adelaide next weekend at home. Melbourne played really well today and …

Swanning through the season’s start

Two games in and you can’t help but feel the season is still yet to start. While I wasn’t really expecting either the Suns or the Hawks to challenge us, the fact that we have played two such one sided matches to start the season has given it a strange feeling. It was always going …

In a league of their own

Today confirmed what I had long suspected to be the case. While other teams were able to put together inspiring, encouraging performances throughout the season, none more so than ourselves, there was not a single team in the competition who could have beaten Geelong today. For most of the regular season they were the most …

The big dance beckons

No lead was ever going to be big enough. No strong start was ever going to be strong enough against Collingwood, the luckiest team in the competition, capable of making the most remarkable comeback you could ever hope to see. And they very nearly did it. I had spent the entire day with nerves bubbling …

Blood, sweat and thankfully no tears

There are certain characteristics that we have come to expect from a Swans side, but what we saw last night showed why this group of players in particular are so special. They showed not only their ability to win, but just how adaptable they really are. They were able to adjust their style after working …

Dogged defensive effort proves the difference

I still can’t quite believe the crazy game of football I witnessed yesterday. On a beautiful day in Adelaide we gave our South African opponents a lesson in determination. After a strong start that saw us bring the physicality required to the match, we were quickly over the line and secured our first try of …

Hayward heroics secure a double shot

You couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic final few hours of the 2022 regular season. Two sides who won’t be taking part in the finals gave their all and very nearly ruined the party for both the Swans and the Pies. Carlton pushed Collingwood all the way and were able to do everything except …

Frenetic footy worthy of finals

There might still be another round of footy to come before we hit the finals, but you wouldn’t have known it watching the intensity of the match played at the SCG this afternoon. It was a full house, in full voice and it wasn’t just the crowd bringing the finals flavour to proceedings. Thankfully we …

The stage is set

What a crazy season this has turned out to be. While we have been on our own hot streak and steadily climbing the ladder, we have got nothing on Collingwood’s impressive ascent. The Pies now sit in second with only a couple of rounds to go and after a decisive victory over North Melbourne today, …

Dominant in the Derby

Despite a slow start from the Swans, there was no denying the difference in quality between the two Sydney sides this afternoon. While GWS are sitting close to the bottom of the ladder with their finals chances long gone, each week brings with it the opportunity for the Swans to climb further up the ladder …

Quality quarter sets up win

A few shaky sections that can’t be ignored, but ultimately the job was done today at the SCG. In weather conditions that played havoc with both sides’ ability to score throughout the match we proved to be the more quality outfit. You couldn’t have asked for a more blistering start and racking up close to …

Playing harder, playing smarter

Something had to give. After so many disappointing efforts it was clear we needed to shift our mindset if we were going to hang onto a spot in the eight come the end of the season. The last two weeks have seen us finally execute complete games of footy back to back and suddenly there …

Pain was the name of the game

After an unexpectedly inspiring performance last week, beating England two weeks in a row was always going to be a challenge. While everything went against us last week, from the red card early in the piece to Cooper being ruled out at the eleventh hour with an injury, we somehow found it within ourselves to …

Behinds are just that

There are no excuses for what happened today but it is an achingly familiar story this season. Last week we finally put together four quarters of football, only to completely rob ourselves of the opportunity to consolidate the win against a far lesser opponent this week. Sure, we have the amazingly irritating ability to bring …

Oh how the mighty have fallen

An extended break can sometimes be the very last thing a footy team needs and this week it appears that was the case for the Swans. While their heroic effort against Melbourne was only two weeks ago, yesterday it felt like months. The side that took to the field in Adelaide was far from the …

Mighty in Melbourne

Sometimes, I love being wrong. I fully anticipated that last night would devolve into a complete flogging and it was going to be nothing short of painful to watch. The first quarter delivered what I had been expecting, the scoreline telling you everything you needed to know. We generated an equal number of scoring opportunities, …

Controversy overshadows courage

It is rare in sport that you’re still wondering what the outcome of the game will be after the final siren has sounded. That is exactly the position that both Swans and Tigers fans found ourselves in last night, after what was an epic clash at the SCG. It was a really sad way to …

Friday Night Blues

You couldn’t have asked for a more thrilling Friday night clash, 4th plays 5th in front of a huge crowd in Melbourne. While the two were side by side on the ladder, their approach to getting there could not have been more different. We have set about this season determined to pull off a record …

Stars fail to shine against the Suns

What should have been an easy win today instead turned into an embarrassing loss. The trend of our season has unfortunately continued and we found it impossible to string together four strong quarters of football. We played lazy footy for the first half and only in the third did we actually decide to turn up …

Buddy brilliant but not enough against Brisbane

If I’d been asked to predict the outcome of today’s game, I would have been pretty on the money. A few rounds in we are now starting to see the top teams rise to the top of the ladder and pull away from the rest of us. While I’m still convinced we are a team …

Testing times in Tassy

You couldn’t have asked for a more difficult start to a match and it was horrifyingly reminiscent of our game against West Coast last week, only this time, we were on the receiving end of it. We weren’t applying any pressure at all in our pursuit of the ball and Hawthorn were moving the ball …

Woeful West Coast Eagles fail to fly

What was once the greatest rivalry in the competition has certainly fallen a long way from that now. While I was pretty confident we would win and I had even requested a big win, I honestly didn’t expect the one way traffic that unfolded last night. Sure, West Coast lost McGovern to COVID, but we …

Heroic Heeney seals the win

After the stressful loss last week, everything about yesterday’s fixture suggested it would be the perfect balm for our weary souls. After being crushed by Brisbane last week it seemed unlikely that North Melbourne would prove to be too much of a challenge and the odds were well and truly in our favour. Clearly, someone …

Dominant Dogs dangerously close to defeat

If I’m honest, our first game in Melbourne this year was one I’d quite like to forget. It wasn’t our finest performance and there is definitely a lot of room for improvement. Thankfully, we’re only in round three and there is plenty of time to right the ship and get our season back on track. …

1000 reasons to celebrate

While there is little doubt who the star of last night’s performance was, throughout the match I found myself looking beyond the hype and I have to say, I really liked what I saw. Being too superstitious to take to the stands on what thankfully proved to be an historic night, I enjoyed last night’s …

Dynamic Derby

For me, the first round of the footy season always brings with it equal amounts of excitement and nerves. A lot can change in the off season, something we proved last year when we got off to an amazing start and returned to finals footy much sooner than anybody had anticipated. Round 1 was always …

When you’re playing against the referee, winning is off the table

Dave Rennie understood the assignment. After last week’s teething issues that showed a lack of cohesion and communication among our back line, this week it was singing from the outset. It took only 2 minutes for our side to string together enough phases to put the ball over the line and show we knew exactly …

Plucky performance, but ultimately punished at Twickenham

If ever we needed confirmation that our success in the Rugby Championship hinged upon the likes of Cooper and Kerrie, we now most certainly have it. When the news broke that our side would look decidedly different for our Spring Tour games, against Northern Hemisphere opponents who were always going to be a significant challenge, …

One double header, three winners

It was only fitting that a mammoth festival of rugby ended with what is being touted as one of the greatest games of all time. After the miraculous turn around in the fortune of the Australians, simply securing a fourth consecutive victory in the Rugby Championship was a significant event in and of itself. It …

Winning Wallabies

It’s not something we have seen often, but it’s something that us long suffering fans will be dining out on for a long time to come. Last week we got lucky. We played well and were ultimately the better side, but with more accurate kicking from Pollard, we would have lost that match. It was …

Somehow, we’ve gotten worse

I didn’t think it was possible after the embarrassing scoreline in the second test of this Bledisloe series, but somehow, we have managed to get worse. I am sure it has everything to do with having experienced two consecutive, comprehensive defeats but it was still unbelievable to watch. While the final score didn’t show as …