After a stunning start, the Swans look like they’ve prised open their premiership window again. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Nine months ago, when Damien Hardwick cried foul over Sydney’s ultra-defensive tactics after a low-scoring slog in Brisbane, not even the most ardent red-and-white fan would have predicted the ugly ducklings’ rapid emergence as beautiful Swans in 2021.
Yet here we are, playing witness to a dramatic turnaround and perhaps even the early scenes of an unexpected premiership fairytale directed by John Longmire.
Maybe that’s jumping the gun, but why not? Let’s ride this rollicking bandwagon for all it’s worth.
The Swans’ youngsters are daring to dream and it’s near-on impossible for the football purists among us to avoid getting swept up in the enthusiasm they are generating.
Most alluring is their attacking game style, one for which those purists have yearned – prompted by the series of rule tweaks that caused so much consternation pre-season – and appears to suit the effervescent Sydney group to a tee.
It has produced three consecutive tallies of 100-plus points in the Swans’ stunning 3-0 start to the season and, while Longmire wouldn’t admit it, it must have been particularly satisfying to see it pay dividends in the emphatic win over Hardwick’s Richmond in round three.
After three rounds, Sydney ranks first in scoring at 121 points a game, a sharp rise from 52.4 points a game (ranked 15th) in reduced quarters last year.
It is one of only three teams still yet to taste defeat this year and this scribe can’t be the only one ready to put up a hand and admit he underestimated the Swans on multiple fronts.
At the very top of the list are the new and new-ish faces.
First-year players Logan McDonald (pick four), Braeden Campbell (pick five) and Errol Gulden (pick 32) have debuted and excelled alongside a band of inexperienced teammates, including Justin McInerney, Hayden McLean and exciting pair Sam Wicks and Chad Warner.
Ten of the Swans’ starting 22 against Richmond, plus substitute James Bell, went in with 50 games’ experience or less.
All have stood up to the challenge, with Warner epitomising their bold exuberance when he marked his first senior game at the MCG by brushing off would-be Richmond tackler Jack Graham and slotting a team-lifting goal on the run.
Gulden, Campbell and Warner have already claimed the first three Rising Star nominations of the year and it’s only a matter of time before Lance Franklin’s apprentice McDonald adds his name to the list, after the key forward’s superb start with seven goals in three games.
But it isn’t only the young guns firing for Sydney.
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Isaac Heeney, George Hewett and Dane Rampe have made strong returns from serious injuries that cut them down last season, dual best-and-fairest winner Jake Lloyd is maintaining his level and the next wave of leaders – including Callum Mills, Tom Papley and Oliver Florent – are standing up to be counted.
Unheralded ruckman Tom Hickey previously appeared destined to wander the football landscape as a back-up big man but has been a significant factor in his first three games at his fourth AFL club, holding his own in the ruck and pushing forward to kick goals.
The Swans lost Aliir Aliir to flag fancy Port Adelaide over summer but the backline, anchored by Rampe and remodelled defender Tom McCartin, is holding up just fine.
Tellingly, the Swans have spread the workload, illustrated by the fact they have shared 77 of a possible 90 votes in the AFL Coaches’ Association champion player of the year award with no single player receiving more than the 11 votes earned by both Hickey and Mills.
Franklin kicked three goals in his first appearance since 2019, is playing the long game with his fitness and may yet see out the final two years of his mega contract despite a series of injury concerns in recent seasons.
Sydney CEO Tom Harley has even started talking publicly about “the next two years and beyond” for Franklin, and while any sort of extension for the 34-year-old is clearly a stretch, the fact Harley is even talking like that indicates levels of optimism and positivity around Franklin that were hard to sell last year.
Franklin missed the Richmond game – which made the result even more impressive – but is one of just a handful of players who were unavailable, and should return against Essendon in round four.
Sydney is one of just two clubs, along with Melbourne, that are yet to activate a medical substitute since the rule’s introduction and James Rowbottom, one of the Swans’ best in the round-one upset of Brisbane, will be back from injury in the next week or so.
The stark contrast in fortunes between the Swans and their nearest neighbours only highlights how well everything is going for Longmire’s men.
Across town, Greater Western Sydney’s outlook looks bleak.
Injuries are piling up after a third straight defeat to start the season, with Phil Davis (calf – six weeks), Matt de Boer (hamstring – 10 weeks) and captain Stephen Coniglio (ankle syndesmosis – eight weeks) joining the list of absentees missing the trip south to take on Collingwood this week.
There is every chance next week’s Sydney derby – is it still called the “Battle of the Bridge”? – will pit a 4-0 Swans outfit against a 0-4 GWS.
Sydney will likely start favourites in its next three games; Essendon (home), GWS (home) and Gold Coast (away). It means a 6-0 start, which the Swans haven’t achieved since 1986, is a realistic proposition.
From there, they would not be missing the finals … and from there, anything is possible.
More than pleasantly surprised to be where we are at the moment, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. I think it was North a few years ago who were up and about in the 8 then dropped like a stone. Just enjoying the ride at the moment like most Swans fans.
You can’t buy experience so if we get actually do get to finals then every game there helps in the long run.
No one in Sydney calls it BoBridge and we haven’t for some time, only Vic media keep digging it up. Seem more than a little disrespectful to both teams to ignore what has been called the Derby for some time now.
I was wondering just yesterday about the spread of coaches’ votes as I noticed we only had 3 in the top 30.
This even spread is exciting as a fan and a challenge for oppositions when they don’t who to stop.
I was optimistic at the end of last year because we had performed well despite long term injuries to key players.
I got even more optimistic when I saw Footyology’s best 22 pre-season as there were very good players on every line.
And then even more optimistic when seeing the emergencies for round 1 were Sinclair, Bell, Stephens, and Hayward. That says we’ve got depth.
So, thought we could give the 8 a decent shake..,
Now I’m thinking we should be contending for the top 4, depending on how our game plan stacks up in winter and if our boys can implement it week in week out.
Of course…. will it stand up in finals tho?
2014 & 2016 make me a pessimist. Finals are just for breaking hearts for all but one team.
Instead now I just enjoy the H&A season and its rewards. And this year looks like Swannies will deliver a few!