The dilemma of being the Sydney Swans

 
Adrian Musolino Columnist

By , 7 Apr 2009 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert

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Cameron Stokes of Hawthorn kicks for goal chased by Paul Bevan (front) and Jarred MvVeigh (rear) of Sydney during the AFL Round 02 match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at ANZ Stadium. Slattery Images

Cameron Stokes of Hawthorn kicks for goal chased by Paul Bevan (front) and Jarred MvVeigh (rear) of Sydney during the AFL Round 02 match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at ANZ Stadium. Slattery Images

How many would show up? That was the critical question as Hawthorn headed north for their first visit to ANZ Stadium and the Sydney Swans faced the same old questions about their ability, their supporter base, and their standing in Sydney’s fickle market.

Fickle is the best way to describe the Sydney sporting market: like a roller coaster, the peaks and troughs of crowd support are extreme.

With a long history of trying to cement their position in the home of rugby, the Sydney Swans now must re-assure fans that their best days aren’t behind them, that the days of consecutive Grand Final appearances and flags are still realistic goals.

With the dip in form following their premiership success, Swans membership numbers this season are down by around 6,000 on last year’s figure and the club reported a $800,000 loss for 2008.

The ravens that hover over the Swans use such statistics to point to the inability of the club to cement themselves in the heart of Sydney, especially in light of the ongoing discussions over the sustainability of a second Sydney team based out in the city’s expansive western suburbs.

But the Swans have made significant head way since the fledgling and dark times of financial struggle and on-field capitulations of the late eighties and early nineties.

33,116 turned up to ANZ Stadium Saturday night, a very healthy crowd.

The crowd was rewarded with a brilliant performance from the home team, who nullified the Hawks threat, albeit a Hawks team missing several of its key premiership players.

In typical Sydney fashion, it was the veterans, Adam Goodes, Barry Hall and Brett Kirk who led from the front. Whether these aging players can keep that form going for the remainder of the season remains to be seen.

But what of the time when players like these are forced into retirement? Success is critical for the Swans, perhaps more so than other clubs.

The Swans can’t afford laborious and lengthy rebuilding phases. The fans would simply turn away in droves. Look at Sydney FC crowd figures last season as a point of reference.

Hence the over-reliance on established stars traded in from other teams throughout the Swans recent history: think Barry Hall, Tony Lockett, Dermott Brereton and Paul Roos.

In the build up to the match against Hawthorn, Paul Roos cleverly played up the ability of Buddy Franklin, achieving two goals: deflecting the attention away from his own team and their round one capitulation, and putting the pressure squarely on his opponents, while also stressing to the Sydney public to get out and see one of the games’ champions.

He knew the media’s focus would be on the crowd the Swans could generate at ANZ Stadium and he played it brilliantly. It was PR spin worthy of a politician.

Roos is the best person to lead the Swans. He understands the Sydney market and its unique features.

The Swans streak of six straight seasons of finals football was widely tipped to come to an end this season with its ageing squad. After the performance against the Hawks, a seventh consecutive finals appearance isn’t beyond reach.

This is a necessity, such is the dilemma of the Swans.

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