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The Sydney Swans continued their trend of classic AFL grand finals and displays of immense courage, defying all odds to deny Hawthorn in a premiership thriller by 10 points.
Fittingly, it was Sydney talisman Adam Goodes who put his team into the lead with eight minutes to play, shrugging off injury to put in a stirring performance and lead his team to a scarcely credible victory.
And it was another veteran, Nick Malceski, who put the win beyond doubt with seconds to play, giving the Swans a buffer after some desperate final minutes.
AFL fans may be feeling spoilt after the drawn grand final of 2010, the Geelong – St Kilda thriller of 2009, and the Sydney – West Coast rivalry of 2005/06.
But this game was the equal of any of any of them, as it seesawed over the course of the afternoon. At quarter time, it was Hawthorn in a canter. At half-time, surely the Swans had broken the Hawks’ belief. In the early minutes of the final quarter, it was Hawthorn who had shrugged off the challenge and were cruising to glory.
But when the Swans hit the lead late in the final term, the pendulum had swung for the final time. As much as the Hawks would strive, their wastefulness in front of goal would cost them.
Hawthorn had come from behind late in the third quarter, kicking five in a row before Sydney jagged one back, then coming out to kick the first three of the final term. It turned a 28-point deficit into an 11-point lead, and the Swans looked out on their feet.
But somehow they found a little more in the tank. First Dan Hannebery launched a long goal from a spillage, then Mitch Morton played in Kieran Jack to run onto a ball in the goalsquare. Scores were level. A rushed behind gave Sydney the slenderest lead, then it was over to Goodes to provide the buffer.
Previously, it had been Sydney needing to come back, with Hawthorn opening a first quarter gap after Xavier Ellis and Malceski had traded goals.
The Hawks looked smooth, but also missed plenty of shots, with Lance Franklin and David Hale among the culprits. It was a precursor of what was to come.
Franklin marked outside fifty and finally switched his radar on, curling a long shot just inside the near post.
Despite an inspiring Lewis Jetta surge down the wing, with a four bounces and a series of sprints, the Hawks ran the ball down the other end for Luke Breust, another 2012 revelation, to roll it home. Not thirty seconds later, following a quick clearance, Jack Gunston snapped from 48 metres and had another.
The gap was suddenly 19 points, and quarter time couldn’t come quick enough for the Swans – indeed, it just saved them, as another Hawthorn clearance with seconds to go saw Franklin’s accurate snap beaten by the siren.
But the Swans regathered their composure at the break and came out fiercely. First Hawthorn discard Josh Kennedy cleared the goal-line pack with a long roost, then Goodes showed his class with a gorgeous flat pass to find Jack just outside the goalsquare.
Jarrad McVeigh repeated the dose, goaling from close range with a checkside kick on a tight angle. The Swans were back within a point, although Goodes headed to the trainers with a calf complaint just as he was starting to impose himself on the contest.
It didn’t hurt Sydney though, who produced the move of the game so far saw to rush from full-back to Reid at centre half forward, whose raking kick sailed cleanly through.
Suddenly the Swans were away. Hale missed another set shot, while Goodes, returning to the field, fed the crumbs of his own spilled mark at full forward out to Morton, who ran around to snap another. The Morton scenario repeated just four minutes later.
Hawthorn needed a lift after half time, 16 points down, but club favourite Jarryd Roughead notched another poor miss. It hurt even more when Jetta received the ball on the wing. The crowd was yelling for him to run, but he opted for an incisive long pass into the centre corridor that opened Hawthorn up, releasing Kennedy to slide home.
Minutes later, Roberts-Thompson found himself in an acre of space inside fifty to take an uncontested mark and kick another. The Swans’ margin was 27, and they were playing like champions.
But then Hawthorn exploded. The fuse was lit when Hale’s third set shot finally yielded a goal. Shortly afterwards Franklin pulled in a mark outside 50, pushed off his opponent, played on and raked home another. 15 points was the margin, and the crowd suddenly switched into belief mode.
Gunston marked 30 metres out and nailed the shot, Franklin played on and rolled a shot home from outside 50, and Isaac Smith launched after a successful centre bounce. Dominating the centre clearances, Hawthorn had three goals in under a minute, and were back in front.
Sydney’s determined running from earlier looked to have worn them out, and suddenly it was the Swans looking lost.
The Swans scraped back in front late in the term via a 50 metre penalty for McVeigh, when Sewell threw the footy back poorly after being pinged holding the ball, but it only looked like delaying the inevitable.
Breust kicked the first of the final quarter to take the lead back by 5, Hale snapped home just afterwards, and Suckling added a third. The brown and gold army was rampaging, and David Hale – the biggest forehead in world sport – was the surprise hero.
But it wasn’t to be. As the brutal collisions continued, and the tackles were dished out, Sydney began to find ways to score. Hawthorn began to look a little unsure. Saying Sydney kicked the last four goals of the match makes it seem rather straightforward, but in truth it was anything but.
In the end, it was Sydney’s veterans who got them over the line, in what will be a defining day in the history of Sydney Football Club, and the old South Melbourne Swans.
Final score: Hawthorn 11.15.81 Sydney 14.7.91
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