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In the afterglow (or shock) of Saturday night’s stunning win by the GWS Giants over the Swans, I suggested on social media the win had to be right up there with all the significant moments which have occurred during the 32 years in which AFL has had a Sydney home.
Depending on your emotional state at the time, and of course which team you followed, the replies were varied.
Some agreed with the assessment; some believed comparing it with the premiership wins of the Swans was ludicrous; some, as usual, just opted for the age-old argument that AFL still doesn’t rate in Sydney.
Each to their own, but for what it’s worth, I firmly believe the significance of the Giants’ win over the city’s big brother is fairly high on the 32-year-old list.
There have been quite a number of significant milestones since the Swans flew north to Sydney in 1982.
Sitting at the top of the list are those two memorable premierships – particularly the first in 2005, when the majority of the city embraced the Swans.
There was the Warwick Capper era for much needed exposure, and the announcement by Mike Willesee in 1993 that the owners were handing the team back to the public.
There was the arrival of Tony Lockett in 1995 – again important for media exposure after some troubled years when winning was a rarity, and death notices seemed to not only be run in a more prominent position in the paper, but with more words.
Plugger hitting town was also great for on-field performance and results, culminating in the 1996 season, when the Swans hosted two finals at the SCG.
The second, the preliminary final, is still one of the most memorable Swans games, thanks to Lockett’s point after the siren against Essendon to send the team into the grand final against North Melbourne.
There was the Paul Roos coaching era, the growing membership and strong support through crowd numbers, and consistent appearances in September.
While the arrival of the Giants was greeted with welcoming arms by those at the Swans, it wasn’t an altogether popular decision behind closed doors. Many believed the AFL was still not well established enough in Sydney for the city to be home to two teams.
The ‘manufactured’ rivalry between the Swans and Giants fell flat with most people, despite the tireless work of Kevin Sheedy in particular, with lopsided contests seeing an average winning margin of 13 goals in their first four encounters.
The Buddy Franklin off-season tug-o-war between the teams sparked some interest, but it wasn’t until Saturday night’s result that the rivalry between Sydney and Western Sydney truly came to life.
It is now here, and it’s genuine, and it’s serious.
That result, while hard for Swans supporters to swallow right now, is one of the best things to happen to the game in Sydney.
I’m not saying the Giants are going to make the eight, and the Swans will languish near the bottom – in fact, I still believe the Swans are a top-four team.
But what the result has done is ensure that each time the two sides now play will mean more than just the four competition points, both to the players and the fans of both clubs.
In the two seasons in which the Giants have been in the AFL competition, only those in orange have really looked upon the clash with the Swans as anything more than just another game.
It’s not yet of the magnitude of the Collingwood versus Carlton clashes, nor even the Eagles-Freo matches, but at least there is now a legitimate rivalry in Sydney – unlike when the Swans used to have to play Brisbane each season in the annual Rivalry Round.
There will be 12 matches between now and June 28, when the Giants head to the SCG to play the Swans. Who knows, the Swans could be 12-1 or 7-6 or 3-10. The Giants may be 1-12, or 6-7 or 13-0.
But what we do know is that regardless of where they will be standing on the ladder, the game in Round 15 will actually have a lot more meaning that it would have had if the Swans had won on Saturday night.
Welcome to Sydney, Mr Genuine Rivalry, we’ve been missing you.
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