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Picture this. John Longmire, Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh holding aloft the 2014 Premiership Cup.
Smiles from ear to ear. Players ecstatically posing for the famous team photo. Fists pumping into the air. The roaring red and white fans. Commentators attempting to capture the moment.
“What an exhilarating feeling for Lance Franklin”
“Adam Goodes is now one of the most accomplished players of all time”
“An incredible effort by Hannebery to fight back from injury?”
“Laidler – third time’s the charm”
“What a week for Kennedy, first the Brownlow, now the Norm Smith and another premiership medal ”
But, what about the fallout? What about the external feelings of animosity bubbling underneath the surface of victorious celebrations?
The pace of the Sydney Swans’ premiership tilt is building, however so is the beating drum of equalisation.
Never has a season contained so much discussion about fairness. Free agency is increasingly questioned as media personalities ask about the impact on the lower placed clubs and the league is being viewed as a three-tired system, with limited opportunity for positional movement.
These questions were derived from one larger question that occurred towards the end of last year: How did the 2012 Premiers consecutively select Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin?
In conjunction, Eddie McGuire continues to take swipes at the Sydney Swans. Most recently, in regard to the Sydney academy.
One can’t help but wonder how will this heated debate will affect reactions to the potential 2014 premiers? The Sydney players are presumably working just as hard as any others, so how could be labeled as cheats.
Undoubtedly, the club has become the poster boy for inequity. Arguably it’s not their fault. Sydney did what any other club would have done given their situation. They asked themselves two questions.
Can we get Tippett? Can we get Franklin?
And the answer to both was “Yes”
So whom do we blame? Well, the Australian Football League. After all, as the regulating body the AFL is responsible for the equity of the league and it has become increasingly clear that there are variations in access to players and money.
In 2012 the Sydney Swans were considered the AFL’s ‘moneyball’ club. Enviably the football community marvelled at their ability to craft a team with accurate drafting and by cleverly recycling and developing out of favour players.
As a result, they won the admiration of the football community when they lifted the cup. Sadly, this year it would appear that a hypothetical victory might be met with disapproval, criticism and contempt.
So we wait in unsettled anticipation. This could be the most tarnished Premiership victory in history.
What is the real weight of the 2014 premiership cup?
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