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On a chilly Saturday 22,000 brave souls made their way out to ANZ stadium in western Sydney to watch the AFL’s new boys get destroyed by their cross-town rivals.
The Swans cruised to a comfortable victory 19.18 (132) against GWS’ 5.8 (38). Two comfortable victories in these two games between the Sydney sides have led many to suggest that the passion that instils many local derbies won’t be found in Sydney for a long time.
On the contrary. A couple of blowouts are exactly what this rivalry needs.
Great rivalries in sport are born from one of two events. The first is close contest, both teams fighting tooth and nail for everything.
In the mid-2000s this is exactly what happened between the Swans and Eagles. During those two classic grand finals a rivalry was born between these two clubs, which continues to this day.
The second type of situation is where there is such an imbalance that one team completely dominates the other. The domination is so complete that the winner starts to overlook their competitor; they see them coming up in the draw and all they think is easy points. This arrogance fuels the underdog on to victory.
Think about the State of Origin where the Blues have their best chance in years over the Maroons, or the recent Roos victory over the Saints.
Although the Swans may play it coy in the media, GWS will know what they really think.
This should motivate them to work hard, especially as this is a young team who won’t forget these early blowouts and will be around in years to come. GWS will forever be the younger brother of the Swans, a title that they’ll relish even more when they beat their local rivals.
Anyone who has finally beaten their older brother in the backyard after years of merciless beatings would understand this perfectly. This imbalance is something the Swans will want to keep but in the long run it is something that will make GWS stronger.
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