When Sydney were on top of the ladder after round 20, Mick Malthouse put it down to an easy draw.
“I just can’t get my head around it. I’m not saying they’re a dreadful side but I don’t think they’re the best side,” Malthouse observed.
It has been two months since they won the flag and the Swans are still struggling to get the respect they deserve from the rest of the competition.
Immediately following their grand final victory there were strident calls by some clubs for the abolition of the salary cap allowance for Sydney players’ cost-of-living expenses. The insinuation being that the allowance paid for the premiership.
On hearing the news that they would be selecting Kurt Tippett in the pre-season draft, Leigh Matthews exclaimed: “You’ve got the current premiers going and spending a million dollars on a new player, and it’s not supposed to work like that. They are supposed to be getting rid of players.”
This could have been a reference to the allowance, or a suggestion that they are cheating the salary cap.
The problem with this idea is that for a reigning premier, this Swans outfit is seriously lacking in star quality.
At least the type of stars that cost a lot of money. Matthews, of all people, should have realised that they won the flag in spite of this deficiency and despite being well under the cap.
They haven’t needed to get rid of anyone because no one wants them.
In June I didn’t have Sydney in my top four. In July I wanted them to win but I didn’t believe they would. They had to beat Collingwood, their nemesis of the past seven years, to earn a grand final spot.
Badly beaten in contested possessions, centre clearances and inside 50s they should have lost the big one. On three occasions they looked gone for all money but managed eventually to triumph.
Matthews has apparently forgotten that the premiers of the previous five seasons, Geelong, Hawthorn and Collingwood, were able to hold on to their squads; retentions that were assumed to be the result of financial sacrifices by players wanting to be part of a winning culture.
I can’t remember his Brisbane club getting rid of too many players during its triple-premiership reign.
It hasn’t helped the Swans that the living expense allowance, which is set as a percentage of the salary cap and will reach nearly $950,000 by 2014, is effectively the same as Tippett’s wage for next year.
The AFL will review the figure to ascertain whether it accurately reflects the disparity in living costs between cities.
Mindful of the allowance’s importance in attracting talent in the free agency era, and fearful that the AFL will bow to pressure from the other clubs, Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland was quick to highlight a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers review that placed Sydney as the world’s second most expensive city.
It would be unfair if the AFL reduced or scrapped the allowance all together to even up the competition as the Swans have never been a dominant force.
Even if living expenses weren’t an issue the club is disadvantaged by being heavily reliant on players originating from other states and who may wish to return home at the first opportunity.
The apparent nervousness of other clubs over Tippett’s arrival in Sydney is justified. If the Swans can maintain the form of 2012 and have Tippett come in for the second half of the season and reach the form he displayed in last year’s preliminary final by finishing off the work of his tough relentless teammates downfield, then they will be difficult to stop.
Of course the premiers always seem to be a shoo-in for the following year but rarely do they back up.
Also last season’s competition was one of the tightest in recent memory. Hawthorn, Collingwood and Adelaide will be back with a vengeance, Fremantle will improve, and North Melbourne, Carlton, Richmond, St Kilda and Essendon will be hoping to build on a promising 2012 and who knows what other clubs will rise.
Tippett doesn’t look like the sort of self sacrificial type who would fit easily into the Swans so-called ”Bloods” culture, despite the obvious enthusiasm expressed by coach and former ‘shinboner’ John Longmire.
Forwards are a different kettle of fish. These cultures can be a little creepy to the individualist – they can go beyond discipline and selflessness and press on in an unwelcome fashion into a player’s precious private space.
As former club champion Michael O’Loughlin said:
“The thing with the Swans footy club is that you either buy into the culture or you’re on the outer. Kurt will have to make every post a winner from the moment he walks in because the work he’s going to have to do to prove himself will be bloody difficult”.
Sydney though are aware of the importance of recruiting eccentric star forwards – the great Tony Lockett got them to a grand final and Barry Hall, in between punching people’s lights out, helped them win a premiership.
And there was the flighty Nick Davis who kicked possibly the most telling goal in the club’s history – the snap in the dying seconds of the 2005 second semi final.
Tippett appears more level-headed than Hall and Davis and has expressed an apparently genuine happiness to be at the club – something he didn’t do at Adelaide.
Whatever happens to them next year, it’s a shame the Swans haven’t been given the respect they deserve for winning this year’s premiership.
Redb
Roar Guru
exactly, News Ltd have ploughed tens of millions into them and provide the best in terms of football Dept expenditure. As seen in the AFL, the richer the club the more available for expenditure outside the cap. Collingwood is 3-5 million better off. NRL fans seem to ingore the huge advantages both the Storm and Broncos are afforded by bebing owned by a multi-national.
Arthur Fonzarelli
Guest
The extra assistance and support the Swans receive fom the AFL pales into insignificance compared to the "assistance and support" the Melbourne Storm have received from News Ltd.
Arthur Fonzarelli
Guest
bahahahahahahahaha thats a cracker
Brewski
Guest
Actually, i think you are on to something here, it is actually good that everyone hates the Swans, for to long the Swans have been everyones second team !. And if Ports 35,000 members turned up to see them play, perhaps they would not be in so much debt. FWIW i hope Tippett flops on the field, should be interesting when Sydney plays Adelaide next year.
Brendon
Guest
I like this idea
Brendon
Guest
I think this article understates the huge problem people have with Tippett moving to the Swans, the league isn't fair for clubs like North, Port or the Western Bulldogs, these clubs are making losses, Port has 35,000 members and lost 2.1 million after grants last year, yet Sydney can effectively buy whoever they want after winning a premiership. It's an absolute disgrace and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Sydney for me a my new hated team, can't wait to see Tippett flop on the field and destroy their culture off it.
philly
Guest
There is an easy way to solve the problem. Ireland said when responding to critics about the cap was that every player gets a piece of the pie so to speak. Obviously some players will get a little more than others as incentives from this but the player agents all know about this, yes? it might cost the swans a player but if what Ireland says is true than there would be no problem in implementing a rule stating that the extra cap must be evenly distributed, or allowing on years in the system, much like when players come back to pre-season it could be sorted like this, 1-3 players, 4-7 players etc. i think that this rule could finally shut up the critics and prove that the swans are deserved champions on and off the field. Now let's just get back to footy (or pre season) and give the swans some credit.
TomC
Roar Guru
I don't think you were too brusque. I made a mistake and you called me on it. That's totally fair. Just like you made a couple of mistakes in your article, notably on Matthew's quote and lost players for the Lions, and I called you on it.
Andrew Sutherland
Roar Guru
Sorry Tom if I was a little brusque but you were dishing it out a little! :)
Bretto
Guest
How do you know a Collingwood supporter invented the toothbrush? Because otherwise it would be called a teethbrush. And before anyone gets excited, I'm a Pies supporter. It's just a funny joke - better than the usual mindless vitriol we get.
TomC
Roar Guru
'And perhaps you should take your own advice to Christo and re read the article. I wrote that the concession shouldn’t be reduced as a means of levelling out the competition' Fair call.
TC
Guest
Pre-christmas membership numbers for 2013: Collingwood 40,000+ Hawthorn 38,757 West Coast 34,406 Essendon 29,550 Richmond 26,442 Carlton 24,961 St Kilda 20,362 Melbourne 19,393 Adelaide 17,000 Geelong 16,659 North Melb 16,646 W.Bulldogs 14,953 Sydney 13,157 Port Adel. 12,813 Brisbane 10,696 Gold Coast 6,476 GWS 5,533 Fremantle N/A
TC
Guest
As an aside, this is how Champion Data rates the 18 club lists: 1. Hawthorn (Defenders 2nd, Midfield 9th, Forwards 1st) 2. West Coast (Defenders 4th, Midfield 7th, Forwards 4th) 3. Sydney (Defenders 3rd, Midfield 2nd, Forwards 11th) 4. Fremantle (Defenders 10th, Midfield 5th, Forwards 3rd) 5. Collingwood (Defenders 5th, Midfield 1st, Forwards 14th) 6. Adelaide (Defenders 6th, Midfield 4th, Forwards 6th) 7. Geelong (Defenders 1st, Midfield 8th, Forwards 12th) 8. Essendon (Defenders 7th, Midfield 10th, Forwards 5th) 9. Carlton (Defenders 14th, Midfield 3rd, Forwards 2nd) 10. Richmond (Defenders 13th, Midfield 6th, Forwards 6th) 11. North Melbourne (Defenders 11th, Midfielders 11th, Forwards 9th) 12. St. Kilda (Defenders 8th, Midfield 13th, Forwards 13th) 13. Melbourne (Defenders 12th, Midfield 16th, Forwards 8th) 14. Brisbane (Defenders 9th, Midfield 14th, Forwards 15th) 15. Western Bulldogs (Defenders 17th, Midfield 15th, Forwards 10th) 16. Gold Coast (Defenders 15th, Midfield 17th, Forwards 16th) 17. Port Adelaide (Defenders 18th, Midfield 12th, Forwards 17th) 18. GWS (Defenders 16th, Midfield 18th, Forwards 18th)
Andrew Sutherland
Roar Guru
Tom, the point about Brisbane is that despite the success they didn’t need to offload players as a result which is what Matthews is advocating at the Swans. Financially, they were capable of immediately replacing any of those players. And perhaps you should take your own advice to Christo and re read the article. I wrote that the concession shouldn’t be reduced as a means of levelling out the competition
Andrew Sutherland
Roar Guru
TC, Yes, Jeff's still going. He was one of the first to call for the abolition of the allowance after the GF.
TomC
Roar Guru
Christo, I can't believe this needs to be explained, but there is more than one 'other' team in the league. GWS also get concessions. You could argue GC's concessions are also because they're in a non AFL state. But there are other teams who rely on interstate players who don't get those concessions. Notably Brisbane. Perhaps you should consider rereading the sentence next time you want to respond with sarcasm and scorn. That way you'd be less likely to look like a fool.
TomC
Roar Guru
Andrew, your comment was that you couldn't remember them getting rid of too many players. I gave four examples of players that left the club who would have been entitled to good money. Whatever the cause, when good players leave it alleviates the pressure on the salary cap. I don't think that should really need to be explained. And I don't know how you reconcile saying 'the concession shouldn't be reduced' with 'I didn't claim 9.8% is the correct concession'.
Mango Jack
Guest
You are right, Ian, they won because they are a good,well balanced team who believed in themselves. The point that I, and others, are making is that they proved they don't need a cap conession, so get rid of it and shut the whingers up.
Ian
Guest
Sydney won the premiership because it is a champion team, not a team of champions. Andrew implied that in his piece and supported it with the Malthouse opinion of it's flag chances. If the value of the 2012 Swan's list was compared with that of Hawthorn's what odds that Hawthorn's list would be valued 10% or more than Sydney's? This is why the Swan's have the cap room to afford Tippet; nothing to do with the cap allowance. What other club could take Mitch "last chance saloon" Morton and turn him into a team man who's defensive efforts played critical roles right through the finals? After September, the opinions from many in clubs, the press and fans outside of Sydney suddenly changed from "the Swans are not good enough" to "the premiers should not be able to afford Tippet". The smart ones are asking why the Swans won the flag with a playing list inferior to those they defeated, and how can our club do the same or better.
Doghouse
Guest
The Swans have to recruit players from ineterstate whose agents all know about the players allowance. As one who travels to Sydney and Melbourne a bit, Sydney has tourist island prices compared to Melbourne - thats even before real estate / rents. http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/home-buyers-priced-out-of-capital-cities-20121213-2bbt2.html I assume Bolton resigned for less money, O'Keeffe and Goodes are on the veteran list and 1/2 price and they lost Spangher, Dennis-Lane, Moore and Seaby who werent on big money but respectable money. They have recruited cast offs in previous years (Mumford was the exceoption) so liitle money expended so they may have room. The contract is back ended so the Swans will lose a few in the next few years - Goodes, Bolton, O'Keeffe (admittedly cheapies), Mattner, Richards, Grundy so they may struggle to replace them Goddard went to the Bombers but the Bombers lost few players....