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.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Definitely would be ideal for AFL. If it were to happen imagine the 'setup' talk again...
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Stadium wasn't built for football. It is one of the ones used for Easter Show. I'm not sure what it was originally built for - but yes little to no rain cover if you are anywhere near the front.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck.
ciudadmarron
Guest
I think the point is that this isn't a home grown team. But then neither are the Swans really.
Cat
Roar Guru
What scandal would that be Bob?
Bob Anderson
Guest
Don't forget the NBA, Dallas Mavericks scandal a few years ago. It can and does happen.
Tom from Perth
Guest
Hahaha Rabbitz!
hypnic jerk
Guest
Well done Giants! Cameron, Patton, Mummy, Shaw, Hunt. Exciting times ahead!
hypnic jerk
Guest
AR..your description of the sheer scale of these 50:50 big games at the G can only be described with one word: "Euphoria". I have experienced it on many occasions.
andy og
Guest
Yet it dominates those two sports on every conceivable measure in our fine country.Your fear is palpable
Tad
Roar Rookie
Swans are always slow starters, going back to Paul Roos days, i expect they will still be top 4, i don't think the Giants will be. I agree that the footballing landscape is changing in Sydney, the Giants will become a viable alternative to soccer and RL out West bit by bit.
Aussie in London
Guest
I agree with you Michael, this is a significant turning point in the footy landscape in Sydney, so long as the Giants keep it up and become a viable option for support. Bit of a shame Sheeds wasn't coaching this game given the trumpeting he did on their behalf. Just on the Swans' Sydney history, I really think the Ron Barassi coaching period was a bigger positive for the Swans, and a legacy that lasted beyond his tenure that deserves a lot of credit. That also seemed to be a culmination of a number of positive elements such as the emergence of Paul Kelly, ownweship change etc that set a strong foundation which fortunatly they continued to build on. I think they were also lucky that it coincided with the Super League war, but I really see that 1993-95 period as a real turning point for the club. On the result, I was surprised by the way the Giants kicked on at the end and built such a big margin, that was a massive stand out for me. I didn't get to see the game, but were the Giants comprehensive, or did the Swans give it away? Without taking anything away from them, I hope they keep it up
Rodney
Roar Pro
Melbourne had to deal with a salary cap (not that they don't have a history of ignoring it) though, GWS get the bonus of draft picks as well a hefty chunk of extra cap space (like 11% extra or thereabouts). It could've been a massive advantage if they'd used it practically rather than the infamous PR coup of izzy. I also don't think the Broncos of 1997 lost any players to the Storm, bar the aformentioned Lazarus. As for the titans having Easy draw? Maybe time has just flown a little fast for you but 2 years ago the Titans finished 11th and played a majority of that year's top 8 twice. The year before that they finished dead last. In The years the made the top 8 (2009 and 2010) of the teams the Titans played twice they played top 8 teams as much as (or in the case of 2010, more than) bottom 8 teams. As for lack of coveredge, I found 4 articles http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/greater-western-sydney-secures-famous-win-against-sydney-20140315-34ul2.html the izzy one you posted http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-giants-coach-leon-cameron-in-no-hurry-to-blood-tom-boyd-20140317-hvjm0.html http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/expansion-day-no-horror-movie-20140316-hvje4.html and one which is on dimitriou but mentions GWS http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/demetriou-leaving-a-winning-scoreline-20140314-34qjz.html all since yesterday. Hardly anything to complain about.
duecer
Guest
Saw this piece and a few others in the SMH http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/expansion-day-no-horror-movie-20140316-hvje4.html but I'm afraid to tell you that the SMH is far from Sydney's best selling paper, let alone the country's most widely read one - the Herald Sun has double the circulation for a start.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
If GWS and the Suns win next week I'm taking a plunge in Tin Foil producers on the ASX.
albatross
Roar Pro
A "rational AFL discussion"? I'd like to see that!
db swannie
Guest
Hi Phil . Is that anything like the same old AFL Zealots ruining any rational RL discussion?
Phil McGrawhan
Guest
Same old RL fans ruining any rational AFL discussion as usual.
Tim
Guest
Afl is a child's game compared to test cricket.
TomC
Roar Guru
Lynch went to Brisbane before the merger. Lroy, the Bears finished third in the year before the merger.