Rarely has there been a richer narrative entering an AFL grand final than what we have in front of us this week.
This shapes as a true David vs Goliath battle. The Footscray underdogs, the battlers, the working class up against the pretentious, fair-weather Sydney elite. A club the league once tried to force into merger, taking on one of the AFL’s precious New South Wales children.
In the AFL’s eyes, Sydney have always been their Cinderella story, with the Dogs filling the role of ugly step-sister.
Patrick Dangerfield wins the Brownlow Medal, surprising no-one ever.
All the wash-up from the 2016 Brownlow Medal:
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» Red carpet photos and dress ratings
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The growth of the game in the northern states is more important to the AFL executive than the evenness of the playing competition. Wherever you stand on the issue of expansion, this statement is beyond dispute.
If the AFL had their way, either Sydney or GWS would be playing off for the grand final every year. In an ideal world, every second year it would be against a Queensland club, albeit everyone has dropped the (foot)ball in the sunshine state.
The Western Bulldogs are the undoubted fairytale of this AFL finals series so far, with three wins on the trot, never once starting favourite. They’ve won in three different states, against three vastly different styles of opponent.
It’s a finals story that hasn’t been seen before in the AFL. Around the world other sports have had a team rise from nowhere to go all the way, with recent examples being Leicester in the EPL and the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball. The rise from the ashes story pops up every couple of years internationally, but the AFL has always been immune.
Of course, for the Dogs this hasn’t been a one season turnaround. Their nadir was the off-season heading into 2015, a year the club was favourite for the wooden spoon. For the phoenix to have risen so quickly from those ashes, even though this is not a single season turnaround, it is no less remarkable for it.
In the AFL under this current finals system, implemented in 2000, no side has won three games in a row to make the grand final. No side finishing as low as seventh has ever made it to the big dance.
The Sydney Swans won the grand final in 2012, only seven years after their previous premiership in 2005, which famously broke a longer flag drought than even the Dogs are trying to overcome.
For the Swans to have gone through a rebuild in such a short time while remaining finalists for the large part was a fine achievement, albeit helped along by the infamous cost-of-living-allowance (COLA).
Sydney’s ability to draw talent away from other clubs and then exceed their previous output speaks highly for their culture of improvement set by the coaching and development staff, and senior players.
The Swans were canny with their use of COLA, even though in the end their hubris ultimately cost them the benefit of it. It may still deliver another premiership.
Sydney brought in Kurt Tippett, an All-Australian calibre ruck-forward after winning the flag in 2012, which was a little slap in the face to the competition. After finishing top four in 2013 and playing in a preliminary final, they brought in Buddy Franklin much to the disgust of the AFL themselves, as well as supporters of 17 other clubs.
The Swans manipulated the AFL’s largesse within the rules, as was their eternal right. The boldness, audacity and cunning of the plans can only be applauded. But let’s not sit back and pretend that there was anything fair about the rules the AFL had in place, to benefit the team that delivers them highly sought exposure in the one place they crave it most.
Sydney made the 2014 grand final off the back of Franklin (and Tippett), before going down to Hawthorn.
Normally, a punishment for continuously finishing up the top of the ladder is to be denied high draft picks and access to the undisputed best talent in the land. But not for the Swans.
First came Isaac Heeney at pick 18 in the 2014 draft, followed by Callum Mills at pick 3 in 2015.
Isaac Heeney was seen by many as the best player in his draft year, and nothing he has done on the field since has done anything to refute those claims.
Heeney has been Sydney’s player of the finals in just his second year, and in the opinion of this writer, he will be the Swans’ best player before the end of 2018. And this in a line-up that includes Buddy Franklin, Dan Hannebery, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Kurt Tippett, and another three or four All-Australians besides.
Callum Mills was the almost unanimous winner of the NAB Rising Star this season, fitting into the back half like an eight year veteran, displaying courage and poise in equal measure.
How lovely it would be to call on such prime young talent two years in a row finishing in the bottom four. Now think of them going to a top four powerhouse under manipulated rules.
The theory behind those rules is sound from a 10, 30 and 50 year perspective. But it is somewhat laughable when played out in actuality. Putting all emotion and game-building forward-thinking aside, and looking at the situation from a purely football in 2016 perspective, it is simply unfair. This is undeniable.
The AFL is the biggest sporting league in the country, and Australian rules football is the biggest sport in the land. The game will continue to grow, but the simple wish of an even playing field is a casualty along the way.
It will not be their aim, or remotely thought about internally, but the Western Bulldogs can strike a blow back against the establishment this week. Their fans deserve this win. If the Dogs can secure it, it will be a win for coaching, talent, heart and courage over manipulated outcomes.
Freo As
Guest
So, have the Bulldog's had more success before semi nationalisation or after?
Pratley
Guest
GWS academy plays a few games a year - Brian Taylor told a porky that they didn't have a coach - they are from all over NSW and to save the "AFL some money!" as they only play together a few times a year because they are in their last year of high school, play for their club (and maybe school) play for ACT/NSW rep team so they have plenty of commitments - I think McVeigh was coach last year or maybe Saddington
Pratley
Guest
Dave, In fact the Waratahs do get more than the other Super Rugby franchises in Australia because of their importance and cost of living...The Melbourne Storm had salary cap advantages for years (illegally) and have paid top juniors to relocate (outside the cap).
Paul D
Roar Guru
Honestly Reservoir, you are full to the brim of one-eyed nonsense sometimes. So many misrepresentations and straw men from you in this article. I like too how you keep linking the Swans and Lions together as if they are equal entities solely because they’re both north of the Murray, the AFL would be proud of you – this attitude of what is good for the goose is good for the gander is one of the main reasons the Lions have sunk into oblivion because of all the collateral damage we’ve copped every time a barrage has been launched at the Swans from AFL House down in Melbourne. Essentially the debate can be distilled down to the northern clubs get some special treatment, which ideally should help offset some of the unique disadvantages they have. However if a club is particularly successful – in the case of Sydney – the special treatment becomes a convenient scapegoat for Victorian clubs to blame their own commensurate lack of success.
Your kidding
Guest
Don't know what some of you people are complaining about. Every year there is at least 4 Victorian clubs in the top 8 with a few interstate clubs to round things out. As we have seen, anything could happen results wise in the finals. The system appears to be working and other codes are envious. I also watch the NRL and wish that competition was run as well as the AFL.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
"Do you want a national competition or not?" And that is the whole problem. There is a view north of the border that we don't have a national competition unless every single premiership is won by a NSW or QLD team. At the same time you have those states refusing to build GF-worthy stadia, refusing (in the case of the Swans and the Lions) to want second teams set up in their states (but at the same time thinking Melbourne needs fewer teams and saying North Melbourne should relocate- where to, one might ask?) and refusing to develop juniors in their state unless the club gets the highest reward for doing so.
Dave
Guest
@Weasel - The point is pretty clear, if COLA was really necessary for players to survive in Sydney, then most if not all Sydney sporting teams would have it implemented in some way shape or form. The fact that the AFL is the only sporting competition in Australia that pays players extra for living in Sydney speaks volumes. If anything, AFL players would get paid significantly more than the sports I mentioned, further lessening the need for the 9.8% increase... There's only one other sporting event that would compare to the AFL GF in Australia, which I noticed you've failed to mention being the NRL GF. Where's that hosted every year?
Karma Miranda
Guest
I'm calling BS on that... In 2003 I relocated from Melbourne back to Brisbane for family reasons; within the same company and doing the exact same work. I was required to take a $3000 pay cut, and the sole reason as explained to me was the higher cost of living in Melbourne as compared to Brisbane.
Your kidding
Guest
So let's even things out then. You say the northern clubs have an unfair advantage. Okay. Why is the grand final played in Melbourne when an interstate team clearly finishes on top? Why do Melbourne teams have to travel so little when interstate teams fly every second week? Every time a team like Collingwood plays in Melbourne it is almost like a home game. The VFL,SANFL and WAFL provide a rich recruiting platform for their respective states. The northern states don't have this. Hence the academies. Melbourne teams get more prime time telecasts of games. I'll stop now. Talk about unfair. Give some of these northern clubs a break. They've got a different situation than in Melbourne. Do you want a national competition or not?
Dave
Guest
$500k? COLA is 9.8%,the Salary Cap is around $10mil, so COLA is much closer to $1mil than $500k. It's a massive advantage because it creates an unfair playing field. Name one other professional sport that has a Salary Cap, but has different caps for different teams? Do the Sydney teams in the NRL get COLA? How bout the A-league team? Cricket? I don't hear the NSW Waratahs complaining about how hard things are in Sydney. I got your point, but the examples you pointed out don't prove anything.
Weasel
Guest
Dougie, plenty of other teams don't get to play home finals at their home grounds, or even their home states (this weekend's Swan's home game is a case in point). I'm not having a go, I feel for any team who cops that (we just played our first final in 11 years at our home ground), and your doggies have been super impressive dealing with that rough trot. But your boys will definitely enjoy sleeping in their own beds the night before their "away" GF, while the home team are in a hotel.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
Michael, unless you come up with a proposal on how you plan to kick Victorian clubs out of the competition then you're all talk. Remember, there was a time when interstate sides wanted Hawthorn kicked out of the competition. Which is easy to understand, given that it might've mean more success for those interstate sides in recent years. But we all know that a competition with only the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions isn't a comp worth having, which is why Sydney need to accept that it's an 18-team competition and that they shouldn't get academies or COLAs unless everybody else gets them too.
Weasel
Guest
Almost correct Dean. O'keefe requested a trade back home to Melbourne at the end of 2008 after the Swans offered him a 3-year contract. Hawthorn (the reigning premier) offered pick 16 initially, before changing their mind. No other club offered a first rounder. Sydney then offered a 4-year deal which he accepted. Sounds less about money and more about the extra year, but I'm sure you know best with your accurate research.
andyl12
Guest
"Don’t forget the Hawks as with most ex VFL clubs were supported financially by the commencement of the AFL comp, and even afterwards just 20 years ago, or they were going to fold." The clubs who paid licence fees to join the comp did not do so for the purposes of financial support. Since then all they have said is that they want numerous Victorian clubs gone (without being game enough to say who). So don't pretend anyone propped Hawthorn up. The powers-to-be were all about killing us off until they got eggs on their face.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
OK Michael, by the same token do you want the NRL to hurry up and reduce the number of NSW teams to 6? And do you want the Melbourne Storm to be given academy concessions that reflect Victoria's status as non-heartland state? Should Storm players also get a cost-of-living allowance since the suburbs close to their training ground aren't cheap to live in compared to places like Penrith or Newcastle? If you answered no to any of those questions then it's proof you don't care about code expansion, you just care about the Sydney Swans.
Weasel
Guest
Are we playing "Let's find a quote that backs up our argument?" Try this one from Andrew Demetriou: Q. "Have you sensed a bit of anger among opposition clubs that the Swans were able to pull off the Franklin coup?" A. "Yes and they've echoed that publicly. They've had concerns around whether the Swans used the cost of living allowance [to sign Franklin]. But I think people have moved on and they've accepted it. They signed him within the rules and, as long as it's within the rules, people accept that." Source: http://m.afl.com.au/news/2014-02-20/qa-with-the-chief
Weasel
Guest
Yeah, but without Bud and Tip, the swans would have $1.5-$2m left in the salary cap each year to spend on other big fish. And without Heeney and Mills, they would've spent their two first round picks (18 and 14) on two other good youngsters. These may not have been the same calibre of player, but Jayden Laverde or Caleb Daniel in 14 and Dunkley in 15 would've gone alright! Definitely not disastrous.
Tom M
Guest
Your missing the point Michael. Its not that the swans pay for the academy, its that they are allowed to pay a develop an academy. Im sure if Collingwood was allowed to set up an academy in Dandenong then they would. The academy system is a rort and Sydney more than anyone else knows this
Weasel
Guest
How about Mitch Wallis and Tom Liberatore in 2010? Both were bid on by other clubs with first round selections, yet the dogs got them at 22 and 40 respectively. Obviously this is under the old rules, but just highlighting that two very good F/S players in quick succession does happen. (Also as I mentioned above, Mills and Heen dog went at 3 & 18, not 2 & 3)
Pratley
Guest
Imagine if the equivalent of Isaac heeney (from Newcastle (real NRL heartland) who Swans outbid another bidder in the draft) was from Geelong (AFL heartland) and won the 2nd year player NRL award the NRL fans would be thrilled. The impetus Heeney will have for the game in northern NSW if his career continues is enormous. The NRL is held together by the growing NSW regional areas as people in Sydney have shown interest in other codes. The Newcastle herald is owned by Fairfax who has just signed a deal to cover AFL games in Sydney/Brisbane on their radio stations 2UE/4BC and consequently the AFL has received better coverage in the Sydney Morning herald and hopefully Fairfax regional papers as well. The previous Nine /Fairfax agreement (joint owners of Stan) which promoted NRL and cricket at the expense of AFL and summer soccer appears to be waning. This is good news for the AFL and will increase revenue for the entire AFL which will float all boats and not just Eddies...