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From the Editors: The Western Bulldogs won the AFL Grand Final yesterday, in a result that has made millions of Australians very happy. But what if they hadn’t?
The Roar asked Ryan Buckland to put together two columns ready to go for the grand final finish – one for either result. Only one would be published – the other, you were never meant to see!
But we figured, why waste Ryan’s good work? For those who’d like to stroll down alternate-reality lane, below you can find – unedited – the words we would have published if the Swans lifted the cup.
Enjoy!
All the wash-up from the AFL Grand Final
» Match report: Bulldogs are premiers!
» BUCKLAND: The West wins one for all
» Seven talking points from the match
» Western Bulldogs player ratings
» Sydney Swans player ratings
» Our top ten tweets from the day
» Another classic Bulldogs banner
» Re-live all the action with our live blog
The Sydney Swans have beaten the Western Bulldogs in the 2016 AFL grand final. Sydney’s victory affirms their bold decision making of recent years, and confirms they are set to continue their reign as an AFL powerhouse.
Coming into the 2016 season, the AFL world expected this to be a year of adjustment for the Swans. The administration injected significant youth in place of a number of veteran retirements in recent years, a bunch of which was on display in the grand final.
Mind, it was supposed to be a “Sydney dip” – a trip outside of the top four, rather than outside of the finals. By Round 6, it was clear this was not going to be the case.
Sydney ended up the minor premier for the second time in three seasons, and were inside the top four for the fifth straight season. This is an organisation of the highest quality; from the top down, Sydney are ruthless in their pursuit of excellence.
We can’t talk about Sydney’s success and neglect their recently-tightened concessions. While the policy rationale for a Cost of Living Allowance was always debatable, what is beyond dispute is the Swans used the legal, AFL-sanctioned mechanism to its utmost potential. Their past two drafts have yielded two incredible talents from their legal, AFL-sanctioned academy. HQ has tightened these two things up in recent times, as it became clear the Swans were expertly using these to their fullest.
There is nothing wrong with this – you cannot sit here and complain about an organisation using every mechanism available to it to be successful. Your ire, if you have any, and I don’t think you should, can be directed at the AFL Commission as the master of both policies.
The Swans have debuted seven players this season, while first and second year players have filled 74 of the Swans 550 available game day positions. They have backed in the prodigious talents of Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills, thrusting them into prominent roles across the ground. Tom Papley has kicked 29 goals in 20 games as 20-year-olda small forward off of the rookie list – the second most at the Swans. Aliir Aliir – drafted in 2013 – became Sydney’s go-to third tall defender, forcing veteran Ted Richards out of the side.
Much of this is borne out of necessity. As you’d be aware, the Swans conducted two high profile transactions following their 2012 grand final victory, bringing in Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin to a squad already boasting half a dozen or more A-class players. Both have played pivotal roles.
Franklin is a singular offensive force unlike any in the game today – West Coast’s Josh Kennedy kicked more goals in the home-and-away season, but he can’t create his own scores to the same extent as Franklin – and has kicked 206 goals in just 62 games as a blood. Three years into a nine year contract, it is fair to say he has lived up to the hype.
Tippett joined Sydney as a modern power forward; a 200cm monster capable of bullying opponents inside the invisible 30 metre arc of the ground. After serving a 12 game suspension related to contractual shenanigans in his time at Adelaide – which enabled him to get to the Swans on a good deal for Sydney – he dominated in that role until an injury in the early stages of the Swans’ semi-final kept him out of the side until the mid way part of 2014. He once again return to dominate as a power forward, forming a destructive pairing with Franklin that led Sydney to a grand final.
In the past two years, Tippett has shouldered a greater load of Sydney’s ruck responsibilities, to the point where he became the number one option this season. He’s the only player in the league to average 25 hit outs, 13 disposals and more than a goal game – a statistical line that means nothing on its own but which is an indicator of the role he’s played.
Sydney’s midfield bats deep at the top; few teams can say their fifth-best centre square option is a player of the calibre of Kieran Jack. As this team evolves, it only becomes more scary – the loss of Tom Mitchell is a price the Swans would love to avoid paying, but one which is not as steep as some others would face in losing a player of his calibre.
The Swans’ 2020 midfield will in all likelihood be centred on a trio of Luke Parker (26 years old), Isaac Heeney (24) and Callum Mills (23). Josh Kennedy will be 32 and Dan Hannebery 29. Should the Swans manage to hang onto Mitchell he’ll be smack in his prime at 27 years of age. It’s a frightening prospect.
Their much-maligned defence – at least by way of personnel – has been their key competitive advantage this season. Sydney concede scores on less than 40 per cent of their inside 50 entries, an incredible statistic given the league average is over 50 per cent. It is difficult to see this changing next season given the prospective growth of Aliir, and emergence of Dane Rampe as an Alex Rance-like figure down back. Nick Smith could be the most under-rated player in the game, playing a role that is scant across every other team in the league.
What about John Longmire? Sydney’s coach inherited a team of ageing veterans in 2011, which he has managed to evolve – with the help of an excellent football department, of course – into one of the most youthful and vibrant premiership teams in recent history. Just 11 players from Longmire’s debut season remain on Sydney’s list.
Longmire’s strategic prowess cannot be doubted now. He has transformed the dour, defensive Paul Roos Swans into a flashy footballing force. Longmire has taken a reliable Toyota Corolla and traded his way up to an Aston Martin Vanquish. Should the Swans win their first game of the 2017 season, Longmire will be the only coach in VFL/AFL history to have coached 150 games with a winning percentage of 70 per cent or more.
The Swans have evolved into the premium, blue chip AFL team that they always could have been in their harbour side locale. A third premiership in just over a decade, after such a lengthy period of dormancy, confirms their status as one of the AFL’s leading franchises.
Such is their youth, you’d be mad to think they won’t add to that tally in the years ahead.