The 2011 Season will mark the 30th season of the Swans as a Sydney club. And what a journey it has been.

While Australian Rules Football had been played in Sydney for decades, the term "minority sport" would have been an understatement, even compared to some other sports. To most Sydneysiders, it was a foreign game, although no doubt quite a few had at least some awareness of it. The code was certainly stronger in Brisbane and Canberra than it had been in Sydney, and certainly stronger in country NSW areas like the Riverina and Broken Hill (who are in the Victorian and South Australian sphere of influence anyway). Such is the vagaries that make up the state of NSW!

The post-war years had not been so kind to South Melbourne, even though the club was graced (like all others) with its share of champion players, Bob Skilton above all else. But the VFL being that kind of competition, even in an era before the salary cap and draft, there was always the chance of being competitive. In 1970 and 1977, the Swans had made the finals. As recently as 1980, the next to last year as South Melbourne, the Swans had finished a game and a half out of the five in 6th place. It was a time when the game and above all else the VFL was about to undergo a cataclysmic metamorphosis (if that's the right way to put it) into a national competition. It was a time when not only South Melbourne but other clubs were in an ailing state. Fitzroy being another, and even they had some good seasons around this time too.

And the move of South Melbourne to Sydney, which caused great consternation, was the result. It is worth noting too that the Swans would have more members in Melbourne today than they did in the final decade or so of the South Melbourne era.

Off the field, it took a long time for the Swans to really gain acceptance in their new home but the VFL later AFL was determined to make it work. Alas, there was also the experiment of private ownership under Dr Edelsten, which I'm sure has been covered elsewhere. On the field, however, in the 1982 to 1989 period the Swans were for most part competitive- 7th place and 12 wins in 1982, the first year in Sydney, being in contention for the finals for most of the season. The Swans made the finals in 1986 and 1987 and remained competitive for two years after that.

The 1990 to 1994 period was the Dark Ages where the future of the club was in doubt. The wooden spoon was won in three consecutive years and a 26-game losing streak to boot. Even so, things began to turn around slowly with Ron Barassi as coach and Paul Kelly as captain.

In 1995, the sporting landscape of Sydney which had long been dominated by Rugby League began to change forever when that game began to tore itself apart. But 1995 was a historic year for the Swans in many ways. It was a year when the Swans began the long journey into becoming a force in the AFL, when the Swans entered the wider sporting conscience of Sydney for really the first time.

Round 8, 1995 will go down as one of the most important games in Swans history. A Carlton side considered to be one of the best of the modern era, had opened the season with 7 straight wins, in what was to be a premiership season. But on that day, the Swans demolished the Blues to the tune of 72 points- the biggest upset of the season. This is where it all started. The season ended with 12th place and 8 wins- as much as all of the previous three seasons- and a positive percentage, which the Swans would maintain up to 2008. It was also the last season for Ron Barassi as coach, and he left an improving team.

Nobody imagined what was to come in 1996 under new coach Rodney Eade. But the Swans would go on to capture the imagination of this (fickle) city, winning the minor premiership and after tight wins over Hawthorn and Essendon, reaching the Grand Final, beyond even the most diehard fans' expectations. There, they faced a Kangaroos side who had marked time before they could claim a Premiership- which they did.

The remainder of the decade saw the Swans make the finals each year, but finals were missed in 2000 and 2002. Even so, Swans fans got used to a cocktail of big wins and some heartbreaking defeats. By 2002, however, many thought the club's fortunes were on the down.

With Paul Roos in the job for 2003, the Swans would perform beyond many fans' wildest imagination by finishing in the top four, getting the double chance. In the qualifying final, there was a phenomenal performance against a stunned Port Adelaide on their home turf. In the preliminary final, Brisbane ran out 44-point winners after the Swans had reduced the deficit to 3 by 3/4 time. The following year saw inconsistency reign, but then came 2005.

I for one never stopped believing. But the first 6 rounds of 2005 did not hold much hope. In round 7, the come-from-behind win over Essendon set us on our merry way. In typical Swans fashion, it was never going to be easy, but when Brisbane were put out to pasture in Round 20 (ending, once and for all, their dynasty), I was wondering if it was really possible.

Sport is such a cruel thing. Sport gives you such highs and lows that unbalance you in many different ways. And every Swans supporter experienced every emotion in 2005. The qualifying final against West Coast where blatant robbery took place. The semi against Geelong where Nick Davis pulled a rabbit out of the hat. And then, Leaping Leo Barry. This is what you live for.

In 2006, after a stuttering start, the Swans picked up again. There was an utterly memorable qualifying win over the Eagles. And then, after defeating Fremantle, a second consecutive Grand Final. This time the Eagles would win, by a point, and a tainted premiership at that.

The last few years have been neither here nor there. The Swans have had none of the stinker seasons some other teams have had, but I suspect it's not in anyone's interest for us to do so. With Kirk retiring and Roos stepping down, it marks the end of an era, but what will 2011 bring?

So here we are. The Swans journey has been a long one and the memories of 2005 live on forever. There will be challenges, some formidable, in the coming years but let's have faith they can be met.