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Colless, McGuire birds of feather
By Peter Lalor
August 20, 2003
IT was not that long ago Swans president Richard Colless gave Collingwood's Eddie McGuire the finger on national television. Yesterday he tried to plant a kiss on his cheek.
With both teams in the top four and a record crowd expected at Saturday's crucial match in Sydney, the club chiefs are laughing all the way to the finals. And the bank.
Qantas has scheduled four additional flights from Melbourne for the game and McGuire says up to 7000 Collingwood supporters will make the trip to Telstra Stadium.
The record crowd for a Sydney match is 54,129 (Telstra Stadium against Essendon round nine, 2002).
While Colless attempted to hose down talk of a 60,000 gate, the financially struggling club has its fingers crossed it may reach that mark.
Sources said yesterday the Swans have sold 6000 tickets in the past 48 hours and have taken $500,000 in casual sales despite the fact another batch of rugby union World Cup tickets also went on sale this week.
Last year's Swans-Essendon match attracted 5000 walk-up sales on the night and this game should attract 65,000 people, possibly 70,000, depending on the weather.
The stadium has a capacity of 83,500.
It is a crunch game in terms of ladder position for both teams, with Magpies captain Nathan Buckley describing it as his club's biggest game of the year.
The occasion appears to have warmed the relationship between McGuire and Colless, with the former flying to Sydney with Buckley to promote the match.
In the past the opposing club presidents have been at war, with McGuire threatening to take legal action over the Swans' cost-of-living allowance and Colless famously responding by giving the finger at his opposite number on national television.
Yesterday that was, apparently, all in the past. Colless joked that the pair were like brothers from a dysfunctional family.
"It's the story of the good twin and the evil twin," Colless said.
"This Saturday night really is the culmination of a family feud, Cain versus Abel . . . of evil versus good, of black versus red, of Collingwood versus Sydney.
"We are playing for the Lockett-Coventry Cup and we're hopeful that this will be the biggest AFL game ever played (in Sydney)."
Collingwood have long-term plans to tap into the western Sydney market ? McGuire joked that Blacktown will be known as "Blackandwhitetown" ? and said he was "delighted" by the build-up to the match.
"This is a absolute, bona fide blockbuster game of football with everything that you play for in sport on the line," McGuire said.
The gate-takings are an unexpected and welcome windfall for the Swans and McGuire suggested to Colless he rename the stadium "the House of Cash".
Colless said even a crowd of 50,000 would be substantially ahead of what the club had budgeted for.
"If you get 60 (60,000) then you just smash expectations," he said. "I think we just want to hose 60 down at this stage because if it rains between now and Saturday let me tell you the phones will stop, the walk-ups will die, but the last five games have been dramatically ahead of budget."
When the fixture was announced this year, there was some thought that by round 21 it would be a dead rubber as the Swans were not expected to be in the finals race.
However, both teams are on 52 points and are third and fourth on the ladder and the game may well decide who gets a home final.
Buckley described the game as "pivotal".
"If either team win, they've cemented their position with the double chance moving into September and I don't think that can be underestimated at all," Buckley said.
"We had an opportunity against Brisbane, but we didn't take advantage of it.
"We played a lot better last week and put ourselves in a position where our destiny is in our hands, as have Sydney, so it's a huge match.
"There's been no bigger game this year for us."
Swans captain Stuart Maxfield said the club was still not focused on the finals.
"This week is going to be a finals-type atmosphere, but in terms of where we want to finish and all that kind of thing it really doesn't come into play," Maxfield said. "We just put all our energies into trying to beat Collingwood on Saturday night."
Buckley has clearly been preparing for the match, suggesting that the Swans star tagger Brett Kirk probably will pick him up on the night.
"Having said that, he picked up Simon Black last week and the Swans rotated Paul Williams and a couple of other running players off him ? so you never can tell," Buckley said.
The Swans will have to find a replacement for injured backman Jason Saddington and will look to either Rowan Warfe or teenager Mark Powell, while Collingwood are battling against time to get Simon Prestigiacomo back on the field.
By Peter Lalor
August 20, 2003
IT was not that long ago Swans president Richard Colless gave Collingwood's Eddie McGuire the finger on national television. Yesterday he tried to plant a kiss on his cheek.
With both teams in the top four and a record crowd expected at Saturday's crucial match in Sydney, the club chiefs are laughing all the way to the finals. And the bank.
Qantas has scheduled four additional flights from Melbourne for the game and McGuire says up to 7000 Collingwood supporters will make the trip to Telstra Stadium.
The record crowd for a Sydney match is 54,129 (Telstra Stadium against Essendon round nine, 2002).
While Colless attempted to hose down talk of a 60,000 gate, the financially struggling club has its fingers crossed it may reach that mark.
Sources said yesterday the Swans have sold 6000 tickets in the past 48 hours and have taken $500,000 in casual sales despite the fact another batch of rugby union World Cup tickets also went on sale this week.
Last year's Swans-Essendon match attracted 5000 walk-up sales on the night and this game should attract 65,000 people, possibly 70,000, depending on the weather.
The stadium has a capacity of 83,500.
It is a crunch game in terms of ladder position for both teams, with Magpies captain Nathan Buckley describing it as his club's biggest game of the year.
The occasion appears to have warmed the relationship between McGuire and Colless, with the former flying to Sydney with Buckley to promote the match.
In the past the opposing club presidents have been at war, with McGuire threatening to take legal action over the Swans' cost-of-living allowance and Colless famously responding by giving the finger at his opposite number on national television.
Yesterday that was, apparently, all in the past. Colless joked that the pair were like brothers from a dysfunctional family.
"It's the story of the good twin and the evil twin," Colless said.
"This Saturday night really is the culmination of a family feud, Cain versus Abel . . . of evil versus good, of black versus red, of Collingwood versus Sydney.
"We are playing for the Lockett-Coventry Cup and we're hopeful that this will be the biggest AFL game ever played (in Sydney)."
Collingwood have long-term plans to tap into the western Sydney market ? McGuire joked that Blacktown will be known as "Blackandwhitetown" ? and said he was "delighted" by the build-up to the match.
"This is a absolute, bona fide blockbuster game of football with everything that you play for in sport on the line," McGuire said.
The gate-takings are an unexpected and welcome windfall for the Swans and McGuire suggested to Colless he rename the stadium "the House of Cash".
Colless said even a crowd of 50,000 would be substantially ahead of what the club had budgeted for.
"If you get 60 (60,000) then you just smash expectations," he said. "I think we just want to hose 60 down at this stage because if it rains between now and Saturday let me tell you the phones will stop, the walk-ups will die, but the last five games have been dramatically ahead of budget."
When the fixture was announced this year, there was some thought that by round 21 it would be a dead rubber as the Swans were not expected to be in the finals race.
However, both teams are on 52 points and are third and fourth on the ladder and the game may well decide who gets a home final.
Buckley described the game as "pivotal".
"If either team win, they've cemented their position with the double chance moving into September and I don't think that can be underestimated at all," Buckley said.
"We had an opportunity against Brisbane, but we didn't take advantage of it.
"We played a lot better last week and put ourselves in a position where our destiny is in our hands, as have Sydney, so it's a huge match.
"There's been no bigger game this year for us."
Swans captain Stuart Maxfield said the club was still not focused on the finals.
"This week is going to be a finals-type atmosphere, but in terms of where we want to finish and all that kind of thing it really doesn't come into play," Maxfield said. "We just put all our energies into trying to beat Collingwood on Saturday night."
Buckley has clearly been preparing for the match, suggesting that the Swans star tagger Brett Kirk probably will pick him up on the night.
"Having said that, he picked up Simon Black last week and the Swans rotated Paul Williams and a couple of other running players off him ? so you never can tell," Buckley said.
The Swans will have to find a replacement for injured backman Jason Saddington and will look to either Rowan Warfe or teenager Mark Powell, while Collingwood are battling against time to get Simon Prestigiacomo back on the field.
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