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Swans shaping as bolters
By Ross Fitzgerald
March 27, 2003
AUSTRALIAN football isn't a matter of life and death, as legendary tea-drinking teetotal and coach Tommy Hafey reportedly said - it's much more important than that.
In times of trouble, like war and economic depression, football has always given people something to believe in. Supporting one's team through thick and thin enables our worries and anxieties to be submerged in the fortunes of our tribe.
The 2003 AFL home and away season starts tomorrow night at the MCG with a clash between traditional rivals Collingwood and Richmond. The scarves are out of mothballs for what promises to be yet another AFL season full of lip-whetting intrigue. And, as is the norm this time of year, there are so many questions to be answered.
Can Collingwood win that elusive grand final after faltering yet again in the pre-season? Can the Lions become the first team since the Melbourne Demons of the mid-1950s to win three successive flags? Or will it be a bolter's year, with an unheralded outsider savouring the spoils, much like the baby Bombers of 1993?
It all lends itself to a six-month melting pot which will both fascinate and captivate until, ultimately, the final siren sounds on that last Saturday in September.
There is no doubt that the best two teams of 2002 contested the grand final. On the day the best side won, but it was close, maybe as marginal as a few inspirational moments by Lions skipper Michael Voss in a tight last quarter.
But that's just a memory now. It's a new season and given the equalisation of the draft, there is no reason why each and every one of the 16 teams shouldn't have a realistic chance of finishing in the final eight - although it would be a major shock if Brisbane, Collingwood, Adelaide and Port Adelaide were not there come September.
The success of Brisbane really is a wonderful story. After being wooden spooners in 1998 the Lions had a dramatic turnaround in 1999 and 2000, leap-frogging into the eight before their successive grand final wins. It all came about due to vision and good club management, under the chairmanship of the late Alan Piper, and Andrew Ireland, the chief executive.
Together in the mid-'90s they turned the Lions' focus predominantly to developing their youth - today the rock on which the club continues to perform at the optimum level.
Similarly, the Magpies were wooden spooners just a year after Brisbane, and a year later they could only finish in front of the hapless St Kilda, who won just two games. Yet two years after that they played the Lions in a grand final.
On face value it would appear that the Magpies, like Brisbane, now have the foundations for a successful future, and again it has been built on youth.
So with Brisbane and Collingwood as my standouts for the 2003 season, who might be the sleepers? I've combed the table from top to bottom and I keep coming back to the Sydney Swans.
Even though they are strapped for cash and are fighting off a huge challenge from the two rugbys, there's no doubting the Swannies have great talent in their ranks.
Their big pluses are Paul Roos as coach, the Barry Hall factor, Nick Davis - a prize recruit from Collingwood - plus proven stars Michael O'Loughlin and Adam Goodes, and the tall timber of Jason Ball and Stephen Doyle.
As well as their on-field talent, I'm also extremely excited about the Swans' major recruiting coup during the off-season, director of football Andrew Ireland.
I got to know Andrew well during his tenure as CEO with the Lions, and I believe the Swans have secured the right man for the job of lifting this Sydney team into the finals this year and keeping them there. He has a rich history in Australian football, having played in four grand finals for Collingwood (three losses and a draw).
When you look back at his legacy in Brisbane, you can fully understand his impact on today's Lions den. There are nine present players with in excess of 150 games' experience who debuted for Brisbane. Supplement that with Alastair Lynch (151 games for Brisbane) and Chris Johnson (117) and you can appreciate how the foundations were set a long time ago. Andrew was pivotal in building this Brisbane team to where it sits today, and there is a close correlation with the situation of the Swans in 2003.
The heroes of yesterday are gone - no Kelly, Lockett, Dunkley or Schwass who, between them, had more than 1000 games' experience. In their place, a handful of highly talented youngsters, who come under the tutelage of fledgling coach Paul Roos.
It's very much unchartered territory but there's something about this Swans team at the moment - they might lack experience but with Roos at the helm they are committed to playing a courageous and exciting brand of football.
It would be premature to suggest they'll win this year's premiership, but one thing I am sure of - red and white supporters Australia-wide are in for a memorable year, and don't be too surprised if they just happen to be right in the thick of things come September. I certainly won't be.
By Ross Fitzgerald
March 27, 2003
AUSTRALIAN football isn't a matter of life and death, as legendary tea-drinking teetotal and coach Tommy Hafey reportedly said - it's much more important than that.
In times of trouble, like war and economic depression, football has always given people something to believe in. Supporting one's team through thick and thin enables our worries and anxieties to be submerged in the fortunes of our tribe.
The 2003 AFL home and away season starts tomorrow night at the MCG with a clash between traditional rivals Collingwood and Richmond. The scarves are out of mothballs for what promises to be yet another AFL season full of lip-whetting intrigue. And, as is the norm this time of year, there are so many questions to be answered.
Can Collingwood win that elusive grand final after faltering yet again in the pre-season? Can the Lions become the first team since the Melbourne Demons of the mid-1950s to win three successive flags? Or will it be a bolter's year, with an unheralded outsider savouring the spoils, much like the baby Bombers of 1993?
It all lends itself to a six-month melting pot which will both fascinate and captivate until, ultimately, the final siren sounds on that last Saturday in September.
There is no doubt that the best two teams of 2002 contested the grand final. On the day the best side won, but it was close, maybe as marginal as a few inspirational moments by Lions skipper Michael Voss in a tight last quarter.
But that's just a memory now. It's a new season and given the equalisation of the draft, there is no reason why each and every one of the 16 teams shouldn't have a realistic chance of finishing in the final eight - although it would be a major shock if Brisbane, Collingwood, Adelaide and Port Adelaide were not there come September.
The success of Brisbane really is a wonderful story. After being wooden spooners in 1998 the Lions had a dramatic turnaround in 1999 and 2000, leap-frogging into the eight before their successive grand final wins. It all came about due to vision and good club management, under the chairmanship of the late Alan Piper, and Andrew Ireland, the chief executive.
Together in the mid-'90s they turned the Lions' focus predominantly to developing their youth - today the rock on which the club continues to perform at the optimum level.
Similarly, the Magpies were wooden spooners just a year after Brisbane, and a year later they could only finish in front of the hapless St Kilda, who won just two games. Yet two years after that they played the Lions in a grand final.
On face value it would appear that the Magpies, like Brisbane, now have the foundations for a successful future, and again it has been built on youth.
So with Brisbane and Collingwood as my standouts for the 2003 season, who might be the sleepers? I've combed the table from top to bottom and I keep coming back to the Sydney Swans.
Even though they are strapped for cash and are fighting off a huge challenge from the two rugbys, there's no doubting the Swannies have great talent in their ranks.
Their big pluses are Paul Roos as coach, the Barry Hall factor, Nick Davis - a prize recruit from Collingwood - plus proven stars Michael O'Loughlin and Adam Goodes, and the tall timber of Jason Ball and Stephen Doyle.
As well as their on-field talent, I'm also extremely excited about the Swans' major recruiting coup during the off-season, director of football Andrew Ireland.
I got to know Andrew well during his tenure as CEO with the Lions, and I believe the Swans have secured the right man for the job of lifting this Sydney team into the finals this year and keeping them there. He has a rich history in Australian football, having played in four grand finals for Collingwood (three losses and a draw).
When you look back at his legacy in Brisbane, you can fully understand his impact on today's Lions den. There are nine present players with in excess of 150 games' experience who debuted for Brisbane. Supplement that with Alastair Lynch (151 games for Brisbane) and Chris Johnson (117) and you can appreciate how the foundations were set a long time ago. Andrew was pivotal in building this Brisbane team to where it sits today, and there is a close correlation with the situation of the Swans in 2003.
The heroes of yesterday are gone - no Kelly, Lockett, Dunkley or Schwass who, between them, had more than 1000 games' experience. In their place, a handful of highly talented youngsters, who come under the tutelage of fledgling coach Paul Roos.
It's very much unchartered territory but there's something about this Swans team at the moment - they might lack experience but with Roos at the helm they are committed to playing a courageous and exciting brand of football.
It would be premature to suggest they'll win this year's premiership, but one thing I am sure of - red and white supporters Australia-wide are in for a memorable year, and don't be too surprised if they just happen to be right in the thick of things come September. I certainly won't be.
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