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On Saturday night after the Collingwood loss, I was feeling not so much down, but just uninterested in AFL.
All slightly changed at about 7.30pm Sunday night, when I found out that last placed Richmond had upset Essendon at the MCG. That win meant that come what may, the Swans are in the Final 8 in season 2007.
Let's face it, they have been very unlucky this year. Injuries to key players like Barry Hall, Tadhg Kennelly Lewis Roberts-Thompson and Leo Barry. There were the desperately unlucky one point losses against West Coast in round one; and Essendon in round ten, (remember that boundary umpiring decision). Further, there was a bad drawn game against Brisbane in round 20, where Jonathon Brown kicked a freak goal from 55 metres out to draw the game seconds from the final siren. Conversely, unlike in our premiership year of 2005, we have had no close and lucky wins this year. Slightly better goal kicking in Round 4 against the Crows in Adelaide would have seen yet another win. Finally, how unlucky was it that we HAD to be the "other team", (and the visiting one at that), when Ben Cousins (West Coast) and Nathan Buckley (Collingwood) made their highly emotional home game comebacks in round 16 and 21 respectively.
But I am looking towards the positive here. This 2007 finals appearance record represents the Swans' 10th appearance in 12 seasons. Remarkably, it is also represents the 13 straight season where their percentage as been over 100.
Any one who followed the Swans over the many decades post World War 11, would know very well about the club's poor history. There were no finals appearances at all from 1946 to 1969, (24 straight seasons). And there were only four finals appearances in 50 straight seasons between 1946 and 1995, whereupon the Swans' finals games' record stood in those many lean years at zero wins, and six losses.
So, I am proud to see us still in the mix. We can?t win the flag every season. And if their luck changes in September.....you never know.
All slightly changed at about 7.30pm Sunday night, when I found out that last placed Richmond had upset Essendon at the MCG. That win meant that come what may, the Swans are in the Final 8 in season 2007.
Let's face it, they have been very unlucky this year. Injuries to key players like Barry Hall, Tadhg Kennelly Lewis Roberts-Thompson and Leo Barry. There were the desperately unlucky one point losses against West Coast in round one; and Essendon in round ten, (remember that boundary umpiring decision). Further, there was a bad drawn game against Brisbane in round 20, where Jonathon Brown kicked a freak goal from 55 metres out to draw the game seconds from the final siren. Conversely, unlike in our premiership year of 2005, we have had no close and lucky wins this year. Slightly better goal kicking in Round 4 against the Crows in Adelaide would have seen yet another win. Finally, how unlucky was it that we HAD to be the "other team", (and the visiting one at that), when Ben Cousins (West Coast) and Nathan Buckley (Collingwood) made their highly emotional home game comebacks in round 16 and 21 respectively.
But I am looking towards the positive here. This 2007 finals appearance record represents the Swans' 10th appearance in 12 seasons. Remarkably, it is also represents the 13 straight season where their percentage as been over 100.
Any one who followed the Swans over the many decades post World War 11, would know very well about the club's poor history. There were no finals appearances at all from 1946 to 1969, (24 straight seasons). And there were only four finals appearances in 50 straight seasons between 1946 and 1995, whereupon the Swans' finals games' record stood in those many lean years at zero wins, and six losses.
So, I am proud to see us still in the mix. We can?t win the flag every season. And if their luck changes in September.....you never know.
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