Greatest Swans moments of all time.

[Big Al]

I travelled down for all of those games. Hayden Kennedy gave us that free but has punished us ever since for that 'questionable' decision. It was also the game that effectively ended Scott Direen's career when he got creamed by Merenda from memory, fairly I may add, when Troy Gray delivered a hospital short kick across field on half back. Direen missed many weeks with concussion and never came back the player he was.

The game at Princes/Optus/Visy/Whateveratthetime Park against North was special. Plugger had 1 up until halftime and kicked 10. Roos' 300th and Maxfield's 100th as well.

The day we beat Carlton, which also broke a record run of home wins for Carlton was possible the most enjoyable game I have ever spent at the footy, 2005 GF aside. There was a pretty large group of us and we managed to get tickets to watch the game from the bar of the Carlton Social Club. The inmates were ready to kill us by the end of the game. Such fun...lol

So many great memories of 96. The Richmond game where Plugger kicked his 100th and 12 for the day was very special. He was at the peak of his powers that afternoon.

[Plugger46]

100% correct Triple B. I was only 9 at the time but footy was as important to me then as it is now and that Carlton game (along with the 2003 QF against Port) is as good a day as I've ever spent at the footy. It really showed that the win over North two weeks earlier was no fluke and that we were genuine contenders. Kouta and Kelly were the best two players on the ground - I must have watched the replay 50 times.

And surely you didn't 'enjoy' the 2005 GF?! Great day in the club's history but I didn't enjoy one second of it, until that siren went.

[laughingnome]

It may have been against a lowly Fitzroy that was on its last legs, but Plugger's 16-0 against them (round 19 1995, Whitten Oval) was a pretty cool time as well. He would have broken Fanning's record that day had he not been accidentally benched for 10 minutes.

[Triple B]

Youv'e got a great memory Triple B,i was also lucky enough to be at every melbourne game that year and it was a real turning point for the club that had for so long been easybeats away from home bar the occasional miracle win,another great game that year was vs the bombers at the 'g' which i think we may have lost but my lasting memory from that day was plugger running flat out from the goal square all the way to the wing chasing Barnard [i think]and laying a bump that had every person in the crowd oohing and arring.

Now you are giving me a memory test...lol.

He was chasing Wanganeen and Barry Young came in to shephard. Poor Plugger was too tired to run around him, so ran thru him instead....lol. And as Al said, that was the very incident where he did the groin.

Funny story that game,

My missus: 'Surely you are not driving to Melbourne AGAIN, it's your daughters 4th birthday on Sunday'.
Me: 'Of course I am, and whats more, she's going to Melbourne for her birthday!!!'

...so early Friday morning I loaded her into the car seat and off we went. Stayed at the Duke of Wellington (R.I.P) and drove home Sunday...

[Triple B]

100% correct Triple B. I was only 9 at the time but footy was as important to me then as it is now and that Carlton game (along with the 2003 QF against Port) is as good a day as I've ever spent at the footy. It really showed that the win over North two weeks earlier was no fluke and that we were genuine contenders. Kouta and Kelly were the best two players on the ground - I must have watched the replay 50 times.

And surely you didn't 'enjoy' the 2005 GF?! Great day in the club's history but I didn't enjoy one second of it, until that siren went.

You actually make a very good point about 2005, it wasn't enjoyable until around 5:15pm...

I went to the Port game as well. I really remember saying to my wife as we flew over "I really, really have no idea why we are going, we truly cannot win" which was pretty out of character for me, I'm the original glass half full man, although I still think I'm pretty objective. It was one of the great days for me, we won against all the odds and I won around $1500 at the casino that night. Good times.

Just on that Carlton game, as you quite rightly say, Kouta and Kelly were absolutely mighty that day, as good a dual as you could imagine between 2 absolute superstars. I eagerly awaited that game when Brownlow night came around, wondering who would get the 3 votes. "3 votes - Fraser Brown" WTF??

[Primmy]

He did his groin in that incident and missed the "Syyydddnnneeyyyy" game against West Coast and the the 1st Final v Hawthorn.

The birth of that chant is another great moment in our history.

Oh yeaaahhh.. the night the Sydney chant went up......brilliant, haunting, never been a better one, with the howling wind, driving rain, OUTstanding moment.

And how could I forget the North Game!!!! With the blonds, and Plugger and Shagga double teaming in the 4th quarter, and Dunks and Carey having a go, and Roosy directing traffic (coaching even then) and the bloke with the 4yo girl who he held up every time there was a goal, he must have been exhausted, sometimes see his face in the Vic crowd to this day. I have a copy of this game. Wish I had the Carlton one, but at the time I hadn't worked out what it would be like over summer with NO footy. I wiped them all.....except the Crows game and North.

[Big Al]

Oh yeaaahhh.. the night the Sydney chant went up......brilliant, haunting, never been a better one, with the howling wind, driving rain, OUTstanding moment.

To this day I've not seen weather like that for a game in Sydney. At that time i usually sat in the back row of the front section if the Brewongle. That night we had to move to the second elevation to escape the rain.

There was a mist that hung over the ground like the an early morning on moors In England. This haunting melodic chant that seemed to emanate from the mist itself wafted over the ground and the players. There seemed to be a special power to that chant because the Sydney players responded in a super human way and repelled a West Coast side kicking with a roof lifting wind. The result was one of best nights in our history with a terrific win and the birth of the greatest chant in AFL history,

[Frog]

It may have been against a lowly Fitzroy that was on its last legs, but Plugger's 16-0 against them (round 19 1995, Whitten Oval) was a pretty cool time as well. He would have broken Fanning's record that day had he not been accidentally benched for 10 minutes.

I was at that game ... and if my memory serves me correct, he took himself off. Possibly due to a misunderstanding ... but Eade didn't want him off - he was just as stunned afterwards ... Now I have to go trawl google for the report ...

Correction ... Stunned as mullett coach was Barassi ... Here

95: Sweet'n'sour 16 - Lockett ventured to the Lions' den at Whitten Oval and single-handedly slayed Fitzroy. His haul of 16 goals was his highest in a match. Lockett missed his chance to Fred Fanning's record of 18 when he came off the ground after misinterpreting instructions from coach Ron Barassi.

[Plugger46]

You actually make a very good point about 2005, it wasn't enjoyable until around 5:15pm...

I went to the Port game as well. I really remember saying to my wife as we flew over "I really, really have no idea why we are going, we truly cannot win" which was pretty out of character for me, I'm the original glass half full man, although I still think I'm pretty objective. It was one of the great days for me, we won against all the odds and I won around $1500 at the casino that night. Good times.

Just on that Carlton game, as you quite rightly say, Kouta and Kelly were absolutely mighty that day, as good a dual as you could imagine between 2 absolute superstars. I eagerly awaited that game when Brownlow night came around, wondering who would get the 3 votes. "3 votes - Fraser Brown" WTF??

We were the same. Vividly remember the Port supporters saying "you've come a long way to watch your team get smashed" and then responding with, "we've just come to see your mob choke" - not for a minute did we actually think it'd happen. I think we were 7 goals up at half time but we didn't dare think we were home. One of the all time great wins with O'Loughlin going down in the last game against the Dees and having several other injuries.

As for Fraser Brown, kicked a couple of great goals but no way known was he BOG.

[Triple B]

The thing about that game is I'm almost sure it was NOT telecast into Sydney..... I have no idea why.

[Plugger46]

I was at that game ... and if my memory serves me correct, he took himself off. Possibly due to a misunderstanding ... but Eade didn't want him off - he was just as stunned afterwards ... Now I have to go trawl google for the report ...

Correction ... Stunned as mullett coach was Barassi ... Here

He had 10 at half time I think (with a spell on the bench in the 2nd quarter). Absolutely incredible, he was kicking them from everywhere! Pity there's no footage of the game.

[stellation]

It isn't an option (I went with Davo!), but as someone that grew up playing footy in Sydney through the 80s and 90s, and the constant, constant abuse that my love of that game brought me as a teenager (strongest memory is having shoulder dislocated over the weekend, thinking "now they'll know it's a tough sport" and turning up to school only to cop "Wow. How gay are you that you get injured in a gay sport like that?"*), I honestly can't express how amazingly important it was to me personally when George Street was packed with people and I saw the Swans presented on the steps of Town Hall. We live a privileged life in Australia in most instances, and it seems to me silly to be so moved by this, but I had my son who had desperately wanted to start playing footy on my shoulders and I was thinking "this is our town" and knew he wasn't going to cop it all day because he could kick a football properly.

*In all fairness to them, I was a huge Bowie fan in my youth ("in my youth" he says, trying to suggest he's so far beyond that now) and the whole "how gay are you" thing really probably didn't have that much to do with playing footy.

[Triple B]

We were the same. Vividly remember the Port supporters saying "you've come a long way to watch your team get smashed" and then responding with, "we've just come to see your mob choke" - not for a minute did we actually think it'd happen. I think we were 7 goals up at half time but we didn't dare think we were home. One of the all time great wins with O'Loughlin going down in the last game against the Dees and having several other injuries.

The memories keep flooding back.

I was in the stand on the outer wing and had an older chap next to me with his wife next to him, resplendent in her teal, black and silver outfit. Before the game I got talking to him whilst she went to powder her nose and he confessed to me that he was a Crows supporter and was hoping like hell we would win, but don't dare let the missus know. Every goal we kicked was met with a short sharp dig in my ribs as he turned and commiserated with his wife and a quick wink as he turned back in my direction. It was very very funny and my wife and I were in hysterics, not only at the scoreline but the goings on next door....lol

As for 7 goals in front but still not comfortable, I know exactly where u are coming from. When Chad Cornes goaled right on 3/4 time to give them a sniff, the Port crowd got right into it and chanted and screamed the whole time during the break. It was intimidating just sitting in the stand listening to it. Fortunately our boys were made of sterner stuff than me...lol

[Plugger46]

The memories keep flooding back.

I was in the stand on the outer wing and had an older chap next to me with his wife next to him, resplendent in her teal, black and silver outfit. Before the game I got talking to him whilst she went to powder her nose and he confessed to me that he was a Crows supporter and was hoping like hell we would win, but don't dare let the missus know. Every goal we kicked was met with a short sharp dig in my ribs as he turned and commiserated with his wife and a quick wink as he turned back in my direction. It was very very funny and my wife and I were in hysterics, not only at the scoreline but the goings on next door....lol

As for 7 goals in front but still not comfortable, I know exactly where u are coming from. When Chad Cornes goaled right on 3/4 time to give them a sniff, the Port crowd got right into it and chanted and screamed the whole time during the break. It was intimidating just sitting in the stand listening to it. Fortunately our boys were made of sterner stuff than me...lol

That's great, they really can't stand each other Crows and Power supporters (even when they're an item it seems!).

I was in the second tier of that stand on the outer wing, right on the wing. We had this Swans supporter near us who just yelled "hit the post" every time a Port player lined up for goal. I don't think he knew all that much about the game but he kept us entertained and annoyed the crap out of the Port fans.

Heart was definitely in the mouth when Chad took that big grab and finished, as you're right, it was really the first time the crowd had got involved. Davo goaled after a one handed grab in the last quarter (and it only fell in too) - that was probably the first time I thought we'd actually win.

Can also remember a Port supporter going ballistic in the pub after the game - few days later they showed him on the footy show, outside Footy Park smashing chairs and giving Mark Williams an almighty spray!

Leo running back into a pack and saving a certain goal also sticks in my mind. Great memories, might go and put it on.

[BigD]

THE MARK!!! No question.