Against the Odds

[dawson]

One of my favorite ever Swans games is the 2003 Qualifying Final against Port. Not only did Port win four more games for the year and finish first, but the game was in Adelaide where we didn't have a good record. Like now we had injuries, even Roos was on crutches!

Against the odds, we played perfect finals football and upset them. When you consider the record of the Swans in finals up-to that point, it's even more impressive. Till then, the 1996 Grand Final was the anomaly - that finals series saw us register our first finals win for 50 years.

In a two-horse race, anything is possible. Notwithstanding the injuries and the travel, these final two games could be the two games where the Swans click. We play our best football when we are the underdogs and that's what we are now. No one else rates us and that's fine by me.

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I'm proud of the team and privileged to be a Swans supporter.

[albrotha]

Hear hear.

[Wardy]

Agree - seems everyone gas got the purple faze craze -we only need to win by a point!!! And for Geelong and Hawks to bash the crap out if each other!!

[stellation]

One of my fondest memories of a footy performance by an individual was Barry Hall in that game. He had a blinder, took a bunch of marks and kicked 6 goals- but my favourite part was when he came up the ground late and took a bunch of ruck contests on the wing- from memory we absorbed almost 2 minutes late in the game from it.

[hot potato]

Keep on clicking Boys!

[dimelb]

One of the great games. We had the flair to flash and the guts to grind.
Additional standouts: LRT's goal, Goodes "kicking goals at both ends", Maxfield's desperate break through the middle, Baz's crosskick to Davo, Luke Ablett chasing the ball on all fours. What an effort!
If the boys can put in like that, who knows what we could achieve?

[bloodbrother]

was watching 360 last night and hearing them talk you would think that there is only one team playing in perth this weekend and after hearing the comments of that d..###### maclure saying what a boring game it would be if the swans won makes me so angry ..this team is incredible ,,they do things that others can't ..I still maintain that if any of the rest of the top 4 had as many of their stars sidelined they would have not made the top 4 ...let alone be playing prelim weekend ....I really am proud they have made it this far with everything against them...I am full of hope they can pull off what would be the greatest performance by a team in the history of the afl ..and if the cats and hawks belt each other stupid we could go into the gf with a realistic chance of back to back..whatever the result this weekend you just know our blokes will bleed for the red and white ..go swans ..

[Sandridge]

One of my favorite ever Swans games is the 2003 Qualifying Final against Port. Not only did Port win four more games for the year and finish first, but the game was in Adelaide where we didn't have a good record. Like now we had injuries, even Roos was on crutches!

Against the odds, we played perfect finals football and upset them. When you consider the record of the Swans in finals up-to that point, it's even more impressive. Till then, the 1996 Grand Final was the anomaly - that finals series saw us register our first finals win for 50 years.

In a two-horse race, anything is possible. Notwithstanding the injuries and the travel, these final two games could be the two games where the Swans click. We play our best football when we are the underdogs and that's what we are now. No one else rates us and that's fine by me.

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I'm proud of the team and privileged to be a Swans supporter.

2005 and 2012 Grand Finals aside, I believe that game was the greatest Swans win I've seen. We weren't given a snowflakes chance in hell of winning but win we did! Although acknowledging that Freo should be firm favourites to win on Saturday, the Melbourne press are beginning to warm to our chances of upsetting the Dockers. They're thinking NEVER discount the Swans and the 2003 QF is the perfect example of why you shouldn't.

Like you Dawson, though, whatever happens, I'll be so proud of the team. Considering injuries, the Bloods this year have been just awesome!

[Triple B]

One of my fondest memories of a footy performance by an individual was Barry Hall in that game. He had a blinder, took a bunch of marks and kicked 6 goals- but my favourite part was when he came up the ground late and took a bunch of ruck contests on the wing- from memory we absorbed almost 2 minutes late in the game from it.

One of the great games. We had the flair to flash and the guts to grind.
Additional standouts: LRT's goal, Goodes "kicking goals at both ends", Maxfield's desperate break through the middle, Baz's crosskick to Davo, Luke Ablett chasing the ball on all fours. What an effort!
If the boys can put in like that, who knows what we could achieve?

Another memory I'm sure everybody has would be Kirky being on the end of a Byron Pickett special. The great man lay prone for a few seconds like so many of Pickett's shirt front victims before him, before jumping to his feet, dusting himself off and putting his head straight back over the ball at the next stoppage...

http://www.firstpost.com/topic/person/brett-kirk-huge-bump-1-byron-pickett-video-TzvW5J_1pCM-18270-5.html

[Sandridge]

..this team is incredible ,,they do things that others can't ..I still maintain that if any of the rest of the top 4 had as many of their stars sidelined they would have not made the top 4 ...let alone be playing prelim weekend ....I really am proud they have made it this far with everything against them...I am full of hope they can pull off what would be the greatest performance by a team in the history of the afl ..and if the cats and hawks belt each other stupid we could go into the gf with a realistic chance of back to back..whatever the result this weekend you just know our blokes will bleed for the red and white ..go swans ..

Spot. On.

[Melbournehammer]

as someone who was there the week before when the collective groan from the swans fans when micky o tore his hamstring was loud enough to be heard in clarendon street, the performance was amazing.

i still regard the football that team played that year as the best we ever played under roosy. we played some breathtakingly fast football and the preparedness to go by hand until we got a maxfield or williams streaming onto the ball and kicking long to bazza or mick or nick was fabulous to watch. not only that but it was the only time where we seemed to have two distinct strategies. we would play defensive until a certain point and then they would pull lrt off the ground and add another runner. the richmond game at the mcg was an example of that team.

i was so depressed at anz on the night when we lost that PF because i genuinely thought that was as good a chance as we would get to win it.

imagine my suprise ten years later with two flags in the bag and another prelim to be played.

ps I still remember barry after the match against port being asked about goodsey and him saying "get on him for the brownlow."

[Ajn]

Why is it that I think we have the upper hand, one eyed...maybe.
However the match ups suit us, we have speed and the midfield to take it too them, plus we don't get sucked in to their antics like others (yes Geelong, I'm speaking to you!)

[Swansongster]

That Port game was so exciting to watch. 1st quarter was amazing. I remember backing the Swans at over $5.00 with the TAB that day. I'll be backing them again this week.

Here's a YouTube link to remind you of what can be achieved by the Swans when they are unwanted by pundits and punters.

One of the Sydney Swans all time great wins - 1st Qualifying Final 2003 - AFL - Highlights - YouTube

[i'm-uninformed2]

My Swans vs Port 2003 memory: Q2 . . . Leo Barry flying in front of Wanganeen to intercept a ball that led to a violent, crash-bash collision that left both sprawled on the ground . . . only for the ball to be swept up field through a chain of hands including Nicks, Tadhg, NOG, and others before C Bolton kicked to a free Cresswell who was unleashed on the outside and ran inside 50 to go BANG!

That was a seriously cracking goal and best of all, the moment you heard the entire Port crowd realise - christ, this is really happening.

[SwansBloke]

Probably Barry Hall's best game as a Swan given the significance/stakes