Against the Odds

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  • dawson
    Senior Player
    • Mar 2003
    • 1007

    Against the Odds

    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
    On the Rookie List
    • Nov 2005
    • 139

    #2
    Hear hear.

    Comment

    • Wardy
      The old Boiler!
      • Sep 2003
      • 6676

      #3
      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!!
      I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure..................
      Chickens drink - but they don't pee!
      AGE IS ONLY IMPORTANT FOR TWO THINGS - WINE & CHEESE!

      Comment

      • stellation
        scott names the planets
        • Sep 2003
        • 9718

        #4
        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.
        I knew him as a gentle young man, I cannot say for sure the reasons for his decline
        We watched him fade before our very eyes, and years before his time

        Comment

        • hot potato
          Sir Ashmole Gruntbucket
          • Jun 2007
          • 1122

          #5
          Keep on clicking Boys!
          "He was proud of us when we won and he was still proud of us when we lost' Tami Roos about Paul Sept 06.

          Comment

          • dimelb
            pr. dim-melb; m not f
            • Jun 2003
            • 6889

            #6
            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?
            He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)

            Comment

            • bloodbrother
              Warming the Bench
              • Sep 2012
              • 111

              #7
              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 ..

              Comment

              • Sandridge
                Outer wing, Lake Oval
                • Apr 2010
                • 2065

                #8
                Originally posted by 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.
                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!

                Comment

                • Triple B
                  Formerly 'BBB'
                  • Feb 2003
                  • 6999

                  #9
                  Originally posted by 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.
                  Originally posted by 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?
                  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...

                  Driver of the Dan Hannebery bandwagon....all aboard. 4th April 09

                  Comment

                  • Sandridge
                    Outer wing, Lake Oval
                    • Apr 2010
                    • 2065

                    #10
                    Originally posted by bloodbrother
                    ..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.

                    Comment

                    • Melbournehammer
                      Senior Player
                      • May 2007
                      • 1815

                      #11
                      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."

                      Comment

                      • Ajn
                        Draft Scout
                        • Jan 2003
                        • 711

                        #12
                        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!)
                        Staying ahead of the game...

                        Comment

                        • Swansongster
                          Senior Player
                          • Sep 2008
                          • 1264

                          #13
                          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

                          Comment

                          • i'm-uninformed2
                            Reefer Madness
                            • Oct 2003
                            • 4653

                            #14
                            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.
                            'Delicious' is a fun word to say

                            Comment

                            • SwansBloke
                              On the Rookie List
                              • Sep 2003
                              • 104

                              #15
                              Probably Barry Hall's best game as a Swan given the significance/stakes

                              Twitter: @nightcrawlrnath
                              YouTube:

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