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Yes, I listened to it and not a lot of deep insights there. Interestingly, I had lunch recently with Greg Miller whom many will remember here as a former South player and recruiting officer. He went on to be CEO at North during the 1990s and Head of Football at Richmond. He told me that he still has affection for us despite pinching Carey and Longmire off of us when he was working at North.
Miller has much deeper insights into the move to Sydney than Damo. He told me that in that first season in Sydney, around 15 players trained in Melbourne and commuted up to Sydney for games and the rest relocated. Damo suggested that they all commuted from Melbourne for games - this is factually incorrect - only some did.
Miller also said that the Melbourne clubs were right into the better Swans players from late in the final season at South. As we know, several crossed to other clubs, most controversially, Foschini and Paul Morwood to St Kilda. He also said that he was up in Sydney in those very early days of the move, but the AFL brought in Alan Schwab to run the show and so Miller and Tony Franklin left. He said the AFL gave the new club no capital which meant they soon started to struggle financially again. At the time, he doubted they could survive in hostile territory but is glad that he was wrong.
He also told me about his career as a player. He played at fullback from the early to mid-70s. We were a weak team for most of that period so he was busy down back and played on all of the gun forwards of that era including McKenna and Hudson. Our best players by far then were Peter Bedford and Norm Goss. His playing career was cut short by a knee injury that still gives him grief to this day. He is now enjoying semi-retirement living down Sandringham way after retiring from CEO of Greyhound Racing Victoria. A great guy to have a chat to and loves his punting. Interestingly, he was recently up in Sydney to receive an award from the Swans for his contribution during those early times of the move.
Miller has much deeper insights into the move to Sydney than Damo. He told me that in that first season in Sydney, around 15 players trained in Melbourne and commuted up to Sydney for games and the rest relocated. Damo suggested that they all commuted from Melbourne for games - this is factually incorrect - only some did.
Miller also said that the Melbourne clubs were right into the better Swans players from late in the final season at South. As we know, several crossed to other clubs, most controversially, Foschini and Paul Morwood to St Kilda. He also said that he was up in Sydney in those very early days of the move, but the AFL brought in Alan Schwab to run the show and so Miller and Tony Franklin left. He said the AFL gave the new club no capital which meant they soon started to struggle financially again. At the time, he doubted they could survive in hostile territory but is glad that he was wrong.
He also told me about his career as a player. He played at fullback from the early to mid-70s. We were a weak team for most of that period so he was busy down back and played on all of the gun forwards of that era including McKenna and Hudson. Our best players by far then were Peter Bedford and Norm Goss. His playing career was cut short by a knee injury that still gives him grief to this day. He is now enjoying semi-retirement living down Sandringham way after retiring from CEO of Greyhound Racing Victoria. A great guy to have a chat to and loves his punting. Interestingly, he was recently up in Sydney to receive an award from the Swans for his contribution during those early times of the move.
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