Swans games of the past

[Thunder Shaker]

I do remember during that period I was never nervous about the Swans playing the Blions. The team seemed to lift to another level for those games.

The Swans have been a bogey team for Brisbane, with Brisbane recording 13 wins, 1 draw and 24 losses against Sydney. 9 of those 13 wins were between 1997 and 2004.

Curiously, the only team that Brisbane have had a worse record against is Richmond: 10 wins, 1 draw and 24 losses, and only 3 wins since 2004. When Brisbane defeated Richmond in a 2020 final, it was Brisbane's first win over Richmond since 2009, and second win since 2004.

The Brisbane Lions have been not so great since their dominant era from 1999 to 2004, but have now become competitive again. I expect good games from them in the next few years.

One Brisbane game that stands out to me was actually a loss, the 2003 Preliminary Final, where Brisbane scored 6.6 (42) to 0.1 (1) in the last quarter to take the game away from Sydney. It was disappointing to lose that game, but that game is one part of an interesting coincidence. When the 2003 finals are compared to the 2005 finals, the results are similar. Each team in each ladder position had similar results in all nine finals. In 2005 in the preliminary final, Sydney did much the same thing to the Saints as Brisbane did to Sydney in 2003: Sydney scored 7.0 (42) to 0.4 (4) in the last quarter to take the game.

In the end, Brisbane finished third in 2003 and won the premiership. Sydney finished 3rd in 2005 and won the premiership.

[KSAS]

i remember watching that 2003 PF in a pub with a couple of Swans mates. At 3/4 time we were all nervously excited on the possibility paying in the GF the following week. This was when everyone in the media (including Caro) predicted we would win the spoon at beginning of the season. This was right after the "Choose Roos" campaign in 2002, when we'd finished the season strongly after Eade had gotten the flick mid-season. Despite the disappointment being rolled by the Lions in the final quarter, we all took solace the heights the club had achieved that season & gave the two fingers salute to all the media doomsayers.

[Thunder Shaker]

i remember watching that 2003 PF in a pub with a couple of Swans mates. At 3/4 time we were all nervously excited on the possibility paying in the GF the following week. This was when everyone in the media (including Caro) predicted we would win the spoon at beginning of the season. This was right after the "Choose Roos" campaign in 2002, when we'd finished the season strongly after Eade had gotten the flick mid-season. Despite the disappointment being rolled by the Lions in the final quarter, we all took solace the heights the club had achieved that season & gave the two fingers salute to all the media doomsayers.

The self-anointed experts in the media don't have much of a clue when attempting to predict the form of the season to come. Some of that is due to luck. A side could have a bad run with injuries and do a lot worse, as Richmond did this year.

However, that does not excuse these alleged experts from perpetuating some howlers when making their predictions.

The biggest howler some of them perpetuate year after year is taking the previous year's finalists, shuffling them up a bit, and then offering that up as their prediction of the next year's finalists. This is fundamentally lazy, lacks imagination, and ignores history, where sides making the finals usually change from season to season. As a rough rule of thumb, only about five sides out of eight make the finals in two consecutive years. The 2021 finals had only four sides in common with the 2020 finals. None of the media experts prior to the 2021 season predicted that level of turnover.

When I made my finals predictions this year, I selected five finalists from 2020 to make the finals in 2021, excluded three, and added three new sides. I only got five right (but I did include Melbourne in my list because they finished ninth in 2020; most media experts didn't). None of the experts did better than five - mostly because they didn't have the imagination to predict such a turnover of finalists.

So it's quite common for the media "experts" to get their pre-season predictions very badly wrong. Note in particular how many of them predicted Melbourne would even make the finals this year, less than half of them. Melbourne supporters would be justified giving them the finger as well, but I doubt they would waste any time on that, they would rightly be focused on celebrating their well-earned premiership win.

---

Getting back on topic, the Brisbane Lions preliminary final from 2003 may have ended in a defeat to a better side, but I would like to go back to the previous game, the qualifying final against Port Adelaide. Knocking them off after they finished as the top side, and helping to perpetuate Port Adelaide's infamous reputation for choking has to be worth discussing. The 2003 qualifying final had about 15 players playing that day that went on to become premiership players in 2005.

[mcs]

The self-anointed experts in the media don't have much of a clue when attempting to predict the form of the season to come. Some of that is due to luck. A side could have a bad run with injuries and do a lot worse, as Richmond did this year.

However, that does not excuse these alleged experts from perpetuating some howlers when making their predictions.

The biggest howler some of them perpetuate year after year is taking the previous year's finalists, shuffling them up a bit, and then offering that up as their prediction of the next year's finalists. This is fundamentally lazy, lacks imagination, and ignores history, where sides making the finals usually change from season to season. As a rough rule of thumb, only about five sides out of eight make the finals in two consecutive years. The 2021 finals had only four sides in common with the 2020 finals. None of the media experts prior to the 2021 season predicted that level of turnover.

When I made my finals predictions this year, I selected five finalists from 2020 to make the finals in 2021, excluded three, and added three new sides. I only got five right (but I did include Melbourne in my list because they finished ninth in 2020; most media experts didn't). None of the experts did better than five - mostly because they didn't have the imagination to predict such a turnover of finalists.

So it's quite common for the media "experts" to get their pre-season predictions very badly wrong. Note in particular how many of them predicted Melbourne would even make the finals this year, less than half of them. Melbourne supporters would be justified giving them the finger as well, but I doubt they would waste any time on that, they would rightly be focused on celebrating their well-earned premiership win.

---

Getting back on topic, the Brisbane Lions preliminary final from 2003 may have ended in a defeat to a better side, but I would like to go back to the previous game, the qualifying final against Port Adelaide. Knocking them off after they finished as the top side, and helping to perpetuate Port Adelaide's infamous reputation for choking has to be worth discussing. The 2003 qualifying final had about 15 players playing that day that went on to become premiership players in 2005.

That Port game was a grand game of footy - never expected to win over there and dominated by far more then the final scoreline suggested. Got lots of injuries along the way, and a few out to begin with as well. Was immese and love watching the replay as one of the regulars over the long hot summer season.

[i'm-uninformed2]

The self-anointed experts in the media don't have much of a clue when attempting to predict the form of the season to come. Some of that is due to luck. A side could have a bad run with injuries and do a lot worse, as Richmond did this year.

However, that does not excuse these alleged experts from perpetuating some howlers when making their predictions.

The biggest howler some of them perpetuate year after year is taking the previous year's finalists, shuffling them up a bit, and then offering that up as their prediction of the next year's finalists. This is fundamentally lazy, lacks imagination, and ignores history, where sides making the finals usually change from season to season. As a rough rule of thumb, only about five sides out of eight make the finals in two consecutive years. The 2021 finals had only four sides in common with the 2020 finals. None of the media experts prior to the 2021 season predicted that level of turnover.

When I made my finals predictions this year, I selected five finalists from 2020 to make the finals in 2021, excluded three, and added three new sides. I only got five right (but I did include Melbourne in my list because they finished ninth in 2020; most media experts didn't). None of the experts did better than five - mostly because they didn't have the imagination to predict such a turnover of finalists.

So it's quite common for the media "experts" to get their pre-season predictions very badly wrong. Note in particular how many of them predicted Melbourne would even make the finals this year, less than half of them. Melbourne supporters would be justified giving them the finger as well, but I doubt they would waste any time on that, they would rightly be focused on celebrating their well-earned premiership win.

---

Getting back on topic, the Brisbane Lions preliminary final from 2003 may have ended in a defeat to a better side, but I would like to go back to the previous game, the qualifying final against Port Adelaide. Knocking them off after they finished as the top side, and helping to perpetuate Port Adelaide's infamous reputation for choking has to be worth discussing. The 2003 qualifying final had about 15 players playing that day that went on to become premiership players in 2005.

The best example of Melbourne footy media idiocy is that the ‘this is the year Carlton will jump into contention’ prediction has been made for about 10 years straight. And it’ll be made again this year.

[dimelb]

That Port game was a grand game of footy - never expected to win over there and dominated by far more then the final scoreline suggested. Got lots of injuries along the way, and a few out to begin with as well. Was immese and love watching the replay as one of the regulars over the long hot summer season.

When watching the replay I can't but smile at the increasingly cranky lady Port fan who obviously was displeased with the game's process. Added the icing on the wonderful cake!

[mcs]

When watching the replay I can't but smile at the increasingly cranky lady Port fan who obviously was displeased with the game's process. Added the icing on the wonderful cake!

One of my favourite parts of the replays too. We have all felt the pain she felt at different points, but it still makes me smile too [emoji846]

Sent from my CPH2009 using Tapatalk

[sharp9]

When the lead hit about 50points kicking to the left, didn’t Huddo say “I see it but I don’t believe it”?

[Sandridge]

That Port game was a grand game of footy - never expected to win over there and dominated by far more then the final scoreline suggested. Got lots of injuries along the way, and a few out to begin with as well. Was immese and love watching the replay as one of the regulars over the long hot summer season.

There are other games in my 60 years of loving the Swans that I remember more fondly - for example, beating Geelong at the Lake Oval in 1973 to end a 29 game losing streak - but I consider that performance against Port in the 2003 QF to be greatest ever win. (Premierships aside, of course!)

[liz]

There are other games in my 60 years of loving the Swans that I remember more fondly - for example, beating Geelong at the Lake Oval in 1973 to end a 29 game losing streak - but I consider that performance against Port in the 2003 QF to be greatest ever win. (Premierships aside, of course!)

It's certainly in the running. The 2006 QF against West Coast, in Perth, is another contender. I remember sitting at home watching that game, thinking that the Swans were playing pretty well but that the Eagles' midfield was probably going to be just a tiny bit too good for us on their home turf. It was a high quality match and a remarkable victory, in the end, to our boys.

[Goal Sneak]

It's certainly in the running. The 2006 QF against West Coast, in Perth, is another contender. I remember sitting at home watching that game, thinking that the Swans were playing pretty well but that the Eagles' midfield was probably going to be just a tiny bit too good for us on their home turf. It was a high quality match and a remarkable victory, in the end, to our boys.

The '06 QF is very close to my all time favourite game too liz. I reckon the last goal is in my top 5 goals of all time also. Beautiful end-to-end play under pressure with a goal celebration to remember.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PotXGpd_owg&ab_channel=Ellismedia

[bloodspirit]

The '06 QF is very close to my all time favourite game too liz. I reckon the last goal is in my top 5 goals of all time also. Beautiful end-to-end play under pressure with a goal celebration to remember.

Michael O'Loughlin v West Coast 2006, coast to coast play to win the game - YouTube

Geez that's good to watch! Thanks for the link Goal Sneak.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I still have a very soft spot for the last home and away game in 1996, atrocious weather but by then end of the game everyone was so happy.

[Blood Fever]

There are other games in my 60 years of loving the Swans that I remember more fondly - for example, beating Geelong at the Lake Oval in 1973 to end a 29 game losing streak - but I consider that performance against Port in the 2003 QF to be greatest ever win. (Premierships aside, of course!)

Agree about QF 2003. Defining win that validated the Bloods culture and set up the next decade. Two other great wins were the 2005 and 2016 Preliminary finals at the MCG. In the latter game, we peaked as a team. Unfortunately, it was a week too early although umps didn't help in the GF. Mills and McVeigh shouldn't have played in that game IMO.

[Maltopia]

After rewatching the Micky O goal against West Coast, I came across his AFL Hall of Fame entry video. Great man.

Australian Football Hall of Fame: Michael O'Loughlin - YouTube