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Well the media of course. But they've been saying it for most of this century so let's not take any notice of them. Oh, the coach might have hinted at it a couple of weeks ago, but if a week is a long time in footy, a fortnight ago is now ancient history. Probably the thought has crossed the minds of some of the players too, and in the not too distant future -whether in one week or three - it will no doubt become a reality for some. But for this week we banish those thoughts and relish instead a winding back of the clock, as we reflect on one of the more maniacal halves of football the Bloods have produced in this glorious era of finals football.
As exciting as it was to watch live, it is a game that gets better on repeating viewings. Relieved of the stress and worry, you can truly appreciate the gradual build up of pressure in each quarter - yes, even in the first two the Swans moderately upped the ante as time progressed. But the effect was more noticeable after half-time, with an overture to each of those quarters of five minutes of forward-line domination by the Roos. Where they have crumbled in recent weeks, this time the Swans' defence stood tall, forcing the ball out, letting it back in but never letting up on the pressure on anyone who touched the ball. And in both those quarters, once the pressure valve was released and the Swans were able to whisk the ball upfield to Hall, one goal was quickly followed by another and another and another. The intensity became like a vortex, getting stronger and stronger, until the team was no longer 18 players but a single-minded unit.
In the relentess pressure, attack on the contest, bodies on the line, it was reminiscent of that glorious final quarter against the Cats. But you have to add into the mix the goal kicking ease of the closing quarter against the Saints in the following week. But this time it was twice as good because we were blessed with two quarters where seemingly nothing could go wrong in front of goal. Goodes deft knock down to Moore running towards goal. Jack's boot so swift that it took the entire team by surprise. Richard's long bomb so sweet that it eclipsed last week's perfect kick. All were gems to remember, but were mere icing on a cake that already been mixed and truly baked by the established stars.
O'Keefe treated us to a spectacular display of contested marking, and long, penetrative kicking. Hall had enormous fun running rings around the helpless Gibson. What was Laidley thinking by leaving him there, in a cut-throat final, undersized and unassisted? Whatever the state of Goodes' groin, there were no signs it was hampering him as he sprinted, lept and tackled like the Goodes of old. And the newest inductee into the top echelon of Swans, the reborn Jarred McVeigh, delivered a command performance mixing hard running on the outside with exquisite ball reading on the inside, and some excellent footskills to boot.
But the greatest accolades must go to nearly the oldest and possibly the slowest, the wonderful, inspiring Captain Kirk. You'd be hard pushed to recall any specific stand-out moments - a classy gather and low pirouette might have qualified if he'd not turned the ball straight over - but for relentless hunting of the ball, for the sheer number of times he found a way to drive it forward through the tangle of legs, for how often he drove an opponent into the ground or was driven himself, it was a masterful performance and probably the most important half of football played by a Swan in 2008.
Such was the impact of contributions like this, other performances that might have been deserving of high accolades were reduced to the status of mere support acts. Jolly was completely dominant in the ruck, guiding the ball down to his midfielders with aplomb. Richards was a rock in defence. Crouch battled hard and eventually wore down Harvey. Jack was moved onto Wells after the Roo threatened early in the game, and not only shut him out after half-time but had enough energy to spare to run forward for three goals. Buchanan put his head down, was tireless in his run, and was instrumental in rebounding the ball from defence as the more usual suspects were well held. Along with McVeigh, his efforts were critical in clawing the team back into the contest late in the first and increasingly in the second quarters, when the Roos looked like they might run away with the game.
In a few days time we might have come back down to earth. We can't underestimate the fleet-footed Dogs, nor ignore the Geelong juggernaut that lies beyond. But whether this game was just a distant echo of past glories, the sign of an Indian summer, or the rumblings of a regeneration already underway, it was a night to relish. And scream loud. And feel proud.
GOALS:
Sydney: Jack 3, Goodes 3, Hall 3, O'Keefe 2, Moore 2, Richards, Veszpremi, McVeigh, Malceski
Kangaroos: Hale 2, Lower 2, Grant 2, Harvey 2, Petrie, Sinclair, Thompson
Best:
Sydney : Kirk, O'Keefe, McVeigh, Hall, Richards, Buchanan, Jolly, Goodes
Kangaroos: Harvey, Lower, Pratt, Wells
INJURIES:
Sydney: Bird (groin) replaced in the selected side by Veszpremi
Kangaroos: Hansen replaced in the selected side by Urquhart
REPORTS: Nil
UMPIRES: Vozzo, McBurney, Chamberlain
CROWD: 19,127 at ANZ Stadium
As exciting as it was to watch live, it is a game that gets better on repeating viewings. Relieved of the stress and worry, you can truly appreciate the gradual build up of pressure in each quarter - yes, even in the first two the Swans moderately upped the ante as time progressed. But the effect was more noticeable after half-time, with an overture to each of those quarters of five minutes of forward-line domination by the Roos. Where they have crumbled in recent weeks, this time the Swans' defence stood tall, forcing the ball out, letting it back in but never letting up on the pressure on anyone who touched the ball. And in both those quarters, once the pressure valve was released and the Swans were able to whisk the ball upfield to Hall, one goal was quickly followed by another and another and another. The intensity became like a vortex, getting stronger and stronger, until the team was no longer 18 players but a single-minded unit.
In the relentess pressure, attack on the contest, bodies on the line, it was reminiscent of that glorious final quarter against the Cats. But you have to add into the mix the goal kicking ease of the closing quarter against the Saints in the following week. But this time it was twice as good because we were blessed with two quarters where seemingly nothing could go wrong in front of goal. Goodes deft knock down to Moore running towards goal. Jack's boot so swift that it took the entire team by surprise. Richard's long bomb so sweet that it eclipsed last week's perfect kick. All were gems to remember, but were mere icing on a cake that already been mixed and truly baked by the established stars.
O'Keefe treated us to a spectacular display of contested marking, and long, penetrative kicking. Hall had enormous fun running rings around the helpless Gibson. What was Laidley thinking by leaving him there, in a cut-throat final, undersized and unassisted? Whatever the state of Goodes' groin, there were no signs it was hampering him as he sprinted, lept and tackled like the Goodes of old. And the newest inductee into the top echelon of Swans, the reborn Jarred McVeigh, delivered a command performance mixing hard running on the outside with exquisite ball reading on the inside, and some excellent footskills to boot.
But the greatest accolades must go to nearly the oldest and possibly the slowest, the wonderful, inspiring Captain Kirk. You'd be hard pushed to recall any specific stand-out moments - a classy gather and low pirouette might have qualified if he'd not turned the ball straight over - but for relentless hunting of the ball, for the sheer number of times he found a way to drive it forward through the tangle of legs, for how often he drove an opponent into the ground or was driven himself, it was a masterful performance and probably the most important half of football played by a Swan in 2008.
Such was the impact of contributions like this, other performances that might have been deserving of high accolades were reduced to the status of mere support acts. Jolly was completely dominant in the ruck, guiding the ball down to his midfielders with aplomb. Richards was a rock in defence. Crouch battled hard and eventually wore down Harvey. Jack was moved onto Wells after the Roo threatened early in the game, and not only shut him out after half-time but had enough energy to spare to run forward for three goals. Buchanan put his head down, was tireless in his run, and was instrumental in rebounding the ball from defence as the more usual suspects were well held. Along with McVeigh, his efforts were critical in clawing the team back into the contest late in the first and increasingly in the second quarters, when the Roos looked like they might run away with the game.
In a few days time we might have come back down to earth. We can't underestimate the fleet-footed Dogs, nor ignore the Geelong juggernaut that lies beyond. But whether this game was just a distant echo of past glories, the sign of an Indian summer, or the rumblings of a regeneration already underway, it was a night to relish. And scream loud. And feel proud.
| PLAY OF THE DAY It was the straw that broke the camel's back. For despite the Swans flurry of eight goals in the third quarter, North Melbourne were still very much in the game at three quarter time, thanks to two quick replies by Ed Lower and a straight kicking Hale right on the siren. The Swans were the first to convert truly in the final term, but could they pile on more and snuff out the challenge, or would North get back into a groove of their own? We didn't have to wait long to find out. The Swans won the next centre break and forced the ball forward when Goodsey imposed himself on the pack and very nearly took a strong mark. The umpires chose to ignore the chopping of his arms so Bevan grabbed the ball and kicked it high. At the point he released, Goodes was still close by but sprinting forward with the flight of the ball, he launched himself up and up and up, way out of the reach of spoiling hands. |
GOALS:
Sydney: Jack 3, Goodes 3, Hall 3, O'Keefe 2, Moore 2, Richards, Veszpremi, McVeigh, Malceski
Kangaroos: Hale 2, Lower 2, Grant 2, Harvey 2, Petrie, Sinclair, Thompson
Best:
Sydney : Kirk, O'Keefe, McVeigh, Hall, Richards, Buchanan, Jolly, Goodes
Kangaroos: Harvey, Lower, Pratt, Wells
INJURIES:
Sydney: Bird (groin) replaced in the selected side by Veszpremi
Kangaroos: Hansen replaced in the selected side by Urquhart
REPORTS: Nil
UMPIRES: Vozzo, McBurney, Chamberlain
CROWD: 19,127 at ANZ Stadium
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