5 years ago...

[Wardy]

It was indeed a terrific day - and again today- went to boozy lunch - and am now on leave for a week - pretty much like 2005 - happy days!!!

[Xie Shan]

I have to confess, 2005 was super special and I'll cherish the memory always... but the day itself was torture, cannot remember feeling so nervous before a game ever (before or since). If anyone's read the book 'Fever Pitch' by Nick Hornby (think Des mentioned it once...?) he's got a terrific line in there about finals being wasted on the fans (talking about his first Cup final as an Arsenal fan), because we have so much invested in the result that we cannot really 'enjoy' the game as the neutrals do on GF day.

Still it was just a fantastic moment and I'll never forget the relief when the final siren went!! I think I still have a photo of the lap of honour after the presentations of LRT, medal around his neck, in the goal square. You would have gotten long odds on that in the first few rounds of the season.

[Red]

I have to confess, 2005 was super special and I'll cherish the memory always... but the day itself was torture, cannot remember feeling so nervous before a game ever (before or since). If anyone's read the book 'Fever Pitch' by Nick Hornby (think Des mentioned it once...?) he's got a terrific line in there about finals being wasted on the fans (talking about his first Cup final as an Arsenal fan), because we have so much invested in the result that we cannot really 'enjoy' the game as the neutrals do on GF day.

Very true.

My partner said my complexion was mostly ashen during the game, but turned a pale shade of green after Luke's turnover to Cousins. It stayed that colour until the final siren.

[Big Al]

2005 - what a year.

The Swans and Tigers winning the premiership in the same year was rather surreal. It's also 5 years to the day where Wests defeated St George to make the GF. Hopefully history does repeat itself.

[Yuri H]

I'd just discovered AFL the month before - so the 05 Final was actually the first complete game I think I saw. A big chilly dockside club in San Francisco would be rented each year by the Australian-American Business League or some such name, and expats would flood in and watch on big screens. I remember thinking well, I'm moving to Sydney in a year or so, I've picked the Swans as my team, and just watched and hoped. I remember sitting next to a Geelong supporter who sort of walked me through all the new (to me) rules and stuff - and suddenly there was That Mark, and a siren, and cheering, and he turned to me, drunkenly shook my hand, and said "well, congratulations; welcome to the game."

I think my level of fanaticism has increased enough that now, I wouldn't calmly be shaking hands and thinking I sure picked a cool team. I'd be incoherent and overwrought and being stepped over by a fleeing Geelong fan ("good gawd, he's mad - mad I tell you! save yourselves!").

[dimelb]

Great story Yuri!