Flaw with the Swans Culture

[dawson]

We are humble, we rise to defy the odds, we are the Bloods.

There have been some famous victories when no-one gave us a chance.

We take issue when no-one rates us and overlooks us and then the times we're labelled as favourites we seem to struggle and play below our best.

There were 2 Swans teams in the finals - Week 1 and Week 4; Week 2 and Week 3.

The Week 1/Week 4 team was in the 2014 Grand Final while the Week 2/Week 3 team was in the 2012 Grand Final.

Similarly there were different Swans teams during the year - the one that smashed Geelong down there, the one that killed Collingwood's season in the first week and the one that struggled against Hawthorn at home.

We aren't cocky, smug or arrogant like Hawthorn or how the Cats can be at times, but if you want to win the flag you need a bit of that.

Our grand final record is 5-12 (Compare that to Hawthorn that is 13-6). Everyone else that has lost at least 10 GF has also won at least that many. Hard to plan for the week as you never know if you get there and when you do there is no time to do anything.

But moving forward, we have to save our best football for the last game of the year. This was a season that deserved a flag.

It's wonderful and amazing that we keep getting to Grand Finals, but even better when we win one....

[liz]

I half agree. The team definitely plays well when you sense it feels it is the hunter, not the hunted.

However, even putting aside the umpiring last weekend, I do wonder how differently things would have turned out had Buddy not hurt his ankle in the first five minutes of the game.

[annew]

I half agree. The team definitely plays well when you sense it feels it is the hunter, not the hunted.

However, even putting aside the umpiring last weekend, I do wonder how differently things would have turned out had Buddy not hurt his ankle in the first five minutes of the game.

I agree Liz, little mention of Buddy's injury yet he is the main player in our team.

[snajik]

I agree Liz, little mention of Buddy's injury yet he is the main player in our team.

Though considerable mention of Hamling's 'brilliant' performance even though he had an opponent who was mostly hobbled.

On one level though, hats off to Footscray. They somehow managed to handle the occasion exceptionally well. I assumed that their GF inexperience would bring them undone, that they would freeze and fumble, but it never happened.

[stevoswan]

Though considerable mention of Hamling's 'brilliant' performance even though he had an opponent who was mostly hobbled.

This continued crap reporting makes me sick......and now he's shopping around for more money. Talk about believing your own press! Next year, I hope Buddy smashes him (figuratively speaking of course!), whoever he's playing for.

[ernie koala]

Totally agree Liz,the umpiring was terrible and unwittingly bias against us, but Buddy's ankle was a mortal blow.

[Hotpotato]

5-12 .
It's not a good enough return really .
By 2.30 pm (or any of the other starts to the Granny ) you have to be ready for the mayhem , especially from interstate .
As Andrew Pridham said, they make it hard to win , you are in a strange room, a strange bed for at least two nights.
For all the MELB clubs it's like a home game. So it's against the odds .
Maybe they should fly down on the morning of the game, tell me to stick the parade.
The Swans are the only interstate team to take the flag in the last decade.
It's so hard to do .

[goswannies]

The Swans are the only interstate team to take the flag in the last decade.
It's so hard to do .

Numbers are a funny thing. Sure, we are the only non-Victorian team to win a premiership in the last decade - a mere 10%!
But look back a little further - say the last TWO decades? Non-Victorian clubs have won 9 of the last 20 premierships (Brisbane 3, Sydney 2, Adelaide 2, West Coast 1, Port 1). So over 2 decades, 45% of the premierships have been won by non-Victorian clubs. Go back a further 5 years - quarter of a century - there are another two Eagles premierships, so in the last 25 years, 44% of premierships have gone to non-Vic clubs).
If you wanted to choose a particular decade to support your argument, lucky you didn't choose from 1997-2006 as 80% of the premierships were won by non-Victorian clubs!
All of a sudden it doesn't look quite as hard.

[robamiee]

i would say its hardly a flaw in our culture.. its our culture that has brought to us 18 finals series in the last 21 years, the most of any club, considering we dont bottom out...
We arguably overachieved this year considering when you normally introduce 7 debutants most teams are in rebuild mode...
i would say its our culture that allows our team to continually defy the odds....
our team surprised all.. however the melb centric media didnt really give our teams as much credit it deserved this year because of the bulldogs fairy tale run....
since 05 we have have won 2 of 5 and really 06 could have gone either way considering we had no where near the talent of the weagles...14 was just a bad timing to run into the might of the wees and poos...however i think this year was a lost opportunity. we made the big dance and thats all you can ask...
I am proud of the culture the club has built....hopefully we will see the rewards in the coming years....

[bloodspirit]

i would say its hardly a flaw in our culture.. its our culture that has brought to us 18 finals series in the last 21 years, the most of any club, considering we dont bottom out...
We arguably overachieved this year considering when you normally introduce 7 debutants most teams are in rebuild mode...
i would say its our culture that allows our team to continually defy the odds....
our team surprised all.. however the melb centric media didnt really give our teams as much credit it deserved this year because of the bulldogs fairy tale run....
since 05 we have have won 2 of 5 and really 06 could have gone either way considering we had no where near the talent of the weagles...14 was just a bad timing to run into the might of the wees and poos...however i think this year was a lost opportunity. we made the big dance and thats all you can ask...
I am proud of the culture the club has built....hopefully we will see the rewards in the coming years....

Broadly agree with this.

There were 2 Swans teams in the finals - Week 1 and Week 4; Week 2 and Week 3.

The Week 1/Week 4 team was in the 2014 Grand Final while the Week 2/Week 3 team was in the 2012 Grand Final.

I don't altogether agree with this - you are not giving enough credit to the opposition.

[bloodsbigot]

I've always thought for a while that we've been too 'honourable' with a club full of 'honourable' supporters. Not really one of kill and win premierships at any cost.

We got bullied in 2014. And got done by the umpires in 2016 without a whimper.

[AnnieH]

There's nothing wrong with the culture at our club.
Anything that needs to be sorted out, is quickly done so. Fortunately, everyone is on board, so we don't often need to "sort" things out. (Talia, I'm looking at you.)
We have honesty within the group - except for Mitchell... but he's going anyway, and if he's not, he'll learn the hard way not to lie. If someone is having a @@@@ game, believe me, they are the first to let each other know.
We play for each other.
They invited "ruthless" into the game this year. That was the big inclusion. They just need to remember to bring it every week.
Love this place. Wouldn't change a thing.