How have the Swans continually escaped critique and criticism for their lack of success in the VFL/AFL?

[Strapping Young Lad]

Had arguably the greatest forward of the modern era at their disposal and couldn’t win a flag with him.

Longmire and Beatson don’t get marked hard enough for that in my opinion.

 

[The Fonz]

I was talking about the Swan's entire history. Not the past 30 years, which I agree have been very good.. I don't know how I could have made it any clearer.

The answer is self-evident.
They were one of the basket cases of the league for a long long time when it was Victorian only.
Come the 1980s - its fold or move. Thereafter everything is reset given the fact that going to Sydney was like going to another country.

Sure their Grand Final record is poor but given how low expectations are,no one cares.

You brought up Collingwood - there's the issue. Given a team of their stature, the available resources and what not, the amount of flags they've won should be more.

Only won 3 since 1960 which is just 1 more than what the Swans have won.

 

[Freomaniac]

St Kilda seems to be forever copping it for only winning 1 flag in their history.

The Bulldogs for their overall lack of success and premierships.

Freo for never winning anything.

Geelong (prior to 2007) for their long premiership drought and continued failures.

Melbourne (prior to 2021) for their long premiership drought

Collingwood for all their Grand Final losses.


Yet, it seems like no one has ever really cared much about the Swan’s far from impressive footballing history.

No one ever really mentioned their 72-year premiership drought until it was broken.

No one talks about the fact that they have only won 5 out of 18 Grand Finals (a strike rate far worse than Collingwood, who are perennially laughed at).



What is the explanation for this phenomenon?



The only thing I can think of, is that many of us, unconsciously and incorrectly, think of them as being one of the new interstate clubs, whilst disregarding their entire South Melbourne history.

Does this explain it? Or is there more to it?

what do you mean lack of success? Lack of flag success maybe?

Lack of finals success? Since 1996, Swans have barely missed finals.

try and compare that to richmond between 1983-2012 where richmond only made finals in 1995 and 2001.

 

[Tedeski]

Bombers haven't lost a final or Grand Final in the last 20 years.
I guess that translates to more success than Swans in someones mind.

 

[SBYM]

Bombers haven't lost a final or Grand Final in the last 20 years.
I guess that translates to more success than Swans in someones mind.

Ummm...they've lost plenty of finals.

 

[Wolfgang West]

what do you mean lack of success? Lack of flag success maybe?

Lack of finals success? Since 1996, Swans have barely missed finals.

try and compare that to richmond between 1983-2012 where richmond only made finals in 1995 and 2001.

Yeah 7 GF's Since 1996 is a lack of finals success. Averages out to playing in a GF every 4 years. Some people just say the first thing that enters their noggin.

 

[Eshay187]

Is the premise of this thread that people need to start every post with an acknowledgement of Sydney’s average finals performance between 1934 and 1995?

 

[Freomaniac]

Is the premise of this thread that people need to start every post with an acknowledgement of Sydney’s average finals performance between 1934 and 1995?

You wanna know how many finals the swans won between 1946-1995?

 

[Colonial]

Didn’t their lack of success get them kicked out of Victoria and relocate to Sydney?
Say that’s pretty drastic response to lack of success.

 

[Gavin Excell]

what do you mean lack of success? Lack of flag success maybe?

Lack of finals success? Since 1996, Swans have barely missed finals.

try and compare that to richmond between 1983-2012 where richmond only made finals in 1995 and 2001.

Well said
Swans are a very well run club who are always up there. Convert one of those 3 GF losses since 2012 to a flag and they would rank up there with best performed clubs AFL era

 

[Tedeski]

Ummm...they've lost plenty of finals.

View attachment 1922228

Oh.
My mistake.
Very successful then.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Living in Perth the media is of course all about WC and Freo, it wasn't until I moved to Victoria that I realised how - despite the AFL being national - it's kind of the same, and they do give interstate sides less attention...heck the smaller Vic clubs too. But even some of the general AFL media. #VICBIAS

 

[PerthBoy86]

Well said
Swans are a very well run club who are always up there. Convert one of those 3 GF losses since 2012 to a flag and they would rank up there with best performed clubs AFL era

Paul Roos and his team probably should get a lot of credit for setting up that structure since the early 00s.

 

[weewilly]

South Melbourne was one of the foundation clubs of the VFA in 1877 (there was no VFL till 1896) and in that time South were the biggest and most successful VFA club winning the Champions of the Colony trophy 5 x times and were the first club in Victoria to get 30,000 to a H&A game and consistently got the largest crowds at the Lake Oval than any of the other VFA clubs at that time.

EG:Round.20 against Geelong at the Lake Oval H&A match - 34,121.

Unfortunately after they joined the newly formed VFL in 1896 that early success did not follow them.

 

[momentbymoment]

Had arguably the greatest forward of the modern era at their disposal and couldn’t win a flag with him.

Longmire and Beatson don’t get marked hard enough for that in my opinion.

Pretty sure we would have had a couple more flags if the granny was played in Sydney. Not easy for non Melbourne teams to win the flag.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Pretty sure we would have had a couple more flags if the granny was played in Sydney. Not easy for non Melbourne teams to win the flag.

“Pretty sure”.


Ok then.

 

[justlookingaround]

This is the type of thread that basically guarantees the team in question will go on to win the flag the next year.

 

[momentbymoment]

“Pretty sure”.


Ok then.

Look at the last 20 years.
Non Victorian teams don’t have a great record playing the granny at the G.

VIC bias.
It is what it is.

 

[peetoo]

Is the premise of this thread that people need to start every post with an acknowledgement of Sydney’s average finals performance between 1934 and 1995?

A bit like when media types talk about the great culture, but gloss over the swans not turning up in finals

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Then again karma is a b!tch. AFL had been propping up the Swans with COLA and providing the extra cash, let Barry Hall play in the 2005 GF. So you cant win them all

(Ahem) the AFL didn’t “let” Barry Hall play in the GF. They were forced to by the Swans taking them to court.

Swans hired one of the best QCs in the country to show them that as the rule stood, Hall had no case to answer. Unsurprisingly the AFL changed the rule as soon as they could.

I’m no fan of Hall and his thuggery and personally I was glad to see the back of him, but the facts of this episode are constantly misrepresented.

 

[Obeanie1]

(Ahem) the AFL didn’t “let” Barry Hall play in the GF. They were forced to by the Swans taking them to court.

Swans hired one of the best QCs in the country to show them that as the rule stood, Hall had no case to answer. Unsurprisingly the AFL changed the rule as soon as they could.

I’m no fan of Hall and his thuggery and personally I was glad to see the back of him, but the facts of this episode are constantly misrepresented.

Gut punch someone that drops them. lt should have been a week. A heavy weight boxer gut punches you it's a week.

In play. Behind play. Doesn't matter.

Except when you play for the team the AFL want to win the GF the following week.

And when they aren't good enough give them COLA AND the cash to pay for Buddy.

The number of dodgy deals the AFL has done to prop up expansion sides to build TV rights deals is undeniable. And the AFL continue to do it with Brisbane, GWS and the Suns.

It keeps going we will end up with a break away comp and all those dodgy deals to make money will unravel instantly.

 

[SGBeach]

Except when you play for the team the AFL want to win the GF the following week.

Maynard attempting a smother, missing the ball completely, deciding to drop his shoulder and collecting Brayshaw in the head ENDING his career.. Nothing to see here - Maynard plays in the Granny
Webster attempting a smother (even worse attempt), missing the ball completely, deciding to drop his shoulder and collecting Sympkin in the head.. 7 weeks

And when they aren't good enough give them COLA AND the cash to pay for Buddy.

the AFL called Andrew Ireland (Swans CEO) the night before the Buddy deal was struck and said 'if you go through with this the AFL will remove COLA'. So the Swans budgeted the Buddy contract when they had COLA, but had to pay that contract without COLA totally stuffing up the next 10 years (did you notice the Swans didn't trade anyone in over this period?)
I grew up in Sydney, but moved 1000km north due to cost of living. COL is real.

I had total respect for your club from the rivalry with the Swans in 2005/06,, but posts like yours is denting that respect.
I understand that you feel 'hard done by', but the truth is, your club is sh*t because of decisions your club made over the last 5 years

 

[SGBeach]

If the title of this thread is true.. Its probably because the AFL doesn't want to highlight the fact the the Granny being played at the MCG is a serious dis-advantage to all teams outside of Vic.

The Swans finals record since 2004
Wins - 21
Losses - 18
Home games - 13 (11 wins)
Away games - 26 (10 wins)
Of those 26 away games, the Swans had earned the right for 5 of them to be played at the SCG, but the AFL decided otherwise (1 games in Tassie due to COVID)

Thats a good finals record, and an exceptional finals record considering the amount of games the AFL has forced the Swans to play away from the SCG.

 

[peetoo]

Maynard attempting a smother, missing the ball completely, deciding to drop his shoulder and collecting Brayshaw in the head ENDING his career.. Nothing to see here - Maynard plays in the Granny
Webster attempting a smother (even worse attempt), missing the ball completely, deciding to drop his shoulder and collecting Sympkin in the head.. 7 weeks

the AFL called Andrew Ireland (Swans CEO) the night before the Buddy deal was struck and said 'if you go through with this the AFL will remove COLA'. So the Swans budgeted the Buddy contract when they had COLA, but had to pay that contract without COLA totally stuffing up the next 10 years (did you notice the Swans didn't trade anyone in over this period?)
I grew up in Sydney, but moved 1000km north due to cost of living. COL is real.

I had total respect for your club from the rivalry with the Swans in 2005/06,, but posts like yours is denting that respect.
I understand that you feel 'hard done by', but the truth is, your club is sh*t because of decisions your club made over the last 5 years

Retrospectively I bet the wished they hadn’t got Tippett. (Another dodgy episode) could have kept Mumford and Mitchell

 

[HanYolo]

Gut punch someone that drops them. lt should have been a week. A heavy weight boxer gut punches you it's a week.

In play. Behind play. Doesn't matter.

Except when you play for the team the AFL want to win the GF the following week.

And when they aren't good enough give them COLA AND the cash to pay for Buddy.

The number of dodgy deals the AFL has done to prop up expansion sides to build TV rights deals is undeniable. And the AFL continue to do it with Brisbane, GWS and the Suns.

It keeps going we will end up with a break away comp and all those dodgy deals to make money will unravel instantly.

Did you not see the part of the post you're responding to where it was explained to you that the Swans took the AFL to court in order to get Hall off the hook for the GF?