I missed that Carlton game too, there was a 4 week period in and around that time i was overseas. When i got back my mate i was straight on the phone to a mate to find out how the Swans had been going, and he told me we had won all 4 games whilst i was gone and that we;d been top of the ladder for a bit! I didn't really believe it either. But that Carlton game must have been something special.
EDIT: I just looked.

I left before the Carlton game and got back after the Adelaide one 4 weeks later.
I thought we had them when Mooney kicked that goal on the run early in the 2nd. And Paul Kelly..... If only that kick had hit Lockett on the chest.... If only....
That Carlton game was special. I wish I'd gone down for it. That Carlton team was outstanding. They were the reigning Premiers and had won 35 of their last 39 games before we travelled down to Optus to meet them. Beating them was the best achievement by a Sydney team probably in the whole decade up to that point.
For some of the younger Swans fans on these boards (not that I'm particularly old I hasten to add, I was only 20-ish in 96

) the first half of 96 was like 2003 under Roos. No pressure, we just went out and played with no expectations for the love of it, and were world beaters. Good times.
And yes, we started hard in the 96 Granny, and could have won a break if plugger had just managed that mark. But the truth was we were walking wounded in that game and no chance. Plugger had his groin. Roosy's body was worn out from all the heavy lifting he'd done to get us that far, Dunkley was limping plus had the disrupted week at the tribunal, Mooney's knee was scraping bone, Kickett was little more than a super sub and had to play only limited game time off the bench, and then minutes into the game Craig O'brien was smashed and took no further part in the game. And our kids (such as MOL) just didn't have the hardness to match the seasoned Shinboners - who ended up being the best team of the 90's BTW.
Oh well, it just made 2005 even sweeter for me.