Club History Swans. 35 years in Sydney

CheapCharlie

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 12, 2015
6,416
7,985
AFL Club
Sydney
35 years already?!??!

I was thinking back to when i first started supporting the swans and how quickly time has passed.

It would have been a couple of years after the Swans moved to Sydney i went to watch a games with some school mates. I can vaguely remember watching some games with Barry Round playing, and a few years later sitting in the Pat Hills stand (now the Bill O'Reilly stand) after work watching some games with mates from work

Sydney was a different landscape for Australian rules football back then. Almost nothing in the local papers or in the media. In my sphere, it was mostly ex-Melbournites who supported the game with Rugby League being the tribal king.
The game was commonly referenced to as 'GayFL' or 'Aerial ping pong'. Comparisons with League were continual, as to which was the better game. A large portion of the Sydney populace were completely ignorant of the rules or the game itself.

A lot has changed up in Sydney. Now there is wide media coverage, popular support and plenty of knowledge of the intricacies of the game.

35 years, some tough times, some heartstopping finals and plenty of good memories.
 

Grongey

Cancelled
Jan 8, 2009
2,386
1,740
AFL Club
Sydney
South Melbourne would come up here and recruit players like Ricky Quade and Terry Daniher, who'd go down and play at the Lake Oval. It all seemed so far away.

Then South moved to Sydney and the SCG. The early '90s were a bleak time. But we got Diesel and Healy, and later Plugger and Captain Kelly. Ron Barassi came up to coach us. Later we got heart and soul bloods culture, courtesy of Maxfield, Kirk and Kelly, amongst others.

We have never looked back. Suburban rugby league is struggling for crowds. The NRL has State of Origin and the grand final, and not a lot else.

There's the Giants too these days, and now the Sydney AFL foothold is is more than firm.
 

BlackSwan0512

Senior List
May 13, 2017
153
257
AFL Club
Sydney
When you look at how some of the traditional Big 4 clubs have fared since our relocation (Collingwood - meh, Richmond - lol, Carlton - haven't won a flag without cheating) we really have performed outstandingly well considering. Lots to be proud of
 
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