Where do I start? As I sit typing this, it’s a beautiful day for football and the minor premier Swans are rather comprehensively outplaying the second place WSU GIANTS in the grand final – and you know what? I don’t really care. You could not wipe the smile off my face today with a cricket bat.
ANZ yesterday, sitting not very far from where I sat on March 24, 2012 – wearing the same hat and t-shirt – but a newly minted 'inaugural finals' scarf. What a journey in between. What a game last night.
Catching the train from Penrith to past derbies there was always a lot of red and white with a smattering of orange here and there – yesterday it was obviously and predominantly orange with only a smattering or red and white. Same at Blacktown, Westmead and Parramatta – the orange lined up waiting to board.
Numbers obviously switched by the time we were changing at Lidcombe but the amount of orange was encouraging.
Brutal and close – that was basically the first half. Didn’t play our best in the first and probably didn’t deserve to be up by a point, but we were working our way into it. A better second quarter, some interesting umpiring decisions seems to be keeping the Swans in it.
Both sides were wasteful in front of the big sticks and there were a fair few sloppy turnovers thrown in.
Of the Stevie J and Mumford – I didn’t see what happened.
A fight back by our boys in the NEAFL has it all even at the half – the Seniors are out mixing with the crowd. Ryan Griffin and Phil Davis playing kick to kick with the kids. That’s why I love this club.
Third quarter we started to get on top. A questionable non-decision on a Heeney mark resulted in quick ball down the field and into the hands of Jezza gave him the first of three in a couple of minutes of pure domination. His run down tackle on one of the Swans' quickest in Gary Rohan was a joy to watch. Up by 21 at the final break.
The fourth started as an arm wrestle for the first ten minutes before Cogs slots the first goal of the last term putting us up by 29 and we watch was the Swans fans start streaming out of the ground, giving up on their team.
In every hundred point drubbing we suffered in our first couple of years we never left early, and here are the swans fans heading for the exit when they’re down by 29. Never understand that.
NEAFL boys up by three at the final change.
As we continued to ice the game, we just got louder. I began to lose my voice as the clock kept running and time kept running out for the Swans. The much maligned Tom Scully having his best season yet, then Captain Courageous Callan Ward put us out by 42. A late goal the the Swans couldn’t put a damper on it for us.
We’re going to a prelim – so much for finals inexperience, so much for all the knockers. We did it. We put the Swans away with tough contested inside ball and beautiful running and ball movement on the outside. 95 tackles told the tale that we can match whatever style our opponents want to play.
We sang the song, we danced in the stands, we loved every minute.
And several lead changes in the last left us with a four point victory in the NEAFL Grand Final. Back where it all began in 2011 with a bunch of schoolboys learning their trade on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Blacktown our NEAFL boys topped just the best weekend you could want.
Our first piece of silverware. Will it be joined in the cabinet by the more prestigious piece in three weeks time?
Who knows. But for right now? I just keep singing the song, and enjoying the weekend.
The GIANTS announced their Name and Colours on the evening of November 16, 2010 - Steve Duffy became a proud member on November 17. Writer, artist, library technician and family man, he has also been known to, on ocassion, don the big suit and stand in for G-Man around the Penrith area, where his son plays for the Penrith GIANTS Under-9s.
More GWS stories, and other fan-writing can be found on the GIANTS page at www.footyalmanac.com.au
