South Melbourne was a junior foundation club of the Victorian Football Association in 1877, and attained senior status in 1879;[14] The South Melbourne amalgamation with neighbouring Albert-park Football Club in 1880, formed a club that became the strongest in metropolitan Melbourne. 1995 would be Barassi's last year in charge. Sydney needs to stay strong: Paul Kelly. The venue has been home to Swans home games since the club's relocation to Sydney in 1982. [20] The name stuck, in part due to the club's association with nearby Albert Park and Lake, also known for its swans (although there are no longer any non-native white swans and only black, indigenous swans in the lake). After the spat, Jack led the Swans to an emphatic upset victory against Geelong, booting 3 goals and gathering 24 possessions in the one-sided 38-point victory at Simonds Stadium. Between Round 7, 1972 and Round 13, 1973, the team lost 29 consecutive games. They then travelled back home where they faced Hawthorn and lost their 3rd match of the season by under a goal, as Buddy went goalless for the first time in the season. It was also the first time that the Giants would make the finals in their fifth year. They defeated Fremantle at home in the first qualifying final in Round one of the finals series and so earned a one-week break. Initially playing in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), the Swans joined seven other clubs in founding the breakaway Victorian Football League (now known as the AFL) in 1896. Subsequent wins over Fremantle, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne and Hawthorn saw the Swans sit second behind West Coast on percentage after Round 5, but the Swans would proceed to lose three of their next four matches before embarking on a nine-match winning streak between Rounds 10 and 19 inclusive. It was during this period that the team became known as the Swans. [39] The following week was no better with a road trip to Perth and another loss, this time to the Eagles by 52 points, the scoreline ultimately flattering the Swans. The Sydney Swans are sponsored by radio station Triple M which broadcasts all of its games, including finals, live. After a bye in Round 14, the Sydney Swans lost their first game after, again with the last kick of the game, by 4 points. During the first five years at the ground average crowds were high, but issues with the surface as well as fan and player disengagement resulted in the club ending its association with the venue. Despite its historical lack of success, South Melbourne/Sydney has provided more Brownlow Medal winners (14) than any other club. [53], Since the club was called "South Melbourne", the team has worn different designs with the traditional red and white colours, as follows:[54]. [51] Previous manufacturers were Puma (from mid-1990s to 2009)[52] and ISC (2010 to 2020). Previously, a reserves team was first created for South Melbourne in 1919, initially in the form of the Leopold Football Club, which was the leading junior club in the district and which had won five Metropolitan Junior Football Association premierships in its history. The club's major sponsor is QBE Insurance. These plans halted when the South Melbourne board, recognising the structural difficulties it faced with long-term viability and financial stability in Melbourne, made the decision to play all 1982 home games in Sydney. [c] Premierships were won as South Melbourne. ²: Six rounds into the 2005 season, Stuart Maxfield ended his playing career due to chronic injury. The 2010 season saw Sydney return to the finals by virtue of a fifth-place finish at the end of the regular season. Some of their best wins include against the reigning premiers the Bulldogs, GWS, and comeback wins against Richmond and Essendon. The Swans won eight games – as many as they did in the previous three seasons combined – and finished with a percentage of over 100 (in fact, they have managed such consistently ever since). In 1982 the club relocated to Sydney, New South Wales, changing its name in the process and becoming the first club in the competition to be based outside the state of Victoria. They won their next game by 55 points against the Demons, in a fourth quarter breeze. As reigning premiers, the Sydney Swans started the 2006 season slowly, losing three of their first four games, including in round one to an Essendon side that would finish near the bottom of the ladder with only three wins and a draw, and finish with the worst defensive record of any side for the season (Sydney, conversely, had the best defensive record of any side).[34]. They won their first match of the interrupted 2020 season against Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval by three points, but won only four more games for the season, missing the finals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1994–95. [46] In response to continued discussions between the club and league, as well as lobbying by the AFLPA,[47] the league further relaxed the trade restrictions for the Swans during the 2015 AFL Finals. Occasionally, 702 ABC Sydney may cover Swans matches if they are played on a Saturday afternoon, regardless of where they are playing. Paul Kelly is one of the greatest South Melbourne/Sydney Swans players of all time. Paul Maurice Kelly AO (born 13 January 1955) is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter and guitarist. The rivalry with Hawthorn has been more recent, mostly defined by two grand finals (2012 and 2014). Born: July 28, 1969 Origin: Wagga Tigers. Hafey, in turn, used his knowledge of Geelong's contracts to recruit David Bolton, Bernard Toohey and Greg Williams, who would all form a key part of the Sydney side, at a league-determined total fee of $240,000 (less than the $500,000 Geelong demanded and even the $300,000 Sydney offered). A big coup for the club was recruitment of St Kilda Football Club champion Tony "Plugger" Lockett in 1995. The club had early success and won three VFL premierships in 1909, 1918 and 1933. The Sydney Swans v Collingwood match on 23 August 2003 set an attendance record for the largest crowd to watch an AFL game outside of Victoria with an official attendance of 72,393 and was the largest home and away AFL crowd at any stadium for 2003. They were also one of only two teams to defeat the all-conquering Carlton side of that year. By the end of the 1970s South Melbourne were saddled with massive debts after struggling for such a long period of time. The league had started moving a few premiership matches to the Sydney Cricket Ground annually since 1979, and in 1981 was preparing to establish an entirely new, 13th VFL club in Sydney after the Fitzroy Lions staved off a proposed relocation to become the Sydney Lions in late 1980. The 16th-place finish was also the lowest in club history. The Swans won their final 4 games to secure a top 4 finish, against Collingwood, Greater Western Sydney, St Kilda and Gold Coast. However three out of four wins in the last four rounds was enough to see them into their ninth consecutive finals series, where they were comprehensively beaten by GWS in the Elimination Final. 1: Relocated to Sydney The club also fields a reserves team, which since 2021 has competed in the VFL/East Coast League. The club song is known as Cheer, Cheer The Red and The White' and is to the tune of the Victory March, the fight song of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana, USA, which was written by University of Notre Dame graduates and brothers Rev. Sydney lost their first game against Greater Western Sydney and then to Collingwood before becoming the first non-South Australian team to win at Adelaide Oval defeating Adelaide by 63 points with Lance Franklin and Luke Parker kicking 4 goals each. He is named after Swans legend Bob Skilton. [68] The club's seconds (and later, reserves) team, competed in the VFL reserves and its successor, the Victorian State Football League, until that competition's demise at the end of 1999 – despite the club having moved to Sydney in 1982. After an even and physical first half, Sydney went on to win by 63 points. There was a catch however, with the league imposing an edict that the club could only recruit players at or below current average wage of $340,000 (adjusted figures for 2015 was $349,000). Paul Kelly Fans, New Braunfels, Texas. These games are screened on the 7mate channel in these regions. [62], In October 2018 the club announced it would shift all offices and indoor training facilities to Moore Park's Royal Hall of Industries sometime in the early-to-mid 2020s, after announcing a $55 million deal with the New South Wales Government to redevelop the Hall. The AFL changed the sanctions so that the Swans could replace a player that leaves the club as either a free agent, or through trade, with another player on a contract up to $450,000 per year. Paul Kelly of the Sydney Swans AFL games played and stats. In 1982, the club was still technically a Melbourne-based club which played all of its home games in Sydney; however it dropped the name "South Melbourne" in June 1982, becoming known officially simply as "the Swans" for the rest of that season. The 1999 season ended with a 69-point mauling at the hands of minor premiers Essendon. The Norm Smith Medal is awarded to the player judged best-on-ground in the AFL Grand Final: Sydney announced its team of the century on 8 August 2003: The Sydney Swans receive regular exposure from Sydney's two major daily newspapers, The Daily Telegraph, the Sydney Morning Herald and their respective counterpart publications, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sun-Herald. The 63-point loss was Sydney's biggest ever loss in a grand final and their biggest defeat all season, meaning Hawthorn would become back to back premiers for the second time in their history. News of the proposal broke on 2 July 1981, after which a letter was sent to members justifying the board's reasons for making the proposal and noting that the coach and current players were in favour of the move. Matches were telecast either live, on a 30–90-minute delayed broadcast or late-night replay. The Premiership was the Swans' first in 72 years and their first since being based in Sydney. The Swanettes did not get much performance time, owing to the short intervals between quarters of play in the VFL and the lack of space in which they might perform while other activities take place on the field. George Gershwin's Swanee (1919) was used by the club in marketing promotions during the late 1990s. They missed the finals for the first time in a decade, finishing 15th on the ladder with eight wins and 14 losses. I NEVER BELIEVED IN MIRACLES UNTIL REACHING OUT TO YOUR FOUNDATION Robert is in the final stages of Leukaemia. [16] The match took place on 3 October 1896 at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground. Maxfield was recruited in 1990 from Caulfield Grammar School by Richmond, and debuted that year. He was and still is known to Swans fans everywher Match coverage can be heard anywhere in the world via live streaming at the official AFL website or by downloading the AFL app for smartphones such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. The Swans' victory over Geelong was overshadowed by the news that co-captain Jarrad McVeigh's baby daughter had died in the week leading up to the match, forcing him to miss that match. The club survived, despite strong rumours in 1992 that it would merge with the Brisbane Bears to form a combined New South Wales/Queensland team, fold altogether, or even move back to South Melbourne. Foxtel also signed a new broadcast deal for the 2012 – 2016 seasons which included screening all AFL matches (including all Swans games) live across Australia on their Fox Sports and Fox Footy channels. The collection of players recruited from interstate in 1932/1933 became known as South Melbourne's "Foreign Legion". By AAP. He led the club to a seventh-place finish at the end of the regular season, therefore qualifying for the finals for the 13th time in the past 16 seasons. The Swans lost all three of those significant matches. [citation needed], In March 2021, the Swans made a slight but inclusive change to the penultimate line of their club song, with the words "while her loyal sons are marching..." changing to "while our loyal Swans are marching...".[56]. Paul Kelly of the Sydney Swans celebrates winning the 1995 Brownlow Medal in Melbourne, Australia. His consistently spectacular aerial exploits earned him the Mark of the Year award in 1987 while his goalkicking efforts (amassing 103 goals in 1987) made him runner up in the Coleman Medal two years running. A preliminary final against the Brisbane Lions in 2003 attracted 71,019 people. The Swans developed a famous modern rivalry against the Perth-based West Coast Eagles between 2005 and 2007, when six consecutive games between the two teams, including two qualifying finals and two grand finals, were decided by less than a goal. However, they managed to win 13 of their last 15, losing both their games to Hawthorn by 1 goal. Paul Kelly. Ahead of their first final against cross-town rivals the Giants, the Swans confirmed that they would play all home finals at the SCG except for Sydney Derbies, which would be played at ANZ Stadium. Two generations of the Kelly clan were in the house last Friday night, with Sydney Swans legend Paul Kelly looking on as his 17-year-old son made his debut for the Swans reserves at the SCG. Paul Kelly Recommended for you The team played home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground and will often play as a curtain raiser to senior AFL games. The Swans bounced back against Adelaide with a convincing win 52-point win, but lost their next game to Geelong at Simmonds stadium; a close affair that Geelong blew apart in the 3rd quarter. This allowed the Swans to trade for Callum Sinclair in a swap deal,[48] as well as trade a late pick for out-of-contract defender, Michael Talia from the Western Bulldogs.[49]. The nickname, which was suggested by a Herald and Weekly Times artist in 1933, was inspired by the number of Western Australians in the team (the black swan being the state emblem of Western Australia), and was formally adopted by the club before the following season 1934. After an unconvincing win the following week against Carlton, the Swans went on to win their last 5 home and away games by a combined total of 349 points, giving them top spot and a home qualifying final. After finishing third during the regular season, the Swans lost the second qualifying final against the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval on 2 September by 10.5 (65) to 10.9 (69). However, the new board did not have the power to unilaterally stop the move to Sydney: under the VFL constitution, to rescind the decision that had been made on 29 July required a three-quarters majority in a vote of all twelve clubs, and at a meeting on 14 October it failed to obtain this majority. They won their next 6 leading into the bye, including home wins against Geelong and North Melbourne, and an upset away win against Hawthorn in the grand final replay. Former North Melbourne premiership-winning forward John Longmire took over as coach of the Swans as part of a succession plan initiated by Paul Roos in 2009 prior to the beginning of the 2011 season. In the finals, the Swans won one of the most thrilling AFL preliminary finals in history after Plugger Lockett kicked a behind after the siren to win the game. Paul Kelly (Australian musician) (born 1955), Australian rock, folk and country musician. Ryan O'Keefe was named the Norm Smith Medallist and the Swan's best player in September, The Swans' 2013 season was marred by long-term injuries to many of its key players, namely Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Lewis Jetta, Rhyce Shaw and Lewis Roberts-Thomson, among others; despite this setback, the team were still able to reach the finals for the fifteenth time in 18 seasons, reaching the preliminary finals where they were defeated by Fremantle at Patersons Stadium, its first loss at the venue since 2009.[36][37]. [57] In the years 2002–2015, the Swans played between three and four home matches per season and most home finals matches at Stadium Australia (commercially known as ANZ Stadium), an 80,000 capacity stadium located in the west of the city. Then, from 2003 until 2010, the Sydney reserves recombined to a single team, which contested the higher standard AFL Canberra, winning four consecutive premierships between 2005 and 2008. I see it, but I don't believe it! Edelsten resigned as chairman in less than twelve months, but had already made his mark. In recent years, the club has proven to be one of the most consistent teams in the AFL era, failing to make the finals in only five seasons since 1995, playing the most finals matches and winning the second-most matches overall (only behind Geelong) since 2000 and boasting a finals winning record of over 50% in the same period. The Swans only kicked 2 goals after half-time with Giant Jeremy Cameron outscoring them in the third quarter alone with 3 goals. The Swans defeated St Kilda in an elimination final at Docklands Stadium before losing to Hawthorn in the semi-finals the following week. The 1999 season was a largely uneventful year for the club, the only real highlight being Tony Lockett kicking his record-breaking 1300th goal against Collingwood in Round 10. Stuart Maxfield (born 9 April 1972) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). However, the Swans are confident they'll be cleared to … Swans coach Paul Roos maintained that playing contested football was the style used by all recent Premiership-winning teams, and felt that it was ironic that the much criticised strategy proved ultimately successful. The Swans had an indifferent 2018, compounded by their struggles at home, losing 5 out of 11 games at the SCG. The Swans' headquarters and training facilities are located at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the club's playing home ground since 1982. Although the headcount could have seen Southport's score re-set to zero, the infringement was instead deemed an interchange breach with no material impact on the outcome of the game, resulting in Southport's score standing.[69]. Paul Kelly (born 28 July 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer, winner of the Brownlow Medal and captain of the Sydney Swans for ten seasons. Players left the club in droves, including Brownlow Medalist Greg Williams, Bernard Toohey and Barry Mitchell. After several years with only limited success, South Melbourne next reached the grand final in 1945. This was the first time in a finals series that former Hawk player Lance Franklin would play against his former team, one of very few players to have played back to back grand finals for two different teams. A lean patch of form which included upset losses to Gold Coast (for the first time ever) and Essendon (for the first time since 2011) had them looking likely to miss finals altogether. [26] The likes of Gerard Healy, Merv Neagle and Paul Morwood were also poached from other clubs, and failed approaches were made to Simon Madden, Terry Daniher, Andrew Bews and Maurice Rioli.[27]. The Swans then made the finals for four of the next five full years that Rodney Eade was in charge. The introduction of country zoning failed to help, as the Riverina Football League proved to be one of the least profitable zones. On a much brighter side for the Swans, their captain Paul Kelly won the League's highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, in 1995. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events. Football Record Video 1995 Season review for the Sydney Swans/South Melbourne. Six losses on the trot ended any chance of a tenth consecutive finals appearance, but strong wins over also-rans Melbourne and St Kilda in the final two rounds ensured the season ended on a positive note. In the first preliminary final at the MCG on 16 September against St Kilda, the Swans used a seven-goal blitz in 11 minutes of the fourth quarter to overturn an 8-point deficit and overrun the Saints by 15.6 (96) to 9.11 (65). The Swans defeated Adelaide by 29 points in their qualifying final at AAMI Stadium, thus earning a week off and a home preliminary final, where they then defeated Collingwood by 26 points to qualify for their first grand final since 2006, ending an eleven-match losing streak against the Magpies in the process. [21] On 29 July 1981, the VFL formally accepted the proposal, and paved the way for the Swans to shift to Sydney in 1982. Roos won six of the remaining 10 games that year (including the last four of the season) and was installed as the permanent coach from the 2003 season onwards, despite rumors that Sydney had nearly concluded a deal with Terry Wallace. [22] The new board, whilst representative of most fans, lacked the support of the players, many of whom were in favour of a long-term move to Sydney; in early November, after the board promised that it would try to bring the club back to Melbourne in 1983, the players went on strike, seeking to force the new board to commit to Sydney in the long term as well as seeking payments that the cash-strapped club owed them from the previous season. For the first time since 2011, the Swans failed to make a preliminary final. Roos continued a record as a successful coach with the Swans for the eight full seasons that would follow. View Advanced Stats. They bounced back to win against top spot North Melbourne, and the Hawks at the MCG, with Lance Franklin booting 3 goals, including a bomb from 80 metres. Four of those six games were finals, and 2 grand finals. The Swans have also played the Giants twice in finals matches, losing each time.[65][66][67]. ", For the records of every player to play for the club, see, Tony Lockett and grand final return: 1995–2001, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees. With the trade period looming, Andrew Pridham lobbied the AFL to lift the trade restrictions, labeling the ban as a restraint of trade. In past and recent years the Seven Network broadcast Swans games to viewers in Sydney and most of N.S.W. They followed up the next round with a 60-point win against the Blues, with new recruit Callum Sinclair kicking 3 goals. In a low-scoring first half, the Swans were very competitive, trailing by only 2 points. Between 2001 and 2002 the Swans affiliated themselves with the Port Melbourne Football Club in the VFL, sending most of its reserves players there, while also retaining the Redbacks in the Sydney AFL as a junior development team – which was more suited to the level of competition, but had limited onfield success. In 2011 the Swans reserves team joined the newly established North East Australian Football League with the rest of the AFL Canberra competition, and was able to play regular matches against other AFL reserves teams from the Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants. [10] Nicknamed the "Southerners", the team was more colourfully known as the "Bloods", in reference to the bright red diagonal sash on their white jumpers[11][12] (the sash was replaced with a red "V" in 1932). [4][5] According to Roy Morgan Research, they have also been the most supported club among all AFL supporters every year since 2004.[6]. Commencing 2002 all their games were broadcast live or on same day delay by Subscription television provider Foxtel across Australia on either the Fox Footy Channel or Fox Sports channels. The current predominantly red design appeared at the start of the 1992 season. Sydney are working to secure AFL training exemptions after they were caught up in the fallout from Brisbane's coronavirus outbreak. [13] The colourful epithet the "Bloodstained Angels" was also in use. The Paul Kelly Cup, named after the former Swans captain and Brownlow medallist, is the largest AFL primary school competition in the state. In 2014, the Swans finished minor premiers and were favourites to win the grand final, however Hawthorn beat Sydney by 63 points. The team played as Leopold until 1924, then changed its name to the South Melbourne Second Eighteen in 1925. After a loss to North Melbourne in Round 4, the Swans' won twelve games in a row, including victories against 2013 grand finalists Fremantle and Hawthorn, Geelong by 110 points at the SCG and then ladder leaders Port Adelaide. Paul Kelly of the Sydney Swans attends an AFL Centenary Year celebration, 1996 in Melbourne, Australia. The Opera House design was first used at the start of the 1987 season, replacing the traditional red "V" on white design. Inevitably, the move caused very great internal difficulties as a large supporters' group known as Keep South at South campaigned against the move throughout the rest of 1981; and, at an extraordinary general meeting on 22 September, the group democratically won control of the club's board. [55] Port Adelaide also has used the Victory March as the basis for their club song since 1971, though their senior team changed their club song to their current original Power To Win after their entry into the AFL. via the ABC Riverina – Wagga Wagga (2RVR) service, on the 675 AM frequency. Paul Kelly (actor) (1899–1956), American stage and screen actor. Pyke impressed with young Swans Sydney Swans Assistant Coach Don Pyke has praised the efforts of the fresh faces at… Barry Hall, Leo Barry, Jared Crouch, Michael O'Loughlin, Amon Buchanan and Darren Jolly all departed at the conclusion of the season, with Mark Seaby, Daniel Bradshaw and Shane Mumford, among others, joining the club during the trade period. Nick Davis! The Swans faced the Eagles in a rematch in the AFL Grand Final on 24 September 2005, and this time, they prevailed by four points, final score 8.10 (58) to West Coast's 7.12 (54). Michael J. Shea and John F. Shea. [24] Its physical "home club" was the "Southern Cross Social Club" at 120a Clovelly Road, Randwick, New South Wales which became bankrupt in 1987; new Sydney Swans Offices were then set up in the newly built Sydney Football Stadium. During the off-season, when the ground is configured for cricket, the Swans train on the nearby Tramway Oval (previously known as Lakeside Oval) at Moore Park. [31] With draft and salary cap concessions in the early 1990s and a series of notable recruits, the team became competitive after the early part of the decade. Six players rotated as captain throughout the rest of the season: Brett Kirk (Rounds 7, 8, 19 and 20), Leo Barry (Rounds 9, 10, 21 and 22), Barry Hall (Rounds 11, 12 and the entire finals series), Ben Mathews (Rounds 13 and 14), Adam Goodes (Rounds 15 and 16) and Jude Bolton (Rounds 17 and 18). In 2005, the Swans came under enormous public scrutiny, even from AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, for their unorthodox, "boring" defense-oriented tactics that included tightly controlling the tempo of the game and starving the opposition of possession (in fact, seven teams that season had their lowest possession total while playing against the Swans).   Premiers   Grand Finalist   Finals   Wooden spoon. Although a large majority of the existing fan base strongly objected to the relocation of the club from South Melbourne, the Sydney Swans have built a large following in the city they now call home. Paul Kelly (U.S. musician) (1940–2012), American soul singer-songwriter. The match, played against Carlton, was to become known colloquially as "the Bloodbath", due to the player brawl that overshadowed the match, with a total of 9 players being reported by the umpires. 515 likes. It would take them to their third grand final in 5 years, against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG. Nick Davis! A familiar face was in the SCG stands last Friday night, watching his son make his Swans reserves debut, A super-impressive Sydney outfit has handed the reigning premiers a lesson in…, See all the photos from the Sydney Swans Round Three clash with Richmond at the MCG. In 1961, the school and other musical houses granted South Melbourne a copyright to adapt the Victory March into the new club song, which replaced an adaptation of Springtime in the Rockies by Gene Autry. It was the Swans' first win over the Cats since 2006 and its first win at the ground since Round 8, 1999. The Swans ended the minor round on top of the premiership table with 16 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. He was the Swans' captain until 5 May 2005, when he stood down from the position.