Mark Knight: Being a Sydney Swans fan in Melbourne is not as sad as it sounds

Being a Sydney Swans supporter and living in Melbourne is not as sad as it sounds. It hasn’t always been an easy ride, but that is part of the great journey of footy.

Being a Sydney Swans supporter and living in Melbourne is not as sad as it sounds.

The Swans were once South Melbourne, the Bloods, before they were put on a bus and sent north to the harbour town in 1982.

Despite the move, South supporters hung on and today their Melbourne games always get a good turn out of fans descendant from old South Melbourne wearing the red and white.

I am a Swans supporter, but I went the other way.

I grew up in Sydney and when the team relocated north I started to follow them.

When I moved to Melbourne in 1987 to join the Herald Sun, Warwick Capper kicked 100 goals that season, and I decided to reject the idea of following a Melbourne club and stick with the Bloods.

After Warwick Capper kicked 100 goals in a season, Mark Knight stuck with the Swans. Picture: Getty Images

It wasn’t an easy ride, the Swans were down on their luck, then Ron Barassi came on as coach and I remember drawing a cartoon of the great man leading a team of ugly ducklings waddling behind him.

But with persistence, they finally got there and in 2005 I saw something I never thought I’d see: the Swans prevail on the last Saturday in September at the MCG.

I still have the WEG Premiership poster to mark the triumph. Then in 2008, the great man William Ellis Green or WEG, who created the first Premiership poster in 1954 for the Bulldogs win, passed on.

That is when the Herald and Weekly Times threw me the baton and said can you continue this footy tradition?

I thought I couldn’t be that hard?

It’s just drawing the winning club mascot for the last game of the year. How mistaken I was! The Premiership poster is a dividend statement of your team’s stock as the premier team during 24 rounds of blood, sweat, tears and toil for that season.

Is there any pressure? You bet!

When the Melbourne Demons hadn’t won a flag since 1964, the mail I was getting from Dees supporters was, “we’ve waited a while for this, so the poster better be good!”

Collingwood supporters in 2010 were all toothless smiles when I drew the magpie on the poster with a tattoo sleeve in homage to Dane Swan.

That’s better than having them chase you down Hoddle Street unhappy with what you’ve come up with.

Mark Knight drew a cartoon of Ron Barassi leading a team of ugly ducklings behind him. Picture: Getty Images

The day finally came in 2012 when I would have the chance to draw a Premiership poster for the Swans.

I was as professional as I could be and gave equal time and attention in creating the poster for their opponents the Hawks, but lucky for me Sydney won a cracking Grand Final.

I had achieved nirvana!

The Swans went on to play in the 2014, 2016 and 2022 Grand Finals and I drew posters lovingly to celebrate those premierships.

Unfortunately they were all losing Grand Final posters and were destined for the recycle bin. Do you know how painful it is to sign Hawks, Dogs and Cats posters that YOU have drawn for fans the day after those teams have destroyed your side?

Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight with his 2024 AFL Premiership Poster of the Sydney Swans. Picture: Ian Currie

I had to write messages on the 2016 smiling Bulldogs poster like “Go Doggies, great win, Woooof!”

Or when the Cats obliterated the Swans in 2022, things like “What a CAT-ASTOPHE for the Swans”.

People are so unkind at times. I attended the bathroom during that signing, dry-reaching several times.

But that is part of the great journey of footy, the greater the pain makes the highs even higher.

So here I am again, drawing a Swans poster for the 2024 Grand Final where Sydney face Brisbane Lions.

The last time these two faced off was in 1899.

There was no Premiership poster 125 years ago.

The Swan I have created has glimpses of Tom Papley’s celebrations and it is taking a huge mark like Isaac Heeney as it grabs the cup.

Being the top team all year, there is a look of determination on its beak. Could this poster be the one? But Lions are beautiful to draw.

He hopes this poster is not for sale after the game. Picture: Ian Currie

I watched the prelim final where Brisbane beat Port in a thrilling clash.

Lions supporters were literally roaring in the MCG stands after the game.

I took that energy into the studio and drew the Lion’s poster.

It sits proudly with a huge paw on the cup, its golden mane flows in the breeze and it roars with fierce delight. It rolled off the pen. My son said I made the Lion’s poster look too good! Hope that’s not an omen!

I know which poster I hoped would be on sale at 5pm on Saturday afternoon outside the MCG!

Originally published as Mark Knight: Being a Sydney Swans fan in Melbourne is not as sad as it sounds