Sydney Swans to exorcise demons of 2014 AFL grand final, writes Richard Hinds

THE Sydney Swans did not merely lose the 2014 grand final. They were publicly humiliated. But there will be no such surrender two years on, writes Richard Hinds.

Dejected Sydney players leave the field as Hawthorn celebrate winning the 2014 grand final. Picture: Phil Hillyard

THE Sydney Swans did not merely lose the 2014 grand final. They were publicly humiliated.

The Swans lost by 63 points to a Hawthorn team in the midst of a dominant era. But more surprising – even shocking – than the margin was how meekly they surrendered.

The pre-match entertainment provided a metaphor for what followed. Hawthorn was Tom Jones rocking the MCG as he belted out his much loved hits. The Swans were Ed Sheeran whose acoustic warbling was lost in a vast arena.

The Swans had lost big games before but seldom failed a test of character. This was the glaring exception. So the second-guessing about their future - and particularly the $10 million recruitment of Lance Franklin – could be heard before half-time. Particularly given Hawthorn had shed Buddy but still thrashed the Swans without him.

Now, two years later, Hawthorn’s reign has ended and that other hardy perennial Geelong has been shrugged aside. But here are the Swans entering a fourth grand final in 11 years – this time with the memory of 2014 to spur them.

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Dejected Sydney players leave the field as Hawthorn celebrate winning the 2014 grand final. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Swans’ chief executive Andrew Ireland looked like a contented uncle at a family wedding in the humming sheds after Friday nights’ victory. He acknowledges the gloom that engulfed the same rooms two years ago has played a part in the club’s rapid return to the grand final.

Ireland played in three losing grand finals with Collingwood. So when he says ‘’all players are products of their experiences’’ he speaks with some authority.

‘’It was a terribly poor effort on a big day,’’ he says of the 2014 grand final. ‘’But we didn’t want that to define who we are. I think the view was keep working hard and you’ll give yourself the chance to get back there.’’

Did Ireland – or anyone at the club – wonder if they could crawl from the canvas after such a humiliating defeat? ‘’No, no,’’ he says. ‘’There has never been a time at the club where I thought we wouldn’t be a chance. I think people just steeled themselves, particularly the ones who played that day. It’s not a nice way to experience a grand final.’’

Ireland had another reason to feel satisfied by Friday night’s win. Franklin had dominated the game, particularly in the first quarter when the Cats were crushed. No one is second-guessing the Swans’ massive gamble now.

“When that special players says he wants to come to your club then you want it to happen,’’ says Ireland. ‘’And, well, he’s a bloody good player.’’

Understandably John Longmire is less forthcoming about the ghosts of 2014. There is more chance the coach will show the Swans his wedding video this week than the lowlights reel from that game.

Why spook the many youngsters who did not play in that grand final with gruesome images of what can go wrong? And those who did endure the Hawks onslaught need no reminding.

“We’ve got eight players now who weren’t playing this time last year,’’ says Longmire. ‘’It’s about this year. It’s about making sure the footy we’ve played the last two weeks stands up.’’

Which is true. But equally, at club where the culture and history has been created before our eyes, the past now intersects neatly with the future.

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In the Swans’ sheds former skipper Stuart Maxfield, who did as much to instil the club’s famed Bloods culture as anyone, stood off to the side as usual quietly content. Brett Kirk, who inherited Maxfield’s mantle and has returned this season as an assistant coach, watched the players celebrate with obvious satisfaction.

Welfare officer Dennis Carroll, another former captain through thick and very thin, went to players and officials like a perfect party host making sure everyone was happy. Always thinking about others.

After 35 years in Sydney, and after more than a decade of superior achievement, there is a palpable sense of club spirit. A culture that means both caring for and demanding the best of those who enter the inner-sanctum.

Next Saturday there is also some unfinished business. The Swans might not win a third premiership in 11 years. But it would be staggering if they went down without a fight.