AFL is booming in Sydney but has the time come for Sydney Swans or GWS Giants to deliver a premiership?

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has thrown his support behind the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants despite mounting pressure over the perception their premiership windows are closing.

Forget about consistent finals appearances, growth of the game and healthy balance sheets.

Is it time that one of Sydney’s two clubs deliver that elusive premiership?

Lance Franklin is heading into the sixth year of his landmark decade-long deal at the Swans and GWS are a couple of superstar draft picks lighter as question marks mount over whether the window for both clubs is closing.

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AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has hailed Franklin the game’s greatest asset in Sydney and the explosion of participation numbers in NSW can be directly linked to the superstar forward’s arrival in red and white.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, McLachlan insists the Buddy boom would not go bust if the Swans fail to win a premiership with him in town, but how will fans react if a full 10 years passes and a title is not won with one of the greatest players of the modern era.

GWS averaged just under 12,000 at home matches last year and the sight of former stars Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith running out in opposition colours — and having a cheeky dig at Giants fans, or lack thereof, along the way — was a reminder that the honeymoon period might now be over.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has backed Sydney as a great place to play AFL. Picture: Toby Zerna

But McLachlan leapt to the defence of the Giants’ player retention policy and also believes the expectation that GWS should be selling out stadiums was still premature eight years into their lifespan in the fierce rugby league dominated battleground of western Sydney, calling it a “generational decision.”

The flip side of McLachlan’s strident defence of Sydney and GWS is the fact he is categorically refusing to budge on the AFL’s decision to drastically alter the infamous Cost of Living Allowance previously afforded to the city’s football twins.

The Swans and Giants are privately adamant that the taking away of the COLA has had an enormous impact on managing and retaining players in the most expensive city in the country where AFL athletes aren’t automatic household names.

Sydney are particularly filthy on the AFL for the trade ban they were slapped with following their recruitment of Franklin and they believe the adverse impact it’s had on them is laid bare in the huge age gap between veterans and rookies in their 2019 roster.

McLachlan declared that COLA is not hurting the Swans and Giants’ chances of striking while their irons are hot.

“It was important to me to have one salary cap across the league as we reviewed equalisation,” McLachlan told The Daily Telegraph.

“I speak to the Swans and Giants regularly. They express challenges around the cost, but I don’t believe the go-home factor is inhibiting their retention.

“They’ve got strong squads who both played finals last year and there’s a methodology to help deal with the additional cost.

“I reckon Sydney is now recognised as a great place to come and play football. These are two great clubs and I don’t think the go-home factor is to do with the Cost of Living issue.”

Sydney remains adamant recruiting Lance Franklin was the right move. Picture: Phil Hillyard

BUDDY

Franklin is All-Australian captain and the Swans are adamant the man they call Buddy has already paid for himself 10 times over with his marketing appeal and mentorship of young players at the club.

But fans want premierships.

McLachlan said the AFL certainly don’t believe that should be the barometer for Franklin in Sydney.

“In Sydney I think he is (the game’s greatest asset). He is a generational player who has been in the top three, four or five most marketable players in the past 20 years,” he said.

“He is an extraordinary player and it’s great he’s in Sydney.

“No, not from my perspective (would it be a failure to not win a flag). They’ve been very successful. They’ve continued making finals and they played in a grand final with Lance.

“They haven’t got it done, but he’s been an outstanding success.

“Sydney’s membership is now at record levels and we grew across the board by 10 per cent in NSW — it’s our fastest growing State. You can’t attribute that all to Lance but that’s while he’s been at the Sydney Swans.”

GWS Giants have gone close to a premiership without the ultimate success.

GIANTS

McLachlan insists that prejudging the Giants based on if they don’t win a premiership over the next couple of years is “hypothetical”.

The club has steadily lost stars over the past few seasons, leaving the likes of Stephen Coniglio with an enormous load on his shoulders, but McLachlan says that’s the salary cap, not flawed strategy.

Despite an impressive membership climb to 25,000, Giants crowds haven’t drastically improved, but McLachlan refuses to sweat over the weekly numbers.

“I don’t think so, I think they have an extraordinary, unbelievable amount of talent and a salary cap means you can’t keep them all,” he said.

“I think they’ve done a great job of list management.

“They’ve gone deep into finals, played two prelims and they’re in a position to do really well this year. It’s a hypothetical if they don’t win one. I know they’ve got a great squad now and they’re going to go deep again this year in my view.”

“We are happy. They’re going pretty well given the real start-up they are in emerging territory.”

Originally published as AFL is booming in Sydney but has the time come for Sydney Swans or GWS Giants to deliver a premiership?