Swans’ 106-year minor premiership curse laid bare after Essendon thrashing

The Sydney Swans have all but locked up the AFL minor premiership but the club has to overcome history to claim it’s sixth flag.

Joel Amartey celebrates a goal. Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Short of a calamitous round 24 result against Adelaide, the Sydney Swans’ 15.8 (98) to 8.11 (59) thrashing of Essendon on Friday has wrapped up the AFL’s minor premiership.

While Port Adelaide, GWS and Geelong can at best equal the Swans on top of the ladder if they win their remaining games and Sydney lose to Adelaide, the Swans’ have a commanding percentage lead over all three of those teams.

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Assuming something crazy doesn’t happen, the Swans will claim the 10th minor premiership in club history.

But the result has also exposed a bizarre stat that of the nine previous minor premierships in club history, the Swans have made the grand final each time, but have only won the premiership twice — back in 1909 and 1918.

The Swans already have history against them this season with their 112-point shellacking at the hands of Port Adelaide a fortnight ago meaning if Sydney won the flag, it would be the biggest ever loss by an eventual premier, eclipsing 100 points by 1945 champions Carlton.

And if the Swans’ troubling first half performance was anything to go by, it looks like that drought could continue.

The Swans are up against history now. Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

A dour first half saw the Bombers lead 4.5 (29) to 3.4 (22) at halftime as the Swans were again stung by a slow start.

Six goals in the third and fourth quarters blew out the result as the Bombers’ season was likely snuffed out as the Swans showed their gears, but it’s another worrying performance in the opening half.

Sydney gave Essendon every chance to save its season after coughing up an eye-watering 37 inside 50s to halftime, but the Bombers could not make them pay.

The Swans have only won two opening quarters since round 10 and just eight for the season as their first half woes were again clearly on display.

“It was the same old Swans with that first quarter fade out; not being there to be able and stake a claim, especially after their last quarter heroics last week,” Collingwood icon Nathan Buckley told Fox Footy’s coverage at quarter-time.

“Four scoring shots each (at QT) isn’t representative of how the game (was) played, Essendon had all the territory.

“The conversation at quarter time for the Swans would’ve been pretty similar to the last three or four weeks: ‘Come on boys, let’s get to work and get our hands dirty’.”

It would take a near miracle for the Swans not to claim the minor premiership. Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Isaac Heeney and James Rowbottom had one disposal each, while Luke Parker didn’t touch the ball in the opening quarter.

Melbourne great Garry Lyon also slammed the Swans’ opening half.

“Flat, lethargic, an inability to pressure Essendon,” he said on Fox Footy. “Between the arcs, the contested number was scary.”

Speaking post-match, coach John Longmire praised the response after the opening half as “outstanding”, adding it “made it even better” to see his side’s response.

He did concede that the slow starts were a worry.

“We haven’t got that right (the first quarters), hopefully we’ll get that right,” Longmire said.

But the Swans bounced back to show they’re not the spent force their shock form slump between rounds 16 and the 112-point loss to Port Adelaide in round 21 may have led fans to believe.

With Ed Bourke, NewsWire