Wrote an article early this year after the Dogs game in Darwin.We copped a real flogging that night which was bad enough.Was seething,not coz f the floggin',but coz of our sickening lack of support and solidarity to each other.The thing that really sent me off my rocker was that shit kickout by Skinny.Remember.......Skinny kicked out ,straight down the throat of a dogs player who duly marked and sent it straight back over Skinny's noggin for a sausage roll......Poor Skinny,hands on hips,head bowed.Was i dirty on Skinny,a little.But what made me go beserk was the fact that he was left alone like a piece of shit.I jumped out of my seat and kept screaming........GET OVER TO HIM,GET OVER TO HIM.For mine,it was the most disgusting un Carlton like thing i had witnessed for many a long day.Can cop a floggin,but can not cop a Carlton player being deserted by his fellow Carlton teamates.EVER.

Whats the moral of the story ? The Sydney Swan's actually.
Congrats Bloods.Well done.Why did they win ? I think it was there UNITY.
Yes,they had there fair share of the pill,but quite often there are defining moments in a game.Pivotal moments,turning points.
I reckon there was one crucial moment,the turning point that tipped the balance the Bloods way.
It was in the last quarter.Luke Ablett took a spectacular one handed catch in the back pocket.Great ! but what did he do.Kicked straight across goal into the waiting arms of Benny Cousins.Goal.The Swans were now two kicks down and completely effed.
It would be understandable if the swannies gave Ablett a bake.You effen idiot,you just cost us a flag.BUT NO.TO A MAN<THEY ALL GOT OVER TO HIM AND GAVE HIM THERE SUPPORT............I knew at that moment the Swans would dig deep and go on with it.That is what TEAM is all about.No matter what the circumstances,you never desert your teamate EVER.

So do me one last favour Denis.Sit the boys down and replay that over and over.They then just might realize what its all about.

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All my dangerous friends

Spot on, Mickstar.
We've got a fair bit we can learn from the Swans.
Leadership, spirit, camaraderie, belief, etc
Well done, Swannies.

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Dut, de dut, de daaa!

Mickstar, mate I listen to you like few others, footy is still a simple game and you described that passage of play perfectly, a selfish pack of bastards would have let Ablett rot, but he was supported by the team.

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Well put, Mickstar.

I thought much along the same lines. 15 other teams in the AFL would have let him swing in the wind. Some teams players would have even given him a serve about how HE lost THEM the flag. But no. For once in the match, Goodes proved his worth by bolstering the kid, and keeping his head up.

If any passage of play summed up Sydney's 2005, compared to every other team's, that was it.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Couldn't agree more. I think that our club currently is the worst lead club I've seen take an A.F.L field and not just because of their personal efforts. Mick you hit the nail on the head with the Lappin example, we desperately need to recruit some strong wise heads not just kids.

Or we need to recruit kids with strong, wise heads. Kids with character, then piss off all the old bad influences, and bring these kids up together. But if we could bring in a couple of great role models in the 24y.o range, that'd cap things off nicely.

Yes, I want to have my cake and eat it too.

problem is, they are still holding out hopes of re-signing some of those bad influences.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Great post. Champion team beats a team of champions. Also the only way we will win a flag in the next 5 years. Get busy DENNIS

LOVED THE POST MICKSTAR. WELL THOUGHT OUT.

I WONDER IF THE EAGLES HAVE THE SAME PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS "THE BLOKE WHO COST THE THE PREMIERSHIP" STAKER

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Blue is the Colour, Football is the game...

well said mickstar. We would all wish that the blues would have this kind of compassion.

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Bulldogs captain Steve Mortimer stood up to address his troops before they ran out. ''I'm a proud c---,'' he told them, ''I'm a winner, I wish myself a good g...ame, I wish everyone a good game. Let's get out there and f---ing bash them

Agree with all - great post - thought at the time - Oops - just cost the Swannies the flag but Goodes and Co were just so great going over to him - SOS in the box was talking about it and I bet the back 6 of 1995 would have been straight over to Ang or Secco if one of them made a similar stuff up.

Very quiet over here in Perth tonight

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I'm shocked to be sitting here

Mighty post Mickstar, it’s the simple things that are elusive and creating apositive cohesive team feeling is vital, great point
Bring past champions into the coaching and get some leadership happening fast, we must concentrate on this.
Ciao

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Go Blue Boys

I was just thinking, you know, watching the swans win was, like, pretty exciting.... but, like, wouldn't watching the game be more fun if, you know, like, Carlton were playing in it and winning?

maybe its just me.... I dunno

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Love Cricket? Love me

devils advocate - when was the last time the team played consistently with the solidarity/support that you speak about? For mine it was 2002 when brittain was coach (and no I'm not calling for him to be reinstated).

Perhaps that is something to think about though

yes we had blokes like McKay and Hickmont...back then.....
Blokes who understood leadership....

Unlike what is left .....

Comes from the team.....Want Denis out there to do the team things too???

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We were equally woeful that year. Surely 2004 had a few games where some definate team spirit shone through.

Spirit stems from those in the team that care..
Nothing worse than blokes on hundreds of thousands of dollars and they dont care....
You can see who cares....

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Some of the skill errors I saw today made me think I was watching Carlton again! The swans weren't the most talented side this year but showed it takes more than talent to win a flag. I don't think we went backwards this year or after the Wiz cup because of loss of talent either.

The Swans are the Greeks of Europe.... they won a Flag with their team work and team ethics... a Team with very few Super Stars, yet they were able to win a Flag with what i must admit some of the most negative defensive tactics seen.....

they were like the Greeks of Europe.. they play defending and flooding for 90% of the game, and then they attack once or twice and they score, hence win the game.....

the precision and deadly accuracy and commitment of their players is something i havnt seen for a decade.... if Carlton had what syd do, we would be making the 8 every year, even with that poor list of ours..

the sydney recruiting manager was asked the secret to his success in the age last week, he said "there aren't any flower running round for us" an interesting comment as we enter the draft period and welcome numerous threads and comments that will no doubt rule out certain players because they're a cm too short or a yard too slow