As Swans turn sights on Fremantle for the preliminary final, their suspended players are still the story on and off the field.
F our weeks ago, the Sydney Swans were preparing to play North Melbourne in the final round of the home and away season. By that point of the week, five of their players had been suspended for the rest of the year for a breach of club standards. We’d been bombarded with think pieces.
We’d been lectured to by personal injury lawyers. The prime minister, the governor general and the Victorian premier had all weighed in.
At that stage, much of the objections had been directed at the way the story was framed as a footballing story. Most of the time they sounded like one of those disclaimers at the end of a betting ad.
The anger turned towards a few tactless tweets and comments by pundits who make a living saying objectionable things.
Sydney won well that Sunday against North Melbourne. The opposition were feckless, and already half on holiday. For Sydney, it was a reminder that they still had champions on their list, that those who had replaced the suspended players were all hungry and disciplined, and that most of their supporters still wanted to believe in them.
A qualifying final against Brisbane seemed like an impossible task however.
None of them were defensive liabilities.
Sydney went in without three of their best players, and then lost their captain Callum Mills in the first quarter. Yes, their spirit and effort stood in direct contrast to the Lions.