Early in the second quarter of Saturday's match, our Swans trailed the reigning premiers by twenty-six points on their almost impenetrable home ground. Not for the first time on the mighty MCG, we dug deep. We fought back through the guts and accountability that almost one-hundred-and-fifty years of grit demands.

Heritage is all the things that make up our identities - like spirit, ingenuity, and resilience. Our heritage is a legacy from our past, a living, breathing part of our life today, and the stories we pass on to future generations. It's tradition. It's what connects our past and our present.

When former Swans chairman and current chair of the Swans' Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Richard Colless, addressed the room at the Swans' Hall of Fame dinner last week, he welcomed the true believers. True believers like him and many others have forged a path forward, breaking down barriers along the way.

For the people of South Melbourne, their joy had always been intrinsically linked to their football team. They forged a collective strength through adversity, with the Lake Oval providing a comforting haven. Regular attendees became like family, and these were the truest of true believers.

French philosopher Henri Bergson coined the phrase elan vital in 1907. Translated, it essentially means life force. It's what drives people and communities to evolve and connect, and among the Bloods, it had always been strong, the ultimate bonding agent.

It's the stories and memories that allow the richness of our history to survive and thrive. Current Swans chairman Andrew Pridham relayed a story about the Lake Oval barman and his pet cockatoo, contently perched on said barman's shoulder as he served the faithful their frothies. The cockatoo's colourful vocabulary is now folklore but won't be repeated here!

This year, our history's been enhanced by introducing an additional Hall of Fame category - Bloods Champions - with their tales told to an adoring crowd.

The first of those, Roy Cazaly, joined South Melbourne in 1921. Soon, the formidable ruck combination of Cazaly, Fred'  Skeeter' Fleiter, and rover Mark Tandy became known as The Terrible Trio. His ability to ruck and launch for high-flying marks at just 180cm tall also became folklore. Those aerial feats thrilled football lovers across Melbourne. The catch cry Up there Cazaly became synonymous with Swans matches, but Australian troops also used it as a battle cry during the second world war. 

Swans' Team of the Century Centre-Half Forward, and two-time Australian Test cricketer, Laurie Nash joined him as a Bloods Champion. The great Gordon Coventry once described his genius on the football field - 'I could not name many who had so many outstanding qualities’.

Heritage Week is a special time for any Swan, as it provides an opportunity for reflection and, indeed, celebration. My dear old Nan grew up in the small Riverina town of Grong Grong. She was one of thirteen kids, and due to the strong connection South had with zoning players from the region, she followed the Bloods. In time, so did I, and she taught me that sport is the great leveller.

A far cry from the salubrious setting of the Grand Hyatt ballroom, the Swans’ Lakeside conditions grew increasingly outdated as time went by, but a faithful following remained. If the home team managed to salute, satisfied Swans would scamper towards the welcoming watering holes of Clarendon Street, always conscious of the 6pm closing time.

Barry Round was one of the eight inaugural Bloods Champions, elevated into the new category. He spoke of the heartbreak of leaving the heartland and the final match at the Lake Oval in 1981 - the last of over one thousand. In front of the members' stand, before the game, the Swans' cheer squad performed a mock funeral, dressed entirely in mournful black.

The Swans' Hall of Fame is a bastion of excellence. Introduced in 2009, it allows us to formally recognise the incredible contributions of those who have positively impacted the club, through playing, coaching, or administerial endeavours, across our remarkable history.

Round was one of the inaugural inductees in 2009, and the impact he had in captaining the club through the initial stages of the Sydney venture can never be overstated. During times of great difficulty, it's important to ponder whether to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future. For the Swans, the first brave steps towards the unknown were upon them, and make no mistake, it was tough. 

Another Hall of Famer in attendance on the night, Steve Wright, once told me that due to the irregular and at times non-existent payment cycles, players and their partners would often pool together whatever food remained in their pantries just to create a meal at night. 

Bloods champions Greg Williams & Gerard Healy arrived together in the pre-season of 1986. These were complicated times, but the new arrivals brought a sense of hope not seen since the Foreign Legion period of the 1930s. Both midfielders would be named in the Swans' Team of the Century and left their indelible legacy, becoming icons of the sport.

We've been blessed over time with some supremely talented and hardworking footballers. Among them are Bloods Legends Peter Bedford and Paul Kelly. Both were in attendance to induct the new Champions, and one of Kelly's ex-teammates reunited with his flock.

Resilience reverberates through the walls of the Sydney Swans Football Club. The events of Daryn Cresswell's life have challenged him deeply personally. Tears flowed as he was welcomed back into the fold, and his Hall of Fame induction was highly emotional. Newly inducted Bloods Champion, Michael O'Loughlin eloquently conveyed the love in the room for Cressa.

Coming from a close-knit family in Adelaide, O'Loughlin's Swans' career truly is worth celebrating. If not for his Mum, it may have been over before it began. Homesickness gripped the then-teenager, but after some parental persuasion, he stayed. He stayed to become the first-ever Swan to play 300 games. Stayed to become a premiership player. He stayed to take his place on the club's board of directors.

O'Loughlin arrived in the same pre-season as another Bloods Champion inductee, Tony Lockett. In one of the great sporting coups, the biggest name in football arrived in the Harbour City and, within a season, led the club to its first Grand Final in fifty-one years. The day he kicked his record-breaking 1300th goal lives exquisitely in our collective souls.

Another treasured category in the Swans' Hall of Fame is the club's heritage list. Like Plugger on that famous day, current Swan Lance Franklin lived a dream earlier this year. The unforgettable scenes following his 1000th goal will live on forever; we all witnessed a luminous outpouring of love for Lance.

Also heritage-listed were Jared Crouch's astounding 194-consecutive games since debut and the Swans' greatest VFA team - equal parts courage and class. 

In fact, phenomenal research has unearthed a comprehensive account of our highly-successful VFA period, in which we won five of our ten premierships. One of the era's prime movers, five-time premiership player Tom Bushell entered the Hall of Fame, described as one of the finest forwards of the day.

Also inducted was the rugged and highly skilled Peter Reville, one of our best in the 1933 premiership. The 1934 Grand Final was not quite as successful, though, as he was reported three times in what would be his final match. Arthur Hiskins' impressive, consistent and unique fifteen-year career, interrupted by World War One service, was also rewarded with his Hall of Fame nomination.

The final Bloods Champion elevation belonged to 2005 premiership co-captain Brett Kirk. When he retired after the 2010 season, Kirk left a solitary note on his number thirty-one locker - it's all about the love. A true warrior loved and admired by us all. 

Kirk spoke of his admiration for the club and the steadfast dedication of those who've seen the club through to its current-day standing. Heritage is the passing on of that very culture, and with Kirky in our corner, we're in the safest of hands.

Heritage permeated the famous red-vee guernsey worn proudly by our Bloods during the memorable victory on Saturday night, and our history ensures we're a team that won't give in. In the storied words of legendary Swans historian Jim Main, It's in the Blood.