Any AFL player will tell you team success is always more important than individual success. And if the Swans are looking for any internal confirmation this week they need only go to Brett Kirk.
Now the club’s Head of Player Wellbeing and Development, Kirk had the best year of his 241-game career in 2005 when he won the Bob Skilton Medal in the premiership side. He was 6th in the League in aggregate possessions and led the League in contested possessions, clearances and tackles.
Yet he was shunned by the All-Australian selectors and largely ignored in the Brownlow Medal.
Swans pair Barry Hall and Leo Barry, who finished 2nd and 5th in the club championship, were chosen ahead of Kirk in the All-Australian side along with no less than nine opposition midfielders.
Mark Riccuito finished 6th in the best and fairest in an Adelaide side that was beaten in the preliminary final yet was chosen at half forward and named All-Australian captain.
Luke Ball, Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo were 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the B&F in a St Kilda side beaten by Sydney in the preliminary final, yet Ball was named as the starting ruck-rover in the All-Australian side, with Hayes and Dal Santo on the wings.
West Coast’s Ben Cousins, Western Bulldogs’ Scott West, Port Adelaide’s Kane Cornes and North Melbourne’s Shannon Grant and Brent Harvey were also preferred to Kirk.
In the Brownlow Kirk polled 10 votes to finish equal 27th and behind teammates Barry Hall (16) and Jude Bolton (13) and no less than 20 midfielders.
Among them, Daniel Kerr, runner-up to teammate Cousins in the Brownlow with 19 votes, finished 8th in the West Coast B&F. And Adelaide’s Tyson Edwards, equal 5th in the Brownlow with 16 votes, was 5th in the Adelaide B&F.
And yet Kirk could not have cared less. Because he had all he wanted. A premiership medallion.
Cousins, who won the 2005 Brownlow, and his West Coast teammate Chris Judd, who won the 2005 Norm Smith Medal, would gladly give them back if they could exchange them for Kirk’s premiership medal. It’s just how it is.
That powerful team-first play-your-role mentality, typified by Kirk 17 years ago and the cornerstone of the Swans team now, has been fundamental to a 2022 campaign that will culminate in Saturday’s Grand Final against Geelong at the MCG.
It is chance for the team captained now by Luke Parker, Dane Rampe and Callum Mills to write their own special chapter in Swans history, just as Kirk and his teammates did in 2005, when it ended in glory with Steve Quartermain’s famous ‘Leo Barry – You Star’ mark and coach Paul Roos’ unforgettable “Here it is” comment after receiving the premiership cup.
Season 2005 had begun on an upward curve with high hopes. Having finished 3rd and 5th in 2003-04 after going 10th, 7th and 11th in 2000-02, the Swans traded their first pick in the 2004 National Draft, pick #15, to Melbourne for ruckman Darren Jolly. And they drafted Jared Moore (five games) and rookies Luke Vogels (11 games) and Heath Grundy (did not play that year).
The coaching staff of senior coach Paul Roos and assistants John Longmire, Peter Jonas and Ross Lyon was unchanged, with Stuart Maxfield going into his third season as captain.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Swans were out of the top eight five times in the first half of the season and did not get into the top four until Round 16.
They had an aggregate 5-6 win/loss home-and-away record against the other finals sides yet were a super-reliable 10-1 against non-finalists. And their only loss to a non-finalist was against Richmond in Round 14 when they were 7th at the time.
Maxfield, who had become a huge club favorite after moving from Richmond, played five of the first six games, with his 200th for the club in Round 6. Sadly, injuries intervened and he never played again.
For the first time in club history the Swans opted for co-captains, with Kirk, Barry Hall and Leo Barry sharing the role for the rest of the season and through 2006-07.
The Swans had a 5-5 record interstate during the home-and-away season, and beat only one finals team on the road, but compensated by winning their last nine home games of the regular season to finish with a 10-2 home record, having lost twice to visiting teams sitting 4th on the ladder at the time.
Most significantly, nine Sydney players played every game in a campaign which stretched to 26 games. And not just any nine players – they were nine who finished top 10 in the Skilton Medal. It was Kirk from Barry Hall, Craig Bolton, Amon Buchanan, Leo Barry, Tadhg Kennelly and Adam Goodes, who finished 2nd-7th, and Ryan O’Keeffe and Jared Crouch, who were 9th and 10th. Jude Bolton, who played 24 games, finished 8th.
But there were other disruptions. Stephen Doyle, a consistent 19-game ruckman in partnership with Jason Ball in 2004, did his ankle in Round 1 and missed the rest of the year. Matthew Nicks played his 175th game in Round 11 before an injury-forced retirement. And Jarrad McVeigh, who had played 20 games in an impressive first season in 2004, was in and out of the side but didn’t play after Round 17.
Still, the Swans finished 3rd on the home-and-away ladder with a 15-7 record, two games behind Adelaide and West Coast and a game ahead of St Kilda. They went into the finals in good shape, with coach Roos enjoying the extraordinary luxury of making just one change to his team in four weeks. An unforced one.
Qualifying Final v West Coast – Subiaco
Craig Bolton played his 100th game as the Swans travelled west to meet the Eagles at Subiaco having split their home-and-away meetings 1-1 with homeground advantage. They lost by four points after leading by 14 points at three-quarter time in an epic.
In the final term West Coast defender turned forward Adam Hunter intercepted an errant clearing kick and goaled from 40m, and teammate Tyson Stenglein turned a controversial free kick into a 55m goal. Suddenly it was three points.
Michael O’Loughlin kicked a magnificent right-foot banana on the run from 40m in the pocket to give the Swans a little breathing room, but Michael Gardiner pulled in a strong mark in the Eagles goalsquare to bring it back to three points.
Hunter took a huge pack mark and converted from 35 to put West Coast in front with six minutes to play before Chris Judd kicked long to set up the clincher. Big man Gardiner showed remarkable athleticism to gather the crumbs about 30m out and fired a long handball over his shoulder towards goal. It landed in the path of Ashley Sampi running towards the sticks, and after first knocking it on he gathered and slotted a left-foot snap from 20m. West Coast by nine.
With less than 90 seconds on the clock Adam Schneider pulled one goal back for Sydney from 45m straight in front but time ran out. West Coast won 10.9 (69) to 10.5 (65).
Kirk (24), Tadhg Kennelly (21), Paul Williams (21) and Adam Goodes (20) led the possession count, while O’Loughlin (3), Nick Davis (3) and Hall (2) were multiple goal-kickers.
Semi-Final v Geelong – SCG
Coach Roos made his only team change of the finals when he recalled Paul Bevan for an SCG semi-final against Geelong, who had beaten Melbourne by 55 points in the elimination final. Bevan, on the outer after playing 12 of the first 13 games, replaced Luke Vogels, while the Cats lost Peter Riccardi and Nathan Ablett to injury but regained Corey Enright and recalled David Johnson.
It was the epic of all epics when the Swans trailed at every change and by 20 points at halftime before getting home 7.14 (56) to 7.11 (53) on the back of four Nick Davis goals in the final quarter. Kirk (25), Davis (24), Amon Buchanan (23) and Jared Crouch (23) topped the possession list.
Preliminary Final v St Kilda – MCG
St Kilda had beaten minor premiers Adelaide by eight points at Football Park in the qualifying final to earn a week off, but still made three changes ahead of an MCG preliminary final against Sydney. Brendon Goddard, Max Hudghton and Matt Maguire returned for the injured Sam Fisher, Aaron Hamill and Justin Peckett.
The Saints had won nine of their last 10 and were up and about when they led by seven points at three-quarter time, but it all changed in a hurry in the final term. They stopped running and the Swans piled on 7.0 to 0.4 to win by 31 points at 15.6 (96) to 9.11 (65). Best afield Ryan O’Keefe (24) and Adam Goodes (20) were the leading possession-winners as Barry Hall (4) and Adam Schneider (3) led the goal-kicking.
Grand Final v West Coast – MCG
West Coast, coming off a 16-point preliminary final win over minor premiers Adelaide at Subiaco, had lost Michael Braun and Rowan Jones to injury. Kasey Green was included for just his third game of the year, while Sam Butler, out of the side since Round 17, was also recalled. And, in a surprise move, Quentin Lynch, a late out through illness in the preliminary final, was left out of the grand final side when coach John Worsfold elected to stick with Travis Gaspar, who had taken his spot for his first game of the year. Again, Sydney was unchanged.
It was one of the great grand finals which, when viewed by Swans fans today, takes on a slightly different look, just momentarily, now that ex-West Coast ruck champion Dean Cox is on the Sydney coaching staff. One of ‘us’ rather than one of ‘them’.
Cox was colossal for the Eagles with 19 possessions, a goal and 29 hit-outs as he, with only an occasional chop-out from Mark Seaby (4 possessions, 11 hit-outs), took on the Sydney ruck pairing of Darren Jolly (10 possessions, 1 goal, 12 hit-outs) and Jason Ball (4 possessions, 13 hit-outs).
On a perfect day in front of a crowd of 91,828, Mark Nicoski got the first goal for the Eagles before Jolly equalised. After Cox got the Eagles’ second Sydney doubled up through Adam Schneider and Barry Hall after Hall, who had sparked a melee when he coat-hangered Ashley Sampi, earned a push-in-the-back free kick virtually in the square. It was Sydney 3-0 to West Coast 2-4 at quarter-time. Swans by two points.
The Swans kicked the only three goals of the second quarter. Michael O’Loughlin converted after a bullet pass from Amon Buchanan, Tadhg Kennelly did likewise after a long run and beautiful kick from Sean Dempster, and Adam Goodes posted the third with a snap on his left from a loose ball in the goalmouth. It was 6.3 to 2.7 at halftime – Swans by 20 points.
But the momentum swung. West Coast ended a 49-minute goal drought when Andrew Embley slotted the first after the long break, and after Ashley Hansen and Adam Hunter followed, they had the only goals of the third term. It was 6.5 to 5.9 at the last change – Swans by two points.
The MCG lights were on as the final quarter began but Sydney midfielder Luke Ablett probably wished otherwise. After taking a clever one-handed mark in the back pocket he kicked across the face of his own goal … but not quite well enough. It was intercepted by Ben Cousins. The Eagles got the all-important first major of the final term.
Hunter marked on the goal line to put West Coast 10 points up. It had been a 30-point swing. All the momentum was with the blue and yellow.
A free kick against Cox in a ball-up went to Jolly and he hit a leading Hall lace-out. His 54m kick was magnificent. Back to four points. Then five when O’Loughlin, looking dangerous but not having his best day in front of goal, missed to the right.
Cox won a loose ball in the midfield and sent the Eagles forward. It spilled into the path of Drew Banfield. On the fly 30m out on his preferred left he had time, but he crashed it into the left post. A telling moment. West Coast by five points.
Daniel Kerr, twice off the ground early with injury, snapped across his body from 30m but sliced it just right for a behind before Robert Walls said in commentary “Dean Cox is rucking magnificently in the last quarter”.
And so, he was. But as the clock ticked past 19 minutes into the final quarter there as a ball-up 35m from the Sydney goal. Cox was having a well-earned spell. It was Ball against Seaby, and the Eagle turned Swan did it magnificently, sending a right-hand tap over his left shoulder into space.
Amon Buchanan, closely checked by Andrew Embley, was first to it. He gathered, ducked under a would-be tackle from David Wirrpanda and got off a pressured left-foot snap as Embley lunged. It was good. It was better than good. “A magnificent strategy goal,” said Walls. Sydney by one.
But there was still time. Sydney had more chances, but they couldn’t put them away.
Jude Bolton, forced from the ground with a nasty head gash in the third quarter, returned wearing a blood-stained helmet that Kirk had worn the week before. He was everywhere, but when he had a chance to put the Swans further in front he missed.
Ryan O’Keefe, Paul Williams and Adam Goodes did likewise. Four Sydney behinds in a row in nearly 11 minutes without reply from West Coast, but as the clock ticked past 30minutes the margin was still only five points.
West Coast went forward, and Swans fans collectively held their breath. The ball spilled over the back of a big pack 20m from goal. Tadhg Kennelly saved a desperate situation when he was first to it and rushed it through. Four points with 40 seconds to play.
Leo Barry kicked long towards the wing, just hoping for a dead ball situation, but the brilliant Cox was equal to the task. He took his seventh mark and, knowing time was against his side, threw it onto his left boot.
It was the Eagles’ last chance. As a giant pack formed 30m from the Swans goal Barry flew in from the side to pull down a screamer. In 237 games he took 1175 marks, but none were as important as this.
Steve Quartermain did the rest: “Leo Barry … you star” he screamed. The siren sounded before he could take his kick, and Kennelly led a pile-on which quickly saw most Swans players on top of the last-second hero.
“The longest premiership drought in history is over … .for the first time in 72 years the Swans are champions of the AFL,” said Quartermain before coach Roos and captain Hall were presented with the Cup by Swans favorite Paul Kelly.
It was 8.10 (58) to 7.12 (54). The Banfield poster in the dying minutes was crucial, but so was every other play in 121min37sec of grand final magnificence.
The unheralded Nic Fosdike had 26 possessions, seven tackles and seven clearances to top the stats sheet, while Kirk, described by one sign in the crowd as “the toughest man on earth”, had 22 possessions and seven tackles.
Hall, with a game-high 10 marks, 17 possessions and two goals, was the Swans only multiple goal-kicker in a game in which the team possessions count favoured Sydney 293-285 but most other key stats went to West Coast. They dominated inside 50s 51-41, won clearances 36-32 and had a 127-117 edge in contested possessions.
Chris Judd (29), Ben Cousins (27), Chad Fletcher (20) and David Wirrpanda (20) led the Eagles possession count, while Hunter was their only multiple goal-kicker with two.
Judd won the Norm Smith Medal although Swans fans claimed later than Lewis Roberts-Thomson should have got the nod after a sterling effort, especially in the first half. Like Barry, Kennelly and Hall, Roberts-Thomson played 100% game time for his 17 possessions, six marks and seven one-percenters.
For Ball it was the end of the road. After 193 games and premiership for West Coast in 1994 and Sydney in 2005 he retired. He will forever be remembered as the player whose clever ruck work put the ball in the right place for Schneider to kick the winning goal.
The 2005 Swans Premiership Team was:
B: Jared Crouch, Leo Barry, Lewis Roberts-Thomson
HB: Ben Mathews, Craig Bolton, Tadhg Kennelly
C: Sean Dempster, Adam Goodes, Amon Buchanan
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Barry Hall (c), Jude Bolton
F: Paul Williams, Michael O’Loughlin, Nick Davis
R: Darren Jolly, Brett Kirk, Luke Ablett.
INT: Jason Ball, Paul Bevan, Adam Schneider, Nic Fosdike.
It was the Swans’ fourth VFL/AFL premiership after wins in 1909, 1918 and 1933. The club had previously won five VFA premierships in 1881, ’85, ’88, ’89 and ‘90 and went on to win the AFL flag again in 2012.
How the 2005 Premiership Team Was Built …
If the 2005 Sydney Swans premiership team was a 22-piece jigsaw puzzle Michael O’Loughlin was the first piece put in place. Drafted from SANFL club Central Districts with pick #40 in the 1993 National Draft, he began a process that took 12 years and saw the club’s recruiting and list management team scour every corner of the country.
The second piece in the puzzle, Leo Barry, was a zone selection in the 1994 National Draft, and was followed by Jared Crouch, pick #8 in the 1995 National Draft, and Ben Mathews, a zone selection in the 1995 National Draft.
Adam Goodes joined the Swans via pick #43 in the 1997 National Draft – a prized pick-up but not quite as good as it might seem. It was a draft in which each club was allowed only one 17-year-old and Sydney elected to use their 17-year-old choice later than most when Goodes was off-limits to those who had gone earlier.
Thereafter, it was a year-by-year process at the trade table and via the draft.
In 1998 the Swans enjoyed a triple feast, picking up Nic Fosdike at #3 and Jude Bolton at #8 in the National Draft, and adding Brett Kirk with their second pick, #40 overall, in the Rookie Draft. This was after the club worked hard to strengthen their draft hand, sending Paul Licuria and Mark Orchard to Collingwood for pick #3 and Jason Mooney to Geelong for pick #8, among other deals.
In the 1999 National Draft the Swans traded pick #11 and pick #41 to West Coast for Jason Ball, who had originally joined the AFL as an Eagles Pre-Draft Selection in 1991. They snared Ryan O’Keefe with pick #56 in the National Draft and Irishman Tadhg Kennelly with pick #9 in the Rookie Draft, after having previously traded Stefan Carey to Brisbane for pick #21 and Troy Cook to Fremantle for pick #34.
In proof of how a player’s worth can change, Paul Williams, originally drafted by Collingwood with pick #70 in the 1989 AFL National Draft, joined the Swans ahead of the 2000 National Draft in a trade for pick #8 and pick #39. And the Swans will say they won on the deal. The club also took Luke Ablett with pick #24 and Amon Buchanan with pick #52, which the club had received from Fremantle for Dwayne Simpson. Buchanan was later de-listed at the end of 2003 after a nightmare run with injury and redrafted with pick #45 in the 2003 National Draft.
A monster trade ahead of the 2001 National Draft saw the Swans send pick #13, pick #17 and pick #45 to St Kilda for Barry Hall, who had originally been drafted with pick #19 in the 1995 National Draft. They also claimed Lewis Roberts-Thomson with #29 in the 2001 National Draft and Adam Schneider with pick #60. Pick #17 was part of the deal they did with Richmond for Greg Stafford.
Nick Davis, originally a father/son pick to Collingwood at #19 in the 1998 National Draft, joined the Swans ahead of 2002 in a trade for pick #21. The club also drafted Sean Dempster at pick #34 and picked up a bargain when they snared Brisbane cast-off Craig Bolton with pick #2 in the subsequent Pre-Season Draft. They topped off a bumper off-season period with Paul Bevan as a zone selection in the Rookie Draft, officially listed as pick #64.
The 22nd and final piece of the puzzle was Darren Jolly, secured in a trade with Melbourne for pick #15 in the 2004 National Draft.
The three Swans emergencies for the 2005 grand final were Andrew Schauble, who had originally joined Collingwood as pick #66 in the 1993 National Draft before being traded to Sydney for Mark Kinnear and pick #34 in the 1999 National Draft, Nick Malceski, pick #64 in the 2002 National Draft, and Jared Moore, pick #31 in the 2004 National Draft.
