In a series new to 2019, we revisit moments in history involving the Sydney Swans’ round-by-round opposition.

History, nostalgia and memories form a special part of what makes Australian rules football great, and we hope the Footy Flashbacks series reignites some of your fondest Swans moments.

In the latest edition, we turn back time to the day Tony Lockett’s right boot secured the Swans’ first grand final berth in 51 years.

Tony ‘Plugger’ Lockett was at one moment lining up for goal, every set of eyes in the 41,731-strong SCG crowd fixed on the powerhouse Sydney Swans forward. 

The next, the Swans were on their way to their first grand final in 51 years.

Scores remained locked as the final siren of the 1996 preliminary final reverberated throughout the SCG, but Lockett would stride in to hand Sydney a one-point win and shatter Essendon hearts.

Twenty-two seconds were left on the clock as Wade Chapman took an intercept mark just outside the centre square, before a looping cross-field kick was met by a rampaging Lockett.

And the decorated Swan, his tree-trunk legs soldiering towards goal, would slot a behind from outside 50 to snatch a 10.10 (70) to 10.9 (69) victory for the red and white.

Teammate Daniel McPherson witnessed the iconic moment from the edge of the centre square on the interchange side of the ground, and he says he’ll always have surreal memories of the last-gasp win.

“I was looking at some footage a few weeks ago and seeing the big stacks-on, everyone jumping on top of everyone, people jumping the fence and the crowd spilling onto the ground,” McPherson told Swans Media.

“My memories are very vivid of Wade Chapman getting the ball, kicking it to the top of the 50 and ‘Plugger’ steaming out. Once he got hold of it we knew we were a pretty good chance because he was such a champion and such a great kick of the footy. Even though he was just outside 50, I don’t think there were too many people who thought he wouldn’t get the distance. I remember seeing him walk in the way he used to, and he didn’t kick it as straight as he usually did, but it was sailing through the air and got through pretty comfortably.”

Sydney Swans treasure: The ball that secured a long-awaited grand final appearance for the red and white.

Lockett’s right boot put the Swans into their first decider since their 1945 Grand Final showdown with Carlton, a match the Blues won by 28 points in a game remembered as the Bloodbath.

The 1996 season saw the Swans qualify for their first finals campaign since 1987, and they hadn’t finished higher on the ladder than 12^th since 1989.

In perhaps an even more telling indication of the club’s dark times, Rodney Eade had become Sydney’s fifth coach in six years when he was appointed to the helm ahead of season 1996.

What followed was a resurgence Swans fans had long craved, with Sydney doubling the total of its 1995 regular-season wins and claiming the minor premiership en route to the big dance.

McPherson said the week-long lead-up to the Grand Final made for an unforgettable time in the club’s history.

Daniel McPherson in action for the Sydney Swans.

“The city was abuzz. We finished the year pretty well and finished on top of the ladder, and then to win by a goal against Hawthorn in the qualifying final was incredible. Then the SCG was packed for the preliminary final, and for it to finish the way it did was unbelievable,” McPherson said.

“There was a great sense of excitement and pride for the Sydney and South Melbourne fans. The realisation we were going to play in a grand final in a week’s time was amazing. We had certainly become the flavour of the month. To finish on top of the ladder and then win two finals was a pretty good deal, and the SCG was sold out for those two finals. We certainly got our fair share of media coverage, and probably for the first time in 10 years since Tom Hafey’s team was doing really well.”

McPherson arrived at the Swans ahead of the club’s 1994 campaign, and Sydney would finish 15^th and 12^th in 1994 and 1995 respectively under coach Ron Barassi.

McPherson, who played 111 AFL games in red and white in the years spanning 1994-2003, said a strong balance of youth and experience was crucial to the Swans’ revival.

“I think Barrassi’s appointment was about stabilising the club a little bit, and then Rodney Eade’s appointment was more about starting to win games of footy,” McPherson said.

“Now that probably happened a bit quicker than everyone thought it would, but the building blocks started to get put in place the year before.

“I had only turned 21 just before the 1996 finals series, and I hadn’t known anything different to losing over my first two years at the club. But there was a big group of young players who were all recruited around the same time, and we thought we’d go up to Sydney and do our best. We mixed that with some good players in their mid-20s, and also champions of the game like ‘Plugger’, Paul Roos, Mark Bayes, Andrew Dunkley, Daryn Cresswell, Paul Kelly and so on. We got a bit of momentum in 1996, and we ended up being pretty hard to beat most weeks.”

Daniel McPherson in his 111-game career in red and white.

Just over 20 years later, McPherson and his wife Susie are raising three children in Melbourne: 11-year-old Jessie, nine-year-old Archie and six-year-old Paddy.

McPherson joined Melbourne Football Club under former Demons coach Roos ahead of season 2014, beginning as forwards coach and transitioning to his current role of football operations manager.

Former Swans Greg Stafford (ruck coach) and Ben Mathews (stoppages and contest coach) are also at the Demons, after Roos executed a calculated strategy to surround himself with past Sydney teammates.

McPherson says he thoroughly enjoys being in the thick of the AFL system.

“It’s great. I’ve spent just about my whole adult life at footy clubs,” McPherson said.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in footy at this level, and to have a job in a footy environment post-playing is something I’m really fortunate to have.”