The Sydney Swans are on of six teams with the bye this weekend while the rest of the competition rolls on.
Has it come at a good time? Will they come back bigger and better?
As Josh Kennedy said last weekend, the bye offers a chance for his side "to take a breather" and review the season thus far ahead of what the skipper hopes is a huge second half.
Or, can it have the adverse effect? Will it be a dint to the team's continuity after winning three of their past four games?
Only time will tell - the Swans' big Round 12 clash against the Western Bulldogs should tell all.
For your information, this is how the Club has fared before and after the mid-season bye in recent years.
2016
Round 13 - Defeated Melbourne by 55 points at the SCG
Round 14 - Bye
Round 15 - Lost to the Western Bulldogs by four points at the SCG
Persistent rain plagued the Sydney Swans' Round 13 clash with Melbourne, the Swans breaking records on the way to grinding out a 12.14 (86) to 4.7 (31) win.
The home side laid 155 tackles in an extremely tough hit-out, surpassing the AFL's previous best by a team (142, Richmond against Port Adelaide in 2010).
Luke Parker led the way with 17 tackles on his own while Lance Franklin was in good touch with four goals.
They went into the bye sitting second on the ladder with a 10-3 record, but would come up against a determined Bulldogs outfit who were also rested and keen to bounce back from a big loss to Geelong in which they conceded their second highest score against to that point in the season.
After an extremely tight opening half, the Swans let the Bulldogs off the leash as the visitors piled on six goals to two in the third quarter to take a 13-point lead into the final change.
Back-to-back goals to Franklin helped the home side retake the lead before Dogs defender Jason Johannisen ripped the hearts out of the red and white to pinch a last-minute win with the final kick of the game.
2015
Round 11 – Defeated North Melbourne by 16 points at Etihad Stadium
Round 12 – Bye
Round 13 – Lost to Richmond by 18 points at the SCG
The Sydney Swans were flying in third position on the ladder having won nine matches to that point in the season, six of which had come in consecutive weeks leading into the Round 12 bye.
Sydney came up against Richmond which was eager to bounce back from a loss the previous Friday night by second-ranked and eventual grand finalists West Coast. They were also fighting to hold on to eighth spot on the table.
The fight in both sides was on show before the first bounce with Lance Franklin and Alex Rance exchanging pleasantries in Sydney’s forward line. The fiery start set the tone for the rest of the match.
Once the dust settled, Sydney showed no signs of any post-bye sluggishness after kicking eight goals to three in the opening half. The second half however was a different story as Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin (27 disposals) and Jack Riewoldt (six goals) led an 11-goal-to-three resurgence to help the Tigers claim the upset.
Sydney’s midfielders battled hard with Josh Kennedy (28 possessions) earning one Brownlow vote for his efforts, but the loss was soured further after both Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett were reported and subsequently suspended for one match each.
2014
Dan Hannebery celebrates with the home crowd after kicking a goal in the Swans' Round 11 win against Geelong in 2014.
Round 9 – Defeated Essendon by 50 points at Etihad Stadium
Round 10 – Bye
Round 11 – Defeated Geelong by 110 points at the SCG
Proudly sporting an Indigenous-themed guernsey designed by Adam Goodes’ mother Lisa Sansbury, the Sydney Swans hit the ground running following the Round 10 bye to steamroll the second-placed Cats to the tune of 18 goals in front of 37,355 fans at the SCG.
The victory was number six in a string of 12 consecutive wins and was spearheaded by twin towers Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin who kicked nine goals between them, five coming in a blistering opening term.
Nick Malceski dominated across half-back with a career-high 37 disposals, eight rebound 50s, six inside 50s, four tackles and the three Brownlow votes, followed by Franklin (2) and Tippett (1). Goodes also starred with 17 touches and three impressive goals.
The four points and percentage booster elevated the Swans from fifth to third, behind Hawthorn and ladder leaders Port Adelaide which become another scalp in the Swans’ amazing streak two weeks later.
2013
Round 11 – Defeated Adelaide by 77 points at Football Park
Round 12 – Bye
Round 13 – Lost to Port Adelaide by 18 points at Football Park
The Round 12 bye was sandwiched between back-to-back trips to Adelaide’s former home ground Football Park in 2013.
Sydney, having just beaten the Crows by over 12 goals, was sitting third on the ladder with an 8-2 win-loss record in the lead up to the return journey across the border.
And the first half looked promising as, boosted by the addition of full-forward Kurt Tippett into the line-up for his first game as a Swan, the visitors jumped out to a nine-point lead at the main break. They extended that by as much as 16 points nearing the halfway mark of the third term.
But a momentum swing saw Port Adelaide click into gear and kick seven of the next nine goals to cause what the AFL dubbed post-match as the “upset of the year”.
Josh Kennedy led the charge for Sydney with 31 disposals and seven clearances while Jarrad McVeigh battled hard across half-back with 27 possessions and seven tackles. Tippett finished the match with two goals in what was his first appearance in Adelaide since crossing to Sydney.
2012
(L-R) Craig Bird, Lewis Jetta, Lewis Roberts-Thomson and Tony Armstrong celebrate an Andrejs Everitt goal in the narrow win against the Cats in Round 13, 2012.
Round 11 – Defeated Essendon by four points at Etihad Stadium
Round 12 – Bye
Round 13 – Defeated Geelong by six points at the SCG
The Sydney Swans had to overcome a few hurdles on the way to winning the premiership in 2012, including a couple of close results against Essendon and Geelong either side of the Round 12 bye.
After holding on for a narrow victory against Essendon, Sydney again had to stave off a resurgent opposition the Cats in front of 27,400 fans at the SCG.
Leading at every change, including by 24 points at three-quarter-time, Sydney found themselves on the back foot as Geelong booted four-consecutive goals to retake the lead.
Kieren Jack broke the drought, only before Tom Hawkins responded at the 20-minute mark.
A calm and collected Andrejs Everitt swung the advantage and subsequent result back in the home side’s favour with a set-shot minutes before the final siren.
Rhyce Shaw collected 25 disposals and the three Brownlow votes, only the second time in his 237-game career Shawry would earn the full votes from the umpires.
2011
Round 4 – Lost to Geelong by 27 points at the SCG
Round 5 – Bye
Round 6 – Lost to Carlton by 16 points at the SCG
Round 18 – Defeated Western Bulldogs by 39 points at the SCG
Round 19 – Bye
Round 20 – Lost to Essendon by one point at Etihad Stadium
The AFL introduced byes in 2011 to accommodate newcomers Gold Coast to the competition. Each side had two byes during the season, a concept which the Sydney Swans didn’t take to very well at all.
Both breaks almost bookended the season with the first arriving in Round 5.
Sydney had an up-and-down start to the season to then, playing out a first-round draw against Melbourne then winning two narrow games against Essendon and West Coast, all before losing to Geelong at home.
And the week off didn’t help things either with the Swans losing another close one against an in-form Carlton at the SCG. The Blues were too good in the clinches, edging away in the final term to claim their first victory at the SCG for 18 years.
If that loss was tough to bear, who could forget what was to come in the form of Sydney’s Round 20 clash with Essendon.
After a hard-fought contest, the result came down to a kick after the siren by the one and only Adam Goodes. Despite enjoying a fantastic game (29 disposals and three goals), the two-time Brownlow Medallist couldn’t cap it off with the match-winner and missed, handing the Bombers a thrilling victory and a spot in the top eight.
