Scintillating Swans: The Ultimate Season
Round 1 - Elation & Heartache
Geelong v Sydney – Preliminary Final 2016
2016 – What a year. The brains trust at Arnott’s decided to meddle with the most winning of formulas and change the recipe for Barbecue shapes. Then quickly change it back. Maccas introduced the all-day breakfast menu, much to delight of the perennially hungover among us. Everyone tried to do the Census, but the government neglected to consider that websites crash when they get high amounts of traffic.
The 2016 season for our Swans brought with it a renewed sense of optimism and hope. The prospects of our team were heavily dependent on youth and once again, the sceptics were forming an orderly queue. The team looked fresh, modern, progressive, diverse and hardworking – resulting in a year of such contrasting expectations and eventual achievements.
We had defiantly qualified for the penultimate match of the season and there 71,772 rusted-on footy fans inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, waiting to see what we could do.
The unpredictability of football finals make them such a tantalising prospect. The unknown when everything is on the line, makes for the most frantic of occasions where tensions are inevitably high. Things do not always go to plan and ultimately, the result of it all is either elation or heartache. That was the story of our season and this is the tale of two housemates: Tom Papley and Aliir Aliir.
Elation:
When the Sydney Swans lifted the premiership trophy to break a 72-year drought in 2005, nine-year-old Tom Papley was sitting with his father in the third tier of the MCG, witnessing lifetime Bloods members in post-siren tears of joy. This moment resonates and the young star is fully aware of the significance that our club holds in so many of our lives.
Papley was among the most prolific players during the first-quarter Bloods blitz that blew the Cats away on that clear, still and starry Preliminary Final night. “I was just excited to get out there, I love playing and I was looking forward to playing in front of the biggest crowd I’d ever played in front of. I like soaking up the atmosphere before the game and I’d played alright the week before, so I was going in with a bit of confidence” he recalled.
Everything was going perfectly to plan for Papley as the Swans soared to an unassailable lead through a sheer avalanche of goals. “I think momentum is such a big thing in finals and we just kept riding that momentum. Everything was going our way and it was one of those days when everyone was just on. Good time to be on!” he said.
Papley & Aliir were among a clutch of cygnets enjoying their first finals foray on the MCG. The injection of youth had been a driving force in the team’s rejuvenation that year and the added enthusiasm and ferocity that they provided was crucial. This night was no exception; they were here to make their mark.
Quarter Time: Sydney 7.2.44, Geelong 0.2.2.
Heartache:
Aliir Aliir was the first player taken of South-Sudanese heritage in the NAB AFL National Draft and he is the source of much pride among his community as his sister Atong testifies - “We are extremely proud of him and his achievements. We all want to see ourselves represented, so it’s very significant to see Aliir on the field and in the media, doing what he loves doing”.
Aliir Aliir had enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame in 2016 as a high-flying, dashing back man who not only played with a constant smile, but also quickly became a highly important member of the team. This immediately endeared him to the Bloods brethren. His remarkable story even broadcast to the United Nations in the week prior to this match, highlighting his growing influence as a role model for multicultural Australians.
However, with twenty seconds left to play in that remarkable first quarter, a seemingly innocuous incident would have major ramifications for Aliir and the team. His family gathered, as they usually do to watch him play, and Atong recalls the moment clearly – “we were distressed and scared, will he be ok?” “We were all so sad and disappointed for him because we knew how much hard work, commitment and determination he’d put in to that year”.
Grand Finalists:
Amidst the chaos of not knowing the extent of his injury, the Swans poured more misery on to the struggling Cats, with another young gun, Isaac Heeney also playing a starring role alongside the brightest star of all, Buddy Franklin. By half time, the margin was almost 50 points and our Swans looked destined for the Grand Final - our 3rd in 5 seasons.
For the remainder of the match, the Swans held sway, won by 37 points and we had once again made our way to that one day in September. For Tom Papley, the enormity of the situation began to sink in late in the final quarter – “I just remember going off in the last quarter, I think there was about 10 minutes to go and it was all over. One of the boys on the bench said ‘we’re going to play in a Grand Final’ and it started sinking in”. It was a dream of his, like so many, to play in the biggest game of all.
“It was excitement,” Papley adds. “I just couldn’t believe that I was going to play in an AFL Grand Final in my first year and I was trying to soak that up and enjoy the win”. It did not take long however, for the reality of his friend’s injury to sink in – “at the same time I was also thinking about my housemate Aliir. Colin (O’Riordan), Aliir and I were housemates and without their help I probably wouldn’t have even been in the team, so I was thinking of Aliir and hoping he’d get up the next week” he concluded.
Atong remembers her brother’s response to missing out on a Grand Final well – “Aliir has always been a positive individual. After the game he reassured us that he was ok, hopeful and to wait for the results. When they came through there was disappointment naturally, however he did not want anything to overshadow the boys’ big day at the ‘G. And that’s who he is naturally. Aliir is noble”.
It was an historic night and a cracking win. It sent the red and white faithful into full celebration mode all around the country. While the next week didn’t quite go to plan, we know that not everything does. Perhaps the pair can go one-step further, together, very soon.
