Scintillating Swans: The Ultimate Season
Round 3 – The Magic Roar
West Coast v Sydney, Qualifying Final 2006

It was the greatest rivalry. Over the course of six meetings between 2005 and 2007, matches between our Swans and the Eagles were decided by a grand total of 13 points.

When our Swans ran on to Subiaco Oval on the night of September 9, 2006 for a qualifying final against the archenemy West Coast Eagles, I was rising from my slumber in Dublin, Ireland. Correction – it had been an all-nighter waiting for the first bounce to arrive. By the time it finally had, I had awoken my Irish pals for moral support, filled glasses of Cuban Rum and for some unknown reason, had adorned a set of cricket pads to go along with the cherished Swans guernsey.

Like British comedian Tony Hawk, I was beginning to understand how the Irish mentality worked. ‘The more foolish, illogical or surreal one's actions were perceived to be (and mine surely fell into one of these categories), the wider the arms of hospitality were opened in salutation.’ As I am sure you can appreciate, my recollection of this magnificent match is not entirely crystal-clear, so fortunately, Swans champion Ted Richards and Eagles utility Brent Staker are here to help.

By this time, there was no love lost between the two teams as the history of the previous season’s decider, along with a Round 15 clash also at Subiaco, where we lost by two points, burned deeply within both sides. For Richards, memories of the intense rivalry are clear and the welcoming party were out in force. “I remember the bus trip in. We had to get a police escort as traffic was building up with people coming into the game, especially around the Subiaco precinct area. We hop off the bus in a pretty public area so the abuse probably started there.”

Staker recalls anticipating another tough encounter as the Swans rolled in to Perth. “We played a similar brand of footy – Swans had a one-on-one mindset, West Coast had a one-one-one mindset, the Swans were quite a strong and very capable high intensity running team and we were able to match that with our players, so it always made for really good games.”

The Swans discovered solace however, as the team entered the underbelly of the arena and could begin to focus on the task-at-hand. “When we walk into the rooms we're kind of in our bunker there as it's incredibly quiet. It's just silence so we can still focus on our usual routine. It's pretty easy to switch off from it all in the change rooms.” Brett Kirk had dubbed the rivalry - the battle of the Ford Cortinas (Swans) v the Lamborghinis (Eagles). While underplaying our own talent level, it was the perfect mindset for the Bloods. Pre-match focus centered upon every player giving maximum effort and by now, our boys knew what it took to win big games.

When our Bloods emerged from the sanctuary of the change rooms, they encountered an energy that was confronting, but far from unexpected. “It was the biggest rivalry in football at the time so as soon as we ran out you feel that. We had a good track-record winning interstate as we used to feed off that energy. Kind of feed off their hate of us.” Richards recalled. On the other side of the reception, Staker also found the noise level that night to be extreme. “That game was incredible. There’s always 45,000 screaming fans at Subi rain, hail or shine, but the build up for that game from ’04, ’05 and into ’06 with every game being a cracker against the Swannies, yeah it was intense. Blistering sound,” he recalled. 

When the game got underway, Richards, in his first season and playing in his first final as a Swan, could feel the unity among the team as they took on a mighty opponent, in a mightily hostile environment. “We really had an ‘us vs them’ mindset in that it was the 22 of us against the 40,000 in the crowd. It was as loud as an opposition crowd I played against, probably equaling the Qualifying Final in 2012 against the Crows at AAMI Stadium.,” he revealed.

The match is widely regarded as one of the highest quality, not just for the way the lead changed hands and how the play surged from one end to the other. This match had something else. This match showcased all there is to love about Australian Rules Football. Our Swans started well and held an early lead, the Eagles fought back with ferocity to take the ascendency, much to the locals’ delight. Our lead was just three points at three-quarter time, with intensity at its peak and the rampant residents at fever pitch.

With Barry Hall (5 goals) and Michael O’Loughlin (4 goals) looming large for the opposition, our forays forward looked to be incredibly potent. However, the Eagles’ midfield looked the more threatening and through a Swans-like set-piece goal, they had taken a late lead.

Then, with approximately thirty seconds left, after a sweeping move through the centre of Subiaco, the Sherrin tumbled tantalisingly into the arms of Micky O. From point blank range, he fired through the winning goal. He also created one of the most symbolic moments in the club’s history. Richards recalls – “I watched and celebrated the famous Michael O'Loughlin goal when it happened. We were on and beating the 40,000. It's probably a great example of what we'd speak about in the build up... us vs them, and taking it all on.”

At the time, Staker had gone to the bench with a calf complaint and remembered watching on. “I’d just come to the bench and I remember looking up at the big screen and watching him get to that supporter, because he was part of the Eagles cheer squad and we all knew who he was. When he (O’Loughlin) went straight up to them, in his face, it was unreal.” “The fence was always lower at that end with the three-tier stand and that area of the ground was really, really noisy so to have Michael O’Loughlin get up into the face of the West Coast cheer squad, it was on another level,” he said.

In his autobiography Micky O, O’Loughlin describes it as a ‘primeval roar of triumph.’ For Swans fans, it was a Magic roar.

O’Loughlin also laments the fact that the image is sometimes taken out of context and has openly apologised if the celebration caused any distress or offence. I believe that in the context of one of the sport’s greatest ever rivalries, the image encapsulates what these games meant to all players involved. For our Swans, it symbolises the bravery and courage that they played with. It personifies the solidarity it took to climb the peak of football’s highest mountain.

Richards remembers fondly, how the post-match for our Swans was a time to celebrate. “It was one of the best feelings I ever experienced after the game. We were all so excited. We knew it was a huge step towards making the 2006 GF.” O’Loughlin described the full-time feeling as one that he had rarely experienced throughout his career, with the team rejoicing in the stony silence that had overcome the parochial Western Australian crowd. The Swan contingent remained – cheer, cheering into the night. For some, the Cuban Rum continued.