Brisbane Lions v Sydney Swans,
Round 3, April 9, 2005
The Gabba
The Sydney Swans outperformed Lazarus in defeating the Brisbane Lions by six points at the Gabba in round three, 2005.
The Swans, desperate for victory after going down to the Kangaroos by 23 points at Manuka Oval, Canberra, the previous week looked sluggish over the first half against the Lions.
In fact, they managed just two goals to trail the Lions by 18 points at the main change.
The situation worsened in the third quarter when the Lions scooted out to a 32-point lead by the final break.
It looked bleak for the Swans, but coach Paul Roos shuffled his side around in an effort to bridge the gap. Among several moves, Lewis Roberts-Thomson was shifted from defence to full-forward, with an almost immediate dividend.
LRT proved too mobile for Lion full-back Mal Michael and played a pivotal role in getting the ball to Ryan O’Keefe for the first goal of the quarter.
When the ever-alert Nick Davis moved the ball to Paul Williams for another goal, the Swans were back in the game.
The Swans, realising they had the chance to pull off a remarkable victory, swarmed all over the Lions and when Paul Bevan goaled the margin was just 13 points.
However, the Lions stopped the Swans in their tracks through a goal by Daniel Bradshaw to ease home-crowd worries.
The Swans refused to concede and goals to Barry Hall and Adam Goodes reduced the margin to six points.
The ball swung from one end to the other and Swan fans groaned when Matthew Nicks missed a shot for goal.
Brisbane also missed a chance to goal and the Swans took full advantage by sweeping the ball forward. Swan midfielder Jude Bolton won possession and took a shot for goal from just outside the 50-metre arc.
Goodes and Hall shepherded the ball through for a goal and, with just minutes to play, scores were level.
Both sides were desperately tired but, with one final lunge, the Swans moved the ball forward to Hall.
As he reached for the ball, the Lions’ Chris Scott inadvertently grabbed him around the neck. The whistle blew for a Hall free kick and, as he lined up the goals the siren blared.
The Swans needed just a behind from Hall’s after-the-siren kick but the big, burly full-forward slotted a goal to give the Swans an unlikely six-point victory.
All 22 Swan players were heroes that night, but Hall and Bolton played pivotal roles in the comeback win.
Hall kicked five goals, while Bolton polled two Brownlow Medal votes after briefly being taken from the ground with a knee injury.
The win proved pivotal in the Swans’ season as they dropped their following three matches (to Adelaide, Melbourne and West Coast) before embarking on a rollicking run to finish the home and away season in third position and then win the club’s first premiership for 72 years.
SYDNEY SWANS 1.3 2.4 6.6 13.9 (87)
BRISBANE LIONS 1.5 4.10 10.14 11.15 (81)
PLAYER MATCH STATISTICS
| K | HB | |
| Luke Ablett | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Ball | 5 | 9 |
| Leo Barry | 12 | 0 |
| Paul Bevan | 5 | 3 |
| Craig Bolton | 8 | 7 |
| Jude Bolton | 12 | 11 |
| Amon Buchanan | 5 | 5 |
| Jared Crouch | 4 | 2 |
| Nick Davis | 10 | 9 |
| Sean Dempster | 5 | 5 |
| Adam Goodes | 10 | 3 |
| Barry Hall | 11 | 1 |
| Darren Jolly | 4 | 3 |
| Tadhg Kennelly | 9 | 8 |
| Brett Kirk | 6 | 10 |
| Ben Mathews | 5 | 7 |
| Stuart Maxfield | 11 | 6 |
| Matthew Nicks | 9 | 4 |
| Ryan O'Keefe | 4 | 4 |
| Lewis Roberts-Thomson | 4 | 4 |
| David Spriggs | 2 | 8 |
| Paul Williams | 16 | 3 |
** Of the 22 players selected for that match against the Lions, only three – Stuart Maxfield, Matthew Nicks and David Spriggs - did not play in the 2005 premiership side. The three Grand Final replacements were Nic Fosdike, Michael O’Loughlin and Adam Schneider. Maxfield retired during the 2005 season, while O’Loughlin missed the first three rounds because of injury.
