The Sydney Swans faced the 1991 season without various players on whom the team had relied heavily during previous seasons.
Perhaps the most notable of these was fullback Rod Carter, who had retired after 217 games (and one memorable goal) with the Club, while Merv Neagle and Gerard Healy also retired.
The Club did welcome back Warwick Capper from Brisbane, and Paul Hawke returned after three seasons at Collingwood.
1991 was the year the Adelaide Crows joined the competition, which meant an uneven number of teams.
The Swans had a bye in the first round but then went on to lose seven of their first ten games – including the memorable round six match against North Melbourne. The Swans kicked 19 goals in the first half, and were only seven points short of a record half-time score. North then staged a remarkable comeback, clawing back the margin during the third quarter, and kicking 11 goals in the last quarter while the Swans kicked only two more goals in the entire second half. It was a shattering defeat.
The second half of the season brought only another four wins and a draw, which placed the Swans twelfth on the ladder at season’s end.
Col Kinnear had announced in August that he would be leaving at the end of the year, so once again the Sydney Swans were searching for the coach who could turn the team’s fortunes around.
