We continue our countdown to the biggest event in the Club’s history - the 25 year Anniversary Dinner. Follow the highs and lows of each year the Swans have been in Sydney every day on sydneyswans.com.au leading up to the event. Here is 2005...
Season 2005 finally brought the success the Sydney Swans had craved, as the Club won its first Premiership since 1933.
The season began at the SCG, with a 63-point victory over Hawthorn. However, in the coming weeks the Swans did not look like the team which would ultimately win the flag, as they lost four of their next five games, to be placed 12th on the ladder after the first six rounds.
In the days leading into the round seven match against Essendon, Stuart Maxfield announced he was stepping down as Captain.
The match committee decided to implement a rotating captaincy, whereby the members of the Club’s leadership group would each captain the team for two games. Sadly, Maxfield struggled with a knee injury for the remainder of the season, and was not to play another game for the Sydney Swans.
The Essendon match heralded the beginning of the Swans’ imposing march to the finals, as they won 13 of the 16 remaining games in the home and away season, to finish in third position on the ladder with 15 wins and 7 losses.
While finishing third ensured the Swans a second chance in the finals, it also delivered a tough assignment in the first week of September. Travelling to Perth to play the West Coast Eagles, Sydney fought gallantly throughout the match, only to fall agonisingly short, and come away with a four-point loss.
The following Friday night saw a truly remarkable match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, when the Swans played Geelong, and the Cats had the upper hand all night.
Late in the final term of a low scoring game, the Swans looked all but beaten. Enter Nick Davis, whose four spectacular last quarter goals – the last to put the Swans in front with only three seconds remaining – brought a 7.14 (56) to 7.11 (53) victory, and ensured the Swans would live to fight another day in 2005.
The Preliminary Final against St Kilda was not such a nail-biter, as the Swans had the game well under control by halfway through the last term, and prevailed 15.6 (96) to St Kilda 9.11 (65). The Swans were to play in their first Grand Final since 1996.
The following day, West Coast defeated Adelaide in the other Preliminary Final, and it was their adversaries from the first week of the finals that the Swans were to play on the last Saturday in September.
In what is considered one of the greatest Grand Finals in the history of the game, the Sydney Swans reversed the result of three weeks previous after a few anxious moments, defeating West Coast 8.10 (58) to 7.12 (54) to claim the 2005 AFL Premiership.
There were many great moments to savour that day, but Amon Buchanan’s goal to put the Swans in front, and Leo Barry’s game-saving mark with only seconds to play will long live in the memories of football fans and Swans supporters, as will the image of Paul Roos holding the Premiership cup aloft, proclaiming that after 72 years…. “here it is”.
The faith, perseverance, hard work and belief of the pioneering Sydney Swans of 1982 and all who had seen the Club through its tumultuous times and darkest days had finally paid off.
Sydney showed just how much the city had embraced the football club, as a tickertape parade down George Street drew a crowd of tens of thousands of fans. The team assembled on the Town Hall steps, and was presented with the keys to the city, while the Sydney Swans flag flew from the Harbour Bridge.
