So the Swans are now out of the hunt for the 2015 premiership (although you could possibly say that we weren't ever truly IN the hunt) at the hands of the 8th-placed team after the Home & Away season. And although it's a bitter pill to swallow, the season still continues and the most important questions looms:
Who do you want to win the flag now?
This is a difficult question to ponder not only because of the still-fresh disappointment of losing a home final in one of our absolute champion's last ever games, but because the 4 options are so unpalatable.
Fremantle - In a word: boring. They've got some incredible talent on their list and both Pavlich and Fyfe are high up on my favourite non-Swans list, but watching them play football under Ross Lyon is like teaching physics to a duck: intensely frustrating and ultimately, a waste of time. I understand now what people meant when talking about the Swans of the mid '00s. If the Dockers do win it, more power to them (and they've certainly been good enough in the last few years to nab one), but I for one won't be cheering.
Hawthorn - The only thing on their side is watching history. A three-peat is incredibly difficult to achieve (even though if they manage it, it will have been done twice in 15 years!) and would be a massive accolade for a very talented team. But the arrogance of their players and even moreso their fans (both the flogs on Bigfooty and high-profile supporters like Jeff Kennett and Dermott Brereton) makes it impossible to support them. The humiliation of 2014 is still fresh too, so, no. The Hawks can crash and burn for my liking.
North Melbourne - Meh. They say that the opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference. Even though my most-hated player in the league plays for the Kangaroos (Michael Firrito) and two of their other players (Brent Harvey and Lindsay Thomas) and their coach would be in the top 10, I really can't bring up any real emotion when thinking about this team. All in all, they are just an incredibly irrelevant club. Good luck to 'em, I guess?
West Coast - Which means ... gulp ... that I'm supporting West Coast? Can that be the case after all we've been through together? They play an exciting brand of football, have some incredibly classy players (Mark LeCras is still one of the most under-rated in the league) and a genuine match-winning big man in Josh Kennedy. What's not to like? I was an Eels fan in my youth, so the blue and yellow just looks good to me as well. GO THE EAGLES!!!!
So my vote is cast. Who are the rest of you going for?
Who do you want to win the flag now?
This is a difficult question to ponder not only because of the still-fresh disappointment of losing a home final in one of our absolute champion's last ever games, but because the 4 options are so unpalatable.
Fremantle - In a word: boring. They've got some incredible talent on their list and both Pavlich and Fyfe are high up on my favourite non-Swans list, but watching them play football under Ross Lyon is like teaching physics to a duck: intensely frustrating and ultimately, a waste of time. I understand now what people meant when talking about the Swans of the mid '00s. If the Dockers do win it, more power to them (and they've certainly been good enough in the last few years to nab one), but I for one won't be cheering.
Hawthorn - The only thing on their side is watching history. A three-peat is incredibly difficult to achieve (even though if they manage it, it will have been done twice in 15 years!) and would be a massive accolade for a very talented team. But the arrogance of their players and even moreso their fans (both the flogs on Bigfooty and high-profile supporters like Jeff Kennett and Dermott Brereton) makes it impossible to support them. The humiliation of 2014 is still fresh too, so, no. The Hawks can crash and burn for my liking.
North Melbourne - Meh. They say that the opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference. Even though my most-hated player in the league plays for the Kangaroos (Michael Firrito) and two of their other players (Brent Harvey and Lindsay Thomas) and their coach would be in the top 10, I really can't bring up any real emotion when thinking about this team. All in all, they are just an incredibly irrelevant club. Good luck to 'em, I guess?
West Coast - Which means ... gulp ... that I'm supporting West Coast? Can that be the case after all we've been through together? They play an exciting brand of football, have some incredibly classy players (Mark LeCras is still one of the most under-rated in the league) and a genuine match-winning big man in Josh Kennedy. What's not to like? I was an Eels fan in my youth, so the blue and yellow just looks good to me as well. GO THE EAGLES!!!!
So my vote is cast. Who are the rest of you going for?
