Fans revel in Swans win
After cheering their team home from live sites all over the city on Saturday, more than 4,000 Sydney fans gathered at the SCG on Sunday to welcome home the Sydney Swans following their 2012 premiership triumph yesterday at the MCG.
The AFL Grand Final celebrations weren’t limited to Melbourne, with fans gathering across Sydney to celebrate the Swans Grand Final tilt over Friday and Saturday. Thousands of people visited the AFL Playground in Darling Harbour over the two days, with the three big screens packed with fans who arrived early to secure their position on Saturday afternoon.
At Rosehill Racecourse hundreds of Swans fans congregated on the Village Green to cheer the Swans on to victory. Earlier in the day a tribute race, appropriately renamed the “Go the Swannies” handicap opened the racing program with rousing support from the crowd.
Fans continued their support on Sunday at the SCG, with an excited crowd gathering well before the gates opened at 11:30am. The traditional ‘Sydney’ chant could be heard loud and clear across the ground as the Swans supporters keenly awaited the arrival of their premiership heroes.
The crowd tuned into the final moments of Saturday’s 10-point win over Hawthorn and celebrated Nick Malceski’s match-winning goal for a second time just moments before the players entered the arena.
The stadium erupted as the team made their way onto the stage, with emphatic cheers for each of the 22 players as they were introduced to the crowd.
The players, who had already attended a welcome home in the club’s traditional heartland of South Melbourne in front of a crowd of thousands, proudly wore their medallions and presented the Premiership Cup to their home crowd.
Most players wore sunglasses after last night’s celebrations after undoubtedly not much sleep since yesterday’s thrilling victory.
Swans co-captains Adam Goodes and Jarrad McVeigh addressed the excited Sydney crowd, who were still riding on a high from yesterday’s win.
Goodes told supporters that yesterday’s win was one of the most memorable days of his life.
“It’s been a bit of a blur the last 24 hours and every picture my friends have sent me and I’ve seen on Facebook just reminds me of what a great day yesterday was,” he said.
“It was one of those special occasions.”
Goodes thanked the thousands of fans who had turned out for the occasion and said Sydney/South Melbourne fans had come to expect a certain brand of football which the team executed in Saturday’s Grand Final win.
“I think the whole game and for the whole season, these (fans) who are here today just like the South Melbourne supporters down in Melbourne, they know what to expect every time we play footy,” Goodes said.
“We’re going to come out, we’re going to produce for four quarters and we’re going to try our absolute hearts out no matter what 22 players we’ve got … and we did that yesterday and it got us the win. It was unbelievable!”
To read more visit www.sydneyswans.com.au
