Tom’s blog – May musings

May was an interesting month for footy in NSW and the ACT; the GIANTS notched their first win, while the Swans’ winning streak came to an abrupt end at home. On a local level, our NEAFL teams headed north for representative football and the AFL Sydney competition is closer than ever, with the smallest of margins separating the top teams.

The Swans had a dream start to the season, with five straight wins catapulting them to the top four. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and the resurgent Adelaide Crows ended their almost unprecedented winning streak in a thrilling match at the SCG. A loss to Richmond a week later and things were looking less than rosy. Luckily the Swans were able to bounce back with a 101 point thrashing of Melbourne the following round – a good ego boost by any standards.

The league’s newest team, the GIANTS, recorded a significant milestone in Round 7, their first win of the season against the Suns at Manuka Oval in Canberra. The 27 point win had the crowd on the edge of their seats, and understandably there was some joyous celebration well into the evening. The GIANTS players had a very warm welcome at their appearance at the Pink Footy Day at ANU the next morning – and their indefatigable coach Kevin Sheedy even played guest coach to the pink-clad Gungahlin Jets side.

Slightly closer to home, it’s been a big month for our NEAFL sides with the start of the representative season. The Eastern Conference side (made up of NSW and ACT NEAFL players) took on their Northern counterparts on the Gold Coast. Unfortunately there was no good news that day, with the NEAFL side losing by 145 points and the Under-21 side by a slightly smaller margin of 41.

I’m proud to say that our Sydney development team launched their very first Youth Girls competitions this month, with programs running in the Sydney Harbour and Sydney South regions. As part of our commitment to female footy, we’re encouraging girls of all skill levels to come along and join our under-12 and under-15 programs.  Meanwhile our team of established players attended the Under-18 Youth Girls National Championships in Adelaide and had a very positive experience coming up against the best talent from across the country.

Young footballers (and fans!) across Sydney have been lucky to have some superstar school visits this month, as both Swans and GIANTS players visited schools to help with classroom reading, leadership, environment and football skills programs. We’re so pleased that these players have taken the time to reach out to their youngest fans and help spread the word about our wonderful sport.