From the start of the 2024 season, Sydney has transitioned from being one of the league’s best sides into the stand-alone premiership favourite.
To begin with, it was their own on-field dominance combined with rival clubs losing matches at the wrong time that created the gap between them and everyone else.
However, fresh off their 65-point turnaround against Geelong – and the very real possibility of going three games clear at the top of the table tonight – are Sydney primed to join some of the competition’s greatest ever home-and-away teams?
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Swans midfield trio best in the comp? | 03:38
Excluding the year of 2020 where COVID forced a shortened season, only four sides this century have ever played until the end of August with no more than two losses.
Essendon in 2000 is the only of those sides to go the full season (including finals) and lose just one game – defeated by the sixth-placed Western Bulldogs in a tight 11-point loss in Round 21.
While the Swans still have 11 games to go before finals this season, their current win-loss record of 11-1 has put them in rare air heading into the back half of this year.
So, how does their form rank against this century’s very best?
And with captain Callum Mills (shoulder/calf) and Luke Parker (suspension) still yet to re-enter the side’s starting 22, could be best still be yet to come?
Mills, a 2022 All-Australian, is versatile in his capacity to play anywhere on field – leaving coach John Longmire with a plethora of options.
Traditionally play midfield, both Mills and Parker might struggle to wiggle their way into the engine room given the prolific performances from their teammates.
Three-time best and fairest winner Parker struggled to make the team full stop before his six-week suspension in the VFL, proving just how good a nucleus the Swans have in 2024.
So, how do they so far stack up against those with the greatest home-and-away records this century?
Essendon, 2000
Home-and-away wins: 21
Home-and-away losses: 1
With a new millennium came a new force to be reckoned with, and here appeared the Bombers. Kevin Sheedy’s side, captained by James Hird, was simply unstoppable. With the likes of Matthew Lloyd, Michael Long and Scott Lucas running around in their forward line, it would’ve taken something special to spot them in the attacking half.
Essendon’s dominance during finals was like no other, winning their qualifying and preliminary finals by 125 and 45 points respectively, before a 10-goal victory in the Grand Final over Melbourne sealed the deal – despite kicked waywardly with 21 behinds. There’s certainly no expectations that the Swans will play that well in finals, but they’re home-and-away records could still match come the end of August.
Comparing Sydney’s forward line to that of the Bombers in 2000, their forward line is nowhere near as much of a finished product, with Logan McDonald, Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean all still young and developing. John Longmire’s men however are dominant in the midfield and sound at either end, while the Bombers were a force in the front half with consistency and role players elsewhere.
In terms of scoring, the Bombers at the turn of the century ranked number one for points for, as well as conceding the least number of scores in a very impressive display at both ends of the ground. Similarly, the Swans this year currently rank first for points for – despite having played one less game than half the top eight this season. The Swans rank second for point against, with only Fremantle better at not conceding to the opposition.
Geelong 2008
Home-and-away wins: 21
Home-and-away losses: 1
For a home-and-away stretch that was so dominant, and off the back of a premiership the year before – it’s quite remarkable the Cats were pipped by the Hawks in 2008. Led by Tom Harley and coached by Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson, Geelong boasted in incredible amount of household names – Matthew Scarlett and Harry Taylor controlled the defence, Gary Ablett Jnr and Cameron Ling in the midfield, Cameron Mooney, Steve Johnson and Jimmy Bartel in the forward line, as well as a young Joel Selwood on the wing.
Like Essendon in 2000, the Cats were also the number one team when it came to both scoring the greatest number of points, while also conceding the least in the league. And similar to Sydney now too, they are clearly the best team in the competition – albeit, they slipped up at the final hurdle.
While it’s very hard to compare the Cats’ side to any other given its dominance, Sydney’s midfield would certainly give theirs a run for its money. The current Swans defence would struggle to match up on Geelong’s forward line, but who wouldn’t? Given the Cats had won the flag a year prior, there aren’t a lot of similarities on face value – but digging a little deeper, there are some consistencies.
St Kilda 2009
Home-and-away wins: 20
Home-and-away losses: 2
Only one year after Geelong in 2008 came Ross Lyon’s defensively-drilled Saints – often regarded as the unluckiest team in the modern era to never win a premiership. Captained by centre-half forward Nick Riewoldt, talent and role players oozed everywhere, from Lenny Hayes, to Nick Dal Santo, Stephen Milne to Leigh Montagna, and Brendon Goddard to Justin Koschitzke. They got so close to glory, but were beaten by the Cats in a grand final epic.
With a few more role players in this St Kilda side than other sides previously mentioned, it’s easier to relate to a modern-day Swans outfit. Both sides are filled with tremendous amounts of talent, with comparisons between Milne and Tom Papley warranted.
Interestingly, but also not surprisingly, the Saints are the outlier for points scored in the bunch of elite home-and-away sides. In 2009, Ross Lyon’s side ranked fourth behind the Western Bulldogs (third on ladder), Geelong (second) and Carlton (seventh). In a shock to no one however, his side conceded 367 less points than any other for the season, highlighting the club’s defensive prowess at the time. In fact, the 1411 points Ross Lyon had scored against him in the home-and-away season was the lowest amount in the AFL era – and not since 1968 has there been a lower total; a time where only 20 games a season were played instead of 22 or 23.
Ross’ defence will certainly be tested in Round 17 when the two sided clash at Marvel Stadium, but this time Ross won’t have anywhere near the talent he had back in 2009.
Collingwood 2011
Home-and-away wins: 20
Home-and-away losses: 2
Only two years on from St Kilda, the Magpies followed up their famous 2010 premiership with one of the all-time regular seasons. Captained by defender Nick Maxwell, the likes of Dane Swan, Alan Didak, Leon Davis, Dale Thomas and a maturing Scott Pendlebury ran riot for Mick Malthouse’s side 13 years ago. In a common trend among this list, they too were also beaten by the Cats on the biggest of stages.
The energy of players such as Will Hayward, Papley and Gulden bode well in comparison to the Collingwood nucleus of 2011. Also similarly, both sides have plenty of rotations available to run through the midfield – a sign of flexibility that most successful sides have.
Once again, a side who dominated so prolifically in the home-and-away season was ranked the best in the competition both offensively and defensively. Only Geelong – the eventual premiers – came within 230 points of the Pies in attack. Interestingly, the Cats were also the second-best ranked team in defence, while the third-placed Hawks rounded out the podium in both stats also.
Sydney 2024 (so far)
Home-and-away wins: 11
Home-and-away losses: 1
Bar an anomaly loss to Richmond in Round 3, the Swans have been unphased this season – captured perfectly in their remarkable comeback from 35 points down to Geelong last weekend. Even if the Swans are able to join the four aforementioned clubs in rare air, they will have to go above and beyond what they did for the fact that they were all Victorian teams. With the grand final held at the MCG, the Swans will have to win away from home and at the sporting colosseum with no games at the ground scheduled until the last day in September.
Interestingly, only Essendon won the premiership from the quartet with pristine regular season records. Could these teams be peaking at the wrong end of the season, or is perhaps a softer fixture aiding their win-loss ratio? The Swans get big ticks for their points for and against this season, and stand exactly where they should be – with only Fremantle better defensively by 26 points.