Seventy-Two So Sweet for Swans

Sydney   58 defeated West Coast   54

Sydney has broken its 72-year premiership drought, beating the Eagles by four points in the closest grand final in nearly 30 years.

Leo Barry was the last minute hero, taking a spectacular grab deep inside defensive fifty with only seconds remaining and holding the ball aloft when the siren rang, the Swans victorious 8.10 (58) to 7.12 (54).

Chris Judd's scintillating finals form continued as he took out the Norm Smith, gathering 29 possessions and looking dangerous around every pack.

And while the Eagles mid-field gathered several touches through Chad Fletcher and Ben Cousins, they lacked the usual fluidity because of the Swans relentless pressure around the packs.

The Swans mid-field proved its toughness in the final term, Brett Kirk and Amon Buchanan were under every pack as the Swans held on with constant stoppages, while Nic Fosdike gathered 26 touches despite starting on the bench.

The Swans, as usual, applied a torrential flood, often having no players inside their own attacking half, and the game turned into a defensive arm-wrestle.

Lewis Roberts-Thomson had the best game of his career on Ashley Hansen, while Leo Barry gave away 15 centimetres but little else to his opponent, Michael Gardiner. Up the other end, Drew Banfield and David Wirrpunda did the clearing for the Eagles.

Both sides, however, broke clear for small bursts up forward. The Swans flood gave their forwards space to move into and in the second term, with Barry Hall running Darren Glass ragged, the Swans pounced with three goals to nil and a 20-point half-time lead.

The Eagles actually had more of the ball in their attack in the first half, but struggled to maintain possession inside attack.

But John Worsfold made some crucial changes at the main break, moving Adam Hunter and Andrew Embley up forward. Embley responded in kind, crumbing the packs to keep the ball inside the Eagles' 50 and push the ball goal wards to help the Eagles get back within four points in the third quarter.

But in the end West Coast's lack of forwards again proved their downfall, as several forward thrusts in the final term went unrewarded.

Punters across the land would have seen their hard-earned fly out the window when Mark Nicoski scored the first goal from a chain of handpasses.

After Darren Jolly kicked the Swans first from a free, Dean Cox took two bounces and kicked truly from 50.

After Gardiner and Daniel Chick missed simple chances, Adam Schneider turned the game around with a goal against the play, before Hall gave his side the lead late in the term.

Although the ball spent more time in the Eagles half in the second term, it was the Swans who were on top.

The Swans patient game was evident when a chain of chips ended with O'Loughlin and a goal, while another turn-over resulted in a goal to Tadhg Kennelly. Adam Goodes then put the Swans 20 points up when he snapped truly, before the Swans steely defence held off further Eagle thrust for the remainder of the term.

It was then the Swans turn to be kept goalless as the Eagles finally found forward options. Embley worked hard into space to mark and goal, while a lucky bounce saw Hansen snap another.

A sensational set-shot from deep in the pocket from Hunter then put the Eagles within a kick heading into the final term.

The Eagles continued their momentum in the final term when Cousins intercepted a horrendous cross-ground pass from Luke Ablett to kick a simple goal. When Hunter kicked his second, again from deep in the pocket, the Eagles looked unstoppable.

But as has been the case all year, the Swans never gave in. Hall took a strong mark to goal, before Buchanan wrestle back the lead with a goal reminiscent of Nick Davis' against Geelong two weeks ago.

The Swans then created several stoppages to drain the clock of valuable seconds, before Leo Barry's valuable mark clinched the 2005 premiership for the Bloods.

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