Looks like someone needs a change of undies!! haha

Another Swans Final Classic against West Coast and another club Finals classic this decade to put in the book. What is it with us and one point wins??? But what sets this apart from the 96 Prelim, and the 3 finals last year that ended with the Premiership finally in our keeping was our four quarter effort. In the above four games we normally have a quiet quarter but tonight we matched West Coast all night and basically headed when we need to, that sets tonight apart.

Anyway despite the best efforts of Hunter and Chick though some pretty low, dirty acts we have managed to get away from Perth with Roosy first win there, a week off to rest the injured bodies and a home Prelim Final at Telstra Stadium against either Freo or Melbourne.

"It's significant because we are already in the preliminary final, that is the only difference between this year and last year," Roos said.

Sweet feeling too.

SYDNEY: 3.2 7.3 10.6 13.7 (85)
WEST COAST: 2.3 4.6 9.9 12.12 (84)

GOALS: Hall 5, O'Loughlin 4, Schneider 2, Kirk, Goodes.

Best Swan on Ground: Micky O'Loughlin - Just for what he did in the picture above. Plus the four goals weren't too bad either.

Rising Star: Nick Malceski - Really came of age tonight. All over the ground, got plenty of the ball and came back from a big hit off the ball from Chick when others wouldn't and set Micky up for the winning goal and the picture we see above (yes I really DO love that pic).

Now I can understand his point that his form over the past few weeks hasn't been as bad as certain other player in the team (hello Ryan O'Keefe if your reading this), but if the coaching staff make a decision to drop you from the senior side based upon not only your form, BUT your fitness then you should cop the decision on the chin and go back to the ACTAFL for the required period and prove yourself (didn't take a hack like Ben Mathews long now did it?).

What you certainly don't do however is do what poor old Nick has done and run to the newspapers and have a crying fit to anybody who'll listen because not only will it make you un-popular with your teammates (when rumors already have you un-popular with most of them), but make your battle back to the seniors that much harder because the coaches will be that much more pissed off. Also you leave the clubs image in tatters at a time when it least needs it. So thats why I was pissed off to read today's paper and find little Nicky crying about being blamed for the lose against Adelaide.

"So it was a major surprise that I wasn't playing against West Coast. Someone had to cop the blame for the Adelaide loss and I guess it was me. Roosy was blaming the players after the match and he's obviously singled me out."

Boo, fucking hoo I say.

Roos gave the reason that Nick was unfit and that with the Swans playing at Subiaco it would be better to leave him out to gain fitness in the twos while giving the quick and much fitter Simon Phillips a chance to prove himself on the bigger ground - Que another sook from Nicky boy;

"The dimensions of Subiaco were one, but the last time I played in Perth in the finals I kicked three goals and played pretty well."

So this gets all over the morning papers and what do you expect happens when Roos and the rest of the team finds out about it back in Perth?? Yep they aren't best pleased and when questioned about the comments Roosy let fly on Nick.

"I think Nick and I will have a pretty good discussion next week," Roos said.

"He's reasonably fortunate I am standing here in WA as we speak. It is very un-Sydney like and it is certainly something that we pride ourselves on, having a team that plays for each other and thinks about the team first. I haven't spoken to Davis since I read his refreshing comments this morning, and I don't plan to speak to him until next week. But we don't look too kindly at players that think of themselves before the team."

So there you have it we now have Roosy the relaxed one, the reserved one, the one who didn't even responed to the AFL CEO's comments regarding his game play last year in one comment, called Nick Davis - un-Sydney like and think of himself first before the team and even stated that Nick was lucky he was on the different side of the country.

Even Barry Hall got in on the act

Swans captain Barry Hall said Davis should follow the example of Mathews. "Nick was in a similar situation, and it is probably how a player goes about it tells a little bit about his character," Hall said. "Benny went back to the reserves, had a really solid couple of weeks, and he's back into the side."

Nick has dug his own grave here and now he can only do two things:

1. Admit to the media he was wrong to make the comments, go back to the ACTAFL for the next few weeks work his arse off and get back to peak form and fitness. Then once back in the senior prove to the coaching staff and the rest of the team that he is a worthwhile member of this club by producing more efforts like we have seen from him on nights like the Geelong Final or even the match against Freo a fortnight ago.

or

2. Keep believing he was hard done by and never get the respect of the coaching staff and players back. Stay in the ACTAFL for the rest of the year and then find himself being traded away to a club against his will.

Your decision Nick

Well with the forced retirement of Paul Williams though injury, the Swans have been able to put Willo on the long term injury list and elevate a rookie listed player to the senior list to take his place for the rest of the season. The lucky rookie is Simon Phillips.

But in a surprise twist not only has Phillips been lucky enough to get the call up to the senior list for the remaining 8 Rounds of the season (plus hopefully as many finals as we play) but he has been sent over to Perth this week with the rest of the team in view to making his senior debut against the Eagles

"We told him last night. We brought him into the room and told him he was elevated and that he was playing the Eagles. "He was reasonably shocked I would suggest."

He will most likely play in place of the lackluster Nick Davis who most likely will get the chop this week at the selection table and play a few weeks in the ACTAFL as a bit of a wake up call to not only him, but a few of the underperforming topliners like him (read, O'Keefe, Kirk, Jude Bolton, Barry, Jolly and Hall).

Back to Phillips he isn't really a midfielder and isn't really a Nick Davis type forward pocket (nor for that matter a Adam Schneider one either), but according to Roos the kid add's some much needed zip to the side and he plays alot like Aaron Davey of the Demons.

Simon has mainly been used as a small crumbing forward," Roos added.

"Though not in the same class, but in terms of how he plays, he is a little bit like Aaron Davey, (Andrew) Lovett and Stephen Milne, that type of really quick, hard-working, running sort of small forward.

"So that is generally the mould of player he is in and the role he has been playing in the seconds."

So if he turns anything like half the player Davey is, then we might be onto a keeper. Brave move, lets hope it works for this kids sake.

In a Sad Day for the Club Paul Williams has been forced into an early retirement due injury with immediate effect. He requires season ending shoulder surgery and having already made the call that he would retire at seasons end this therefore is the end of a 300 plus game career that he'll remembered for at two clubs for giving his all.

“Paul broke his clavicle (collarbone) and it never healed completely,” Swans doctor Nathan Gibbs said.

“It was pinned when Paul first broke it and the pin actually broke and as a consequence the clavicle has refractured.

“To his credit Paul has continued to play but it has now reached the stage where there is no improvement and surgery is required.”

This has certainly come as a shock because it was only just over three weeks ago that he made his decision to call it a day at seasons end, so to play on the last three game with the injury much of taken alot out of him.

Swans coach Paul Roos said; “As I said a few weeks back Paul has been an outstanding servant to AFL and I really feel for him in that he won’t have the chance to been seen off the way he should be as a player.

He certainly will be missed.

PAUL WILLIAMS - FACT FILE

Age: 33
Drafted: Collingwood 1989 (Pick #70) from North Hobart
Debut: 1991 Collingwood – 2001 Sydney Swans
Games: 306 (189 Collingwood, 117 Sydney Swans)
Goals: 306
Honours: Sydney Swans Club Champion 2001, 2002, AFL All Australian 2003, Sydney Swans Premiership side 2005.

the Swans will welcome back Ben Mathews and Ted Richards who were both dropped and spent two weeks in the seconds.

It just pains me that two underperforming hack just have to run around in circles for two weeks, do nothing and STILL get a senior re-call, yet a player like Tim Schmidt gets 63 possessions in a reserves match and is still WAITING for his first senior match. The same goes for Josh Willoughby, Earl Shaw and Heath Grundy.

Is it just me or is this club (and Paul Roos) scared to try new things like new players????

Swans fall to ladder-leaders

Sydney was unable to answer an onslaught from the Adelaide Crows on Sunday, going down by 39 points - 15.11 (101) to 8.14 (62) - in front of a sell-out crowd at the SCG. Adelaide, which has looked a class above the rest of the competition in recent weeks, was again in supreme touch after having to overcome a dogged Sydney outfit in the opening term. But once they found their feet, there was no stopping Neil Craig's men.

It was another even team performance from Adelaide, although Simon Goodwin (27 possessions), Mark Ricciuto (16 possessions and two goals), Trent Hentschel (three goals) and Graham Johncock were all outstanding. For the Swans, Michael O'Loughlin provided a target in attack all day, while Jarrad McVeigh and Luke Vogels provided some rays of light ahead of the Swans' tough road trip to the west next week.

From the opening bounce it was evident the Swans had come to play, and were determined to restrict the Crows' run off half-back which has been such a weapon in recent weeks. In a low-scoring but enthralling opening term, neither side could assert itself on the contest and gain any real supremacy. The Swans were playing it tight and in close early, and were rewarded in the sixth minute. In a sight to warm the heart of all home fans, Sydney's big guns all got a touch as Barry Hall found O'Loughlin, whose high ball found the sure hands of Ryan O'Keefe.

Hentschel answered O'Keefe's major mid-way through the opening term to get the Crows on the board, but O'Loughlin replied following a strong mark a minute later. Ricciuto, without kicking a goal in the first quarter, was looking dangerous for Adelaide, who despite not having many clear winners was right in the contest and trailed by just four points at the first break. It didn't take long for the Crows to take the lead in the second term. After a Swans chip on the wing failed to find the target, Adelaide pounced and from the resulting turnover Ricciuto kicked a long bomb from just outside 50.

Three goals in three minutes from the eight-minute mark further silenced the Sydney faithful, as the Crows running machine started to click into gear. Johncock cleared the pack and bounced one through from a long way out, and then Rhett Biglands showed his mobility from the ensuing centre bounce to dob one on the run from 45. When Goodwin did the same a minute later, the visitors had skipped out to a 19-point buffer and Sydney was in trouble. Johncock was awarded his second after a dubious soccer - which the home fans thought had already crossed the goal line - and it wasn't until time-on before the previously unsighted Nick Davis booted the Swans' first of the term.

But Adelaide hit back through Hentschel, who somehow managed to sneak through his second amid a host of defenders just nine seconds before the half-time siren. The Crows led 7.7 to 3.5 at the long change and the Swans needed to manufacture another of their famous SCG comebacks if they were to take the points. Sydney did manage to stem Adelaide's run in the third term and actually looked the better side in patches throughout, but converting was a problem. Jude Bolton had a moment he would prefer to forget, as Ricciuto swooped on the Swan's dropped chest mark 30 metres out from the Crows' goal to boot his team further ahead. McVeigh goaled at the 17-minute mark to lift Sydney and his major looked as though it might rally the reigning champs.

They seemed to have the momentum and could have edged inside a three-goal margin, but O'Loughlin's horror miss from 20m out in front might have killed off any sniff Paul Roos' men had of pinching a win. Matthew Bode goaled deep in time-on to make it a 28-point ballgame - and with Sydney having just four goals on the board at the last change - the fat lady began warming her tonsils. The two teams traded goals in the last quarter but the Crows were able to extend their margin, making it look easy at times while the inaccurate Swans have some work ahead of them if they are to force their way into the top four.

Next week Adelaide returns to AAMI Stadium for a meeting with Hawthorn while Sydney travels to the other side of the country for a Grand Final replay against West Coast on Saturday night.

SYDNEY: 2.2, 3.5, 4.10, 8.14 (62)
ADELAIDE: 1.4, 7.7, 9.8, 15.11 (101)

GOALS: McVeigh 2, O'Keefe, O'Loughlin, Davis, Buchanan, Williams, Goodes 1.

Best Swan On Ground: Adam Goodes.
Rising Star: Jarrad McVeigh

Malceski returns for Reserves

As I'm sure many Swans fans will atest too this kid was a major reason for a early season 6 game winning streak and its been clear by the Swans play in the 4 matches without him that we aren't the same side. He'll most likely take 2 or 3 weeks to regard form and fitness in the twos before making his senior comeback against either the Tigers in Round 16 or Port Adelaide in Round 17.

Can't come soon enough.

So at least we know Roosy has his head screwed on in that regard, lets hope the 22 players who do take the field on Sunday, do the job and beat the Crows in what would be a major upset despite the home ground advantage, despite being last years premiers and despite being in the Top 6.

I doubt its going to happen people.

"I know if we show up like we did in those first three quarters we will get smacked."

and

"Adelaide and West Coast are the best teams in the competition at the moment. They've got some great players and we've got our work cut out for us."

and

"If we rock up and are not prepared to play Swans footy and Bloods footy we might as well stay home because we will lose."

Yep you heard right we might as well send out 18 training cones because somehow I don't think we'll show up to play. But hey that's just my feeling.

On to the players last night and it was great to see Magic continue on with his form from the week before and take out the BOG and turn back the clock in what was clearly a Magic vintage performance of 98 and 99. Nick Davis and Adam Schneider were the next best two with 7 goals between them and plenty of possession as well. Moving LRT into the ruck was a master stroke and turn the balance of the game on its head and Kennelly was the best of the defence once again with his darting runs out of defence.

All in all not much to write home about until the final quarter, but when we turn ourselves on, we looked ready to send a message to the rest of the competition. Barry Hall is hurting by being forced to play so close to goal, thus having 2 or 3 men drop back on him when we kick the ball to him (plus rumors of injury don't help) and Ryan O'Keefe is nothing of the playing he was last year and in my opinion should be looking at time in Canberra if he form doesn't improve his form.

Of the players brought in Luke Vogels MUST keep his spot and so should Jarred Moore. Sean Dempster and Paul Bevan in truth are keeping their spots warm for the returns of Nick Malceski and Jared Crouch from injury. Once we get those two back then we have a full side to take on the final two months of football.

Here is a proper match report for those who want one:

Swans shake feisty Freo Ben Broad Exclusive to afl.com.au

A scintillating eight-minute burst at the start of the final term has allowed the Sydney Swans to shake off Fremantle and record their eighth win of the AFL season. There was nothing pretty about the Swans' 12.19 (91) to 9.4 (58) win, but a withering four-goal burst was enough to get the reigning premiers home by 33 points at the SCG on Saturday night.

Best for the winners were Adam Schneider, the lively Michael O'Loughlin, Paul Bevan went everywhere with Jeff Farmer and the surprising Lewis Roberts-Thomson whose effectiveness in the ruck was a revelation. Matthew Pavlich was his usual classy self for the Dockers while the rugged Troy Cook was solid and Shane Parker, with some help from his team-mates, did a great job on Barry Hall.

It took until the final term for the Swans to shake themselves clear of the Dockers after the visitors had led for nearly all of the first three quarters and held a one-point advantage at the final break. But the opening minutes of the final term was all one-way traffic. Three minutes in, Luke Vogels evaded a defender and booted truly to give his side the lead, and then a few minutes of Adam Schneider brilliance killed off the Dockers' hopes.

He ran in and kicked truly from 25m at the five-minute mark, then chipped beautifully into the square to find a running Jarrad McVeigh who goaled before slamming home another on the run from 45m to make the margin 25 points. It would prove too much for the visitors. Early in the contest Sydney's poor home record in 2006 had looked like it might continue. Sydney looked remarkably flat from the opening bounce, with the Dockers taking it right up to the reigning premiers.

Stung by criticism after their round 12 belting at the hands of Geelong, Fremantle made all the running early with Pavlich looking dangerous inside 50. Sydney's midfield struggled to get their hands on the ball despite Darren Jolly's supremacy at the stoppages, while Hall missed two relatively simple chances from set shots to make matters worse. At the other end, Ryan Murphy floated forward to boot the game's first while Pavlich's second - a brilliant snap from the pocket - stunned the home crowd when Freo opened up a 19-point lead.

Schneider finally kicked the Swans' first at the 22-minute mark, but at the first change it was the Dockers by 13 points. Fremantle skipper Peter Bell was showing no signs of the calf injury that had kept him sidelined, and his left foot snap five minutes into the second term restored his team's 19-point advantage. But the Swans started to lift mid-way through the quarter with Nic Fosdike giving them run and Nick Davis looking dangerous when isolated inside the forward arc. After O'Loughlin broke free to boot one from the top of the square at the 20-minute mark, the Swans were back within a kick. Docker Ryan Crowley replied two minutes later courtesy of a free kick, but Davis's second for the term again cut the deficit and Fremantle led 5.4 to 4.7 at the long break,

Sydney's usual ball magnets such as Jude Bolton and Brett Kirk were having quiet nights, while Fremantle's Shaun McManus and Paul Hasleby, who had been searching for form, were enjoying their night's work. Neither side could make the break they needed in the third term as scrappy football prevailed and possessions were at a premium. After the Dockers' defence made a meal of a marking contest at the top of the goalsquare - two men in purple flying with neither successfully clearing the ball - Sydney's McVeigh goaled to put his side in front 10 minutes in.

But three goals in five minutes to the Dockers had Sydney on the ropes. Pavlich dobbed his third from a free kick, then booted truly from 50 after finding himself on the end of a pass from Bell from the ensuing centre bounce. When Josh Carr marked Bevan's attempted clearance out of the Sydney defence and goaled at the 17-minute, Fremantle had steadied. But O'Loughlin, who had become the go-to man as Hall continually found himself swamped with Dockers, goaled from a tight angle to cut the deficit to the smallest possible margin at the final change.

Sydney coach Paul Roos admits he is concerned about the Swans' wasteful kicking after having 31 scoring shots to 13. "The inaccurate kicking we have seen in lots of games comes up and really hurts you," Roos said after the game. "At three-quarter time we had 21 scorings shots to 12 and were still one point behind and up until the 20-25 minute mark of the game we were still a chance to get beaten. "It is a concern definitely when you end up with 12 goals 19 because you know at some point it can hurt, but thankfully we came out of it with a good solid five goal win."

Fremantle coach Chris Connolly was disappointed his team had missed an opportunity to move alongside the Swans on the ladder, but was pleased with his players' endeavour. "It was the most intense we've been for probably a month," Connolly said. "I'm sure if we maintain that type of intensity and tidy up some other aspects of our game we'll win more games than we lose moving forward."

Next week the Dockers return to Subiaco to host Friday night football, a clash against the struggling Bombers, while Sydney hosts Adelaide at the SCG on Sunday.

SYDNEY: 1.3, 4.7, 6.15, 12.19 (91)
FREMANTLE: 3.4, 5.4, 8.4, 9.4 (58)

GOALS: Davis 4, Schneider 3, O'Loughlin, McVeigh 2, Vogels 1.

Best Swan On Ground: Michael O'Loughlin
Rising Star: Luke Vogels

It had to end some time but to be honest no one was expecting it to be this week and like this. Therefore a shoulder injury picked up late in the match against Collingwood, number 194 in a row since his debut against Collingwood in Round 7 of 1998 meant the long running streak of Jared Crouch is over and with it any hope his had of braking the All-Time AFL record held by Jim Stynes.

Still to play this many games in a row is amazing considering the amount of time he has taken injuries into games, (some requiring last minute jabs just to play) most famously last years Grand Final and of course his race against time to be fit to play Round One last year after braking his Collarbone in the International Rules Series against Ireland which failed to heal at first requiring a second op.

No doubt the rest will do him good and he'll be back and pissing off small forwards and Aker alike for years to come.

In that span we have seen 1 lucky win and 2 losses (one close and one not so close), that should of been wins if we were able to ajust our gameplan, style and tactics to suit the weather, opposition, the opposition tactics and underperforming Premiership "stars".

3 matches is all it took for what look like a promising tilt at back to back flags to go up in smoke and for us to drop out of the Top 4 and talk of the premiership, to 6th and talk of the end of an era. 3 matches.

Sure we are at the same spot on the win/loss ratio as this time last year but the difference this year is we don't look like exploding into a run of form that can take us all the way to the Top 4 let alone a Premiership. We have Fremantle this week in what has become a MUST WIN match for the club and then we embark of a two week journey to find our real position in the top 8, when we come up against the two top teams in the land in Adelaide (who we haven't beaten under the coaching of Roos) and West Coast in Perth (where we haven't won under the coaching of Roos).

As you can see we really are facing a do or die 3 three weeks which could even see us battling to keep our spot in the eight if we aren't careful. That's why the past two losses to St Kilda and Collingwood at home when we are better then them on paper have hurt because they hit us at the WRONG time. I know why we lost these games and I know why if we met these sides again in September it would be a different story, but I'm not going to go into tactic in this rant because I want to rip into certain players who I feel aren't putting in 100% at the minute and need to lift if we are going to be ANY chance of saving our back to back dream's.

First of all Ryan O'Keefe really needs to pull his finger out of his arse and start to have the impact as the 3rd forward he was having in 2003, 2004 and 2005. So far this year he has been missing in that duty in EVERY SINGLE GOD DAMN MATCH and when he does get the ball is so bloody wasteful you start to wonder if, a) his mind is on the game 100% and b) if he is really trying out there.

Second of all Leo Barry has been a joke this season giving away nothing but needless free kick after free kick. After the first match against Essendon we thought it was down to Lloyd and his diving, but maybe just maybe, Leo has got a little too lazy and has allowed "That Mark" to go to his head and has taken the easy option and thus gives the free kicks his gives. He needs to either cut this stuff out, or Roosy must find a new Full Back and move Leo into a more attacking defensives role.

I don't know what's wrong with Nick Davis and I'm not going to try and guess, other than to say I feel he kept too far away from the play and therefore isn't allowed to impact on matches like he did against Geelong in last year's finals series. Now Roosy should stop with the idea of him being a "midfielder" for the time being and put him back in the forward 50 and allow him to kick his 2 to 3 goals a match and impact on the scoreboard, not the statsheet. Let him do what he does best - KICK GOALS.

With Magic, he either is boxed in by Hall and therefore doesn't have the room to move and thus moves outside his goalscoring range (remember he bearly can kick over 40m anymore) and when the room does open up he doesn't move back for one reason or another. Roosy needs to works out the forward line set up better to work around Hall and Magic because they are key players who will lead us all the way, but as things stand Hall is the centre piece and is being left to do all the work (and doing it well) but will burn himself out if we aren't too careful.

We have only used 24 players which is great injury wise but we need to blood some of our kids and put pressure of the squad and spots in the team because players become lazy if they think they are walk up starts each week if fit. Why isn't Moore or Schmidt getting a game rather than Mathews who has shown this season time and again he is past his best form for us, why isn't Vogels tried rather than Richards who has dropped in form in the last month and why hasn't Doyle pushed Chambers since coming back from injury??

Roosy has three times this year hinted at changes and not made ANY and this week he has promised more. Will he drop Mathews, Richards, and/or Chambers or will he go with droping the likes of McVeigh as per usual??? I for one hopes he goes for a big name just to send a rocket up certain players and to fill the young players with hope that they won't be the fall guys regards as long as they play well and earn their spot.

We have a fight on our hand and the past 3 matches have shown that we aren't the solid bet for back to back we all though we were. Now we are fight not only to make the Top 4 but to make the finals altogether.

As if anyone doubted this wasn't going to happen but Tony Lockett, the VFL/AFL Greatest All Time Goalkicker has been been selected to the Australian Football Hall of Fame at the first time of eligibly along with 7 others including 1978 South Melbourne Best and Fairest winner John Murphy.

Tony Lockett

Played 183 games for St Kilda, 1983-94, kicking 898 goals.
Played 98 games for Sydney, 1995-99 and 2002, kicking 462 goals.
Played 5 games for Victoria, kicking 19 goals.
St Kilda Best and Fairest 1987, 1991.
Sydney Best and Fairest 1995.
Brownlow Medallist 1987.
EJ Whitten Medallist 1995.
Coleman Medallist 1987, 1991, 1996, 1998.
All Australian 1987, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998.
Club Leading Goalkicker 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999.
St Kilda Team of the Century (full forward).
Sydney Team of the Century (full forward).
Number One All-Time VFL / AFL Leading goalkicker.

John Murphy

Played 214 games for Fitzroy, 1967-77, kicking 326 goals.
Played 23 games for South Melbourne, 1978-79, kicking 40 goals.
Played 9 games for North Melbourne, 1979-80, kicking 8 goals.
Played 11 games for Victoria, kicking 11 goals.
Fitzroy Best and Fairest 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1977.
South Melbourne Best and Fairest 1978.
Fitzroy captain 1973-77.
Fitzroy leading goalkicker 1971, 1976.
South Melbourne leading goalkicker 1978.
Fitzroy Team of the Century (centre).

In somewhat sad news for the club, but at the same time not totally unexpected news, Paul Williams has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

He has cited moving back to Melbourne as a major reason for the decision but also felt he didn't want to play on for another season and harm what is a fantasic playing career by going on that one season longer.

"It is time for me to go back to Melbourne as my kids are missing their grandparents, so there are a few family reasons as well as footy reasons," said Williams

and

"I have always said to Roosy that some guys play a year too long and I definitely didn't want to be one of those. Perhaps I might have been able to play on again next year, but not at the level I wanted to."

Last year, after 294 matches, the most of any player in VFL/AFL history he finally tasted premiership glory. Besides that match he rates the 12-point victory over premiership favourites Port Adelaide in the 2003 qualifying final as a standout match.

"I tend to think back to the games that have meant the most, but other than the significance of the grand final last year, the belief and the character that the boys showed in that final in Adelaide against Port was the stepping-stone to where the group is now," he said.

Paul has been a fantastic for this club and certainly was worth the 1st Round Pick we gave up to get him. Off the field he has opened up his home to young players just new to the club and made them feel welcome and did this when he was going though the hard personal times. That show the make up of Paul Williams. His leadersip was such that he was considered for the captaincy in 2003 to take over from Paul Kelly after just 2 season with the club.

He will be missed.

PAUL WILLIAMS - FACT FILE

AGE: 33
DRAFTED: Collingwood 1989 (Pick #70) from North Hobart
DEBUT: 1991 Collingwood – 2001 Sydney Swans
GAMES: 303 (189 Collingwood, 114 Sydney Swans)
GOALS: 305
HONOURS: Sydney Swans Club Champion 2001, 2002. All Australian 2003. Sydney Swans Premiership side 2005.

Round 12 vs Collingwood

Sydney down to Magpies Ben Broad Exclusive to sydneyswans.com.au

Sydney's bid to improve its indifferent 'home' record in 2006 came up short against Collingwood at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night as the Swans went down by 13 points. Playing in front of 60,307 fans at Telstra Stadium the Swans fought hard before going down 14.11 (95) to 11.16 (82). Collingwood had to fend off a spirited third-quarter charge from Sydney, but once they had snuffed out that challenge the result was never in doubt with only late goals making the score look respectable after the Pies had led by as much as 40 points in the final term.

On a night the Swans would prefer to forget, Amon Buchanan, Leo Barry and Barry Hall (three goals) all tried hard. Collingwood was best served by Rhyce and Heath Shaw while the lively Alan Didak (four goals) and hard-working Scott Burns were also handy. Collingwood could not have got off to a better start, silencing the red and white crowd with two goals inside the first two minutes. A clever Didak snap opened the scoring 50 seconds into the contest, and when Ryan Lonie bombed one on the run from outside 50 the Pies took an early lead.

The Swans steadied but were being forced to chip it across half back as they struggled to penetrate their forward arc. Collingwood, meanwhile, dominated most of the possession and looked far more dangerous when going forward. Adam Schneider set up Michael O'Loughlin for the Swans' first mid-way through the term to cut the margin to a goal but Lonie's second, a snap from a tight angle which bounced through after beating a lunging Sydney defender, restored the two-goal advantage.

When Paul Licuria also bounced one through the visitors were out to an 18-point lead, although a beauty from Jarrad McVeigh on the 50 cut the deficit. Not much went right for the Swans in the second term as Collingwood controlled the early part of the quarter but couldn't quite put the score on the board. It took until the 10th minute for the Pies to get the reward their ascendancy deserved, with Anthony Rocca's set shot from a tight angle raising two flags.

Mid-way through the term Sydney veteran Paul Williams looked set to kick his side's first of the quarter but his set shot from 25m out directly in front skewed off the side of his boot. Moments later Pies big man Josh Fraser goaled from a tight angle at the other end and the Pies led by 20 points. Hall, who despite being hounded by Simon Prestigiacomo was providing a good target for the Swans, dropped an easy mark in front but looked to have recovered to snap a goal only for a desperate Magpie defence to lay a finger on his kick.

At the break the Swans' had failed to kick a goal for the quarter for the second time this season, managing just six behinds as the Pies led 6.7 to 2.10. Collingwood was enjoying an even spread of contributors while the likes of Craig Bolton, Barry and Tadhg Kennelly were the leading ballwinners for Sydney, emphasising not only Collingwood's ability to push back but where the ball had spent most of its time. Whatever Paul Roos told his men at the long break, it had an immediate effect as the Swans came out firing.

Buchanan combined twice with Hall inside the first four minutes and when O'Keefe, and then Hall again, booted his third suddenly the Swans were in front. But that burst stung the Pies into action. Ben Johnson roved one off a pack to regain the lead, and when Didak's deadly left boot found the mark Collingwood had steadied. Perhaps the Swans thought once they'd hit the lead the hard work had been done - but the Magpies hit back.

Rhyce Shaw kicked a gem, Didak's superb vision set up late inclusion Chris Egan and when Rocca goaled after the three-quarter time siren, the Pies had fought off the challenge and kicked out to a 25-point lead. O'Loughlin booted the first of the final term to give the home fans hope, but two to Didak quickly killed off any light that remained.

Sydney coach Paul Roos believes the loss was a culmination of the Magpies' good form and his players' failure to perform, and was typified in the second quarter when the Swans managed just six behinds. "Any time you lose a game the opposition plays well, but in the second quarter in terms of attack on the footy and the way we wanted to play, we just slaughtered the footy," Roos said after the game. "You kick six points and under normal circumstances you win the quarter 8-2 but if you are kicking it to the opposition, dropping marks and hitting the posts 15-metres out, you are sitting up in the box and thinking this is going to be a struggle. "The second quarter was a good summary of our game."

Next weekend the Swans will try to bounce back when they host an out-of-sorts Fremantle at the SCG on Saturday night.

SYDNEY: 2.4, 2.10, 6.13, 11.16 (82)
COLLINGWOOD: 4.3, 6.7, 11.8, 14.11 (95)

GOALS: Hall 3, O'Loughlin, O'Keefe, Goodes 2, Schneider, Williams 1.

Best Swan On Ground: Buchanan
Rising Star: Lewis Roberts-Thomson

Round 11 vs St Kilda

Swans sink to Saints Ben Broad Exclusive to sydneyswans.com.au

Sydney's winning run has come to an end with a thrilling two-point loss to St Kilda at a slippery SCG on Saturday night. In what turned out to be a thrilling finale, the Saints held off the fast-finishing Swans to win 7.10 (52) to 7.8 (50). The Saints had looked to be cruising all night as they maintained a comfortable three-goal lead for the majority of the evening. But the Swans, in a finish reminiscent of last year's famous semi-final win over Geelong, made a late charge.

Leading by 13 points at the last break, Brett Kirk kicked the opening goal of the final term at the 19-minute mark, and when Adam Schneider kicked his third at the 29-minute mark he cut the deficit to just two points. But that's as close as the home side got. There was to be no fairytale finish this time, as the Saints held firm in the dying minutes despite Sydney throwing everything at them.

The much-anticipated rematch between Matt Maguire and Barry Hall was a lopsided affair, with the Saint enjoying a night out over the unusually quiet Hall. Sydney was best served by Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton, while Schneider helped lead the Swans' revival. Sam Fisher, Nick Riewoldt and Luke Ball, who copped a heavy knock and was stretchered from the field early in the final term, were other standouts for the winners in a victory that lifted them back into the top eight.

Goals were always going to be as precious as diamonds on a night when persistent drizzle made it tough for either side to play the kind of free-flowing footy they are accustomed. And it was the Saints who acclimatised the better early on in the greasy conditions. Debutante Michael Rix, one of three ruckman the visitors took into the game despite the weather, posted the game's first goal in the third minute, joining that exclusive club with a major with his first kick in the big time.

Riewoldt was effective in his role playing a kick behind the play as St Kilda seemed to be matching the home side at ground level, an area in which the Swans had been so dominant the previous six weeks. It took until the 22nd minute for the term's only other goal. Fraser Gehrig found space to mark and kick truly and when the siren rang, the Saints had kept Sydney goalless for a quarter for the first time since the third term of last year's grand final.

The rain eased slightly in the second term and with it, the Swans looked a better team. It took them just 14 seconds to register a goal in the second stanza, with Barry Hall slamming one home from the goal square although Brendan Goddard answered for the Saints after a wayward Leo Barry kick out of defence proved costly. The teams traded goals but Sydney couldn't bridge the quarter time margin.

Gehrig continued to look dangerous and some of his more unheralded teammates - the likes of Fisher and Mark McGough - led an even and committed Saints outfit at ground level. Regular performers Goodes, 150-gamer Bolton and Kirk were doing plenty of hard stuff around the packs but with the ball like a cake of soap at times, the 14-point deficit at the long change might have seemed double that.

The Saints seemed to have the answers during the third term. Schneider answered Jason Blake's goal but when Leigh Montagna dribbled one through from 30m, St Kilda was back out to a 20-point lead and looking well on its way to the four points. But Schneider's second goal late in the term reduced the margin to 13 points, giving the home side a sniff and setting up the exciting finale.

Sydney coach Paul Roos admitted his team was outplayed in the early stages of the game. "The first quarter was significant - 2.3 to 0.1. In those conditions any sort of multiple break was going to be really important and, in the end, it was two more points than we could recover," Roos said.

The Swans have a week off during the split round before they meet Collingwood in a round 12 blockbuster at Telstra Stadium.

SYDNEY: 0.1, 3.3, 5.5, 7.8 (50)
ST KILDA: 2.3, 5.5, 7.6, 7.10 (52)

GOALS: Schneider 3, Hall, Roberts-Thomson, McVeigh, Kirk 1.

Best Swan On Ground: Brett Kirk
Rising Star: Jarred McVeigh

Round 10 vs Kangaroos

Swans charge down Roos Jennifer Witham Exclusive to afl.com.au

Sydney has staged the second come-from-behind victory in round 10 with a thrilling seven-point victory over the Kangaroos at Manuka Oval on Sunday afternoon. A day after the Eagles' stunning win over the Cats on Saturday, the Swans employed a similar never-say-die attitude and defeated the Roos in a cliffhanger after trailing by 32 points in the third term. The Roos had returned to their 'home away from home' with dark memories of their last trip to Canberra, when they were upended by West Coast by 24 points in round four this year.

And, in front of a crowd of 14,922 – a new venue record for Manuka Oval, surpassing the previous record of 14,891 who attended the Kangaroos-Sydney clash in round four, 2004 – the nightmare was re-enacted as the Swans powered to the 16.9 (105) to 14.14 (98) victory. Led by co-captain Barry Hall – who was awesome in booting six goals - the Swans lifted considerably in the final term to kick five goals to two, denying the Roos the opportunity to snap a three-match losing streak.

The Swans lost veteran midfielder Paul Williams before the bounce with calf soreness but Craig Bolton was sensational after spending last week in the grandstand with a hamstring strain. Sydney co-captain Brett Kirk was prolific in the middle. The contribution of Hall couldn't be ignored as the big man powered through the forward line with Adam Goodes providing solid support from the wing. Kangaroo Jade Rawlings was impressive in his first senior game in the blue and white with one goal and 17 possessions while Glenn Archer was serviceable as always in defence with 17 disposals and nine marks.

Daniel Harris and Brent Harvey worked hard through the midfield with 23 and 20 touches respectively with skipper Adam Simpson collecting 22. The game started with Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley stacking his forward line with talls Nathan Thompson, Hamish McIntosh and Jade Rawlings, while David Hale periodically drifted into attack, the move outweighing the Swans' small defenders. But it was an even contribution from Sydney's workmanlike midfield that brought that game plan quickly undone and the Swans were as quick as they were devastating running the ball from the Roos' attacking 50.

Sydney took advantage of the breeze in the first and banged on five goals to none - the Roos managing only six behinds for the term, and consequently took a 27-point lead into the second quarter. The Kangaroos came out fired up in the second and the tall structure began to pay dividends with quick goals to Rawlings, Thompson and Hale - Brent Harvey and Shannon Grant also chipped in with majors of their own. Within 15 minutes, the Roos had whittled away the Swans' lead and the boot of Grant put the side in front, much to the delight of the club's Canberra supporter base.

Shortly after, Adam Goodes kicked truly and put through the Swans' first for the second term - and the first goal kicked at the Manuka end of the oval - to bring the scores back to level. The big Roos ruckman Hale nailed his second after the siren and the 'home' side took a seven-point lead into the rooms, although their second-term onslaught was soured briefly when Troy Makepeace was helped from the field. The tough midfielder came off second best in a collision with Jared Crouch and went straight up the race before returning late in the term. Thompson also appeared in trouble with a shoulder complaint after a hefty tackle but managed to play on.

The wind dropped after half-time and the Roos were quick to capitalise on the still conditions with four straight goals that blew the margin out to 32 points – the game's biggest lead. But the bustling Hall ignited Swans and kicked two in the third term, and along with an impressive running goal to Jarrad McVeigh and a long bomb to Amon Buchanan, the Swans were back in it and down by 11 points at the last change. In a thrilling final term, the Swans didn't look back after they regained the lead in time-on, despite several serious challenges by the Roos, and the premiers went on to complete their sixth consecutive win.

Sydney coach Paul Roos admitted his team wasn't the best afield yet he praised the way it went about obtaining the win when playing below its par. "I think it was a reasonable sort of game, I think it was the conditions and look, to be honest, I thought the Kangas were the better team for most of the day," Roos said after the match. "Credit to our guys to be able to play probably 50 minutes maximum of good footy but the last quarter they really turned around, our boys, and hit in and our forwards started to become a lot more aggressive and lively. "Look, to get over the line today was great when not playing too well."

KANGAROOS: 0.6, 7.10, 12.11, 14.14 (98)
SYDNEY: 5.3, 7.3, 11.6, 16.9 (105)

GOALS: Hall 6, Schneider 2, Dempster, Kirk, Ablett, Goodes, McVeigh, Buchanan, O'Loughlin, O'Keefe 1.

Best Swan On Ground: Barry Hall
Rising Star: Sean Dempster