High-flyers: Sydney Swans train for the cross-city match-up with the Giants on Saturday. Photo: Ben Rushton
Few give Greater Western Sydney a chance of upsetting the reigning premiers on Saturday but off the field the Giants are ruffling the feathers of their cross-town rivals.
Such was the Giants' novelty value a year ago, the Swans were content to let the competition's newest club have its moment in the sun but that is no longer the case. The Swans want to turn last year's premiership success into a greater slice of the Sydney market and do not want to cede ground to their baby brother.
Accustomed to a monopoly of the AFL coverage in Sydney, the Swans must now vie for attention with the Giants. "They're getting a bit more in the paper than we are at the moment," Swans captain Kieren Jack said. "They're here, we know that, we acknowledge that, but we're not giving up our territory at all."
The Giants have already won two small skirmishes this year. Not only did they knock off the Swans in the first week of the NAB Cup they also landed a blow on the propaganda front. Despite the Swans not agreeing to the concept, this weekend's derby has been marketed by the Giants and the AFL as "The Battle of the Bridge", the brainchild of Kevin Sheedy based on the Anzac Bridge being the gateway to the west. The Swans are unhappy with the term as it implies they are an eastern suburbs club and the slogan will not be mentioned in round 16 when they host the Giants in the return bout.
"We consider all of Sydney ours – it doesn't matter which side of the bridge you live on or what bridge it is," Swans coach John Longmire said. "We've got plenty of supporters on all sorts of Sydney – north, south, east and west. We don't just confine ourselves to the eastern suburbs; we've got supporters all over the city, which is fantastic. We've been here 31 years now and we really value that."
It's no laughing matter either inside the Swans administration. As the Giants officially unveiled The Battle of the Bridge concept, the Swans sent a letter to their members, titled "We're the Sydney Swans and we have been for 30 years", saying they were "proud to be from every corner of Sydney".
The expansionist club fired another barb on Wednesday with Sheedy baiting Swans supporters, urging them to "put down your lattes" and attend the game, in an open letter posted on the Giants website. "East v West. Which side are you on?" Sheedy wrote.
"I know you have had Sydney to yourselves for 30 years but we are here now and there is plenty of room for both us. You can even have your little corner in the east if you want. I am pretty happy with my view of the Parramatta River.
"So put down your lattes, get out of the Coogee (or wherever you are), drive over the Anzac Bridge in your Range Rovers (I prefer a Skoda) and get out to the west and support your team. We have lattes over here too you know."
The Swans will start at $1.04 this weekend but, unlike last year, there has been no talk about a 100-point margin. Bookmakers are offering a line around the eight-goal mark.
Hopes for a more even contest are built on the Swans' poor form in the past month and the Giants' improved showing in the pre-season. "Don't write us off, that's all I'll say," Sheedy said. "We'll be as hungry as junkyard dogs – and that's what we should be."
Meanwhile, rookie Dane Rampe has been upgraded to the senior list by the Swans and could make his debut against the Giants.
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