In 1987, something magical happened at the SCG.
It was a team playing at its optimum, clicking on all cylinders, and reaping the results. Playing three-straight home games, the Sydney Swans caught fire, and in doing so, captured the imagination of the football world.
With players like Warwick Capper, Gerard Healy, Merv Neagle, and Greg Williams, the Swans put together a trio of games that saw them go on a scoring rampage; a series of massive scores that have not been replicated, since.
The aggregate of those three weeks saw them kick 97 goals and 53 behind.
ds, as they dominated the Eagles, Bombers, and Tigers, in that order. Their 36.20. 236 against Essendon remains the third-highest score in V/AFL history, whilst the three-game total will likely never be matched.
So, who starred in those wins? Who drove this team to home and away season heights that saw the SCG transformed into a red and white party?
Let’s have a gander.
THE BIG NAMES
WARWICK CAPPER
This three-week period saw Capper record “just” 16 goals, which is a pretty modest return when you consider that he was the undoubted spearhead of that team. Nothing to sneeze at, particularly by modern standards, but Sydney had a plethora of goal scorers during this amazing run, and it gives an indication as to how balanced the side was.
GREG WILLIAMS
You’d expect the Diesel to have dominated proceedings when you see a squad putting others to the sword like this, however, like Capper, he was modest in his return.
Williams played in only two of the three games, picking up 34 disposals and two goals in the final win over the Tigers, and 25 disposals in the victory over the Eagles.
MERV NEAGLE
My childhood neighbour in Moonee Ponds, Neagle was one of the best wingmen of his generation. Also gave me a Ross Faulkner footy once, so in my opinion, he was a great guy… even if he did play for Essendon at the time. He played only two of the three games, as well, with 19 touches and five goals against the Tigers, and 15 touches and five goals against his old mob, the Bombers.
GERARD HEALY
Surely the Brownlow Medallist was the one to tear these contests to shreds, then?
He had 25 disposals and one goal in the first game, added 24 touches and four goals in the second, and was inured in the third, with just seven disposals and a goal to his name.
So, they’re the stars of the Sydney show, and yet, the returns from them are a lot more modest than you’d expect. Given that, there had to be some huge games from those who were a little more on the periphery.
VS WEST COAST
Look at this game from Stephen Wright – 30 touches and eight goals. It secured him three Brownlow votes, and rightly so. He is one you don’t really hear of when people talk about great players from the era, but on his day, he was quick, elusive, and evidently had a great goal sense.
Barry Mitchell operated in the shadow of his celebrated Brownlow Medal-winning teammates, Greg Williams and Gerard Healy, but in these contests, it was him controlling the footy.
Tom’s old man racked up an impressive 34 disposals and added three goals as he got under the guard of the Eagles. At 25 touches and 1.85 goals per game over the course of the season, Mitchell had a monster year in his own right.
David Murphy snagged four goals to go with his 24 disposals, as he fed on the crumbs of the big forwards.
Meanwhile, Paul Hawke helped himself to 25 touches and two goals, as well.
VS ESSENDON
It should be noted that earlier in the season, Essendon got the better of the Swans to the tune of 47 points, so this was a massive turnaround.
How big a turnaround?
How does 210 points sound?
Mitchell, again, was everywhere, this time notching 38 disposals and another three goals, as made up for the absence of Greg Williams.
Brett Scott had a career-best game for both disposals (31) and goals kicked (three), as he helped the Swans destroy the Bombers and picked up three Brownlow votes.
Stephen Wright had a massive game, with a 25 disposal, five-goal outing against Essendon. , whilst Paul Hawke was at it again, racking up 27 touches and two goals.
To cap it off, Mark Bayes employed that lethal left leg of his, as he slotted three goals to go with his 20 touches.
The Swans were getting goals from everywhere.
VS RICHMOND
Oh, this Barry Mitchell guy… 28 disposals and two goals… what a dud, huh? Compared to the guy with the same name in the previous two games, anyway.
Paul Hawke was at it again, with 29 touches and a goal, Stevie Wright had 28 and two, Brett Scott kicked three, Tony Morwood bagged four, and Mark Bayes managed three.
Three Brownlow votes went to Merv Neagle for his five snags from the wing. Geez, he was a player.
AVERAGES
Looking at Mitchell, his 33.3 disposals and 2.66 goals per game make him the standout for the Swans.
Capper’s 5.3 goals per game, again, are nothing to sneeze at. I would have loved a big bag from him to emphasise his importance in this Sydney team through the mid-eighties, but it was not to be.
And Stevie Wright was the star up forward. His 27.66 disposals and five goals per game over this stretch is a ridiculous sequence of games for him. His 1987 average was 19.63 disposals, and 1.79 goals, so he went right the hell off in that period, didn’t he?
Hawke averaged 27 disposals and 1.66 goals were an outstanding contribution, as well.
This was the Privately-Owned era Swans at their absolute best. The Swanettes, the high flying, the high-scoring, and the attractive brand of footy made their games a must-watch.
The aggregate winning margin in those three games was 384 points.
Sadly, this version of the Swans did not make a re-appearance in the run home. They finished third on the ladder, securing the double-chance, and were still the talk of the footy world, but were bundled out of the finals in straight sets, with the Hawks and Demons both giving Sydney a taste of its own medicine. The Hawks won by 99 points in the Qualifying Final, whilst the Dees did the work to win by 76 in the Semi-Final.
Though the Swans failed to capitalise on the scoring punch they possessed, those three weeks from Round 16-18, 1987, remain one of the most dominant runs in the history of the game.
Only one of the games is available on YouTube, and if you’re a Swans die-hard, there are few better ways to spend a couple of hours than delighting in the exploits of this club, as they tear an Essendon team featuring names like Terry Daniher, Simon Madden, Roger Merrett, and Paul Salmon, to absolute shreds.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. It is a labour of love for me, and having you guys as members of the site basically keeps me going. So sincerely… thank you – HB
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