While the Swans players and coaches remain focused on this week’s crucial assignment against Port Adelaide, attention amongst many supporters has already turned to the next home clash that awaits the team after the mid season break.
The match against Collingwood at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, June 26 is set to be one of the biggest home and away matches of the season with the Swans intent on snapping a long run of outs against the Pies.
Currently sitting seventh on the AFL ladder, the Swans are just two wins in arrears of second placed Collingwood.
The match is one rich with storylines: potentially the final battle between Roos and Malthouse; Daniel Bradshaw’s possible return to the Swans’ lineup; Darren Jolly’s first match against his former club and the battle of the Shaw brothers Rhyce and Heath.
Over the past seven years, the annual Swans versus Collingwood blockbuster has become one of the AFL’s biggest rivalry matches.
The average crowd of 55,958 since 2003 compares favorably with the great Victorian rivalries such as Carlton v Collingwood (66,097), Richmond v Essendon (57,814), Richmond v Carlton (56,498) and Essendon v Carlton (55,256).
The Swans’ Jude Bolton - a standout in last weekend’s match against Essendon - said the match against Collingwood was always one of the highlights of the season.
"We haven't been too successful in the past few meetings with Collingwood at ANZ so we're really fired up to turn it around this year.
"It's always a big occasion game against the Magpies and we'll really need a huge red and white crowd there to help us get home.
"I'll never forget when we played in front of a record crowd of 72,393 at ANZ Stadium. It was such an electric feeling and we would love to see a huge crowd again, and send everyone home happy,'' Bolton said.
That crowd of more than 72,000 remains the largest crowd for an AFL match outside of Victoria and the club is hopeful of surpassing that mark in 2010.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketek.
For more information and the latest news on the match, keep visiting www.sydneyswans.com.au
