The night Sydney ‘accepted’ the Swans

Rodney Eade reckons it’s the night the city of Sydney “accepted” the Swans.

They knocked off Essendon by a point in the 1996 preliminary final, with a behind after the final siren from champion forward Tony Lockett helping the club advance to the grand final.

Speaking on 3AW’s Footy: Then and Now podcast, Eade, in his first year as coach of the Swans at the time, said it was a pivotal moment for football in the harbour city.

“The stories we heard later about pubs … there were rugby league finals and they switched it over to watch the Swans,” he said.

“Sydney people very much go to pubs to watch their sport.

“The noise, cheering and euphoria … I think that was the moment the Swans were really accepted in the city.”

Press PLAY below to hear the full episode