The Curra Swans 2011 season came to a heartbreaking end with a 6 point loss to Hermit Park in the Preliminary Final at Tony Ireland Stadium on Saturday.
The Tigers led all day but a spirited come back from Curra saw the scores all tied at the final siren. The Swans hit the lead for the first time in the game during the first period of extra time but it was the Tigers who steadied in the crucial final 5 minute period to book a place in the Grand Final.
The final 30 minutes of football was the best seen by most spectators at an AFL Townsville game in a long time but the story begun much earlier than that. The Swans again were slow to get going and the Tigers took full advantage in the opening two quarters and held a 26 point advantage at half time.
For the Swans to get back into the game and have any real chance of winning they needed one of their now customary bursts. A six goal third term delivered just that and it saw the Swans roar back into contention and set up a thrilling last quarter. Josh Hall started to impose himself on the game and William Huddleston was making his own highlight reel up forward. Eleven points was the margin at what everyone thought would be the last break and though possible the Swans still needed a superhuman effort to win.
What happened next will still be talked about for years to come. The Swans kept coming and the Tigers kept fighting although the momentum had definitely swung the Swans way. Whilst the Swans had kicked accurately in the third term with 6.1 their final quarter yield of 2.5 fell just short of getting them to next game. Despite repeated entries inside 50 the young Swans could not deliver the killer blow and ended the quarter with 3 straight behinds to tie it all up at 12.10 apiece.
Luckily the possibilities of drawn finals matches had been discussed prior to the finals and despite a little confusion it wasn’t long before all at the game realized we were going into overtime.
Unfortunately the break seemed to halt the momentum the Swans had gathered in second half (8.6 to 4.4) and the Tigers gained the ascendancy. For all their efforts though the Tigers could only mange 3 behinds before the Swans goaled on the siren to hit the lead for the first time in the match. After the fourth and final rest break it was the Tigers again who took control kicking a goal to take the lead back. The Swans replied with 2 points only to see the Tigers go forward deep in the final moments to score the match sealer and gain a 7 point buffer. The Swans went forward one last time and Huddleston had a set shot but the agonising sound of the siren rang out across the stadium and it was over. Huddleston’s shot went through for a behind and the record books will show the tigers winning by 6 points.
The record books though won’t tell the tale of an incredible game of football nor of the heartbreak of the young Swans who fell to the ground in despair or of the joys of winning for the Tigers and the chance they now have at wining a Grand Final. A chance the surely this young Swans outfit must now realise will be theirs if they come back and try again in 2012. Pain of defeat makes you stronger and hungrier and in the clutches it is that hunger that drives you to do the things needed to be done to get the results you desire.
Well done to the swans on a great season and 2012 is yours for the taking if you want it bad enough.
Last Modified on 05/09/2011 11:35