And he turned to his detractors and said, “Write me off at your peril. In the near future, I see no Swan song.” Time to Restump Podcast that magnificent win against the Bloods.

It is difficult to fathom that everything across the board would all come together on a Saturday in Sydney against the Swans. There was no early lethargy and no lapses, there were no holes in the game plan or deficiencies in executing it. Oddly enough, given our seemingly vulnerable backline, there was no missing piece of the puzzle.

It was as if there was a foreign subconscious connection over the entire group, a highly infectious energetic positive presence. The deep selflessness and the sacrifice of the individuals, produced a pure purple magic we’ve previously only seen sporadically.

From the coaching committee to the players, to the runners, the book only consisted of the single page and everyone was on it. 

Internally, there wasn’t a hint of trepidation about the gigantic shoes Josh Draper and Hugh Davies had to fill, or the ominous and understandably overwhelming task they were both asked to perform. How they both carried themselves, shouldering such responsibility, it is now easy to see why! 

The poise and the composure of Josh Draper and his, dare we continue to say it, Michael Johnson-like versatility, brings a joyful and nostalgic tear to your eye. And then the currently undersized but competent and competitive Hugh Davies in just his second game…. shut your face! Yeah, he made a bit of a blue with his loop short kick to Clarky, but we’re putting it down to the ghost of Blake Acres.   

Quite simply we cannot sing the praises of the two young defenders highly enough. Up forward with Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Luke Jackson we may have Triple J. But down back with Draper and Davies…. we’ve now got a great pair of Double D’s!

But while talking defenders, we should throw some love Corey Wagner’s way. He is proving pivotal and probably performing above all hopes. JL, Bell, Wallsy and whoever else deserve a congratulatory pat on their collective backs for plucking him out of obscurity. 

And we can’t leave off without giving the “we should’ve known” nod of respectful acknowledgment to the old man in the middle. When the old dogs are Fyfe dogs, they can always learn new tricks. Plenty were stamping his retirement ticket in recent weeks, but how often do we all have to learn that you just don’t write off champions, especially of Fyfe’s calibre? The team first oriented work he did on Isaac Heney…. we don’t win the game without it. 

We could bang on about everyone because it was that type of team performance, but let’s put the cap on the purple pencil and pick it up on the pod. 

If you’re not done reminiscing about Saturday, you’re not on your own. So, feel free to join us as we sing the praises of our purple players and prattle on for an hour about that splendid, surely September securing success over the Swans. 

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