Record breaking runs for our cricket captain and champion thoroughbred were not enough to brighten the darker days of Australian sport in 2012.

AFL premiers the Sydney Swans capped a whirlwind day of public celebrations with a return to their SCG home base, where a crowd of approximately 3,500 cheer, cheer, cheered the red and the white.

Sydney superstar Adam Goodes personified his side’s never-say-die spirit by ignoring a serious knee injury to lead the Swans to a thrilling upset AFL grand final win at the MCG on Saturday.

The Swans’ lack of success at the MCG is attracting plenty of attention ahead of the AFL grand final on Saturday against Hawthorn.

SYDNEY have smashed their seven-year hoodoo against a tired but valiant Collingwood to surge into next Saturday’s AFL grand final on a high.

Collingwood say they are building the right way towards a third consecutive AFL grand final appearance.

The Sydney Swans will play in the AFL’s first international home-and-away match on ANZAC Day next season when they take on St Kilda in Wellington, New Zealand.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | There is nothing quite like the opening week of the finals. Spring is in the air, the smorgasbord of regular season footy has been trimmed down to army rations and there is still a genuine case for those clubs still in contention.

Sydney coach John Longmire has dismissed the relevance of his team’s losing streak against potential preliminary final opponents Collingwood, the only team he has yet to beat as a senior coach.

AFL is many things. For some it’s a slight distraction for a few hours, for others, it’s the life force that flows through us and surrounds us, overcoming us with emotion and making other trivial aspects of existence seem insignificant (like food shopping).

Sydney defender Marty Mattner says the Swans are desperate to preserve their No.1 spot on the AFL ladder.

Sydney, Adelaide and Hawthorn all clambered into the AFL top four with wins on Sunday to further widen the most open premiership race in years.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Well, well, well…what have we here then? It seems that all of a sudden without anyone even realizing, the Swans of Sydney not only have been playing matches all season, they’ve managed to win enough to be on top of the FREAKING ladder!

THE AFL RUBDOWN | It’s happened again. The golden cliché that all clubs are supposed to live and die by has claimed some major casualties, and they don’t get much bigger than Collingwood and Essendon – falling victim to the most ancient rule in competitive team sports – ‘ONE WEEK AT A TIME’.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Hungry Jacks Pty Ltd avoided going into administration on the weekend by the skin of their thickshakes, as the unpredictability of the AFL finally got predictable.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Round 13 has just been completed, and it’s all downhill from here til September. What a cracking weekend it was too, with some true upsets, sublime contests and some of the most captivating beards you’re ever likely to see.

Momentum. It exists in most sports (well, maybe not ‘Dressage’…what sort of sadist dreamt that one up?) and it seems none more so than in the glorious world of AFL.

The Sydney Swans accept they face a real litmus test of their AFL finals credentials against Essendon on Saturday as they try to break their recent boom-bust cycle.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | The spotlight. Whether it’s for the right or wrong reasons, if you’re an AFL player or coach you don’t want it focusing upon you.