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About Richard Hinds
About Richard Hinds
Richard Hinds is the Melbourne-based sports writer for the Sydney Morning Herald. Hinds has covered the AFL for almost two decades, several Olympic Games, international golf and numerous Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Hinds grew up in Victoria where he witnessed the expansion of the national competition and, during his time with the SMH, has reported on some of the key moments in the Swans' gradual rise from unloved interloper to Sydney icon - including their stunning 2005 premiership victory.
With time to Swan about, let's look into the crystal ball
SYDNEY enter the second half of the season with more question marks surrounding the team than at any time in coach Paul Roos's reign. But the tight struggle between the group of teams bunched from fourth to 11th has kept them well in the finals race. This is what the second half of the season has in store.
About-face by Roos and Swans
Paul Roos has often said he does not want to be a career coach but,
again, he has proved he would make an excellent career politician.
No replacement in sight: Bad Barry likely to last one more season
FIRST, the raw data. At the start of next season Barry Hall will be 33 years old, will have played about 260 games over 14 seasons with St Kilda and Sydney, kicked about 640 goals, won the Swans' goalkicking for an eighth consecutive season and, despite niggling groin complaints, be fit enough to endure at least one more relatively productive season. Now, the obvious dilemma.
Baby Magpies are the ones worth watching
After little more than a quarter of the most heavily hyped debut in recent AFL history, the No.1 pick in the 2008 draft suddenly looked like what he was.
Brain snap cost us the game: Goodes
SYDNEY co-captain Adam Goodes has told Barry Hall that his misplaced aggression had "cost us" after Hall's latest brain fade - a triple 50-metre penalty that robbed the Swans of the momentum during a crucial stage of yesterday's loss to Hawthorn.
Swans in moment of truth
As Swans football department weighs up futures of Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin, it says no snap decisions being made about whether to offer the veterans new contracts.
Fall of Richmond's Wallace triggers speculation of brutal coach-go-round
After weeks of speculation, Richmond coach Terry Wallace pays price for failing to deliver the success long-suffering Tigers fans demanded.
Why Swans need to get Dogs on leash
SO unusually bunched is the AFL ladder, almost every match played between the 10 teams with a 5-4 or 4-5 win-loss record from the third-placed Western Bulldogs to the 12th-placed North Melbourne has become an "eight-point game". However, in neutral territory in Canberra, today's Sydney-Bulldogs looms large.
Canberra may host western Sydney games
AFL officials will hold talks with the ACT Government this week as
they look to make Canberra a second home for the proposed western
Sydney franchise.
No longer a two-horse race
In the same weekend, the gap between the AFL's two dominant teams and the rest simultaneously widened and narrowed.
Sydney final threat a desperate AFL ruse
The AFL is using Sydney as a pawn - or perhaps more accurately, a distraction - in its battle to gain better deals for Melbourne clubs at the MCG and Etihad Stadium.
Malthouse, Magpies set for a sad ending
Collingwood and coach Michael Malthouse are now like the partners in a once-strong relationship heading towards its sad but inevitable conclusion.
Mixing old with new might be answer for Swans
THE Sydney Swans were given frank and predictable confirmation at Geelong on Saturday that they will spend this season, and perhaps a couple more, rebuilding and waiting for the fall of the Cat empire - the sole consolation being that they are merely one of a large group in the same situation.
AFL tunes in for numbers game
The most interesting numbers from tonight's experimental Monday night match between Collingwood and St Kilda will not be found on the scoreboard.
Ranga's soft spot for Swans means nothing
This Sydney-based product has now found a home in Cat country.
Roos is ready for Sydney's mission impossible
Paul Roos knows something about seemingly lost causes - handy
experience as the Swans contemplate their task at Geelong.
Ablett in doubt for mission impossible
Geelong superstar Gary Ablett is in some doubt for the match against the Sydney Swans after suffering groin tightness during the Cats' comfortable victory over Melbourne.
How west won't be won in battle of the codes
He was called Andrew and he was carrying a briefcase. I thought he was going to produce a Bible and be my saviour. Instead he got out a shiny red ball.
Canadian Pyke to make his 'crazy game' debut
Former rugby international Mike Pyke's rise with the Sydney Swans
is unprecedented.
Western Sydney venture a giant leap of faith for AFL-kind
Establishing a team in western Sydney is the AFL's version of the Apollo project. Unless you are an astrophysicist - or, in this case, a footbophysicist - the best reason to believe it is possible is the sheer conviction of those certain that a second Sydney franchise will provide a giant leap for their game.
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