Shannon Gill

So the fixture being used as a retribution to the recalcitrant.

Absolutely.

And instead, they decide to play a game with New South Wales.

Now, Sandy Roberts will explain why.

Okay, so diplomatic, but pointed.

Diplomatic, and cut the line of promotion off is also cut the line of revenue off.

Then Sandy goes to speak to a Victorian voice, and what more Victorian voice can you have than Ted Whitten?

Yes.

I feel like perhaps there was a little bit of showbiz involved in that interview, but that was the scenario.

Everyone was a little bit confused.

Why the hell are we playing New South Wales?

Why aren't we playing South Australia?

And so it was almost like we can see the argument about not playing South Australia, but New South Wales, everyone was left scratching their heads.

This is bad, dark old days for Sydney Swans.

Just in the fortnight before this game had happened, players had been asked to take pay cuts.

And there was this idea that...

the Swans might be dead soon and that footy in New South Wales might die soon.

Now, the fact that players were asked to take pay cuts and a lot of them end up playing in this game is, hold that thought, we'll get back to it later, that a bit of money wouldn't be frowned upon at this point in time.

So it is seen as a huge mismatch.

In the New South Wales defence though, they had done very well at the 1988 carnival and