Once upon a time when the Swans hosted finals at the SCG, Kim Ryan was part of the red and white fan base that filled the historic stands.
But when Sydney play the GIANTS in Saturday’s Qualifying Final, Ryan will be riding the orange tsunami.
Ryan’s journey as a NSW-based South Melbourne supporter to Swans convert to now a proud, passionate GIANT is one of the many tales from the member base of the league’s youngest club.
“As an only child that watched and played lots of sport, I watched everything. I’m a Dragons (NRL) supporter so I went for South Melbourne just because they had the same jersey,” Ryan explains.
“When they moved to Sydney, I was pretty into it and we joined up as members back when the Swans had 6000 members. I was a massive Adam Goodes and Andrew Dunkley fan.”
And while Ryan’s first love is the Dragons and League, she followed Sydney and, when they were born, the GIANTS, but later started to fall out of love with AFL and was disillusioned by the treatment of Goodes.
It was the orange team who reignited her passion.
“The Dragons are my team, the Swans were given to us, forced upon us in a way and we all kind of adopted them, but the GIANTS are our team, born in Sydney,” Ryan says.
It wasn’t a decision, to swap teams, but a feeling during the now infamous 2014 season opener when the GIANTS made history by defeating the Swans for the first time in a heated contest where wild weather delayed the game for 25 minutes.
“There was a moment in that lightning game. I thought I loved both teams but Buddy (Lance Franklin) did something to Phil Davis and Toby (Greene) came in from nowhere and shoved him to the ground. I remember standing up going ‘Get him, Toby!’ and I thought ‘Oooh, I think I’ve decided – I know who my team is.
“And now there’s nobody I’d rather beat than the Swans.”
Following, and connecting with, a team built from the ground up has been a special experience.
“When the GIANTS came along it was a chance to watch a brand-new club from the beginning. We decided to go to the early GIANTS games, we picked our reserved seats and we’ve had them ever since,” Ryan adds.
“We’d go along to pre-game functions and the after match, the players would sit at a table, Israel Folau was there, and you could go along and get their autographs. We’ve known Toby and Callan (Ward) and ‘Cogs’ (Stephen Coniglio) from the very start.
“We were able to get to know people, the players and the fans, and there was a feeling of community.”
Ryan attends the footy with her friend and ‘sporting partner’ Tony who has also seen the orange light, converting from Hawthorn to become a member of the Orange Army.
She is a 200 Club member, doesn’t miss a Kevin Sheedy Medal, and has formed great friendships with fellow GIANTS fans via social media and at games.
“There’s Michael who sits in the row in front of us, we text every day and now he’s one of our best mates. And there’s Con, who we’d catch up with at some of the trainings,” Ryan says.
“We would never have met these people and made these friends if it wasn’t for the GIANTS.”
