Tony Morwood
1978-1989
229 games
397 goals
Leading Goalkicker 1979, 1982
Swans Team of the Century

It all seemed like a regular Thursday night training. After joining the Swans in 1978, 17-year-old Tony Morwood played Round 1 in the reserves and, upon leaving the Lake Oval after the week's final session, fully expected to line up in the earlier match again.

The next morning, blissfully unaware, he jumps on the train to work, armed with a copy of The Sun and a pack of cigarettes, strolling onto the smokers' carriage at the back of the train. Once comfortable, Morwood opens the paper and staring him right in the face, among the weekend's team list for South—IN: MORWOOD.

Delighted. Confused. Shocked. With nobody to tell. Once he finally made it to the office, he called his dad, and for the next 12 seasons, nobody needed to check the paper for his inclusion.

One of six brothers, the Morwood boys learned their football fundamentals at the South Eastern Suburban League club, Noble Park. Tony started as a nine-year-old and, with the club residing within South Melbourne's recruiting zone, joined his older brother Paul at the Swans after a highly promising junior career.

Predominantly played across the half-forward line, Swans coach Ian Stewart used Morwood in a different, more dangerous role during the 1979 season. The 19-year-old Swan burst onto the League scene playing as a quick, mobile leading full-forward, finishing the year with 56 goals as the club's leading goalkicker.

Morwood played with freedom, but the game was undoubtedly changing. South's financial woes coincided with the VFL's desire to expand the competition into Sydney. By 1981, that idea became reality.

The Chairman of the South Melbourne Cricket and Football Clubs, Jack Marks, read the play and discussed the option of relocating to Sydney with his board of directors. He was pleasantly surprised when they unanimously agreed with his plan to enter discussions with the VFL after expecting an almighty stoush. From that point on, the lives and careers of Morwood and his teammates changed forever.

Although the relocation news broke suddenly, causing significant consternation, Morwood recalls specific triggers from previous seasons. "In hindsight, the financial security of the club was always questioned. As players, we were always paid late, there were issues with cash flow, and we had to go to a key stakeholder's business to collect our pay."

That period created unbearable tension and still brings pain to those involved.

"Lifetime South Melbourne people were doing everything they could to save their club, and they had every right to do so. Just imagine, for those generational supporters having their club move away; it would have been incredible to comprehend," Morwood said.

The Swans flew in from Melbourne for their Sydney' home' matches in 1982. Clearly, acceptance in the Harbour City would be hard-earned, but signs were promising. On the field, the team won the prestigious night premiership and remained in September contention until the season's concluding stages. Morwood quickly became a fan favourite, leading the club's goalkicking for the second time.

"Winning the night premiership was great. But also, for the South Melbourne supporters, they felt like we didn't have to go to Sydney to be successful. So, in the end, you could say that it was a contradiction to the path we were trying to navigate."

At the time, Tony enjoyed playing alongside his brothers Paul and Shane in South's senior side. But, when the time came for players to decide whether they'd relocate to Sydney permanently for the 1983 season, the entire family felt the strain.

While most players made the move to Sydney, some wanted to remain in Melbourne with the family and friends they'd grown up with. For Tony, the idea of keeping the band together held genuine appeal. For Paul and Shane, the familiarity of home felt too strong to ignore.

Despite assurance from the League, the early years in Sydney were littered with moments to savour and some they'd rather forget. Suitable training facilities were non-existent; the first club office sat above a cake shop on Oxford Street, sparsely furnished with second-hand tables and chairs, and months into the 1983 relocation process, CEO Brian Dixon wrote to members and supporters requesting assistance to gain employment for seven players.

But the pioneers got on with it.

On the field, Morwood performed at a consistently high level. While the team's results disappointed, his aerial feats, pace and accuracy by foot brought joy to those in the SCG stands. Late in 1985, news spread that reinforcements were on the way.

A private ownership consortium bought the club and swiftly appointed Tom Hafey as coach. "For the players already at the Swans, Tommy's arrival created some self-confidence for us, having had success, and that brought optimism for the players," Morwood said.

"At the same time, some quality players came along, and we added some great players to a team that already had some excellent players."

A cavalcade of stars walked through the doors, and the Swans quickly grew into one of the competition's leading teams. In 1986, the Swans played in the finals for the first time in 10 seasons.

Former Sydney captain Dennis Carroll described Morwood's importance to the group. "Tony was an elite player. He was one of the key forwards that was not only a great, high mark but who had an amazing ability to run games out," Carroll said.

"Tony was an elite runner, and he would cover vast distances, so if they had the GPS system like they do today, Tony would be right up there in the elite running category. He was highly regarded, not only at the Swans but throughout the VFL."

With the exception of premiership years, the Swans' 1987 season is among their very best. It began with a 91-point thumping of Collingwood at Victoria Park and included three successive weeks of kicking 30 goals at the SCG, with exhilarating, skilful play punctuating their performances.

"Being Sydney-based, it was always us against them, and that was a really good motivator every week. I think we thrived on that and used that as a positive. We had a good year in '87, and we had those three weeks of just absolutely being on a roll," Morwood recalled.

"We got enormous publicity at that time, and it was always driven by the romance of having private ownership with Dr Edelsten; Warwick was kicking goals, and the marketing side of things had us being flamboyant and successful."

Despite the entertaining nature of their play, four finals, all played in Victoria, went by without a win. In 1989, aged 29, Morwood called time on his glittering career, though he would contribute to the Swans in other ways.

In 2003, with the club placing an increased importance on reconnecting with its South Melbourne heritage, Morwood was appointed as the General Manager of the club’s Melbourne operations. In this role, his ability to grow membership, engage the business community, and oversee the Sydney Swans Foundation has made an indelible mark on the past, present and future of the Sydney Swans.

That connection across the country's two largest cities is fundamental to the club's ongoing success, and very few have contributed as much to the cause as Tony Morwood.