Today was David Swallow's 231st game for the Gold Coast Suns, breaking a tie with the late St Kilda captain Trevor Barker for the most career games without playing in a final... AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT.
In much the same way the late Robbie Flower was the poster boy of Melbourne's barren run after 1964 (Albeit Flower did get to play finals in his last year), the late Trevor Barker was the poster boy for St Kilda's bleak run between 1974 and 1990 - He debuted in 1975, 2 years after the Saints made their last finals appearance under Allan Jeans, and he retired in 1989, with the Ken Sheldon-coached Saints not returning to the Finals until 1991…
In one of the great runs of futility, the Saints won 7 wooden spoons during Barker's career, capped off by an unwanted four peat from 1983 to 1986 while Barker was captain, which was the only wooden spoon fourpeat of the 20th century.
Still, in an effort to join Flower on the last of longest waits before a Final, the Suns are in the Top 8 after Round 12, so there's hope for David, who was the very first player to be drafted by the Suns in 2010, debuted in their inaugural game in 2011, and to date is the only Suns player to play 200 games for the club.
There's a light at the end of the tunnel, for the Gold Coast's canary in the coal mine.
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