Eddie's shot at Swans' easy start

Eddie McGuire ... 'When does the Swans' season actually start?' Source: DAVID CROSLING / AAP

First it was Sydney's cost-of-living allowance, now Eddie McGuire has taken a shot at the easy draw the unbeaten Swans have to start this year.

The outspoken Collingwood president has accused the AFL of giving the defending premiers an armchair ride through the first month of the season.

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Essendon	2	2	0	0	255.08	8
2	Port Adelaide	2	2	0	0	202.27	8
3	Sydney	2	2	0	0	147.65	8
4	Fremantle	2	2	0	0	135.44	8
5	Collingwood	2	2	0	0	117.65	8
6	Richmond	2	2	0	0	112.02	8
7	Geelong	2	2	0	0	105.67	8
8	Bulldogs	2	1	0	1	124.24	4
9	Hawthorn	2	1	0	1	122.51	4
10	Adelaide	2	1	0	1	91.75	4
11	Gold Coast	2	1	0	1	85.34	4
12	North Melbourne	2	0	0	2	90.70	0
13	Carlton	2	0	0	2	90.13	0
14	St Kilda	2	0	0	2	84.13	0
15	West Coast	2	0	0	2	69.53	0
16	Greater Western Sydney	2	0	0	2	64.17	0
17	Brisbane	2	0	0	2	60.99	0
18	Melbourne	2	0	0	2	28.39	0

The Swans have now beaten two AFL's two expansion teams, the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns, and could conceivably be 6-0 by the time they face Hawthorn at the MCG in their round-seven grand final rematch.

"When does the Swans' season actually start?" McGuire said.

"They (the AFL) have done a great job on the draw, magnificent. If you were (coach) John Longmire you would have loved the first month of the draw.

"The Swans with their draw can come back later and refresh their players. They can build in slowly.

"They didn't worry about the NAB Cup. If you know you've got two wins to start, you know you can take care of things nice and easy. It helps tremendously."

The Hawks will be the first top-four team from last season that Sydney will face this year - and their start is as brutal as the Swans' is gentle.

Hawthorn's first-up match against bogey team Geelong was followed by a trip to Perth to face one of the premiership favourites, the Eagles.

Next week they face Collingwood, followed by the Fremantle Dockers - who are shaping as top-four prospects.

The Hawks could easily be 2-4 or worse by the time they meet the Swans in week seven.

In contrast, the Swans' draw has a steady build-up. The intensity picks up a big notch this weekend when they play North Melbourne (0-2) in Hobart.

Round four pits them against Geelong (2-0) at home and then they travel to Wellington to face St Kilda (0-2).

The match before Hawthorn sees Sydney back at the SCG to play Brisbane (0-2).

The AFL has built much of its attendance success (6,778,824 last year) on a commercially-driven draw filled with blockbuster games between traditional and local rivals.

McGuire argues it's time for the draw to become more fair and balanced.

"Look at last year, Adelaide virtually had a bye every four weeks," McGuire said.

"They played Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and the Giants twice.

"It's a huge advantage and they finish in the top four. The competition has to get full integrity into the draw.

"The competition is strong enough and enough people are watching it to enjoy the game itself for it not to be as partisan as it may have been in the past."

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