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REVEALED: Sydney Swans sing a Liverpool fan anthem for Virgil van Dijk before and after matches to help inspire their grand final charge – as star admits the ritual ‘is a bit weird’
- AFL side Sydney Swans are singing a Liverpool fan chant for Virgil van Dijk
- The Swans qualified for finals in third place, giving themselves a double chance
- They have adopted a chant made famous by Liverpool fan Jamie Webster
- Swans star Isaac Heeney admitted the ritual ‘is a bit weird’ heading into finals
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The Sydney Swans are taking inspiration from a Liverpool fan chant to fuel their finals charge, although one star has described the team’s new ritual as ‘a bit weird’.
John Longmire’s side took third spot in the ladder over the weekend to give themselves a strong chance of making a run to the grand final, with the Swans among the leading contenders to win the flag.
Following their Round 23 victory over St Kilda, the Swans gathered in the sheds at Marvel Stadium and belted out an anthem sung by Liverpool fans for defensive colossus Virgil van Dijk.
Sydney Swans have adopted a Liverpool fan chant to inspire their grand final charge this year
The chant, sung to the tune of the Pogues’ Dirty Old Town and made famous by Liverpudlian artist Jamie Webster, was introduced by youngster Errol Gulden and Isaac Heeney explained the impact it’s had on the team.
‘We sing it before games and after games to get the energy up,’ Heeney told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘He [Gulden] brought it to a couple of lads on the beers one time and then from there it became a song where the boys just bought into it.
‘There’s a couple of songs and I’m not sure what the other one’s called, but there’s two that go on repeat on Spotify and it’s amazing.
The Swans finished the season in third, giving themselves a double chance this campaign
The team sing an ode to Virgil van Dijk and superstar Isaac Heeney said ‘it is a bit weird’
‘The boys mostly know all the words, and they’re ones you can put on repeat for an hour and just jump around to it. It’s great fun.
‘It’s a bit weird that we get up and about for it, but it is a song that’s around at the moment and brings a lot of energy.’
Catchy anthems have had an impact on AFL teams in years gone by, with the Western Bulldogs adopting Gala’s Freed from Desire en route to last year’s grand final.
The Dogs were eventually smashed by Melbourne in Perth, with the Demons seemingly mocking their opponents with their own rendition of the song in the centre of the oval, a move that Marcus Bontempelli says ‘upset’ his team.