Property Point

For whatever sins I have committed in this or a previous life, I find myself a Sydney Swans fan.

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Many people will have noticed that their performance on the field this year has attracted far less attention than the alleged performance of a handful of players off the field, specifically at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne in the early hours of a recent Monday morning.

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Five players from the club have been banned for the remainder of the year because of alleged activities involving alcohol, drugs and female entertainers in a room at the hotel. Three of the banned players are among the top five players at the club and up there with the best AFL players in the country.

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I make no suggestion of guilt or innocence of any player but simply point out that the club felt their behaviour was sufficiently poor to ban them for the remainder of the year. There is also a police investigation going on regarding an allegation of sexual assault in the hotel room and, again, I make no suggestion of guilt or innocence on the part of anyone as that is a matter for the police to investigate.

Putting aside the legal details of the matter, the banning of the five players, particularly Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey, left a massive hole in the side as they approached the finals.

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There was pretty much a consensus in media and football circles that the club was finished for the year and had no chance of progressing through the finals because of the loss of three such important players and due to the psychological and emotional impact that the incident and its aftermath must have had on the rest of the team.

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Swans fans, understandably, are devastated by the allegations and many have walked away from the club.

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Others, while appalled at the allegations, feel that it is not the fault of the players that remain and they have continued to support the club.

The team won their next game against lowly North Melbourne and then it was the qualifying final last week against reigning premiers the Brisbane Lions.

No one gave them a chance because three of their best players were out and the spirit of the club surely had been broken.

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The Swans then came out and executed a desperate, passionate, clinical, disciplined thrashing of the Lions. Players not known for leadership assumed leadership roles. Formerly fringe players asserted themselves and dominated their opponents. Players who I thought were past it returned to the team and played key roles that stifled the Lions talent.

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After the game, excited champion small forward Tom Papley said he was not surprised by the victory because the team’s ethos and success did not revolve around talent, it was about process.

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What he meant was that the success of the team didn’t require superstars, it was all about systems and processes and everyone in the team understanding the responsibilities of their role. Discipline, focus and doing the hard work that gets results. Not talent, focusing on the work that gets results.

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There is a lesson from this for real estate agents dealing with a changing market. It’s about the work, not profile and status.

Sellers need to know that the agent is digging in, making the follow-up phone calls after inspections and open homes. Working with other agents in their agency to identify potential buyers. Contacting them, working with them, ensuring they are aware of the attributes of a particular property. Getting the flyers out. Re-working the write-up if necessary. Working  for sellers and giving their property every chance of attracting the buyer who wants their property the most.

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Obviously an agent hast to have the skills to do the job but when the going gets tough, it’s about discipline and focus and doing everything you can to get the best result. Go Swans!

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