Australian Football

Match Report

The first of the 2015 Sydney Derbies has been won by the Sydney Swans, seeing off a last quarter comeback by GWS. The Swans led by 39 points at the last change but three girls early in the last term by the Giants saw them close the margin to 21. They couldn’t bridge that gap any further, however, with Sydney going to record its third win from three games and consolidate second place on the ladder.

Sydney drew first blood with a goal to first-year recruit Isaac Heeney but Giants responded a few minutes later when big Jeremy Cameron kicked his first. “Buddy” Franklin kicked his first at the 12-minute mark and when Heeney booted his second and Dan Hannebery his first, the Swans had a stranglehold on that match, taking a 15-point lead into the first break. The Giants could have been closer, but registered six behinds for the term, Cameron the chief offender with three.

Lachie Whitfield brought the margin back to 10 points with the first major of the second term but the Swans put the foot on the pedal after that. They kicked the next two through Franklin and Ben McGlynn, before Rhys Palmer responded for GWS, before closing out the half with four straight goals, a third each to Franklin and Heeney, and two to Luke Parker. At the long break, Sydney held sway by 35 points.

The Giants made an early charge after half time, kicking four straight goals in the first 13 minutes to Cam McCarthy (two), Ryan Griffen and Palmer and the difference half way through the third quarter was just 14 points. Unfortunately for the Giants the run ended there and Sydney mirrored their efforts of the first half of the term with four goals in the second half of the term, to Craig Bird, Lewis Jetta, Kieran Jack and Franlin with his fourth.

GWS replicated the first few minutes of the third term early in the last quarter, with goals to Tom Scully, Palmer and Stephen Coniglio bring the margin back to 21 points but that was as close as the Giants would get. The two sides traded goals for the remainder of the match, with Franklin kicking his fifth and Heeney his fourth for the Swans, as Sydney held on to win by 21 points.

Dan Hannebery (35 disposals and four marks), along with Franklin and Jarrad McVeigh (28 possessions and six tackles) were amongst the best for Sydney, while the Giants top players for the match included Whitfield (37 touches and eight marks), Devon Smith (33 disposals, five marks) and Palmer (19 possessions and three goals).

Sydney will travel to Subiaco next Saturday to take on Fremantle, with both sides looking to remain undefeated, while GWS will host Gold Coast at Manuka Oval, the Giants in search of their third win of the year and the Suns looking to break their “duck”.

GOALS
Sydney: Franklin 5; Heeney 4; Parker 2; McGlynn, Jetta, Jack, Hannebery, Bird
GWS: Palmer 3; McCarthy, Cameron 2; Whitfield, Ward, Scully, Griffen, Coniglio

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Sydney: Hannebery, Franklin, Heeney, R Shaw, McVeigh, McGlynn
GWS: Whitfield, Smith, Palmer, H Shaw, Ward, Scully

INJURIES
Sydney: TBC
GWS: TBC

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Dean Towers replaced Isaac Heeney in the fourth quarter
GWS: Nathan Wilson replaced Anthony Phillips in the third quarter

REPORTS: Shane Mumford (GWS) for rough conduct on Kieren Jack in the second quarter

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Findlay, Ryan

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Tony Shaw, Alastair Lynch, Barry Hall