Australian Football

Match Report

The Sydney Swans remain in the top two on the AFL ladder after defeating Essendon by 22 points at the SCG on Friday night. The win came largely on the back of a dominant first term which saw the Swans kick five goals to one to lead by 26 points at the first change. For the remainder of the night, Essendon matched the Swans in most areas, winning the third quarter by eight points, and losing the second and last terms by just two points each.

In an ominous start to the match for Essendon, Sydney dominated the early stages and had 2.2 on the board, with goals to Jarrad McVeigh and Gary Rohan, before the Bombers had even registered a behind. Mike Pyke put a third on the board for the Swans before Paddy Ryder finally kicked Essendon's first major at the 18-minute mark. The Swans, however, continued to dominate and Josh Kennedy and Sam Reid closed out the quarter with further goals which saw Sydney in front by 26 points at quarter time.

Essendon turned the match around to an extent from that point onwards. David Myers goaled for the Bombers within the first minute of the second term and, although they were only able add one more for the quarter, the Dons restricted Sydney to just two goals to keep the margin to 28 points at the long break. 

The third quarter was Essendon's best. The Bombers prevented Sydney from scoring at all in the first 18 minutes and with Ryder, Ben Howlett and Jake Carlisle all kicking majors in that period, the difference was reduced to just 10 points with momentum in Essendon's favour. But Kurt Tippett was tackled high at the 18-minute mark and kicked a steadying goal and two minutes later Ben McGlynn snapped the goals of the night from the boundary line to restore a 22-point lead. The Dons had a couple of late chances to cut the margin but Ryder and Brent Stanton could only manage behinds as the Dons trailed by 20 going into the final term. 

A low-scoring last quarter saw Dyson Heppell give Essendon brief hope with a goal at the seven-minute mark but a goal to Adam Goodes at the 22-minute mark made the game safe for the Swans, and they finished 22 points to the good.

Best for the Swans included Mike Pyke (49 hitouts, six tackles) and Ben McGlynn (25 possessions, two goals) while Essendon was well served by Michael Hurley (29 possessions, seven marks) and Ryder (28 hitouts and two goals).

Despite the win, Sydney slipped back into second place on the ladder, with Hawthorn's big win over the Western Bulldogs enabling the Hawks to sneak ahead of the Swans on percentage. The Bombers remain in the eight with a 10-8 record, ahead of Collingwood and Gold Coast on percentage. The Swans will travel to Adelaide to take on Port Adelaide next Saturday, while Essendon will take on Richmond at the MCG on Friday night. 

GOALS
Sydney: Tippett, Goodes, McGlynn 2; McVeigh, Rohan, Pyke, Kennedy, Reid
Essendon: Ryder 2; Myers, Ambrose, Howlett, Carlisle, Hurley, Heppell

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Sydney: Parker, Pyke, McGlynn, McVeigh, Grundy, Rampe, Cunningham
Essendon: Hurley, Ryder, Heppell, Zach Merrett, Stanton

BEST - THE AGE
Sydney: Parker, McGlynn, Goodes, Kennedy, Pyke, Grundy
Essendon: Hurley, Ryder, Heppell, ZMerrett, Hooker

INJURIES
Sydney: Franklin (knee soreness) replaced in the selected side by Tim Membrey
Essendon: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Tim Membrey replaced by Jake Lloyd at three-quarter time
Essendon: Patrick Ambrose replaced by Cory Dell'Olio in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Findlay, Pannell

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Leigh Matthews, Tom Harley, Tim Watson, Jude Bolton, Wayne Carey