Australian Football

Match Report

In front of the first ever capacity crowd at the Sydney Showground, the GWS Giants have proved that they can 'mix it with the big boys', defeating a top-four opponent - Sydney - to move to within a game of the top four themselves. The Giants led at every turn and in fact won all four quarters, matching the Swans for both skill and strength to record a 42-point win. With a favourable draw to come in the run home, they're chances of a top-four finish are now greatly enhanced and we may well see both Sydney-based sides earn a double-chance in season 2016. 

GWS dominated early proceedings, holding the Swans scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the match. But they failed to make Sydney pay on the scoreboard, managing to score just 1.4, with the major going to Tom Scully. When the Swans finally got going, they proved more deadly in front of goal, and majors to Kieran Jack and Gary Rohan had them in front by three points midway through the term. Toby Greene put the Giants back ahead with his first early in time on and it was then Sydney's turn to miss a couple of shots, James Rose and Luke Parker's shots both sailing wide of the mark leaving GWS ahead by a point at the first break. 

The Giants began the second quarter as they had the first, as the more dominant side, with Sydney goalless for the first 10 minutes. Jonathan Patton kicked a goal in that period, giving GWS a six-point lead before Callum Sinclair's first for the Swans levelled the scores at the 11-minute mark. GWS then held sway for the next 10 minutes, majors to Jeremy Cameron and Ryan Griffen, returning from a back injury, putting the Giants 13 points clear. Ben McGlynn pulled one back for Sydney but Stevie Johnson closed out the first half with a mark and goal to see the Giants go into the main interval with a lead of two goals.

When play resumed after half time, GWS made it three fast starts to a quarter in a row, setting up the decisive break of the match in the first 18 minutes. In that period, the Giants held the Swans to a single behind, while adding 4.5, with the goals going to Stephen Coniglio, Toby Greene, Rory Lobb and Greene again. That took the lead to 40 points, and that lead could have been far greater but for five missed shots from four other players. The tide then turned and it turned sharply, with Sydney closing out the quarter with goals to James Rose, Tom Mitchell and Lance Franklin to one within 20 points and striking distance at the last break.

Once again the final term saw GWS start strongly, and a behind followed by a goal to Toby Greene extended the Giants' lead to 27 points at the four-minute mark. Franklin brought the margin back to 21 with his second at the six-minute mark but a goal too Sam Reid, playing his first AFL match since 2013, took the Giants' lead back out to 27. The Swans made one last challenge when Josh Kennedy goaled at the 12-minute mark but that was to be their last score, and majors to Lachie Whitfield, Patton and Johnson saw GWS finish strongly to record an emphatic seven-goal win.

Heath Shaw played another fine match for the Giants, his 10-mark, 25-disposal performance making him one of the best on the ground. For Sydney, Dan Hannebery (28 touches) was a good four-quarter performer. 

Sydney will return to its home ground at the SCG next Sunday afternoon to take on the much improved Melbourne, while GWS will travel to Docklands as raging favourites to defeat the bottom-placed Bombers. 

GOALS
GWS: Greene 4; Johnson, Patton 2; Scully, Cameron, Griffen, Coniglio, Lobb, Reid, Whitfield
Sydney: Franklin 2; Jack, Rohan, Sinclair, McGlynn, Rose, Mitchell, Kennedy

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
GWS: Kelly, Shaw, Greene, Davis, Wilson, Mumford, Ward
Sydney: Rampe, Hannebery, Mitchell, Rose, Grundy

BEST - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
GWS: Shaw, Ward, Greene, Kelly, Williams, Wilson
Sydney: Hannebery, Rampe, Mitchell, Franklin, Mills, Kennedy

INJURIES
GWS: Nil
Sydney: Kurt Tippett (knee), Gary Rohan (hamstring)

UMPIRES: Hosking, Schmitt, Chamberlain

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Alastair Lynch, Gerard Healy, Barry Hall