Australian Football

Match Report

They may have lost their first six matches, but the Sydney Swans are now being discussed as legitimate finals contenders after they easily outclassed St Kilda at Docklands on Saturday afternoon. The Swans started strongly and were never headed by a disappointing Saints outfit that had started the match as favourites but failed to fire a shot after half time. Sydney has now won three matches in a row, and while it is still two games out of the eight, it is playing the sort of football that took it to within four goals of a premiership in 2016.

Sydney set the tone of the match in the early minutes, with Harry Cunningham and Will Hayward both scoring majors in the first six minutes before Dylan Roberton got the Saints on the board with his first goal at the 13-minute mark. Dan Hannebery had the Swans back out to a 12-point lead with his first goal but two in a row for the Saints through Jade Gresham and Nick Riewoldt saw scores level early in time on. Only one more goal was kicked for the quarter, and it went the way of Hannebery, his second giving the Swans a lead of that margin at the first break.

An early goal to Gresham had the Saints on level terms with Sydney for the first few minutes of the second quarter but captain Josh Kennedy restored a lead for the Swans with his first at the five-minute mark. St Kilda struggled to penetrate the Swans' defence after that, and Sydney added further goals via Cunningham and Reid to head into time on with a 17-point lead. The Saints got a goal against the run of play in 'red time', with Tim Membrey kicking his first, but the Swans held sway at the long break, leading by 11 points.

St Kilda had an early chance in the third term but, after Seb Ross's shot missed, the Swans took control of the game. They dominated the next 12 minutes, having six scoring shots which yielded 2.4, the goals going to Dean Towers and Lance Franklin. That took Sydney out to a 26-point lead and although the Saints kicked two of the next three goals, Kurt Tippett and Nic Newman closed out the quarter with two further majors for the Swans, who led by 33 at the last end-change.

The Saints needed the first goal of the final quarter if they were to be a chance but the best they could conjure at the start of the term was a rushed behind and majors to George Hewett and Franklin 'sealed the deal' for Sydney as it jumped to a 44-point lead after six minutes. With the result beyond doubt, goals flowed relatively freely for the rest of the match, the Swans adding four to three to finish the match an even 50 points ahead of St Kilda and well and truly back in the 2017 premiership race.

Hannebery was a standout for the Swans, collecting 30 touches and taking 12 marks, while the Saints were again well served by Jack Billings, who took seven marks and had 32 possessions. 

Next up for the three-in-a-row Swans is a Friday-night encounter against Hawthorn (17th, 3-6) while the Saints will meet the Western Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon, a place in the eight the reward for the victor.

GOALS
St. Kilda: Riewoldt 3; Gresham, Membrey 2; Acres, McCartin, Roberton
Sydney: Franklin 4; Hannebery, Papley, Cunningham 2; Towers, Reid, Kennedy, Tippett, Hayward, Newman, Hewett, Rohan

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
St. Kilda: Steven, Ross, Acres, Gilbert, Billings
Sydney: Kennedy, Hannebery, Mills, Parker, Grundy, Lloyd

BEST - THE AGE
St. Kilda: Billings, Acres, Ross, Roberton, Steven, Brown
Sydney: Hannebery, Kennedy, Lloyd, Newman, Mills, Parker, Papley

INJURIES
St. Kilda: Newnes (concussion), Weller (right ankle)
Sydney: Cunningham (right foot)

UMPIRES: Stevic, Mitchell, Mollison 

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Gerard Healy, Brad Johnson, David King