Australian Football

Match Report

A comprehensive 67-point win over Gold Coast at the SCG has seen the Sydney Swans' remarkable season turnaround continue unabated and further turned up the heat on Suns' coach Rodney Eade. The Swans were behind by five points after a high-scoring first quarter, but they put the Suns to the sword in the second and third terms, kicking 10 goals to nil to set up a huge win, now which sees Sydney inside the top eight, an amazing achievement considering the Swans were losers in each of their first six games. 

An entertaining first quarter kicked off with an easy goal to Lance Franklin after he received a handball from his Sydney teammate Oliver Florent at the five-minute mark. The Suns responded with the next two goals through Jack Martin and Tom Lynch, but a running goal to Gary Rohan squared things up after 19 minutes. Rohan followed up with his second a minute later, and then goals flowed freely over the next 12 minutes, the Suns kicking three to one - with Lynch getting his second and third - to take a five-point lead into quarter time. 

The Suns started the second quarter well, having two early shots at goal although Ben Ainsworth and Jarrod Witts both missed. Not long after the Swans got their chance and George Hewett did not miss, and his goal opened up the floodgates for the home side. Sam Reid, Hewett, Rohan, Dean Towers and Rohan again all added further majors while the Suns could add only two more behinds. At the long break, Sydney had cleared out to a 29-point lead. 

It's hard to achieve something worse than a goalless quarter, but the Suns managed to do so in the third term, failing to register so much as a behind. Sydney dominated from siren to siren, with Rohan bobbing up for his fifth major, and Franklin, Towers and Zak Jones also adding goals. The Swans could have scored even more heavily, but five shots in the quarter were inaccurate. In the end, the 4.5 they kicked for the quarter doubled their half time lead, the difference a massive 58 points at the last turn. 

Sydney looked like going right on with the job when play resumed, kicking 2.2 to nil in the first five minutes of the final term, with the goals going to Tom Papley and Jones. The margin at that stage was 72 points but to their credit, the Suns found some fight from there. Callum Ah Chee finally kicked their first goal since quarter time at the 13-minute mark, with each side adding one further goal to close out the match, the Swans finishing more than 11 goals clear of their opponents.

Rohan (five goals, nine marks) was outstanding for the victors, as was Luke Parker (29 disposals, seven tackles). For the Suns, David Swallow (29 touches and a goal) and Jarryd Lyons (27 possessions, seven tackles) were solid contributors in difficult circumstances.

Now that they have clawed their way into the top eight, the Swans will look to stay there but they will face a difficult challenge to do so, facing GWS at the Sydney Showground next Saturday night. Gold Coast (14th on the ladder with six wins) will return home to Carrara on Saturday to take on another struggling side, Collingwood (15th, five wins).

GOALS
Sydney: Rohan 5; Franklin 3; Hewett, Towers, Jones 2; Reid, Papley, Melican
Gold Coast: Lynch 3; Martin, Swallow, Ah Chee, Wright

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Sydney: Rohan, Rampe, Parker, Franklin, Lloyd, Grundy, Jack
Gold Coast: Swallow, Miller, Lyons, Sexton, Witts

BEST - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Sydney: Parker, Rohan, Rampe, Franklin, Lloyd, Mills, Grundy, Jack
Gold Coast: Swallow, Miller, Witts, Lyons

INJURIES
Sydney: Jones (corked thigh)
Gold Coast: Nil

UMPIRES: Margetts, O'Gorman, Nicholls

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Brenton Speed, Jason Dunstall, David King, Ben Dixon