Australian Football

Match Report

The Sydney Swans juggernaut rolled on at the SCG on Saturday night, with St Kilda the team brushed aside by them with ease. The Swans won the first three quarters comfortably to set up a match-winning 46-point lead by the last change. The Saints showed a bit of fight in the final quarter, outscoring the home side four goals to three, but the game was beyond doubt by that stage, and the Swans - inspired by a five-goal performance from Callum Sinclair - cruised to a 42-point win, one which sees them firmly entrenched in the top eight, a remarkable achievement for a team which lost their first six games.

Sinclair gave an indication of the good night that lay ahead for him within a few minutes of the game's start, taking two marks and kicking 1.1 to give Sydney a seven-point lead. St Kilda kept within touch of the Swans with a goal to Koby Stevens at the 11-minute mark, but the only other two goals of the first term went Sydney's way - one to George Hewett and a second to Sinclair - and the home side took a 15-point break into quarter time.

The sides traded goals early in the second quarter, with Lance Franklin's first goal after a free kick answered by Saint Josh Bruce's first, a lovely long kick from outside 50. But the next 10 minutes saw the Swans break the game open as they kicked three majors in a row, one each to Isaac Heeney, Sinclair and Josh Kennedy, and by midway three the term Sydney was 33 points clear. St Kilda put the brakes on the Swans' scoring after that, but could only manage one major of its own, Shane Savage kicking his first at the 18-minute mark, and Sydney was well on control at half time, leading by 30 points.

Sydney had chances to put the game beyond St Kilda's reach early in the third term, with Kieran Jack, Heeney and Sinclair all missing shots, and when Nick Riewoldt kicked an easy goal at the five-minute mark, the Saints were back within  27 points. But that man Sinclair came to the fore again not long after, marking and kicking his fourth. Bruce brought the margin back below 30 with his second goal, but majors to Franklin and Dean Towers, along with a fifth goal to Sinclair, had the Swans' lead out to 46 points at the last end-change and the match was as good as over.

Bruce's third goal at the two-minute mark of the final quarter may have sparked hope in the most optimistic of Saints' supporters, but a long bomb from Franklin, his 50th goal of the season, snuffed out any last resistance at the 11-minute mark. From there the two sides played out time, St Kilda kicking three consolation goals while the Swans added another two, and Sydney cruised to victory from there.

Sinclair's 10 marks and career-best five-goal haul earned him best-on-ground honours, while Seb Ross (37 disposals, six marks) was a standout for the Saints.

Sydney, now in fifth place and a game plus a hefty percentage inside the top eight, will start firm favourites against Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night, but the game does loom as a danger for the Swans, whose only loss since round six was indeed against the Hawks, at the SCG in round 10. Meanwhile St Kilda, which almost climbed into top four only a fortnight ago, has now slipped to 11th (with nine wins) on the back of two consecutive losses, and the Saints will face another tough task on Saturday when they take on Port Adelaide (fifth, 10 wins) in Adelaide. 

GOALS
Sydney: Sinclair 5; Franklin 3; Towers, Kennedy, Hewett, Heeney, Rohan, McVeigh
St. Kilda: Bruce 3; Stevens, Savage, Riewoldt, Billings, Newnes, Dunstan

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Sydney: Sinclair, Kennedy, Hannebery, Heeney, Franklin, Parker
St. Kilda: Ross, Dunstan, Montagna, Bruce, Savage, Roberton

INJURIES
Sydney: Nil
St. Kilda: Leigh Montagna (hamstring)

UMPIRES: Stephens, Findlay, McInerney 

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Jason Bennett, Luke Darcy, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling