Sydney and GWS encounters have become regular fixtures of the AFL pre-season competition, with the cross-town rivals clashing four times over the journey.
Since the Giants’ first competitive match (during the then NAB Cup in 2011), the Swans hold sway with three wins and one loss.
Tomorrow night’s clash at Drummoyne Oval will be the third venue to host the two clubs in the pre-season competition, with StarTrack Oval in Canberra and Blacktown International Sportspark being the other domains for the heated contests.
With a sell-out crowd expected and both sides fielding near full-strength sides, the match is a must see in the next chapter of the derby.
Before the first bounce, refresh the memory as we look back at the previous pre-season matches in the Sydney rivalry.
2011
GWS 0.0.4 (4) def. by Sydney Swans 0.13.5 (83)
Goals -
Best -
Blacktown International Sportspark
Crowd: 9,447
The pre-season competition from 2011 to 2013 looked a bit different to today’s format. And so did the footy club.
In an effort to ignite interest and fanfare at both club and supporter level, round one of the competition was broken into three pools of triple headers. Each team would play each other once across two 20-minute halves, with games played after one another on the same day/night at the same venue.
The Sydney Swans played the competition’s two new affiliates GWS and Gold Coast at Blacktown International Sportspark. In John Longmire’s first game as senior coach, the Swans showed no mercy with a dominant 79-point win in front of 9,447 fans.
On the same night Josh Kennedy was in the midst of preparing for his second season at the club, Luke Parker was playing his first competitive game and Jude Bolton was among the big names missing from the line-up. Meanwhile the likes of Brett Meredith, Trent Dennis-Lane and Byron Sumner were still around.
2013
GWS 0.7.10 (52) def. Sydney Swans 1.3.1 (28)
Goals – White (SG), Lamb, O’Keefe, Towers
Best – Parker, Grundy, Armstrong
Blacktown International Sportspark
Crowd: 4,038
After their inaugural season in the AFL, GWS showed considerable improvement by upsetting the reigning premiers.
In a lacklustre effort, the Swans were outdone by their more fleet footed opponents. It would mark the first of the Swans’ two losses to the Giants to date.
“Probably the only real positive to come out of it was to get some game time into some players,” John Longmire said post-match. “That was probably about it.”
Luke Parker was the Swans best with 11 disposals, while Dean Towers showed plenty of dash on a rather disappointing night at the office.
2014
GWS 0.11.9 (75) def. by Sydney Swans 2.15.7 (115)
Goals - Reid 3, Cunningham 2, Mitchell 2, Rohan 2, Towers, B. Jack, Derickx, Shaw, Nankervis, K. Jack
Best - Mitchell, Reid, Parker, McVeigh, Shaw, Malceski, McGlynn, Cunningham
StarTrack Oval, Canberra
Crowd: 6,854
The Swans gained control of this match early on, capitalising on a side still relatively raw to the competition and establishing a handy 11-point buffer at quarter-time.
Missing Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett and Adam Goodes from the line-up didn’t hinder the Swans’ scoring capabilities with eight goals kicked before half-time, including two super goals courtesy of Nick Malceski and Harry Cunningham.
Despite a brave effort from the hosts, the Swans had enough in the tank to run the game out strongly, winning the match by 40 points.
The result was a bonus on top of the main feel-good story of the night, which was Rhyce Shaw’s miracle return to football.
Shaw, who underwent LARS to repair his right knee only six months earlier, starred with 20 disposals and a goal.
2015
GWS 0.9.13 (67) def. by Sydney Swans 0.11.7 (73)
Goals – Heeney 2, Towers, Rohan, Robinson, Cunningham, Hannebery, Kennedy, Goodes, Bird, Parker
Best – Parker, Hannebery, Lloyd, Grundy, Smith, Kennedy
Star Track Oval, Canberra
Crowd: 7,222
After losing to Brisbane in Coffs Harbour in NAB 1, the Swans bounced back against Fremantle in Drummoyne and looked to continue marching towards round one of the regular season with another win against the new foe in GWS.
The visitors, however, had to do that without star full-forward Lance Franklin who was involved in a heavily collision with Gary Rohan in the opening 10 minutes.
Franklin was stretchered off and was driven to hospital with concussion but thankfully escaped serious injury.
Meanwhile, the Swans and Giants were neck and neck all afternoon with the result coming down to the final seconds of the game.
With scores tied and less than 10 seconds of the final quarter remaining, the ball was kicked long into the Swans’ forward line.
Dean Towers gathered the footy and handballed to a waiting Craig Bird, who then snapped truly to give the visitors a six-point victory right on the full-time siren.
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