The Sydney Swans’ massive one-versus-three battle against the West Coast Eagles at the SCG on Friday night is brimming with Hot Topics.

An intense rucking showdown, a Coleman Medal shoot-out, the rekindling of the fierce Swans-Eagles rivalry and plenty more surround the Round 13 clash. 

Blockbuster rucking duel
A packed SCG will be at fever pitch as Sydney ruckman Callum Sinclair butts heads with former teammates and the strongest rucking duo in the competition. Sinclair is set for an absorbing duel against star West Coast big men Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett, who he called teammates for a period of three years between 2013 and 2015. Naitanui earned All-Australian honours in 2012 and reigned supreme as the Eagles powered through to the 2015 grand final, while Lycett has long provided strong support in the ruck. Sinclair has exceeded expectations since taking hold of the rucking reins after the pre-season retirement of Kurt Tippett and season-ending knee injury to Sam Naismith, but on Friday he will front a litmus test. Naitanui’s outstanding vertical leap and elite tapping skills often give his followers first use of the Sherrin. He eclipsed Sinclair in Perth in Round 1 in a return from a season-long injury lay-off, but the Swans will be looking to balance the ledger through Sinclair’s ability to cover vast territory and the midfield’s intense pressure at the contest. 

Coleman fancies collide
The race for the Coleman Medal will ramp up on Friday as star Sydney forward Lance Franklin and West Coast dynamo Josh Kennedy go to battle. The two goal-kicking juggernauts will be at opposite ends of the ground but the SCG crowd could be set for a shoot-out. Franklin booted eight goals when the Swans and Eagles met in Round 1 to carve out a big early lead as an injured Kennedy watched on from the sidelines, but the star Eagle has since bagged 27 goals to be running equal-seventh in the Coleman Medal race. Franklin has kicked 29 goals to be sitting in fourth as he eyes a fifth Coleman gong, while Kennedy is shooting for a third. 

Classic rivalry reignites
The Swans and Eagles will reignite one of the hottest rivalries of the 21^st century in the Round 13 stoush. The rivalry was at its peak between 2005 and 2007 as the two clubs played out six consecutive games decided by less than a kick, including two grand finals. The Swans claimed the 2005 flag in a four-point victory before the Eagles exacted revenge in 2006 in a one-point thriller. The two clubs also played host to two heart-stopping qualifying finals early in the pieces of both finals series. Dean Cox and Brett Kirk were at the centre of the rivalry in the mid-2000s, Cox in West Coast colours as the most formidable ruckman of his generation and Kirk as a Sydney co-captain and tough-as-nails midfielder. But the former foes are now the Swans’ two midfield coaches and will watch the next chapter of the rivalry unfold from the same coaches’ box. 

SCG form
The Swans haven’t lost to the Eagles at the SCG since 1999, when West Coast forward Scott Cummings bagged five goals to lead his side to a 13-point win. Sydney has won the last six games the sides have played at the SCG and collected a 39-point victory when the clubs last met at the famous cricket venue in Round 5, 2016. Overall, the sides have met at the SCG on 16 occasions and the Swans have claimed 13 wins and the Eagles three. 

HMAS honours
Friday will play host to the ninth edition of the HMAS Sydney (II) Memorial Match in history. The game was founded in 2010 in honour of the 645 brave men who passed away on the HMAS Sydney (II) ship in World War 11. The winning side will be presented the HMAS Sydney (II) Commemorative trophy, while the player judged best afield will be awarded the ‘Best on Ground’ trophy. The Swans claimed the inaugural honour and Sydney midfielder Dan Hannebery took out the individual trophy.