The 2012 season began with the first ever Sydney Derby between the Swans and new AFL club, GWS at ANZ Stadium. The match was a stand-alone fixture and was played a week before the rest of the league commenced Round 1 of the AFL season.
The Swans took out the inaugural Derby by 63 points. It was the beginning of a five-match winning streak, which saw the Swans also defeat Fremantle, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne and Hawthorn in the opening five rounds of the 2012 season.
Sydney’s 37-point come-from-behind win over Hawthorn in Launceston was of particular significance, with co-captain Adam Goodes playing his 304th game to overtake club great Michael O’Loughlin as the Swans’ games record holder.
After a rough patch, which saw the Swans fall to Adelaide, Richmond and St Kilda within a four-week period, Sydney bounced back to produce a nine-game winning streak between rounds 10 and 20. It marked the longest winning streak the Swans had produced since moving to the Harbour City. Thrilling wins over Essendon and Geelong, and a dominant away win over rivals West Coast in Perth, were the highlights of the nine-game winning run.
The final four rounds of the season tested the Swans, who came up against top sides Collingwood, Hawthorn and Geelong in the final month of football. Losses to those three sides saw the Swans slip to third on the ladder at the conclusion of the regular season, and set up a Qualifying Final clash with Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.
Led by co-captain Adam Goodes and midfielders Ryan O’Keefe and Josh Kennedy, the Swans burst out of the blocks at AAMI Stadium. They led from start to finish to claim a historic 29-point win over the Crows and secure a home Preliminary Final in Sydney a fortnight later.
The Semi Finals set up a showdown between Sydney and Collingwood, after the Magpies claimed an impressive win over West Coast the week before. Despite losing the last 10 contests against Collingwood, Sydney stepped up their game in the semi, claiming a monumental 26-point win over the Pies and booking a place in the 2012 decider against Hawthorn.
The win over Collingwood was even more memorable as it also marked Sydney veteran Jude Bolton’s 300th game, which he celebrated by kicking the final goal of the match to advance the Swans to a place in the Grand Final.
Adam Goodes at the toss of the coin ahead of the innagural Sydney Derby against the Giants.
