As the football philosophers might say, all wins are equal, but wins in the Sydney Derby are more equal than others. Just ask Dane Rampe.
He debuted against the GWS Giants in derby #3 at the Olympic Stadium in Round 1, 2013, when the Swans won by 30 points, and has enjoyed more wins than any of the 187 players who make up the history of the cross-town rivalry.
He has a 16-6 record against the Giants and is on a record five-win streak heading into Sydney derby #30 at the SCG on Sunday afternoon.
While Swans fans will have varying opinions on opposition clubs and rivalries, there is no denying the place of games against GWS in the overall picture. They are circled when the draw is released each year.
Sunday’s 1:10pm clash at the SCG will be like no other – it will be the first without John Longmire in the Sydney coach’s box. He has piloted the Swans in every game against the Giants for a 19-10 record but will be in the grandstand this week as Dean Cox takes charge.
Corey Warner, Riley Bice, Tom Hanily, Ben Paton and Joel Hamling, named in the 26-man Swans squad, are in line to play their first Sydney Derby as the 2-5 Swans, 14th on the ladder and on a three-game losing streak, host the 4-3 Giants, who are 6th but have lost their last two.
Sydney is looking to bounce back from a 38-point loss to the Gold Coast at Carrara last week after going down to Port Adelaide by eight points at the SCG in Round 6 and Collingwood by 31 points at Adelaide Oval in Gather Round, while the Giants lost by 25 points to the Western Bulldogs in Canberra last week after a 19-point loss to Adelaide in Adelaide.
It is all part of a history that began on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at the Olympic Stadium, when the Swans and the Giants played a standalone fixture a week before the rest of the competition to welcome the league’s 18th team.
Sydney, under co-captains Adam Goodes and Jarrad McVeigh, won 14.16 (100) to 5.7 (37) in front of a crowd of 38,203 as Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack and Shane Mumford took the Brownlow Medal votes.
Jack, with an even 30 possessions, led the Swans possession count from Kennedy (27), Craig Bird (27) and Jude Bolton (25), while Adam Kennedy (28) was the leading ball-winner for the Giants from Tom Bugg (27), Toby Greene (27) and Rhys Palmer (25).
Josh Kennedy, Bird and Lewis Jetta were the only multiple goal-kickers with two each as Harry Cunningham made his AFL debut and Goodes played his 301st game.
The teams for the first Sydney debut in notional positions were:
SYDNEY
B: Nick Smith, Heath Grundy, Lewis Roberts-Thomson
HB: Marty Mattner, Ted Richards, Nick Malceski
C: Lewis Jetta, Jude Bolton, Dan Hannebery
HF: Kieren Jack, Adam Goodes, Luke Parker
F: Craig Bird, Sam Reid, Ben McGlynn
R: Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh
INT: Alex Johnson, Andrejs Everitt, Gary Rohan, Harry Cunningham (sub)
EMERG: Nathan Gordon, Mitch Morton, Mark Seaby.
COACH: John Longmire
GWS
B: Tom Bugg, Phil Davis, Jack Hombsch
HB: Israel Folau, Tim Mohr, Adam Tomlinson
C: Will Hoskin-Elliott, Callan Ward, Rhys Palmer
HF: Toby Greene, Chad Cornes, Curtley Hampton
F: Adam Kennedy, Jeremy Cameron, Devon Smith
R: Jonathan Giles, James McDonald, Stephen Coniglio
INT: Dylan Shiel, Jacob Townsend, Nathan Wilson, Dom Tyson (sub).
EMERG: Steve Clifton, Tom Downie, Sam Reid.
COACH: Kevin Sheedy
Missing from the Sydney side that six months later would win the 2012 flag were Ryan O’Keefe, Rhyce Shaw (injured), Mitch Morton (emergency) and Mike Pyke (not selected).
Similarly, Luke Power, Dean Brogan and #1 draft pick Tom Scully were missing from the GWS side due to injury, while among those not selected were Adam Treloar, who debuted in Round 3, and Taylor Adams, now at the Swans, who debuted in Round 5.
If you can remember all that then you’re doing better than most, but how much else do you know about the facts and figures from the Sydney Derby?
Win/Loss Sequence
The Swans have won four derbies in a row three times in 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2023-24 in a sequence that for the Swans reads WWWWL-WWWWL-LLWWW-LLLWL-WLWWL-WWWW.
Derby Venues
No less than six different grounds have hosted a Sydney Derby: SCG (13), Sydney Showgrounds (8), Olympic Stadium (5), York Park in Launceston, Perth Stadium, and Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast.
The one-off hostings were all due to Covid: Perth Stadium hosted derby #19 in Round 12, 2020, Carrara hosted derby #21 in Round 18, 2021, and Launceston held derby #22 which was the 2021 elimination final.
Most Derby Appearances
GWS’ Callan Ward (26) holds the derby record from Sydney’s Luke Parker (25), GWS’ Lachie Whitfield (24), Sydney’s Jake Lloyd (23), Josh Kennedy (22) and Dane Rampe (22), GWS’ Josh Kelly (22) and Toby Green (22), Sydney’s Isaac Heeney (21) and Harry Cunningham (21) and GWS’ Stephen Coniglio (20) and Nick Haynes (20). Completing the Swans top 10 are Tom Papley (19), Lance Franklin (17), Kieren Jack and Ollie Florent (16).
Derby Double-Ups
Only two players have worn the colors of both clubs in a derby: Shane Mumford played the first four with the Swans and 11 with the Giants, including his second-last game in the 2021 elimination final, and Taylor Adams has played three – one in 2013 with the Giants and two last year with the Swans. There have been 187 derby players in total – 85 Swans and 104 Giants, plus Mumford and Adams.
Brett Kirk Medal
Awarded to the player judged best afield in home-and-away Sydney derbies, but not awarded in finals, has been won 19 times by a Swans player. Errol Gulden, currently sidelined by injury, has won the last three to sit equal with Lance Franklin and Kieren Jack on the honor role, behind only five-time winner Luke Parker.
Other Sydney winners have been Josh Kennedy, who won the first Kirk Medal in 2012 and backed up in 2015, Nick Malceski, Dan Hannebery and Callum Mills, while Callan Ward (2) is the Giants’ only multiple-winner. Shane Mumford won in derby #12 in 2017 after Heath Shaw and before Tim Taranto, Jacob Hooper and Toby Greene.
With Gulden and Mills injured, Parker at North Melbourne, and Taranto and Hopper at Richmond, Ward and Greene will be the only Kirk Medallists who play this week.
Brownlow Medal Votes
Luke Parker (19) leads the derby Brownlow Medal vote tally from ex-teammates Josh Kennedy (16), Lance Franklin (15) and Errol Gulden (11). Shane Mumford (8) is next, polling twice for three votes in red and white, and twice in orange for five votes. Swans Kieren Jack (7) and Isaac Heeney (6) round out the top 10 with GWS’ Callan Ward (6) and Toby Greene (6).
In the Finals
The Giants have a 3-1 advantage in finals played between the clubs. In the 2016 qualifying final GWS won by 36 points at the Olympic Stadium, and in the 2018 elimination final GWS prevailed by 49 points. In the 2021 elimination final in Launceston GWS won by a point, before the Swans broke through by six points at the SCG in the 2024 qualifying final.
That was the last meeting between the clubs. Isaac Heeney kicked three goals and had 30 possessions (18 contested) while Jake Lloyd had 32 possessions and James Rowbottom 18 possessions, a goal and 11 tackles. For GWS, Tom Green had 32 possessions and 10 clearances, Josh Kelly had 27 possessions, and Jesse Hogan and Adam Cadman kicked three goals.
Derby Debutants
In addition to Harry Cunningham’s AFL debut in derby #1 there were 17 Giants players getting their first taste of AFL football – Tom Bugg, Jeremy Cameron, Stephen Coniglio, Israel Folau, Jonathan Giles, Toby Greene, Curtley Hampton, Jack Hombsch, Will Hoskin-Elliot, Adam Kennedy, Timm Mohr, Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith, Adam Tomlinson, Jake Townsend, Dom Tyson and Nathan Wilson.
In chronological order since then, derby debutants have been Dane Rampe (Syd), Lachie Plowman (GWS), Lachie Whitfield (GWS), Jonathan O’Rourke (GWS), James Rose (Syd), Lewis Melican (Syd), Connor Idun (GWS), Zac Foot (Syd), Tom Hutchesson (GWS), Errol Gulden (Syd), Conor Stone , Leek Aleer (GWS), Angus Sheldrick (Syd), Marc Sheather (Syd), Caiden Cleary (Syd) and Max Gruzlewski (GWS).
Most Possessions in a Derby
Errol Gulden’s 41 possessions in derby #28 at the Sydney Showgrounds last year is the derby record and the only 40-possession game posted by either club. It topped the record set at 37 by Jarrad McVeigh in derby #2 in 2012, equalled by GWS’ Lachie Whitfield in derby #7 in 2015, and broken by GWS’ Tom Green with 38 in derby #26 in 2023.
Luke Parker has had most 30-possession games with seven, while GWS’ Tom Green (5) is next best from five Swans: Josh Kennedy (4), Dan Hannebery (4), Jarrad McVeigh (3), Kieren Jack (3) and Errol Gulden (3).
Sydney’s Jake Lloyd (2) and GWS’ James Kelly (2), Tim Taranto (2), Dylan Shiel (2), Callan Ward (2) are next on the list from Sydney’s Isaac Heeney (1), James Rowbottom (1), George Hewett (1), Nick Malceski (1) and Ryan O’Keefe (1), and GWS’ Jacob Hopper (1), Zac Williams (1), Heath Shaw (1), Whitfield (1), Devon Smith (1), Adam Treloar (1) and Toby Greene (1).
Most Goals in a Derby
The record for most goals in a derby is five and is shared by Lance Franklin (4 times) and fellow ex-Swans Kurt Tippett and Luke Parker. Isaac Heeney (twice), Tom Papley, Hayden McLean and Will Hayward have also kicked four goals in a derby, with GWS’ Toby Greene (3 times), Jeremy Cameron (twice) and Stephen Coniglio (once).
Most Derby Possessions All-Time
Jake Lloyd needs 27 possessions on Sunday to become Sydney’s all-time leading possession-winner in a derby. He has 561 to sit behind ex-teammate Luke Parker (587) and GWS’ all-time #1 Callan Ward (604). Sydney’s Josh Kennedy (548) is fourth from GWS’ Josh Kelly (526), Lachie Whitfield (525), Stephen Coniglio (449) and Toby Greene (438), and Sydney’s Isaac Heeney (368) and Dan Hannebery (363).
On an average basis among players with a minimum 10 derby appearances, it’s Sydney’s Errol Gulden (25.20 possessions per game) from Kennedy (24.91), GWS’ Tom Green (24.50), Sydney’s Lloyd (24.39) and Hannebery (24.20).
Most Derby Goals All-Time
Lance Franklin heads the all-time Sydney derby goal-kicking list with 50, from GWS’ Toby Greene (36) and Jeremy Cameron (33), Sydney’s Tom Papley (31), Isaac Heeney (28), Will Hayward (22) and Luke Parker (19) and GWS’ Harry Himmelberg (19).
Oldest Player in a Derby
Lance Franklin, aged 36 years 89 days in his 345th game, nine from the end of his illustrious career, has been the oldest player in a derby. That was derby #26 in Round 7, 2023.
GWS’ foundation recruit James McDonald, who was 35 years 269 days in derby #2 in 2012, is the second-oldest, while Shane Mumford, 35 years 54 days in derby #22, is third oldest.
GWS Callan Ward, aged 35 years 16 days weekend, will become the fourth-oldest if he plays this week. In line to slot into fifth place is GWS’ Lachie Keeffe, who was born four days after Ward but hasn’t played since Round 3.
Dane Rampe, aged 34 years 335 days on Saturday, will become the next oldest, ahead of GWS pair Heath Shaw (34/260) and Dean Brogan (34/106), Sydney’s Josh Kennedy, who finished his career aged 34 years 40 days in derby #24, and GWS’ Steven Johnson (34/11).
Youngest Player in a Derby
Two players who debuted in Sydney Derby #1 – GWS’ Stephen Coniglio (18 years 100 days) and Sydney’s Harry Cunningham (18 years 109 days) – are still the youngest players to appear in a game between the two Sydney clubs.
Angus Sheldrick, a derby #23 debutant in 2022, is the third youngest at 18/132, from Swans teammate Will Hayward (18/178) and GWS’ Toby Greene (18/181).
Completing the top dozen are GWS pair Lachie Plowman and Shaun Edwards (18/200), Will Hoskin-Elliott (18/204), Harry Perryman (18/208), Sydney’s James Rowbottom (18/220), GWS’ Adam Tomlinson (18/227) and Sydney’s Tom McCartin (18/231).
Other Swans to play in a derby before their 19th birthday were Erol Gulden (18/273) and Isaac Heeney (18/348).
Derby Coaches
While John Longmire has been in charge of the Swans in every Sydney Derby for a 19-10 record, the Giants have had four derby coaches: Kevin Sheedy went 0-4 in 2012-13, Leon Cameron, now Sydney’s Executive General Manager of Football, was 9-10 from 2014-22, caretaker coach Mark McVeigh lost his only game in charge in 2022, and Adam Kingsley is 1-4 since taking charge in 2023.
Highs & Lows
The highest score in a derby is Sydney’s 24.27 (181) at the SCG in derby #4 in 2013, when the home side won by a derby record 129 points. The lowest score in the Giants’ 3.7 (25) at Perth Stadium in derby #19 in 2020.
One-Point Derbies
Two derbies have been decided by a solitary point. In derby #22 in Launceston in 2021 the Giants hung on 11.8 (74) to 10.13 (73) as the Swans registered six consecutive behinds to finish the game after two Isaac Heeney goals early in the final term cut a 29-point deficit to seven points. And in derby #25 at the SCG in 2023 GWS won 17.5 (107) to 16.10 (106) on a Toby Greene major inside the last two minutes after they’d been 24 points down 10 minutes into the last term.
Biggest Crowds
The record crowd for a derby is 60,222 at the Olympic Stadium for derby #11 – the 2016 qualifying final. At the SCG it’s 43,189 for derby #29, the qualifying final last year, and at the Sydney Showgrounds it’s 21,924 for derby #13 in 2017.
