EARLY in the third term of the season-opener against Carlton, Sydney was on the ropes.

They'd kicked just two goals for the match, and the Blues were up and about, Marc Pittonet's second having taken the margin to 22 points.

Enter Justin McInerney.

The Swans livewire kicked two goals in the space of two minutes to haul his side back into the contest, celebrating each major with infectious enthusiasm. 

He finished with a team-high 31 disposals and six inside 50s, including a third-term response of eight touches and three goals.

"A few of us got challenged at half-time. Part of my role is to bring the energy in the group, and to bring that, kick a couple and try to bring the boys with me was important and I loved it. Sometimes you just have to embrace it and bring the boys over (to celebrate)," McInerney told AFL.com.au after the game.

"If you saw the way I go about it, it's a bit different to a normal leader, like 'Millsy' (captain Callum Mills) and 'Ramps' (veteran Dane Rampe) and that sort of thing. 

"But that's what makes the club great, we've got people like me, 'Paps', 'Chaddy' (Tom Papley and Chad Warner), we're allowed to be ourselves and it's one of the main reasons all the boys love playing here, and why I signed on (a five-year contract extension). The boys love each other and playing for each other."

With Charlie Curnow, Ollie Florent and Will Hayward having swapped between the clubs over the off-season, it was always going to be a highly emotional affair, and there were more spot-fires than goals at one point, as frustration and niggling boiled over.

"Obviously Will and Ollie are two of my best mates, and we love them so much, what they did for the club was great and I wish them all the best for this year. I can't wait to watch them each game and I hope they dominate," McInerney said.

"But there was a bit of feeling – they were getting into Charlie, and we wanted to have his back. We loved it, and it was great to see the boys get challenged at half-time, and lift and get the W."

Sydney piled on an incredible 75 points in the third term to completely flip the match, a total that included 12 goals, after a very lacklustre opening half punctuated by skill errors.

"It was a bit of a theme for us all across all lines, we were getting beaten in the contest. To their credit, [the coaching group] were great and they hit us between the eyes," McInerney said.

"They brought a few of us leaders in at half-time, and said we didn't have to do it ourselves, just play our role and do the things we've been doing all pre-season and that's what we did. We worked for one another, and the result came.

"What we love to do is get everyone involved, and you reward everyone, and that's when you have the most fun. It's a tight bunch and we love to bring the best out of everyone, and we were having a ball."