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Buddy beautiful! Swans dethrone Giants in front of record crowd

Expert
15th July, 2017
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Lance Franklin might benefit from the new rules. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Expert
15th July, 2017
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Sydney have claimed their biggest scalp yet and made it nine wins from their last ten with a 13-point victory over the GWS Giants on Saturday night.

The thirteenth edition of the Sydney slam (I’m not calling it the Battle of the Bridge) brought a record 21924 fans to Spotless Stadium, the biggest crowd yet seen at the ground for any event.

As if their injury list wasn’t long enough already, GWS were hit with arguably their biggest out yet – Jeremy Cameron withdrawn before the bounce due to a hamstring injury, with Tendai Mzungu not exactly a like-for-like replacement.

The Giants dominated most of the first term and put the first goal of the game on the board through Toby Greene, who kicked a second in that quarter.

However, they generally struggled to capitalise on their early advantage in the middle, while the Swans were much better at taking their opportunities.

That, along with a free kick and 50-metre penalty that gifted the Swans a shot at goal, saw Sydney kick four majors to two in the first.

The Swans also started to even things up in the midfield after that point, and as a result both the second and third quarters were fairly even.

In fact, both sides kicked three goals each in the second, and a further three goals each in the third.

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Lance Franklin was important with a pair of back-to-back majors in the second giving Sydney a timely boost, while on the other side of the team sheet, Josh Kelly kicked a classy pair and Jonny Patton launched two big ones from long-range.

The margin was 12 points to the Swans at the quarter-time break, then 11 at half-time, and 13 at the final change. It was a tight game of footy is what I’m saying, and the stage set for a dramatic final term.

The Giants drew in as close as a single goal away when Steve Johnson, who had kicked a handy one before three-quarter time, booted his second in a row, the first of the final term.

But they wouldn’t get any closer than that. While former Swan and known snag-lover Shane Mumford kicked two to keep the Giants in it, Lance Franklin kicked two of his own in response (four for the night), and Tom Papley chimed in with another two as well (three for the night) including the sealer.

The result makes one thing pretty clear – the Swans’ season has come around the full circle since their lowest ebb when they were smashed by the Giants at home Round 5.

Tonight Sydney is wearing red and white! And not just because Arsenal are in town.

Final score
GWS Giants 12.11.83
Sydney Swans 14.12.96

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