It had been billed as the biggest Sydney Derby in its’ four year history, but after the Swans’ 89-point win over the Greater Western Sydney Giants, two things were made clear.
Firstly, the Swans are still by far the number one side in Sydney, and the Giants still have a long way to go before they can be considered finals contenders.
The stakes were high for both sides entering the eighth edition of the Derby. The Swans had to win to keep alive their top four hopes, while the Giants were battling to stay in finals contention after winning just three matches since Round 10.
Both sides had injury concerns entering the match, with Lance Franklin, Gary Rohan, Tom Mitchell and Luke Parker sitting out for the Swans while Phil Davis, Shane Mumford and Tom Scully were among those missing for the Giants.
For the latter team, it was also the opportunity to prove that they were indeed the real deal, the club having won a season-best 10 games this season after winning just nine in their first three seasons combined.
Among their 10 wins included the scalps of two-time reigning premiers Hawthorn and the Adelaide Crows, while they also achieved their largest victory when they thrashed Carlton by 78 points at Etihad Stadium.
In addition, they had also defeated the Swans in the only other meeting between the two sides to be played at Spotless Stadium.
But for all the expectation of a close Sydney Derby, the Giants were left humiliated by their heaviest defeat for the season.
The Swans’ win came on the back of dominant performances from forward Kurt Tippett, who kicked five goals, and midfielder Josh Kennedy, who racked up yet another 30-possession game to stake his claim for the Brownlow Medal.
It comes to show that the Swans are about to return to their best form, following a recent patchy period in which they lost three games between Rounds 16 and 19.
However, with winnable matches against St Kilda (at Etihad Stadium) and the Gold Coast Suns (at the SCG) to come in the final fortnight, the club is in prime position to finish in the top four for a fourth consecutive year.
Do that, however, and the club will all but have to travel to Perth for a third time this year to face either Fremantle or the West Coast Eagles in a qualifying final, and then possibly a fourth to face either in the preliminary final.
As for the Giants’ heavy loss to the Swans, it all but extinguished any hope the fourth-year club had of reaching the finals, but there is no doubt that the club is on the right track as far as their progress is concerned.
Coach Leon Cameron said the loss took the club “about three or four steps backwards” and was reminiscent of the club’s struggles in the early years, when heavy losses were far too common than the occasional victory.
In addition, their percentage also dropped below 100 per cent for the first time this season, and the final two matches against Carlton and Melbourne will be not about salvaging the season, but rather preparing for season 2016 and the challenges and expectations that lay ahead.
At the start of the season, expectations were high for the club on the back of a strong off-season which saw experienced players Ryan Griffen and Joel Patfull arrive at the club from the Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions, respectively.
The duo, along with established players such as Shane Mumford, Phil Davis, Heath Shaw, Jeremy Cameron, Dylan Shiel and Adam Treloar, have played their hand in the club climbing up the ladder this season after their first three seasons yielded two wooden spoons and a 16th-place finish.
They found themselves as high as second on the ladder after Round 4 and suddenly many were thinking the unthinkable – that a side still so inexperienced and scarred by the heavy losses that plagued their infant years could play finals in 2015.
That was until a day of carnage against Collingwood at the MCG in Round 11 saw Mumford, Davis, Patfull and Stephen Coniglio suffer serious injuries that would ultimately derail the second half of the season, with Mumford’s ankle injury serious enough to see him not play again in 2015.
At the time the Giants were sitting fifth on the ladder and prior to the match against the Pies they held an impressive 7-3 win-loss record after 10 rounds, the same record the Gold Coast Suns had after as many matches twelve months ago.
Similar to how the Suns’ season would unravel after their superstar captain Gary Ablett Jr went down with a serious shoulder injury midway through last season, many thought the Giants would also suffer without their key players in the second half of this season.
But to the club’s credit, they would remain competitive in the majority of their games, defeating St Kilda and the Suns, each for a second time this season, before notching up win number 10 against Essendon in Round 19.
As already mentioned above, the Giants have two very winnable games to finish their fourth season in the AFL, and winning those two would see them eclipse the Suns’ fourth-season record of 10 wins, 12 losses and a 12th-place finish.
Another pre-season and the expected return to full fitness of Davis and Mumford ahead of Round 1 next year will see expectations for the club continue to rise as they look to achieve their goal of playing finals for the first time.
For now, the 89-point loss to the Sydney Swans, which has unsurprisingly left the Giants’ playing list disappointed after a golden opportunity slipped by, will only be another lesson as to how to cope with the expectations of a huge match.
It will be one of many lessons the club will learn when they assess their 2015 season.
And with the Swans about to embark on their 17th finals campaign dating way back to 1996, it’s very clear that the Swans are still the top club in Sydney
The Giants still have a very long way to go if they are to overtake their more successful big brothers in the not-too-distant future.
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Things heating up in Canberra!
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Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
