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The Sydney Swans have won their first match of 2018 by 29 points, outlasting a largely competitive West Coast Eagles outfit at Optus Stadium to close out Round One.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
West Coast Eagles 13.8 (86)
Sydney Swans 18.7 (115)
Two of the competition’s most prominent teams – the West Coast Eagles and the Sydney Swans – contest the inaugural men’s AFL match at Optus Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:20pm AEDT.
While both these teams made finals last year, they left a lot to be desired. The Swans overcame a 0-6 start to the season to make finals; wherein they defeated a resurgent Essendon before succumbing to Geelong in their semi-final.
The Eagles, too, slid into finals by the skin of their teeth. They played in what I’ve deemed the greatest final of recent years – that final against Port Adelaide – before, similar to today’s opponents, losing their semi-final against GWS.
This evening’s match is a big one: of course, it’s the first at Western Australia’s brand new stadium. It’s the Eagles first chance to demonstrate whether they not it can turn Optus Stadium into a new fortress, while Sydney’s out to claim a big scalp in ruining West Coast’s historic occasion.
Sydney’s team today is a strong one: with the exception of Dan Hannerbery, Allir Allir and Gary Rohan, they’ve got essentially a full side. They’ve got no debutants or new players in today’s side.
The Eagles will field perhaps their most important player – Nic Natanui – who returns after a long injury lay-off.
While Natanui’s inclusion is massive, they’ve lost their premier forward in Josh J Kennedy – that impact of that will be very interesting to watch. West Coast have three debutants: Liam Ryan, Jake Waterman and Daniel Verables.
Prediction
Most pundits are predicting a West Coast slide down the ladder this year, whil simultaneously predicting Sydney to remain well and truly in finals (perhaps even premiership) contention. I’m backing Sydney today: they’ll win, but expect West Coast to make it close.
Sydney Swans by 22 points
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:20pm AEDT.
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