Isaac Heeney put on a show and Sydney enhanced its flag credentials with a convincing 33-point win over fellow top four side Gold Coast in Gather Round.
The Swans led Saturday’s clash wire to wire, with Heeney (33 touches, 18 contested, 11 clearances, 11 tackles, two goals) starring in the 14.16 (100) to 9.14 (68) win.
Brodie Grundy racked up 20 disposals, 12 tackles, 36 hit-outs and Tom Papley added three goals as Dean Cox’s side charged to the top of the ladder.
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Match details: Sydney Swans vs Gold Coast Suns from 4:15pm AEST at Norwood Oval
Watch it live: On Fox Footy (channel 504), and streaming on Kayo, from 4:00pm AEST
The 3-2-1 (what we learned) via Jack Jovanovski…
3. ‘EXTREME’: MOST OMINOUS PART OF SWANS DOMINATION
The footy world had its doubts about the non-Errol Gulden version of the Swans, but the Bloods are looking almost as threatening as they did with him in the fold.
Sydney built its early ascendancy at Norwood off the back of relentless and inescapable pressure.
Despite leading the whole way through and having 58 more disposals, the Swans still had a staggering 44 more tackles than the Suns, winning the count 96-52.
“That’s the work rate. That’s the intensity, the desperation that has set these two sides apart,” AFL legend Jason Dunstall said late in the fourth quarter.
Isaac Heeney would be walking away from the game thinking he’d be stiff not to earn the three votes, finishing with 33 disposals, 12 score involvements, 10 clearances and two goals.
But it was a well-rounded performance from Sydney, which moved to 4-1 on the season and looks exponentially more comfortable playing Dean Cox’s brand of footy.
“Impressive. Really impressive. You can see they’re growing under Dean Cox,” Dunstall said.
“They play a better brand of contested footy, and their work around the stoppages has been first rate. Obviously, they’ve got some stars who make it a little bit easier, but I like the way they set up.
“We know they’ve always been good behind the footy, but they’ve also, when they’ve had opportunities to move the footy, they’ve really punished the Suns going the other way in transition.”
The opening term well and truly belonged to the Swans, who looked irrepressible going forward and outpressured Gold Coast without the footy.
Sydney generated 11 scores from its 19 first-quarter inside-50s and had eight more tackles than the Suns despite outpossessing Damien Hardwick’s side.
But it was the Swans’ pressure game that startled the Suns coming out of the gates, paving the way to a handy main-break lead with the wind at their backs in the third term.
“The pressure that they brought to this game was extreme,” Jason Dunstall at half-time.
“They had their stars Warner and Heeney have monster first terms which really set up the lead.”
2. ‘DIFFERENT DYNAMIC’: SUNS UNEARTH ‘BIG WEAPON’
It’s a very small sample, but the Suns might have found the best position for maligned big-money Suns tall Mac Andrew.
It’d be an understatement to suggest Andrew has had a great start to this year in defence, and he arguably hasn’t lived up to the lucrative long-term deal he signed in 2024 that’s thought to be worth $12-14 million.
But his talents might just be best utilised in the middle of the ground, especially following the introduction of the new ruck rules.
Andrew provided sparks at stages in the third and fourth quarters in particular, with veteran Jarrod Witts having been beaten by counterpart Brodie Grundy.
The 22-year-old was able to get himself involved in the contest as a part-time tapster, with Dunstall saying it gave the Suns a “different dynamic” and a “weapon” ruck alternative.
Brisbane premiership champion Alastair Lynch said the revamped ruck rules could be a conduit for Andrew to be a genuine option to help the Suns’ struggling clearance game.
“Well, (since) they’ve been struggling for their clearances, it might be a way to get him into the game,” Lynch said on Fox Footy at half-time.
“We know that he’s been across half back, hasn’t been his best season so far, it’d be great to see him with a bit of freedom to jump.
“Because with the new ruck rule, he’s not going to get monstered by the big body — he’s got an opportunity to jump over the top; he’s got beautiful hands.
“We should see more of this in the second half, and then they can start to generate their clearance game, which we’ve seen dessert them so far this season.”
Andrew drew more praise in the third quarter after having more impact in the middle of the ground.
“He’s looked so good … he just looks a different player,” Ben Dixon said from ground level.
Dunstall added: “I’d rather him in the ruck — I’d just ruck him as much as possible.”
And in a sign of his influence, Hardwick started Andrew at the first centre ball-up of the final quarter against Brodie Grundy.
Hall of Fame Legend Dunstall even said in the final term that Andrew “needs to take every single ball-up”.
“I think so (in response to ‘will we see him more in the ruck?’). He’s too big a weapon not to,” Dunstall said.
Otherwise, after their “kick in the nuts” against Melbourne last Sunday, Damien Hardwick wouldn’t have been much happier with his side’s start to proceedings on Saturday.
Gold Coast conceded five of the game’s first seven goals and looked vulnerable when the Swans went forward.
At quarter-time, Touk Miller conceded: “We just didn’t absorb their pressure; their pressure was really high.
“I think the wind’s playing a bit of a factor, so the contest is where it’s at.”
Jed Walter looked like the Suns’ most likely target up forward, kicking two first-half goals from a bevy of opportunities.
“He’s looked fit and strong,” Mark Howard said in commentary.
1. ‘STRUGGLED TO GET MOVING’: SWAN, SUN IN THE WARS
There were early injury clouds over Sydney captain Callum Mills and Suns rebounder Daniel Rioli at Norwood.
In the first quarter, Ben King clattered into the back of Mills, who later required treatment on what appeared to be his lower back/hip area.
“He struggled to really get moving through that first quarter. Finished the quarter on the ground, which was good,” Lynch said at quarter-time.
Mills continued, though, and while he certainly looked proppy at stages, he got through the match.
Cox provided an update on Fox Footy at the main change: “At the moment, he’s OK. We’ll monitor him now at half-time, he’s tough; he wants to do whatever he can for the team.”
Rioli, meanwhile, dealt with a rolled ankle but stayed out there.
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