Sydney have got themselves back on the winners list after hosting a gruelling Friday night of football, coming from behind in the final quartet to defeat Carlton by 16 points.
The home side trailed by six, seven and five points respectively at every break, before a 35-point final term from the Swans saw them come out victors 11.12 (78) over the Blues’ 9.8 (62).
No goal came easy for either side all night, particularly in the third quarter when just one major came from either side. But Dean Cox’s side came up clutch to kick six of the game’s final eight goals to have the final say in a big way — largely led by superstar Isaac Heeney.
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The 29-year-old had an incredible 24-disposal second half, and scarily could have been even more destructive with straighter kicking, finishing the match with 2.5 from 38 touches, 18 contested possessions and nine clearances.
“They got the better of Carlton with their ball movement and offence late in the game. Obviously it ws off hte back of a super-human performance from Isaac Heeney and his side-kick Chad Warner,” St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said after the final siren on Fox Footy.
“They were by far the better team in the second half tonight.”
Heeney took out his third Goodes-O’Loughlin Medal post-game for his monster match.
Two-time Coleman Medalist Charlie Curnow was monstrous for the visitors, kicking three goals for the night and two of Carlton’s three majors after half time.
In two sour notes for Cox’s Swans, utility Aaron Francis was subbed out with concussion before half time and will miss at least next weekend’s trip interstate to play Melbourne. Additionally, Justin McInerney looks set to come under scrutiny from MRO Michael Christian for a bump on Carlton’s Jack Silvangi in the second term.
Poor umpiring call leads to Swans goal | 00:30
THE 3-2-1… (with Jack Jovanovski and Will Faulkner)
3. SUPERHUMAN’ PROPELS SWANS TO SEASON-REVIVING WIN
The second-half efforts of Sydney’s dual-threat duo might’ve kept the club’s season alive.
In an unsightly match split by just seven points at half-time and five points at the final change, it was the heroics of Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner that provided the ‘class difference’ between the sides at the SCG on Friday night.
Heeney, who was inaccurate but a constant attacking threat all night, finished with two goals from seven scoring shots, 38 disposals, 10 clearances and a match-high 10 score involvements — earning him the 2025 Goodes-O’Loughlin Medal.
Booting five goals to Carlton’s two in the final quarter, the Swans powered to a desperately-needed fourth win to stay in touch with the top-eight.
“Great show of resilience by this group, they couldn’t get it done last week after dominating the fourth quarter against the Bombers,” began dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna after the game on Fox Footy.
“They came out of the blocks and they were under all sorts of pressure, they scrapped and hung in there, (it was a) real scramble and arm wrestle through those middle quarters … They just continued to press and got the better of Carlton with their ball movement and offence late in the game.
“Obviously it was off the back of a superhuman performance from Isaac Heeney and his sidekick Chad Warner — absolutely outstanding.
“And that was really the difference; the class and the talent of those two compared to on the other side of the ledger.”
Warner told Fox Footy post-game it was “such a relief” to come away with the four points, with caller Gerard Whateley noting: “That sense of relief is absolutely palpable. It was season-on-the-line tonight.”
Montagna continued, saying the Swans “looked more like” the team that stormed to the last Saturday in September last year.
“It absolutely was (season on the line),” he said. “And when we talk about trying to turn your season around, it doesn’t necessarily come with a flick of the switch, you have to grind it out.
“You have to build some momentum and just really try and work through it, and we saw signs last week and then today … maybe something they can springboard forward with until the mid-season bye.
“That looked more like Sydney, particularly in the second half … they were by far the better team in the second half.”
Heeney, after that “superhuman” effort against the Blues, admitted Sydney had to build the game up
Heeney: “We had to work this game up, it’s a big one for both clubs and we knew they were going to come out firing,” he told Fox Footy.
“We’ve slogged it all year and the consistency hasn’t been there throughout games, so it’s nice to put nearly a four-quarter performance together.
“It was probably terrible to watch, but it was worth four points.
“We had to work it up a little bit because that (the fact their season seemed to be quickly fading) was the reality of it all.
“(But) I think at the same time, you can’t look too far ahead. Coxy’s really good at that, he keeps up pretty present.”
Mills inches one step closer to return | 01:22
2. KEY SWAN ‘ABSOLUTELY IN THE GUN’ FOR HEAD-HIGH HIT… AGAIN
Amid total chaos in the second quarter, Sydney gun Justin McInerney has found himself in MRO hot water for the second time this season, after a bump on rival Jack Silvagni.
Just after the halfway mark of the second term, the dashing Swan found himself running through a contested setting on a wing at a high speed, with Silvagni turning around to collect the ball before McInenrey’s shoulder clipped his head.
The incident left the Blues utility seemingly dazed, and led to a HIA test almost instantly afterwards. Subsequently, it could see the 24-year-old rubbed out again.
“Justin McInerney I think is absolutely under the gun from the MRO for his high bump on Jack Silvagni,” Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph said at half time.
“As you can see, he hits him high, he doesn’t use a duty of care, he doesn’t make a play on the ball and Silvagni goes to ground.”
It was only just over two months ago that McInerney was rubbed out for three weeks after a hit on Lions premiership star Brandon Starcevich, which saw him concussed and sidelined for several weeks.
“We realise that he was suspended for three weeks after that high hit earlier in the season on Brandon Starcevich,” Ralph continued.
“We saw the doctor trying to get to him (Silvagni); those HIA’s can at times take place off the field. There are also times where they’re allowed to be the field. Clearly, the doctor gets to him (and) the AFL will tick that one off as well.
“As I say, I think McInerney (is) potentially facing a one-week ban.”
In a separate incident, Silvangi was later subbed out at half time with groin soreness. The 124-gamer missed Round 8 after having minor surgery on a broken hand.
Hamill: Docherty handling himself well | 00:39
1. AFL SET TO BE ‘UNDER SIEGE’ ONCE MORE AFTER 95-SECOND BLUNDER
After the botched handling of Lachie Schultz’s concussion last Thursday night, a similar situation unfolded on Friday at the SCG when Aaron Francis was concussed in a marking contest.
At the 10:35 mark of the second quarter, Francis was the casualty of a marking contest in a case of friendly fire as he inadvertently copped the right thigh of teammate Brodie Grundy.
The incident left Francis dazed, and while he didn’t immediately go to ground, he eventually went to the turf as medical staff quickly tended to him.
But play continued for another 95 seconds before being stopped by the umpires.
“When you are under siege like the AFL, everything comes under the spotlight — so certainly the Aaron Francis incident will be one of those,” said Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph during Fox Footy’s half-time coverage.
“The big thigh of Brodie Grundy (hits him) in the back of his head. It also took the AFL umpires 95 seconds to stop play before he got off the ground.
“The AFL said in that now-infamous Friday memo after the Lachie Schultz incident: ‘The umpires are instructed to stop play as soon as they are aware there is an injured player in the vicinity (of play)’.
“So, that absolutely is up to the AFL for their interpretation of the umpires … there were options there for them (to stop play) with multiple marks to do that. I’m sure they’ll get their facts straight before they give us clarification tomorrow.”
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