Match

GWS Giants vs Sydney Swans

Commentary / 22 Jun 2024

Pre Game

00:00
Sydney has won three of its last four matches against GWS at ENGIE Stadium, dating back to Round 17, 2017, by an average margin of 15 points per game.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
03:41
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (James Jordon)
04:42
Errol Gulden has picked up where he left off over the last two weeks, already amassing five disposals in the first five minutes of the match. Gulden has won the last two Brett Kirk Medals for best on ground in the Sydney Derby.
07:00
Neither team has registered any meaningful forward-50 entries so far, with both teams amassing four inside-50 entries and four rebound-50s each over the first eight minutes. Each team has also only registered one forward-50 disposal each so far.
09:06
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
12:23
The Giants have struggled to transition the ball in the windy conditions. So far, from seven rebound-50s, the Giants have not entered their forward-50 once. Meanwhile, the Swans have achieved this three times from six attempts.
14:16
The Giants have laid five more tackles than the Swans so far. Tellingly, however, of the 13 tackles that have been laid in this match, only two have been laid in either team's forward-halves.
16:44
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Josh Kelly)
17:49
After 18 minutes, Sydney break the deadlock with a goal through Hayden McLean. The goal came about from a Nick Blakey kick-in; Blakey also touched the ball twice more in transitioning the ball from defensive-50 to forward-50.
19:28
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
20:42
GWS midfielder Tom Green leads all players on the ground with ten disposals so far. It's the third time this season that Green has amassed ten or more disposals in the first term.
22:18
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Toby Greene)
22:27
GWS captain Toby Greene kicks his first goal of the match to put the Giants on the board. The Giants have outscored their opponents by 6.1 points per game in the time-on period of quarters this season.
23:22
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Justin McInerney)
24:59
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Jake Riccardi)
26:32
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
27:29
In Sam Taylor's absence, tenth-gamer Leek Aleer leads the Giants for intercept possessions, with four this quarter (equal to only Errol Gulden). The Giants have a slight 19-17 lead in intercept possessions this term.
30:23
The Giants have kept pace with the Swans in the first term thanks to their efficiency from turnover. From eight attacking midfield intercepts, the Giants have gone inside-50 six times and scored a goal twice. The Swans, meanwhile, are yet to kick a goal from an intercept-possession chain.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:33
Tom Green's 15 first-quarter disposals is an equal career-high for the Giants midfielder. He last achieved a 15-disposal quarter in Round 15, 2021.
01:08
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Jesse Hogan)
03:41
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Logan McDonald)
03:48
Both teams continue to trade goals into the second quarter. The Giants' and Swans' goals this quarter have each come from marks inside-50 from stoppage clearance chains.
05:58
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Errol Gulden)
07:08
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Toby Greene)
09:48
The Swans currently lead the around-the-ground first possessions 12-10. Since Round 11, the Swans have won the first possession from these sources 51.5% of the time, ranked first in the competition.
10:41
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Rushed)
11:34
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
12:13
A costly turnover ends with Tom Paplet pouncing to kick the Swans' third goal in a row. From four inside-50s this term, the Swans have kicked three goals.
13:20
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Jake Lloyd)
13:48
Jake Lloyd kicks the Swans' third goal from an intercept possession this term, after having not kicked one in the first term. The Swans have outscored its opponents by 102 points from the second term onwards over the last two rounds.
16:56
In the last ten minutes, the Giants have registered six clearances to one, and lead in contested possessions by four. Despite this, the Swans have capitalised on intercepts to score.
17:33
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Hayden McLean)
19:52
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Taylor Adams)
21:08
Clearance machine James Rowbottom continues to dominate in this area, leading all players on the ground with six clearances so far. Last round, Rowbottom managed a round-high 11 - eight of which were from centre-bounces.
21:32
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Hayden McLean)
22:54
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (James Jordon)
24:46
The Giants have maintained a strong pressure factor this term, currently presiding at a factor of 1.97 for the term, and 1.95 for the match. They also lead the tackle count by nine - four more than their differential average.
29:11
The Swans' dominance this term has come despite last week's nine-goal hero Joel Amartey only registering a single disposal this half. The Swans' eight goals this game have been spread over seven goal kickers today.
30:41
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)
32:51
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (James Jordon)
32:54
Another week, another game-changing quarter for the Swans. This time, they kicked the last seven goals to take a 40-point lead into half-time. After not managing a single goal from turnover in the first term, the Swans piled on five that term - three of which originated in the forward-half.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:14
James Rowbottom's 15 contested possessions up to half-time is seven higher than his previous season-best of eight. It is also only four short of his full-game season-best of 18.
00:33
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
02:44
An immense start to the quarter for the Swans has seen them collect 14 more disposals than the GIants in the first three minutes, alongside the only three forward-50 entries of the term. 15 of these disposals have been amassed in the Swans' forward-half.
03:59
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)
05:20
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Will Hayward)
05:37
Will Hayward joins the party with the Swans' tenth goal in a row, and his first of the match. Hayward led all comers in the previous derby for goals, kicking four in Round 8.
07:47
After eight minutes this term, the Swans have amassed 23 forward-half disposals, eight forward-half contested possessions and eight inside-50s. Meanwhile, the Giants have only registered a single contested possession (without a disposal) in their forward half.
09:18
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Brent Daniels)
10:25
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)
11:40
Moments after Brent Daniels ended the Swans' ten-goal onslaught, debutant Max Gruzewski kicks his first goal in AFL football to kick the Giants' second in a row. The goal is the Giants' first from a kick-in chain this match.
11:43
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Max Gruzewski)
13:43
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)
17:50
Brodie Grundy is continuing his revelatory season in the red and white, leading hitouts 26-14 and hitouts-to-advantage six to two over Kieren Briggs. More damning is his midfield dominance, registering 15 disposals and six contested possessions so far.
19:48
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Rushed)
20:40
With the rain at its heaviest this term, the Swans have risen to the challenge and increased their pressure factor for the term to 2.06, well above their game average of 1.80.
20:46
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Max Gruzewski)
25:36
The last 15 minutes have seen the Giants once again match the Swans in multiple statistical facets. They currently lead contested possessions by two and inside-50s by two over this time, while also scoring two goals to one.
26:31
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Chad Warner)
28:22
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Callan Ward)
29:07
Sydney's Ollie Florent leads all players on the ground for intercept possessions, with ten so far. This is a career-high for Florent, who has previously amassed nine intercept possessions in a match four times over the past three years.
31:46
The Giants managed to even the ledger in the third term, only losing the quarter by two points. They were especially effective in their attacking midfield, entering forward 50 seven times from seven attempts, and converting these entries into 3.1 (19).

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:45
The Giants score just their second stoppage goal of the game through last week's rising star nominee Harvey Thomas. The Giants average 33.8 points per game from this source, ranked eighth overall.
04:39
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Harry Himmelberg)
05:56
Midfielders Errol Gulden and Tom Green have each registered eight and seven intercept possessions for their teams respectively; each of them only bettered by one of their defender teammates (Oliver Florent and Leek Aleer respectively).
07:52
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Jake Riccardi)
08:35
The Giants continue to push as the game draws to a close, bringing the margin down to 29 points. It is the smallest margin in the match since the second quarter.
09:38
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Josh Kelly)
09:55
An elite pressure factor of 2.11 for the term has led to three straight goals this term for the Giants, with the tally now at five-in-a-row. The Giants have continued their attacking midfield prowess, registering two goals from this source this term.
10:53
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Caiden Cleary)
11:35
An instant response from the Swans comes through debutant substitute Caiden Cleary, who kicks his first goal from his first kick in football. It's the Swans' ninth goal of the match from an interecept possession chain.
15:39
The Swans have shown immense stoppage dominance in this match. Out of the top seven stoppage first-possession winners tonight, six are Swans, with Tom Green the only Giant in the top seven. This has led to a stoppage first-possession differential of 18 in the Swans' favour.
18:23
SCORE GOAL - Swans (James Jordon)
19:39
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Rushed)
20:30
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Errol Gulden)
21:20
Impressively in the wet, the Giants have managed to take 11 contested marks for the match, while the Swans have managed just three. The Giants average 11.1 contested marks per game in 2024, ranked second overall.
24:40
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Rushed)
26:14
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Kieren Briggs)
27:16
Errol Gulden has proved almost unstoppable in this game, motoring to 41 disposals so far - just one short of his career-high of 42, achieved in Round 24 last year. He has also amassed ten intercept possessions tonight, which is an equal career-high. He has now been rewarded with a third-straight Brett Kirk Medal.
28:00
SCORE GOAL - GIANTS (Callan Ward)
30:22
SCORE BEHIND - GIANTS (Toby Greene)
31:14
While the Giants proved competitive in three of the four quarters tonight, ultimately the 27-point margin was unrepresentative. The Giants were unable to gain a competitive foothold in the midfield, losing stoppage first possessions by 20, and only scoring two goals for the match from clearances.