A seven-goal haul from young Swan, Ben Ronke, has steered Sydney to a stunning eight-point victory over Hawthorn, in what was a titanic battle at the MCG.
The Swans' 12.7 (79) may have came as a surprise opposed to Hawthorn's 10.11 (71), with Sydney booting five in the final to term to make it four wins out of four away from home.
Ronke's seven majors, along with his 10 tackles, were instrumental in rewarding his side with the annual beyondblue Cup.
It wasn't a solo effort however, with Luke Parker emerging late in the game with 28 disposals and three majors, while Will Hayward similarly capped off his night with a trio of goals.
The Hawks too had their own heroes, with Jack Gunston bagging a crucial five goals - four of which were scored in the opening term - while Shaun Burgoyne used his slick ball movement to rack up a team-high 26 disposals.
Although Melbourne received an inch of rain before the commencement of play, the chilling wind had all but dried up the MCG as the two finals prospects took to the field.
Nevertheless, the historically tight affair was not promising to be a high-scoring game, until Jack Gunston and Luke Breust sandwiched a Ben Ronke goal early in the piece.
With Hawthorn kicking with the wind advantage, it was no surprise to see the Hawks dominate the inside 50s early on (6-1 after 10 minutes), however another opportunistic goal from Ronke brought the Swans to within a point.
Whatever effort Hawthorn exerted, the Swans had an immediate reply, with all four of their goals for the term coming from the young Ronke.
The opening quarter quickly became Gunston vs. Ronke showdown, with the Hawks forward and the Swans speedster kicking a further two apiece to round out the first term.
Despite the howling wind and bone-rattling cold, the skill level executed from both sides was nothing short of sublime, resulting in a free-flowing and aggressive contest.
The second term began in the same contested vein as the first quarter, but Sydney, with a gale behind them, capitalised again through Ronke with his, and the Swans fifth, to give them the lead for the first time in the evening.
Gunston, however, slotted his fourth after a free kick to give the Hawks a one-point advantage once again.
After a period of around 10 minutes where both sides gained multiple inside 50s, yet failed to score a goal, significant pressure from Sydney eventually led to Will Hayward slotting his first to give the Swans a seven-point advantage late in the term.
Despite relentless Hawthorn pressure in the closing minutes, the Swans managed to hold the fort, heading into the main break with a six-point lead in a contest which was brewing to be a classic.
Jarryd Roughead got the Hawks off to the ideal start in the second half, slotting his first to finish off a well-crafted team move to bring the scores level for the fifth time of the evening.
Although the scores stagnated for a while, the game certainly didn't, with both sides moving the ball from end-to-end until Harry Morrison dribbled through another for the Hawks to find a crucial breakaway.
Luke Parker, however, kicked true after a powerful breakaway from a contest to give the Swans another one-point lead in an attempt to assert themselves on top of the contest.
But eventually, after yet another break between scores and an opportunity for Parker to kick his second, Breust slotted two goals to give Hawthorn an 11-point margin heading into the final term.
Sydney, requiring multiple goals in a low-scoring affair, started off as ideally as possible with goals to small forwards Hayward and Ronke, to bring the Swans level and give the latter his sixth of the evening.
With both teams going hell for leather and refusing to give an inch, Jack Gunston finally broke through to kick his fifth and restore a seven-point margin in favour of the Hawks.
With 18 minutes since Ronke’s goal early on in the term, and a succession of Hawthorn missed opportunities, Sydney could be forgiven for starting to panic.
Hayward, however, slotted his third and Parker, after copping it from Hawthorn players after high hit on Jarman Impey, kicked his second of the night to give the Swans a three-point lead against the flow of play with three minutes left on the clock.
In a desperate bid to restore the lead, a rash Isaac Smith kick across half-back fell into the lap of Gray Rohan, who in turn gave it to the man of the moment Ben Ronke.
As Ronke fittingly bagged his seventh, the young Swan put the game on ice to reward his side with their fifth win of the season.
Sydney will head back home to the SCG next week when they take on Fremantle on Saturday night, while Hawthorn will be seeking redemption against Brisbane at the 'Gabba.
HAWTHORN 4.3 5.4 9.6 10.11
SYDNEY 4.1 6.4 7.7 12.7
GOALS
Hawthorn: Gunston 5, Breust 3, Marrison, Roughead
Sydney: Ronke 7, Hayward 3, Parker 2
BEST
Hawthorn: Gunston, Sicily, Burgoyne, McEvoy, Henderson
Sydney: Ronke, Parker, Lloyd, Grundy, Rampe
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Sydney: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. IS RONKE THE SWANS' NEEDED SPEED?
In just his third game of his fledgling career, 20-year-old Swans forward, Ben Ronke, piled on feats managed by none other than Lance Franklin in John Longmire’s tenure, with seven majors.
Kicking four goals in the first quarter and five up to half-time, Ronke was absolutely stunning in a forward line absent of Lance Franklin and Sam Reid.
In a Sydney forward line struggling for goals, he certainly provided a potential answer on that front; however, what flies under the radar in the wake of his goal-kicking exploits tonight, are ten tackles, seven of them inside 50, and an ability to run and carry the ball at speed.
Indicative of his relentless pressure to go with his apparent talent, could he provide a solution the Sydney midfield sorely needs in extra pace and carry on the outside?
Based on his current form, that aspect of his game could come to the fore with a returning Franklin, and lesser opportunities up forward may result in increased midfield opportunities.
2. THE TOM MITCHELL AND JOSH KENNEDY TAG
Coming into a game where it was always going to be heavily contested, due to the game plans of both teams and the inclement weather, it was always going to be conditions that favoured Tom Mitchell and Josh Kennedy’s in-and-under style.
Daniel Howe went to Sydney skipper, Josh Kennedy, after he ran riot against North Melbourne and Geelong in the last quarter, limiting his man to 19 touches at 63 per cent with four clangers involved.
The Swans, and George Hewett in particular, confined the Hawks star man to 20 touches at 70 per cent efficiency and giving away three free kicks.
In turn, the tag helped sway the balance of the clearances toward the Swans (31-40); an area in which the red-and-white heavily outscored the Hawks.
Proof of the effectiveness of the tag.
3. A CHANCE FOR THE MRP TO REDEEM ITSELF?
Halfway through the final term, Luke Parker made head high contact with Jarman Impey, which left the Hawks man bruised, but not concussed, as he left the field under the blood rule.
The situation was extraordinarily similar to Trent Cotchin’s hit on Dylan Shiel in the preliminary final last season, in which Dylan Shiel not only suffered a concussion, but resulted in the Richmond skipper getting off free to play in the Grand Final.
In this scenario, both Parker and Impey’s only intention was to go for the ball, with the Sherrin being equally available to both players, and Parker’s hip colliding with Impey being pureply incidental.
After leaving themselves slightly red-faced with their reasoning behind the Nic Naitanuii suspension, the much-maligned MRP have a chance to make the right call, and move on from what is an incident that can be filed under "just footy".
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