It was an impressive performance from Sydney on Saturday night as they bounced back from a round two loss to Port Adelaide with a solid 16-point win over premiership fancies, Greater Western Sydney.
Featuring two of the competition's best sides and what is now one of the fiercest rivalries in the AFL, the "Battle of the Bridge" delivered, as both sides competed their hearts out for hometown bragging rights.
In what promised to be one of the games of the season, it was a fast, albeit low-scoring start at the SCG, with both sides showing their class around the contest and courageous ball use.
After an intense opening to the game, GWS goal sneak Daniel Lloyd got underway, putting through the first goal of the match 11 minutes into the first quarter.
The Swans responded quickly, with Gary Rohan getting his side on the board courtesy of some excellent work by Lance Franklin up the ground.
Rohan's major kicked the Swans into gear as some coast-to-coast play gifted Callum Sinclair an easy goal, before Isaac Heeney put through another to give Sydney a clear advantage.
A late goal to Matt De Boer pulled the margin back to just five points at the first break, with both sides yet to truly show their best footy.
The second term also began at breakneck speed, as the Giants came out with intensity and class the Swans struggled to match early.
GWS' early dominance showed on the scoreboard early, with classy midfielder Stephen Coniglio and De Boer adding majors within the first five minutes of the quarter to give the Giants a crucial nine-point lead.
As the Giants began to get on top through the middle of the ground, a costly error by Jonathon Patton from the last line of defence gave Tom Papley an easy goal, ultimately killing their earlier momentum.
Soon thereafter, the Swans picked up the slack, piling on three unanswered goals as key forward Sam Reid began to get involved with back-to-back majors to reclaim the lead.
Another late goal from the Giants would keep them in touch, as Jeremy Cameron converted a set shot to put his side six points down at the main change.
Despite the one-goal deficit at half-time, the Giants had more to worry about after ruckman Rory Lobb came off second-best in a marking contest, grabbing his left knee and hobbling off the ground.
In what was a generally scrappy first half, the two teams were set on breaking the game open in the third term and earning the title of victors in the Battle of the Bridge.
The Giants again got the better of Sydney in the early stages of the quarter with goals to Cameron and the re-emerged Lobb within the first seven minutes giving them a six-point lead.
But GWS couldn’t keep up their dominance as the experienced Swans roared to life with a devastating period of footy halfway through the third term.
Sydney slammed on five goals to three-quarter time to give them the game's biggest margin of 22 points, with the likes of Papley, Sinclair and Will Hayward proving dangerous up forward, as the Swans found success in finding alternative routes to goal.
With the game at their fingertips, Sydney looked to finish off the young GWS team in the last quarter of action.
Early majors to superstar Luke Parker and captain Josh Kennedy allowed the Swans to pick up where they left off in the third quarter, stretching the lead out to a game-high 33 points.
With the game seemingly decided, the Giants refused to rule themselves out, upping their intensity and putting together a late charge to their hometown rivals.
In a blistering period of footy, GWS piled on four goals in quick succession to bring the margin back to 10 points and give them a real chance at banking a third consecutive win.
But it would be the work of one Lance Franklin which put Swans fans at ease as he collected the ball from 60 metres, palmed off an opponent and converted a running goal to break the Giants' momentum.
Goalless prior to his miracle major, Franklin soon after took a strong mark inside 50 and converted to put the result of a Swans' win out of doubt.
After picking up their second win of the season, Sydney will look to continue their momentum as they travel to Etihad Stadium to take on a revitalised Western Bulldogs.
The Giants meanwhile will look to bounce back from their Battle of the Bridge defeat as they take on Fremantle at UNSW Canberra Oval.
SYDNEY 3.4 7.4 12.5 16.7 (103)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.5 5.10 7.13 12.15 (87)
GOALS
Sydney: Sinclair 3, Rohan 2, Reid 2, Papley 2, Hayward 2, Franklin 2, Heeney, Parker, Kennedy
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 3, De Boer 2, Lloyd 2, Coniglio, Lobb, Himmelberg, Hopper, Patton
BEST
Sydney: Mills, Heeney, Kennedy, Sinclair, Hewett, Parker
Greater Western Sydney: Coniglio, Shiel, Haynes, De Boer, Cameron, Hopper
INJURIES
Sydney: Cunningham (leg)
Greater Western Sydney: Lobb (knee)
TALKING POINTS
1. LANCE FRANKLIN DOESN'T NEED GOALS TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT
Matched up on emerging rival, Phil Davis, it was always going to be an epic contest in the rapidly growing Battle of the Bridge.
After starting the season in scintillating goal-kicking form, Franklin was relatively well held in the forward 50 by Davis, only managing two goals in the free-flowing game at the SCG.
Regardless, he still managed to have a big influence on the game, getting up the ground, taking 10 marks and playing critical roles in a number of key contest.
Franklin also stood up when his side needed him the most, kicking the two match-sealing goals, including an incredible running goal from the centre square.
2. STEPHEN CONIGLIO IS COMING OF AGE IN 2018
Stephen Coniglio continued his excellent start to 2018 with another stellar performance in the Battle of the Bridge, racking up 27 disposals and a goal to will his side back into the contest.
Outshone by superstar teammates Josh Kelly, Dylan Shiel, Callan Ward, Toby Greene and Jeremy Cameron in the early parts of his career, Coniglio is really starting to make a name for himself in this season.
An excellent runner, Conigilio is able to pick up possessions at will and help set up the Giants from the midfield.
He is also an excellent user of the ball, who if let off the chain, can be the real difference in the result of a match.
3. CALLUM MILLS ADDS ANOTHER MEDAL TO THE CABINET
The 2016 Rising Star winner continues to develop into a budding star of the competition, as Callum Mills claimed the Brett Kirk Medal for his 26 disposals and six marks off half-back.
Pivotal in setting up the play for Sydney all night, Mills was a constant thorn in the side of the Giants, as they simply could not get past the third-year defender.
Blessed with an excellent ability to read the ball, tremendous courage and solid skills, Mills was a worthy recipient of the Brett Kirk Medal, proving to many 2018 could be the year he breaks out into the one of the competition's elite.
4. THE BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE IS DEVELOPING INTO A SPECIAL CROSSTOWN RIVALRY
When first introduced back in 2012, many were sceptical about the Battle of the Bridge, with the obscure name and lopsided talent levels of each team making for a rather irrelevant rivalry in a rugby league dominated town.
Fast forward to 2018 and things have changed drastically, as both sides are among the competition's elite and are beginning to give spectacular games of football consistently.
The two have also developed a genuine hatred of each other, stemming from their first meeting in a final in 2016 where the Giants upset the Swans in front of a sold-out ANZ Stadium.
Since then, the contests between these teams have been fierce, with both sides fight for bragging rights in Sydney.
Tonight’s contest showed how far this growing rivalry has come in just six years, as the two teams from New South Wales put on yet another classic.
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