Sydney has taken out the Marngrook Trophy and anchored Carlton to the bottom of the ladder, following a low-scoring affair at the SCG to open Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
The Blues led at half-time by a solitary point and went toe-to-toe with the Swans for the first half, yet kicked just three goals in the second half to allow the home side to run out as comfortable 30-point victors.
With Patrick Cripps (17 disposals) battered, bruised and weighed down by heavy strapping on his legs, Sam Kerridge stepped up to the plate with a solid 29-disposal game across half-back.
The Swans' midfielders too weren't at their usually lofty standards numbers-wise, yet performed soundly with Luke Parker (21 disposals, two goals), Josh Kennedy (26,2) and Isaac Heeney (22, 2) starring, the latter of whom ended up being the recipient of the Goodes-O'Loughlin Medal.
Lance Franklin too fittingly fired with three majors to kick off Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Carlton brought their determination into the opening minutes with the first two goals of the game, yet acted more like a thorn in Sydney's side rather than a knife in their heart for the rest of the term.
Pat Kerr and Charlie Curnow inflicted the opening two blows - with the latter's much to the chagrin of Dane Rampe who had issue with the free kick paid against him - and put the Swans under the pump early.
The jitters showed in the Sydney defence, before four crucial intercept marks from Heath Grundy eventually steadied the Swans' ship.
Down the other end of the ground, the Carlton defence made sure Lance Franklin was getting a lot of attention, with Sam Rowe and Sam Kerridge double-teaming the superstar, allowing the intercepting Liam Jones pick off the Swans' entries forward.
Jones' four intercept marks for the term were vital in repressing Sydney's scoring, with the Carlton defence conceding just three goals from their opposition's 18 entries.
Kieren Jack finally got the ball rolling for the Swans after receiving a generous 50m to put the Sydney on the board, before the SCG roared to life after Lance Franklin made it back-to-back majors.
Although both sides exchanged goals just minutes later through the returning Jack Silvagni and the seasoned Parker, neither side were able to add any more majors to their tally.
With the Swans up by a mere four points at quarter-time, their fortunes barely changed going into the second quarter, with just two majors coming from the term.
It initially looked promising for the Swans, after Isaac Heeney slotted the first off the back of another 50m penalty, which resulted in a fiery fracas in the forward 50.
As the tempers dissipated, as did the scoring, with the next major of the game coming 10 minutes later from Jack Silvagni after a lengthy patch of to-and-fro football, in which neither side were able to gain a distinct advantage,
Despite the youngster's confidence jumping up a notch following his classy set shot, the Blues still failed to dominate the scoreboard, with unclean skill execution negating several attempts going forward.
Sydney too weren't immune, but despite their defence holding firm, the Blues certainly tested the Swans and restricted their ball movement through the centre of the ground.
A creative toe-poke from Matthew Wright and subsequent goal to Darcy Lang eventually broke through Sydney's structures late in the quarter, before Wright was rewarded for his previous efforts with a goal of his own to snatch back the lead.
With the visitors up by a point at half-time, the question which lingered on the minds of fans was whether the Blues could sustain their efforts against the Swans on their home deck.
Although competing well, an unanswered five-goal quarter from Sydney rattled Carlton's confidence; their inability to capitalise upon the chances presented to them leaving them hanging their heads.
The start of the third term once again looked in favour of the Swans, with early majors to Callum Sinclair and Franklin evaporating the Blues' narrow lead.
But despite Sydney's early blitz, from then on it was all Carlton, who notched up the next seven inside 50s and locked the ball in their half of the ground for the next ten minutes.
Yet the pressure of the Blues yielded little result on the scoreboard, with very attainable chances going begging much to the relief of the Swans.
Four consecutive behinds had all the hallmarks of their match against Geelong, in which opportunities to cut down the margin slipped through their fingers.
Carlton were left to rue their misses after Parker put through his second with ease, before Will Hayward duly converted to make it four in a row for the home side.
As the Swans ramped up their pressure as a unit, the Blues struggled to find a response as the red and white continued their offensive.
With just seconds to spare in the term. a last-gasp goal from Sinclair ballooned the margin out to game-high 27 points, leaving the visitors with a monumental task if they were to pull off a miracle win.
The Swan's momentum petered out going into the final term and subsequently dragged out the rest of the game, with 13 minutes elapsing before the first goal was finally scored via Charlie Curnow.
The Carlton spearhead's major ended up being just one of three for the Blues in the entire second half, as the weary visitors struggled so much as the trouble their opposition in the game's final stages.
It only got worse for Carlton as Franklin secured his third, before Jarrad McVeigh rubbed salt into the wounds with one of his own.
A late major to Paddy Dow and a classy snap from Ed Curnow mitigated the humiliation as the game fizzled out, before Hayward had the last laugh with a final goal to truly sink the Blues.
With 10 losses against their name, the Blues' bye couldn't come soon enough as they head into the week off with the intention to reset and put together a respectable second half of the season.
Sydney meanwhile will be hoping to further solidify their position in the top-four with a victory over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium next Saturday night.
SYDNEY 3.5 5.7 10.9 13.13 (91)
CARLTON 3.1 6.2 6.6 9.7 (61)
GOALS
Sydney: Franklin 3, Sinclair 2, Heeney 2, Hayward 2, Parker 2, McVeigh, Jack
Carlton: Silvagni 2, C. Curnow 2, Wright, E. Curnow, Dow, Lang, Kerr
BEST
Sydney: Heeney, Sinclair, Parker, Franklin, Lloyd, Kennedy
Carlton: Kerrdige, Simpson, E. Curnow, Kreuzer, Jones
INJURIES
Sydney: Nil
Carlton: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. FRIDAY NIGHT FLOP
There's been quite a bit of scrutiny surrounding Carlton and their scheduling for four Friday night matches this season, particularly given their form over the past few seasons.
Tonight's result did them little favours, with the game - which was tight, yet unclean, until half-time - fizzling out in the second half; the contest well and truly dead in the fourth quarter.
Warranted the Blues are one of the five big Victorian clubs with a rich history and a loyal fanbase, yet their current shows under the Friday night lights this season against Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have been less than spectacular.
Their record too barely flatters them, with the Blues finishing in the bottom-four since 2014 and tonight being the 44th consecutive match where Brendon Bolton's have failed to crack the 100-point mark.
Those two factors alone don't put Carlton in good stead for a Friday night blockbuster.
Everyone knew heading into this season the Blues would again be struggling to get many wins on the board, so why would they (or more importantly, should they) be scheduled for four Friday night matches, let alone such an important night - which was meant to be a great spectacle - which was to begin Sir Doug Nicholls Round in spectacular fashion?
Sure surprises can happen - who would have ever tipped North Melbourne to be in such great form coming into this season - but to kick off such a momentous round, a Friday night blockbuster is a must and at the moment, Carlton are not part of that equation.
Instead of a dynamic and high-scoring game, fans were given the complete opposite with a flat and low-scoring game ultimately eventuating and Sir Doug Nicholls Round beginning with a diminutive "pop" rather than an almighty "bang".
It's unfair to kick a team when they're down and going through their rebuilding phases, but there's no doubt the Blues have to earn the right to play Friday night football.
2. COFFEE ANYONE?
A little bit of cheeky backchat doesn't go astray on the footy field, and Dane Rampe certainly delivered tonight.
After the Sydney defender was pinged for barring Charlie Curnow from having a run at a marking contest, Rampe vented his frustrations to the umpire, saying “Clarko would be happy with that, well done. Did you have a coffee with him too?”
The joke comes in reference to Alastair Clarkson having coffee with AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, after the former claimed Sydney defenders got away with "blue murder" following their clash with the Hawks earlier this season.
All in good humour, but think it's fair to say Gillon won't be having any coffee dates with Dane any time soon.
3. BLUES' BYE RIGHT ON TIME
After tonight's result, there's no doubt the week off has come at a great time for the Blues.
A week to reset, refocus and put together a spirited second half of the season will all be on the agenda for Carlton, who still remain on the bottom of the ladder with a percentage of 63.5.
It could have worked the other way had they knocked off the Swans at their home turf, with the bye instead acting as a momentum killer following their close encounter with Geelong last week.
But with Patrick Cripps the human embodiment of the "walking wounded", and Marc Murphy possibly set to miss only one more match, the week off couldn't have come soon enough.
4. PREMATURE CELEBRATIONS
With Carlton getting the jump early with the first two goals of the game, Sydney were itching for a reprieve and a chance to refocus their approach.
That reprieve would come in the form of quarter-time, yet with 15 minutes left to play in the term, there was still a lot of football before that opportunity would come.
The same must have been thought up in the SCG sound booth, with the Swans' theme song blasting through the PA prematurely, much to the surprise of the Sydney players and fans.
It wouldn't have done them much good had that been the final score, with the visitors at that stage leading by seven points.
At least the right song played.
5. BUDDY UNLUCKY, SINCLAIR LUCKY
Lance Franklin had every right to be bemused by a soft free kick paid against him in the final stages of the third term, particularly given the two "nothing" frees he had conceded prior.
With the ball dribbling out of bounds, Franklin tossed the ball up lightly into his opponent in Sam Rowe - the footy brushing his cheek at best.
The act was intentional, albeit soft, yet it was enough reason for the umpire to award the free kick to the Carlton defender, leaving Buddy in pure shock as his opponent cleared the ball from defence.
Teammate Callum Sinclair on the other hand was quite lucky, after going down a little too easily after bumping into Patrick Cripps on his way back to a set shot on goal.
It's lucky the decision wasn't reversed for staging, with his subsequent major a decisive one; it being the first after half-time which kickstarted the Swans' five-goal haul for the third term.
Swings and roundabouts.
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