SYDNEY 2.3 5.6 9.12 12.16 (88) WEST COAST 3.3 4.3 7.3 7.7 (49)
GOALS Sydney: J McVeigh 2, L Franklin 2, T Papley 2, B McGlynn, C Sinclair, G Hewett, I Heeney, J Lloyd, T Richards. West Coast: J Kennedy 2, E Yeo, J Hill, J Redden, L Shuey, N Naitanui.
BEST Sydney: Richards, Parker, Papley, Mitchell, Kennedy. West Coast: Priddis, Gaff, Masten, McGovern, Naitanui.
UMPIRES Donlon, Findlay, Bannister.
CROWD 35,427 at the SCG.
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Sydney too good for Eagles
Sydney saw off West Coast in the wet at the SCG to book its fourth win of the season.
The Swans have beaten a genuine top four contender for the first time this season, mastering greasy conditions at the SCG to overpower the West Coast Eagles by 39 points.
After beating Collingwood, Carlton and GWS, but falling narrowly to Adelaide last round, Sydney captured their biggest scalp so far by repeatedly punishing the Eagles' defensive errors in a strong team performance in front of 35,427 fans.
Led by a best-on-ground effort by club favourite, defender Ted Richards, which stifled what coach John Longmire described as the Eagles' "gun forward line", Sydney overcame the early loss of a concussed Jeremy Laidler to celebrate Josh Kennedy's 150th game for the club in style, doubling their opponents' tally of scoring shots.
After turning a one-goal deficit at quarter time into a nine-point halftime lead, 5.6.36 to 4.3.27, the Swans were pushed to the brink when the visitors kicked three of the first four goals of the second half. However, they lifted their intensity to produce a run of 22 points to nil in the closing 13 minutes of the third term to lead 66 to 45.
With a tide of momentum behind them – and some Eagles reduced to bickering among themselves – Sydney ran out the match with a flurry of three unanswered goals.
"Absolutely thrilled," Longmire said. "We lost a player so early in the game in Laidler. To be one down on the bench … and they really challenged us, as good teams do, halfway through the third –and even maybe got their noses in front.
"But we finished off with the next six goals of the game and kept them goalless in the last quarter. So I just thought a combination of our older, experienced, leader players were fantastic and our younger kids really stood up as well."
Asked about how he approached the soggy conditions, Longmire credited the players for using their smarts.
"You've got to play it as you see it. The players are the best to judge that out there in those conditions and you can't say to kick it or handball it at any particular point in time," he said.
"You've got to play what's in front of you a bit, and that includes the conditions.
"They adjusted pretty well during the game."
It was a memorable afternoon for Richards, who – apart from helping keep the Eagles to just seven goals – took a spectacular mark and kicked a rare goal of his own, from 55 metres.
"He played pretty well, took a good mark, kicked a ripping goal. He got a bit carried away, I think," Longmire said with a smile.
"I guess he hasn't kicked many, so I'll let him have that one.
"He was good today. Six contested marks and he was a bit quiet last week, so I'm really pleased with how he went today."
The Eagles had been hoping to party like it was 1999 – the last time they won at the SCG – but there would be no reminder of that date other than during a halftime musical tribute to Prince.
The result marked an unhappy return to Sydney for ex-Swan Lewis Jetta, who had a quiet game and looked out of sorts, registering only 13 touches and going goalless.
The Eagles' midfield guns, including Matt Priddis, Chris Masten and Andrew Gaff, had plenty of ball, but the forwards could not capitalise.
By contrast, Sydney's inside midfielders worked hard both ways, with Luke Parker nabbing 25 touches and a game-high nine tackles, while Kennedy and Dan Hannebery led the possessions.
Small forward Tom Papley revelled in the conditions to score two goals among his 20 disposals.