SYDNEY 2.6 Â 4.8 Â 6.13 Â 12.14 (86)
MELBOURNE 1.1 Â 2.3 Â 3.6 Â 4.7 (31)
Goals: Sydney: L Franklin 4 B McGlynn 2 D Towers 2 G Hewett J Kennedy J Lloyd T Nankervis. Melbourne: C Petracca 2 D Kent J Hogan
Best: Sydney: McVeigh, Kennedy, Jones, Hannebery, Franklin, Parker, Towers
Melbourne: Jones, Viney, Bugg, Gawn
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Scott Jeffery, Chris Kamolins, Andrew Stephens.
Official Crowd: 19,086 at SCG
For those who love the way the game used to be played, this was the match for you. It was also a reminder that sometimes the past is not as good as you remembered.
More AFL Real Footy Videos
- Video duration
- 01:37
AFL plays of round 13
AFL plays of round 13
Lindsay Thomas v the umpires continues, Josh Kennedy closing in on Buddy, Pavlich lays down on the job to great effect, Dangerfield unstoppable and GWS unearth yet another star.
Up Next
James Hird's father speaks out
- Video duration
- 03:51
- Video duration
- 03:51
James Hird's father speaks out
James Hird's father speaks out
James Hird's father Allan talks to 3AW about his view on his son's overdose and the Essendon doping saga.
- Video duration
- 00:00
James Hird pushed out of Essendon
James Hird pushed out of Essendon
LIVE: Essendon is expected to announce they have parted company with senior coach James Hird, effective immediately.
Up Next
Essendon offers support following Hird health scare
- Video duration
- 01:32
- Video duration
- 01:32
Essendon offers support following Hird ...
Essendon offers support following Hird health scare
Following a suspected overdose, players showed up to training and kept mum about their distressed coach. Vision courtesy Seven News, Melbourne.
Up Next
Heeney wants midfield spot
- Video duration
- 00:47
- Video duration
- 00:47
Heeney wants midfield spot
Heeney wants midfield spot
Isaac Heeney makes his message clear about where he wants to play in 2017.
Up Next
Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 Brownlows
- Video duration
- 00:48
- Video duration
- 00:48
Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 ...
Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 Brownlows
Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin are presented with their Brownlow Medals after more than four years in a special ceremony in Melbourne.
Up Next
Dangerfield: No players, no game
- Video duration
- 00:20
- Video duration
- 00:20
Dangerfield: No players, no game
Dangerfield: No players, no game
Players Association representative and reigning Brownlow medalist Patrick Dangerfield talks tough on the AFL's discussions with the PA over contract talks.
Up Next
Roughead reveals he's been given all-clear
- Video duration
- 00:47
- Video duration
- 00:47
Roughead reveals he's been given all-clear
Roughead reveals he's been given all-clear
Jarryd Roughead has been told his treatment was successful and he is 'cancer-free'.
AFL plays of round 13
Lindsay Thomas v the umpires continues, Josh Kennedy closing in on Buddy, Pavlich lays down on the job to great effect, Dangerfield unstoppable and GWS unearth yet another star.
The 19,086 at the SCG who saw Sydney return to the winners' list against Melbourne with an emphatic 55-point victory deserve a medal for putting up with the atrocious conditions and sticking around to see the torrid "spectacle" that unfolded.
The quicker this match is forgotten the better. This was a three-way contest that pitted the Swans and the Demons against each other and the elements. The Swans claimed the four points but Mother Nature was the most influential factor on the ground.
Simple skills such as chest marks became a challenge. So hard was the ball to pick up there were times when the game resembled a rolling maul.
There is a perception the Swans' style is made for the slush but their game relies on clearing traffic with a chain of quick handballs – a tactic not suited in the wet.
It does, however, reward the team that is more prepared to roll its sleeves up and get its hands dirty. The biggest difference between the two sides lay not in skill but application, best demonstrated in the lopsided tackle count: 155-87. That figure represented an AFL record, beating the 142 tackles made by Richmond in 2010. The Swans' top nine, led by Luke Parker with 17, laid more tackles than the Demons' 22.
The Swans' tally eclipsed their previous club record of 135 in similar conditions against the Gold Coast a fortnight ago.
The margin hovered around the three to four-goal mark for much of the game but the physical toll the Swans inflicted on the Demons told in the last quarter as the score blew out.
"In these conditions you have to put pressure on," Dan Hannebery said. "We got a reward in the last quarter for the effort we put in the first three quarters."
While it's said the wet can be a leveller, it can also accentuate the importance of skill. No player mastered the conditions but Jarrad McVeigh was the least impeded by them. Playing as a sweeper, McVeigh had the ball 25 times with a disposal efficiency of 84 per cent. His ability to read the play and clear the ball stopped numerous forward thrusts from the Demons.
The Dees did not help themselves. Paul Roos' return to the SCG was not a happy one as his team, which has made decent strides this year, turned in its worst performance of the season.
Despite Max Gawn's domination of the hitouts, which was expected given Kurt Tippett's absence, the Demons were beaten at the clearances.
When they did win the ball, usually through Jack Viney and Nathan Jones, they were blunted by the desperate Swans.
As a result, their entries inside 50 lacked polish, Not surprisingly, their twin talls of Jesse Hogan and Chris Dawes had little impact. The weather was a factor though it did not stop Lance Franklin from jagging another four goals, though he received far better service from his midfield.
The usual suspects, Hannebery and Josh Kennedy, featured prominently for the Swans but they received good service from less recognisable types Dean Towers, Zak Jones and James Rose.
Towers, in his first senior appearance since his forgettable finish to the Richmond game, starred with 27 disposals and two goals. Equally important was Zak Jones, whose intensity typified that of his team. His 25 possessions matched those of his brother though bragging rights at the next family catch-up will be firmly with the Swan.
VOTES
Jarrad McVeigh (Sydney) 8
Josh Kennedy (Sydney) 7
Zak Jones (Sydney) 7
Dan Hannebery (Sydney) 7
Lance Franklin (Sydney) 7