Irishman Tommy Walsh was selected for his second game of the season for the Swans, given an opportunity to fill the void left by Sam Reid's quad injury. It went horribly wrong, however, with the forward sustaining a nasty leg injury early in the second quarter and being subbed out of the game. But that gave young midfield prospect Tom Mitchell his chance, and the father-son recruit took it with glee. With 18 possessions, six marks, six tackles and a goal one day after his 20th birthday, Mitchell was just as good as advertised.
2. Fletcher keeps on keeping on
Dustin Fletcher provided a few examples why, at the age of 38, he still remains a key member of the Bombers' line up. From an audacious volley while tangled up with Swans big man Shane Mumford to kick Essendon out of trouble, to a clever tap and soccer to send the footy forward, Fletcher played as though it was a dry night, not one where rain fell steadily from the opening bounce.
3. Reward for effort
Adam Goodes had a quiet start with only two possessions in the opening term, but the Swans star, who has endured a difficult week, thrilled the Swans fans in the second term with a gut-busting 50 metre chase to force a boundary throw-in. He then edged out opponent Jake Carlisle in a marking contest and made no mistake from about 40 metres to give his team a three-goal advantage at half time. He finished the night with four goals and was among the Swans' best.
4. Different directions
Essendon, which flew out of the gates at the start of the season with six wins on the trot, have now lost three of their past four matches. It was a difficult night for the Bombers, who lost Courtenay Dempsey to what appeared a serious injury and also kicked their lowest score of the season. By contrast, the Swans move to 30 premiership points, alongside Fremantle, and are in the top four.
5. Kennedy makes mark in middle
Saturday's twilight clash pitted not only third versus fifth on the AFL ladder, it was also a battle of No.2 ranked Josh Kennedy of the Sydney Swans and No.4 ranked Jobe Watson on the Official AFL Player Ratings. The result? A double victory for Kennedy. Not only were the Swans victorious, Kennedy racked up a massive 37 touches compared with 23 for the Essendon skipper.
