THE SYDNEY Swans have taken a strong step towards silencing their doubters on the eve of the finals, comfortably accounting for the Brisbane Lions at the SCG on Saturday night.
After just two wins in eight weeks, the Swans responded with an intense display of their trademark football to lead at every change and win by 61 points – 17.12 (114) to 6.7 (53).
The victory sends them to fifth spot on the ladder for now but, regardless of how St Kilda performs against Essendon on Sunday, the Swans are assured of a home final next week against North Melbourne or the Saints.
They can thank Port Adelaide and Fremantle for beating the Roos and Collingwood this round, however, the Swans will source more confidence from this performance after talk the 2005 premiers were facing the end of an era.
And it was a case of no Michael O'Loughlin, no Adam Goodes, no Ryan O'Keefe, no problem, as the Swans filled the void of their sidelined premiership players.
But Jude Bolton faces a nervous wait to see whether he keeps his place for the elimination final after being reported for rough conduct on Lion Albert Proud halfway through the final term.
For the Lions, it's curtains on a season that produced some very good results and some disappointingly damaging ones after they looked finals-bound with six qualifying matches to play.
While the stats sheet indicates that frustrated Swans forward Barry Hall only had minimal impact, kicking one goal, he drew Lions defenders like a magnet with each contest which allowed his smaller, crumbing teammates to pounce and convert.
Bolton (27 disposals), Amon Buchanan (27), Jarrad McVeigh (28) and Nick Malceski (27) were among the Swans' best, while Jarred Moore and Patrick Veszpremi, a late replacement for flu-struck O'Keefe, kicked eight goals between them.
Ted Richards also did a terrific job as the anchor in defence as Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Craig Bolton and Leo Barry kept Lions spearheads Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw quiet.
Simon Black (26 touches) was a stand-out for the visitors, who found some support in Bradd Dalziell (25), Jared Brennan (21) and Luke Power (20) as the Lions were starved of avenues to Brown and Bradshaw.
The match started in typically congested fashion, though Moore found space to open the goalkicking in the second minute.
However, it took another 12 for Troy Selwood to reply for the Lions from a 50m penalty, and it was his side's only goal for the quarter.
The Swans pushed on through Malceski's penetrating kick to an open goal square, and a crafty conversion from Veszpremi to sit nine points clear at the first change.
The sides had been matched in the clinches, but it started to lean the Swans' way as the new term unfolded. It showed on the scoreboard too, as Kieren Jack – tagging Dalziell – snuck behind a Hall contest to push a goal through, and he was followed by McVeigh.
A stunning kick from a tight set shot was the Lions' reply through second-gamer Scott Clouston, before coach Leigh Matthews made the interesting decision to send another cub, Lachie Henderson, into the ruck.
Counterpart Darren Jolly smashed a centre bounce to the advantage of Craig Bird, who goaled, but Henderson pushed forward to find his side's fourth soon after.
Momentum was clearly with the Swans, 23 points ahead at the main break, and it exploded in the second half.
Albeit, the Lions started the third term better than the home side, converting through Bradshaw, but could only find one more through that man as the Swans added five from Moore, Veszpremi, Richards, Everitt and Veszpremi again.
Everitt's came from successive 50m penalties, which saw ruckman Jamie Charman dragged, while Veszpremi's second of the quarter bounced high in the square and, almost in a spot of comedy, popped over the heads of the backmen.
Thirty-eight points clear at the final change, the Swans capitalised on their early dominance, kicking another five goals with one eye on the posts and, understandably, the other on their September prospects.
Sydney Swans 3.3 7.8 12.9 17.12 (114)
Brisbane Lions 1.6 3.9 5.13 6.17 (53)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Moore 4, Veszpremi 4, Jack 2, McVeigh 2, Everitt, Malceski, Bird, Richards, Hall
Brisbane Lions: Bradshaw 2, Selwood, Clouston, Henderson, Charman
BEST
Sydney Swans: Moore, Roberts-Thomson, Malceski, McVeigh, Barry, Veszpremi, Richards
Brisbane Lions: Dalziell, Black, Brennan, Merrett, Power
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: O’Keefe (flu) replaced in selected side by Veszpremi
Brisbane Lions: Nil
Reports: J. Bolton (Sydney Swans) by field umpire Mathew James for rough conduct on Proud (Brisbane Lions) in the fourth quarter
Umpires: McBurney, James, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 24,076 at the SCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
