1. Swans skipper breaks the 1300 clearances barrier
Josh Kennedy entered round 12 with 1299 clearances to his name and wasted no time entering the 1300-club in the opening minutes of the clash against the Bulldogs. The three-time club champion and triple All Australian has been the competition benchmark in the statistic for the past few seasons, using his big body to dominate stoppages for the Swans after crossing from Hawthorn for the 2010 season. Kennedy had averaged 7.7 per game coming into the match and racked up another six against the Dogs, to go with 37 possessions. He can now set about chasing down the only four current players in front of him, with West Coast's Sam Mitchell (1743), Adelaide's Scott Thompson (1422), Eagle Matt Priddis (1410) and Gold Coast champ Gary Ablett (1351) leading the way.
2. The Swans targeted their bogeyman and it worked wonders
Bulldogs defender Jason Johannisen has tortured Sydney in recent times; he booted the winning goal in his team’s four-point victory in round 15 last year before taking home the Norm Smith Medal after his best on ground performance in the Grand Final. The dasher had averaged 25.3 touches per game before round 12, so the home side knew how important he was to the premiers and went after him physically from the opening bounce. The ploy seemed to work with the usually cool-headed Johannisen fumbling his way to just five disposals in the first half. Young Swan George Hewett played his role as a defensive forward to perfection, and when the Bulldog hadn't touched the footy 15 minutes into the third term, coach Luke Beveridge benched him. Johannisen is out of contract at the end of this season and is asking for a significant pay increase, but if he wants the big bucks that go with being a star of the game, he'll need to work out a way to handle the added attention. The Dog finished with just nine touches, his worst return since round three, 2014.
3. It was a bizarre night from the Bulldogs coaches box
Luke Beveridge was hailed a hero when he guided his team to last year's premiership, but some of his moves raised plenty of eyebrows against the Swans. It started with the pre-game selection of Travis Cloke, which turned out to be an epic failure, with the power forward a liability in the forward line. With his rucks beaten, Beveridge threw defender Easton Wood and star midfielder Marcus Bontempelli into centre bounces, with Wood eventually finishing the game playing as a permanent forward, while Jordan Roughead went into defence. Beveridge was hamstrung slightly when key defender Marcus Adams failed to take the field after half-time, but when the Dogs stormed to the flag, Roughead starred in the ruck and Wood was an elite intercept defender. The Dogs' final score of 6.6 (42) was their lowest under Beveridge and their lowest overall since round four, 2013. Bevo has plenty of credits in the bank but he didn't have the greatest night against the Swans.
The loss of Marcus Adams saw Luke Beveridge swing plenty of changes. Picture: AFL Photos
4. Jack returns with some positive signs
The former co-captain played his first game since round five after battling a hip problem which affected his form early in the season, and resumed his role in the Swans forward line. Jack struggled to have any impact in the first half despite the home side's dominance, but had nine touches in the third term and looked like he'd regained his confidence. It was by no means a standout game for the 29-year-old and he still looks a little out of place in the forward half, but given where he was at earlier in the season it was an encouraging return. Jack finished with 16 possessions, 10 of those contested, and while he left the field in the final quarter with a hand injury, it shouldn't be an issue next week.
Kieren Jack started slowly, but worked his way into the match. Picture: AFL Photos
5. Swans' ruck pairing set to keep Tippett in the reserves
With his three best big men all fit to play this week, John Longmire picked Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair to fill his ruck spots and demoted the out of form Kurt Tippett to the NEAFL. It wasn't a shock move but it might be an extended stay in the reserves for the high-profile Swan after Naismith and Sinclair dominated the Dogs. Sydney won the hit-out count 65 to 16 and the centre clearances 13 to four, with the duo also combining for 24 possessions around the ground to trounce their opponents Jordan Roughead and inexperienced draftee Tim English. Tippett will no doubt find touch in the NEAFL and should have his way with ruckmen at that level, but even if he does it's highly unlikely that he'll do enough to earn a recall for next week's clash with Richmond at the MCG.
Callum Sinclair (and Sam Naismith) were head and shoulders above the Dogs' ruckmen. Picture: AFL Photos
