WITH the ink still drying on the monster six-year contract extension Isaac Heeney signed on Wednesday, the Sydney star produced a dominant display on Sunday to put the finishing touches on a memorable week and on the pre-season ahead of round one.
The 25-year-old kicked four goals and collected 17 disposals to lead John Longmire's men to a 31-point win over North Melbourne in the AAMI Community Series at Giants Stadium.
SWANS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats
At the other end of the ground, 2014 No.1 pick Paddy McCartin backed up his impressive effort in Albury last week to put his hand up for his first AFL game since round 16, 2018.
The former Saint has well and truly exceeded expectations since Sydney added the 25-year-old to its rookie list during the pre-season supplemental selection period at the end of January and now looks set to restart a career that looked over due to repeated concussion issues that ended his time at St Kilda.
Young gun Justin McInerney cut the Kangaroos to shreds through the middle of the ground, while Ollie Florent, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner and James Rowbottom all produced strong efforts ahead of the opening game of the season against crosstown rivals Greater Western Sydney.
But only 10 days after being embarrassed by reigning premier Melbourne at Casey Fields, North Melbourne produced a much more encouraging effort to rebuild some confidence heading into the season-opener against Hawthorn in a fortnight.
David Noble regained star midfielders Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jy Simpkin after they missed last week's game in Cranbourne due to gastro and received a more spirited display, with the Roos rolling up their sleeves in the early wet and slippery conditions after the rain stopped early in the game.
New faces
There might be two McCartins playing in defence for the Swans in round one. Tom McCartin has emerged as a star of the future in the past year or two, but his older brother Paddy is a strong chance to return to AFL level, albeit down back after being taken at pick No.1 as a key forward. Lachlan McAndrew and Matt Roberts both came off the bench late in the game for the Swans for a taste of senior football. Less than an hour after Nick Daicos staked his claim as a Rising Star contender, Jason Horne-Francis took to the same ground. The No.1 pick from last November's NAB AFL Draft didn't make the same splash, but still produced some special moments, finishing with two majors from 16 disposals. Former Sun and Crow Hugh Greenwood again showed he will add some grunt to North Melbourne's midfield in the absence of Ben Cunnington – and Jed Anderson in the early stages of the season.
Round one chances
Only months after being delisted and then rookie listed, Jared Polec's career has a pulse again. The wingman managed five games last year under David Noble, after 13 in 2020. But now he has rocketed into round one contention on a wing after strong pre-season form, backing up his effort against Melbourne with 20 disposals against Sydney. Who would have thought this could happen in October? Tristan Xerri has been stuck in the queue for some time at North Melbourne and has only managed 12 games so far, but the ruckman could play alongside Todd Goldstein in round one after the pair went toe-to-toe with Tom Hickey at Giants Stadium, finishing with 29 hitouts and 17 disposals in a performance that has to be rewarded. Callum Coleman-Jones missed the trip north after hurting his knee against the Demons, but is expected to be fit for round one. Logan McDonald produced a couple of eye-catching moments and finished with two majors – and should have added two more in the fourth quarter – as he looks to add to the seven games he played in his debut season.
Medical room
After injury carnage swept through the earlier game at Giants Stadium, there wasn't a repeat in the second game, which started with pouring rain but quickly went away. Josh Walker exited the game after losing two teeth in a marking contest and left the ground to see a dentist in Sydney. Cam Zurhaar was named in the squad but the Roos left the gun forward at home due to general soreness. The Swans chose to manage the workload and rest superstar forward Lance Franklin ahead of round one, where he could become the sixth player to kick 1000 goals. Tom Papley won't play in round one and will miss the early weeks of the season after straining his hamstring in Albury. Peter Ladhams played in the reserves against Greater Western Sydney earlier in the day to ensure he got a full game, rather than sharing the ruck with Tom Hickey.
Fantasy watch
AFL Fantasy coaches didn't want to see Isaac Heeney (FWD, $639,000) play forward, especially after all the talk this pre-season about his new midfield role, but that's exactly what he did. He still managed to post a Fantasy ton, but it took four goals to get there. Lance Franklin and Peter Ladhams weren't in the side, so maybe through necessity he had to play that role, but it's a bit of a worry. If you haven't bumped Justin McInerney (MID/DEF, $583,000) up your Fantasy Draft order, you should do that now! He relished his wing/mid role racking up 107 points. Looking purely at the Fantasy score doesn't always tell the story. Callum Mills (MID, $922,000) is a perfect example of that. He had just 41 per cent time on ground but racked up 86 Fantasy points. The top scorer of the day was Tristian Xerri (FWD, $281,000) who collected the most hitouts to help him to 110. A whopping 55 per cent of Fantasy Classic teams have locked in Jason Horne-Francis (MID, $290,000). He booted two goals and should see his name on the team sheet (and in plenty more Fantasy teams) for round one.
SYDNEY 2.2 5.6 9.7 12.10 (67)
NORTH MELBOURNE 1.1 3.3 5.6 7.9 (51)
GOALS
Sydney: Heeney 4, McDonald 2, McLean 2, Florent, Gulden, Hickey, McInerney
North Melbourne: Horne-Francis 2, Larkey 2, Goldstein, Greenwood, Lazzaro
BEST
Sydney: Heeney, McInerney, Blakey, Florent, Stephens, Warner
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Polec, Xerri, McDonald, Greenwood
INJURIES
Sydney: Nil
North Melbourne: Walker (teeth)
