The Swans trailed for much of the afternoon, but they pinched the lead at the 25-minute of the final quarter when a great tackle from Jude Bolton led to a harsh holding the ball decision against Kyle Hardingham.
Bolton calmly went back and slotted a major from 40 metres out, and although the Bombers had a couple of late chances to take back the lead, they fell short, with the Swans registering a 14.14 (98) to 13.14 (93) win.
Ben McGlynn and Bolton ended the match as the Swans' leading scorers, with three goals, while fellow veterans Adam Goodes and Ryan O'Keefe were outstanding.
Jobe Watson dominated in the midfield for the Bombers, who were without number one ruckman David Hille.
Michael Hurley was an impressive performer up forward, but wasted a number of chances and finished with 2.4.
Essendon had had the better of the opening term thanks to back-up big man Tom Bellchambers and Watson in the middle, along with Patrick Ryder and Hurley up forward.
The Bombers then surged to a 28-point advantage when Heath Hocking booted a brilliant 50-metre running goal mid-way through second quarter.
However, the Swans are a tenacious bunch, if not the most highly-skilled, and when Goodes moved himself into the middle of the ground the contest swung in their favour.
The skipper booted a goal, Ben McGlynn bagged another after a free-kick for a high tackle, then Paul Bevan had the crowd roaring when he slotted one from the boundary.
When the half-time siren sounded, the margin was back to 11 points.
The game continued to swing like a pendulum in the third quarter. A brilliant tackle on David Myers enabled Jude Bolton to put the Swans in front, before the Bombers took control once more.
They pushed the margin back out to four goals, yet by the last change the home side had narrowed it to less than two.
In a see-sawing final term, the lead kept changing hands. Ben McGlynn made the most of some trademark toughness from Dan Hannebery to put the Swans up by two points.
Then Hurley snapped an extraordinary goal from hard up against the boundary.
It seemed the Swans might be involved in consecutive draws when the scores were level at the 15-minute mark of the final term, but instead they scored a gutsy victory.
Influential players
Adam Goodes turned the game in Sydney's favour when he moved himself into the middle of the ground during the second quarter. Despite some close attention from Heath Hocking, the dual Brownlow Medallist produced a vintage performance, ending the contest with 23 possessions, eight inside-50s and a goal.
Michael Hurley showed why he's regarded as one of the best young players in the competition with a commanding effort at centre half-forward. If he had kicked straight, he would certainly have been regarded as the match-winner.
Magic moment
Maybe the heading for this moment should be changed to heartbreaking. With only a couple of minutes left in the match, the Swans were leading by five points when the Bombers surged forward. Hurley grabbed the ball in the centre square and kicked it towards Brent Stanton, who was on his own inside the 50m arc. It seemed Stanton would grab the Sherrin and stroll in to an open goal. But the ball landed just shy of him, then did a Shane Warne leg-break and ended up behind him. The Swans pounced, forced a stoppage, and a golden opportunity was lost.
What it means
The Swans have proven, yet again, that they are the masters of the never-say-die attitude. Given they have secured a win and a draw from their opening two games, the pundits predicting a tumble down the ladder for the red and white this year might have to change their tune.
Maybe the Bombers are not going to win the flag after all. Such was the hysteria surrounding their round one victory over the Bulldogs, after which Rodney Eade labelled them a top-four team, people were crediting James Hird with working miracles. But it seems evident that Essendon will simply be among the many sides jostling for a spot in the bottom half of the eight.
Dream Team highlight
Essendon: Upgraded from its rookie list on the eve of the season, Stewart Crameri is valued at just $166,700. But those Dream Team players who included him have snagged a bargain. Crameri racked up 50 points before he was subbed off, his afternoon's work including a miraculous left-foot goal from deep in the forward pocket during the third quarter.
Sydney Swans: Bolton was the standout performer, picking up 135 points. Bolton is valued at $367,300 and it follows an 86-point performance from the midfielder last week.
Next four: Sydney Swans: West Coast Eagles (Patersons Stadium), Geelong, (SCG), bye, Carlton (SCG)
Essendon: St Kilda (Etihad Stadium), Carlton (MCG), Collingwood (MCG), Gold Coast (Etihad Stadium)
What the coaches said
John Longmire (Sydney Swans)
"The important thing from the team’s point of view is that they get some reward for their effort. I thought there were some really good individual efforts. I think Marty Mattner’s tackle, where he seemed to be 15 or 20 metres away from Stanton, [was outstanding]. I thought he just found a way to get there. I think there were a few incidences like that which were really pivotal."
James Hird (Essendon)
They beat us in the clearances quite convincingly in the end and put a lot of pressure on our ball use, and whenever it was slipping away from them they just kept bringing it back to how they wanted it to be played. Full credit to John Longmire and the Sydney team it was a terrific win by them.
Sydney Swans 1.5 6.8 10.11 14.14 (98)
Essendon 4.4 8.7 12.9 13.15 (93)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: McGlynn 3, Bolton 3, White 2, Bevan 2, Goodes, Kennedy, Rohan, O’Keefe
Essendon: Ryder 2, Crameri 2, Winderlich 2, Hurley 2, Jetta, Davey, Hocking, McVeigh
BEST
Sydney Swans: Goodes, Bevan, Bolton, McGlynn, O’Keefe, Grundy, Hannebery
Essendon: Watson, Stanton, Hurley, Heppell, Bellchambers, Ryder, Davey
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Nil
Essendon: Hille (hip) replaced by Alwyn Davey
SUBSTITUTES
Sydney Swans: Craig Bird replaced by Brett Meredith in the last quarter
Essendon: Stewart Crameri replaced by Nathan Lovett-Murray in the last quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Pannel, Jennings
Official crowd: 28, 082 at ANZ Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
