2021 Telstra AFL Premiership Season – Round Three
Richmond Tigers v Sydney Swans
Saturday, April 3 at 1:45pm
MCG 

The Sydney Swans head into this fixture sitting third on the ladder with two wins on the board, after victories over the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows.

They face a dangerous Richmond Tigers outfit that currently sit second after a 25-point victory over Carlton to start their season, followed by a 29-point victory over Hawthorn in Round two.

Forward Lance Franklin has been ruled out of this clash, with coach John Longmire confirming Franklin was being managed for the fixture.

“Lance is feeling good. It was part of our original plan, about a month ago when we sat down, that this might have been a possibility, but we still wanted to see how training went this week," Longmire said.

“We sat down after training and went through the pros and cons and we just want to make sure we keep getting some quality training in the gym and out on the ground into him.

“It is about the longer game with Lance and making sure we get him through the season.”

The young Swans outfit will still head into this clash with plenty of confidence and enthusiasm without Franklin. They side has showed plenty of energy and ball movement over the past fortnight with 2020 draftees Logan McDonald (5 goals this season), Errol Gulden and Braeden Campbell all transitioning into the side seamlessly.

The latter two have claimed back to back NAB Rising Star Nominations.

Sydney today travelled to Melbourne on Thursday ahead of Saturday's match against the reigning premiers and the final team for the fixture will be announced on Friday evening.

The Round 3 clash will be broadcast live on 7mate and Fox Footy from 1.30pm, with the first bounce set for 1.45pm AEDT. 

Visit the Match Centre for all the latest news and information on the game.

Where to watch

Heading to the game? View all the important information on the MCG website here.

Tickets are on-sale to the general public. Subject to availability, Swans members yet to redeem a ticket will have a secondary opportunity to access tickets, until the allocation is exhausted. Head to our Match Day Hub page for more information.

The Round 3 clash will be broadcast live on 7mate and Fox Footy from 1.30pm, with the first bounce set for 1.45pm AEDT. 

Last Time They Met

Richmond Tigers 4.10.34 def Sydney Swans 3.8.26, Round 6, 2020

What it means for Sydney

Whilst Franklin is a loss for the Swans, the forward line showed it is still capable of scoring points this season. The Swans kicked 19 goals in their opening game of the season and the forward line leads the competition for goals scored, with 37 in two games, average marks inside 50 with 19, and goals per entry with 30.8 per cent.

What it means for Richmond

Richmond have showed strong form over the first two rounds of the competition, cruising to victory over Hawthorn. Dustin Martin and Jack Reiwoldt continue to show how dangerous they are with the latter kicking eight goals this season. Richmond will be without Nick Vlastuin (knee) and fellow defender Bachar Houli (calf).

The stat

Richmond have claimed victories in five of the last six matches against Sydney, with 2017 the last time the Swans have secured a win over their opposition. However the victories have not been clear cut in recent years. The Swans have gone down by just 8-points, 22-ponts and 26-points in the past three occasions and were 9-point victors the year prior.

Quotes ahead of the clash – Jake Lloyd

“As a group, the way we are playing our football at the moment is an exciting brand, our young kids have really bought in as soon as they walked into the footy club and they have really added something different to our side which has been great.”

“The opportunity this weekend, we couldn’t have asked for a better one. The MCG, against the best team over the last 3-4 years we are really excited for that.”

“They are obviously great in a lot of areas but we think if we can bring that pressure around the footy, we have been really good at that over the last two weeks, and keep the ball in our forward half for as long as possible, we feel we have a really dangerous forward line down there.” Lloyd added.

“We feel if we can give them as much opportunity down forward, we can kick a winning score.”

SOCIAL MEDIA

Join the conversation and show your support with #Bloods and #AFLTigesSwans to share videos and photos of your celebration moments and more.

Keep up to date with our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts for all the latest news and behind-the-scenes action.

Download the Sydney Swans Official App, presented by Volkswagen, for LIVE scores and stats of every game delivered to your phone or tablet.

The first two rounds was the Sydney Swans sugar rush, but this was the Swans' statement.

After victories over Brisbane in round one, and last week's thrashing of Adelaide at the SCG, the Swans faced their early-season validation against Richmond on Saturday.

A stunning eight-goal second quarter propelled the visitors to a 17.15 (117) to 10.12 (72) thrashing of the back-to-back reigning premiers, in an outclassing that was easy to see but much harder to believe.

It was the half-an-hour of power that saw Sydney jump to a 40-point half-time lead over the Tigers, who were unorganised, out-hustled and completely dominated by the young Swans at the MCG. That they never let them back into the contest told another story of their growth.

The highlights were everywhere: Chad Warner (20 disposals, two goals) was a force, Errol Gulden and Logan McDonald delighted in the front half, Sam Wicks emerged and Nick Blakey ran and ran. But it is the mix of Sydney's exuberant youth with its polished professionals that has it 3-0 at the start of a season for the first time since its 2016 Grand Final campaign.

Co-captains Josh Kennedy (27 disposals) and Luke Parker (29) helped the Swans smash Richmond's feted midfield, as well as Rising Star winner Callum Mills (31), while ruck recruit Tom Hickey exposed the Tigers by floating forward with two valuable goals and 15 hit-outs.

Richmond supporters would have struggled to remember their side being beaten like this. Superstar Dustin Martin tried but was subdued, while gun forward Jack Riewoldt had no impact. The Tigers' hard-to-penetrate defence was also separated and opened up, making scoring easy for the Swans. The loss of triple-premiership midfielder Dion Prestia to a hamstring strain in the first quarter further soured their afternoon.

The signs were there early for the Swans, who arrived undaunted by their opposition. They deserved a bigger lead than eight points heading into the second term, but were clearly buoyed by their start when the improving Warner powered a goal through to kick-off the second term, before Papley snapped one from the pocket.

Richmond threatened to strike back with consecutive goals, but it was Sydney's response which set up the win. It was not a counterstrike but a full-blown assault.

McLean, in for the missing Lance Franklin, stepped up with a set shot, before Wicks did the same. Isaac Heeney curled another through, before Warner busted through a tackle and smashed through a long goal. McDonald trickled one from the top of the square and then Wicks booted a composed kick after a free kick on the half-time siren.

Richmond's credentials meant they were considered a possibility for a second-half comeback only for a moment, but it was never allowed. On a 30-degree April day the only thing brighter than Melbourne's weather was Sydney's performance.

Dead-eye Wicks

Before Saturday, Sydney youngster Sam Wicks may have been best known for his boot incident last year that accidentally slashed open Collingwood opponent Isaac Quaynor's leg. Certainly the Tigers didn't seem to know much about Wicks given the space they afforded him inside 50 at the MCG, but Wicks showed he is a real talent in the front half. He has speed, a steady set shot and booted two vital second-term goals, with another coming in the third. He also grabbed 13 marks – 12 of which were uncontested – showing the medium forward's ability to find room, and finished with 22 disposals. In just his 10th game, the Swans Academy product was a fire-starter and will command more attention from here.

Sydney's NAB AFL Rising Star three-peat?

In round one Errol Gulden claimed the Rising Star nomination, and teammate Braeden Campbell backed it up last week as round two's nominee. Chad Warner will have to be right in the mix to make it three from three for the Swans after another eye-catching display against the Tigers. Warner was excellent against the Crows in round two with 20 disposals and two goals, and backed that up against the Tigers. The robust and powerful West Australian looks a player in the making, with fellow WA product Logan McDonald also pushing for a Rising Star nomination any minute.

Not Dusty's day

We have become so used to Dustin Martin stepping up when Richmond needs him that whenever he doesn't, it is so obvious. Martin worked into the game against Sydney after a quiet start and finished with 20 disposals, but he was more rushed and ineffective than usual, with many of the three-time Norm Smith medallist's kicks thrashed forward without much direction and his standard class. Swans gun Callum Mills worked well against Martin at the stoppages, with teammate Luke Parker also helping to nullify the 29-year-old's impact.

RICHMOND    1.3  4.6    7.9   10.12 (72)

SYDNEY      2.5  8.10  15.12  17.15 (117)

GOALS

Richmond: Lynch 3, Castagna 2, Rioli 2, Riewoldt, Edwards, Aarts 

Sydney: Papley 4, Wicks 3, Heeney 2, Hickey 2, McDonald 2, Warner 2, Parker, McLean

BEST

Richmond: Short, Baker, Lambert, Castagna, Lynch

Sydney: Wicks, Papley, Mills, Parker, Florent, Kennedy

INJURIES

Richmond: McIntosh (concussion), Prestia (hamstring)

Sydney: Nil

SUBSTITUTES

Richmond: Rioli (replaced Prestia)

Sydney: Bell (unused)

CROWD

43,637 at MCG