Round Five: Sydney Swans v GWS - Sydney Derby XX
Saturday, April 17, 2021. 4:30pm.
Sydney Cricket Ground

Sydney’s fiercest rivalry returns to the SCG when Sydney Derby XX takes place on Saturday, April 17.

In the nine-year history of the Sydney Derby, the Swans have recorded twelve Sydney Derby wins and the Giants seven, with another chapter to be written this Saturday afternoon.

The two sides are no strangers and will be familiar with each other after two pre-season clashes this year. The Swans and Giants played out a draw in their pre-season practice match before the Giants came away victors in the official AAMI Community Series.

Sydney are coming off a three-point victory over Essendon at the SCG last Thursday night, but will be without Dane Rampe and Isaac Heeney for the clash, with both players ruled out earlier this week via injury.

Josh Kennedy is set to play his 250th game for the Swans.

GWS Giants are coming off their first victory of the season, after a 30 point victory on the road over Collingwood.

They will once again be without captain Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield and Phil Davies who are ruled out with injury. However after an injury-free weekend last week, Sam Reid will be available for selection after serving a two-match suspension.

The first Sydney Derby was played in Round 1, 2012, the Swans victorious by 63 points at Stadium Australia. The last Sydney Derby was won by the Swans, ending a three-game Sydney Derby winning streak by the Giants. The game was played in unique circumstances, in Perth at Optus Stadium, due to the Covid-19 affected 2020 season.

Be there LIVE in the popular twilight timeslot – ideal for fans of all ages, and a great school holidays activity! Click here to purchase your tickets.

Where to watch 

The game will be broadcast live on Fox Footy and Kayo Sports from 4:30pm as well as on 7mate in NSW and the ACT. Radio broadcasts via Triple M, ABC and AFL Nation.

Please note, the Round 1 VFL fixture against the GWS Giants will kick-off at 12pm on Lakeside Oval and shown live on Kayo. Arrive early and support our VFL team in their first match of the season.

We have teamed up with pubs around Sydney to give our Sydney Swans members and fans a home away from home, whether the team is on the road or playing at the SCG. Check out our premium venues, including their food and beverage offers available to our Swans family at our Swans Friendly Venues.

Heading to the game? View our Match Day Hub.

Recent encounters

In the last time these two sides met, Sydney claimed a 41 point victory over the GWS Giants. The clash occurred in Round 12 of the 202 season, when the two sides met at Optus Stadium, with Nick Blakey and Jordan Dawson kicking two goals each.

The Swans went down by 31 points in the last time these two sides met at the SCG, a Round 6 clash in 2019.

Read more on the history of the Sydney Derby.

The stats

In the nine-year history of the Sydney Derby, the Swans have recorded twelve Sydney Derby wins and the Giants seven.

The first Sydney Derby was played in Round 1, 2012, the Swans victorious by 63 points at Stadium Australia. The last Sydney Derby was won by the Swans, ending a three-game Sydney Derby winning streak by the Giants. The game was played in unique circumstances, in Perth at Optus Stadium, due to the Covid-19 affected 2020 season.

Click here for all the stats ahead of Sydney Derby XX.

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GREATER Western Sydney has pulled off a stunning last-minute comeback to defeat Sydney 9.17 (71) to 10.9 (69) at the SCG on Saturday.

Swans superstar Lance Franklin's five-goal haul and the Giants' inaccurate goal-kicking looked like proving the difference on Saturday.

GWS stand-in skipper Toby Greene was the worst offender, finishing with seven behinds and one goal to make it the most inaccurate game of his 163-game career.

But it was Greene's goal, coming with three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the match - and after a flurry of wasted opportunities, near-misses and what-ifs from GWS, that put his side within striking distance.

Soon after, Kelly's optimistic attempted match-winner went out on the full.

But, with 66 seconds remaining, the midfielder pounced on opposing ruckman Sam Reid's hitout then snapped truly from a tight angle to put his side in front for the first time since the first quarter.

The Giants held on during a frantic final minute, triumphing 9.17 (71) to 10.9 (69).

Key defender Tom McCartin made decent connection with his attempt to kick an after-the-siren goal from beyond 60 metres, but it was always going to prove too much of an ask.

Franklin, who slotted two second-quarter settlers in the space of 76 seconds, won the Brett Kirk medal while bringing his career tally to 955 goals and inching closer to becoming the first since Tony Lockett to reach the magical 1000-goal mark.

The four-time Coleman medallist was a steadying influence, booting third-quarter and fourth-quarter goals in response to GWS surges that trimmed Sydney's lead to seven then nine points.

But Franklin couldn't conjure anything special at the end of the epic as the Swans' undefeated start came to a halt in round five.

Buddy at his best in red-time
Lance Franklin has had the familiar strut in his three games this season. The Swans superstar stole the show when he kicked the sealer against Essendon, but was arguably even more important for the Swans today as he stepped up whenever the Giants challenged early. This included handy red-time goals in the second and third quarters. The best of these was just before half-time, when Josh Kennedy kicked too short for a mark to be paid, so Franklin spun onto his left boot as he was being tackled 35m from goal near the boundary, and tumbled the ball through for a goal.

Making Hayward while the smoke flies
After bursting onto the scene in 2017 and kicking 50 goals from 40 games in his first two seasons, Will Hayward has struggled with injuries the past couple of years. Coming in to replace an injured Isaac Heeney, Hayward certainly reminded us what he’s capable of, kicking 3.1, taking contested marks and competing hard. He also kicked the goal of the day, when there was a ball-up in the goalsquare, Sydney’s Sam Reid barely got a hand to the tap but Hayward was the first to respond and kicked the ball out of the air with the outside of his foot to send it through like a banana.

SYDNEY                                    3.3   6.4   8.8    10.9 (69)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY   1.4   3.7   5.11   9.17 (71)

GOALS
Sydney: Franklin 5, Hayward 3, Papley 2,
Greater Western Sydney: Himmelberg 2, Finlayson 2, Daniels, Riccardi, O'Halloran, Greene, Kelly

BEST
Sydney: Franklin, Hayward, Lloyd, Dawson, Hickey
Greater Western Sydney: Kelly, Hopper, Taranto, Ward, Daniels, Mumford

INJURIES
Sydney: Hickey (knee)
Greater Western Sydney: Reid (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Dylan Stephens (replaced Hickey)
Essendon: Matt Buntine (replaced Reid)

Crowd: 33,541 at the SCG