The tackle powerhouse was one of four Swans to be recognised for Sydney Derby XXVIII.
By the numbers: Brett Kirk Medal
Take a look at all the numbers and history behind the Brett Kirk Medal
00:24
Mark of the Week - Round 15
A dash through stoppage by Rowbottom leads to an impressive contested mark up the field from McDonald. Mark of the Week, presented by QATAR Airways.
00:32
Goal of the Week - Round 15
An elite kick from Errol and incredible shot from Chad Warner earns Goal of the Week for Round 15.
02:31
“We all brought our strengths and played our role.” - Gulden
Hear from the three-time Brett Kirk Medallist who spoke about the honour of claiming the medal, the side’s start and performance, the strength of the midfield, celebrating the little things and more
02:11
“It’s always something I relish and something I don't shy away from.” - Rowbottom
Hear from midfielder James Rowbottom who shared his thoughts on Swans victory, the confidence in the side and embracing the challenge each week. The bullocking onballer gathered a career-high 31 disposals along with game-highs for clearances (11) and score involvements (10).
09:20
Post-Match Press Conference: Round 15
Watch Sydney’s press conference after the Round 15 match against GWS.
Gulden awarded third Brett Kirk Medal
The star midfielder claimed eight votes after Saturday night's win over the GWS Giants.
02:18
Errol keeps on rolling with third straight Brett Kirk Medal
Errol Gulden adds yet another Brett Kirk medal to his impressive resume with a remarkable 41 disposals and a goal
Recent Encounters
The last 3 meetings between the teams...
Loading…
No Recent Encounters Available
There are currently no recent encounters available for this match
Form Guide
Find out how each teams season is shaping up!
Loading…
No recent form available
There is currently no recent form available for this match
We take a look at our Round 15 opposition, the GWS Giants, ahead of Saturday's Sydney Derby XXVIII.
GWS come into Sydney Derby 28 fresh off a 22-point win against Port Adelaide and will be full of confidence as they prepare to take on their cross-town rivals.
After an inconsistent season so far, the 5th placed Giants have found some form of late, winning two of their past three games to sit just outside the top four.
Adam Kingsley’s men were inaccurate in front of goal, booting 9.19 in the victory against the Power, but it was their midfield who got them over the line. Tom Green continued his fine form with 30 disposals while Lachie Whitfield (28) and Josh Kelly (27 disposal and one goal) contributed well.
This weekend the Giants will be without key defender Sam Taylor who misses with a ruptured testicle, while former No.1 draft pick Aaron Cadman has been dropped. Max Gruzewski, the Giants 22nd pick in the 2022 draft, will make his debut while Stephen Coniglio will remain on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.
The last time these two sides met it was the Swans prevailing by 29-points at the SCG in Round 8. Errol Gulden starred for the Swans with 29 disposals and one goal, while James Peatling and Josh Kelly collected 24 apiece for the Giants.
Ahead of Saturdays match at ENGIE Stadium, Giants coach Adam Kingsley missed the teams main training session due to COVID.
Assistant coach Ben Hart fronted the media and was asked whether the Giants would tag the dominant Swans midfield of Chad Warner, Isaac Heeney and Errol Gulden.
"Which one? Who do you go to? This is the thing," Hart said.
"Toby (Bedford) was great for us, he showed his flexibility last week. He ran with someone last week, doesn't mean he will this week, but we think he adds a different mix to our midfield group, so maybe.
"There's been a change in the last couple weeks I think in the way we've been feeling, the way we've been training, the way we've been playing.
"Last week looked a little bit more like the way we want a game to look like. The group are feeling really good and off the back of the win last week we feel like we can attack the second half of the season,” Hart said.
Saturday's Sydney Derby XXVIII comes after a momentous week at the club with 150th birthday celebrations and a new membership record of 70,740.
The Swans have continued their incredible season with an emphatic win over the Giants in the Sydney Derby XXVIII
THE SYDNEY surge has overpowered the 'Orange Tsunami' with a 10-goal blitz that set up a convincing 27-point triumph over Greater Western Sydney at a packed Engie Stadium.
The Swans were a class above as they stepped through the gears, although once they took their foot off the pedal late the Giants added five straight goals to add respectability to a 15.12 (102) to 11.9 (75) result on Saturday.
It wasn't pretty early but the Swans broke their duck of sluggish starts that had seen them trailing at the first change in their past four matches. The ladder leaders instead went into the break with a three-point advantage, and it was little surprise what was to come next.
After the Giants took the lead with a Jesse Hogan major, the Swans unleashed seven goals on the bounce to break the game open and hold a commanding advantage at the main break.
The Swans then booted three goals in five minutes once play resumed to blow away the Giants and move to 13-1 for their best win-loss record at this stage of a season since 1918.
Errol Gulden took his turn to play the leading role in the Swans' star-studded side while gathering 41 disposals with 973 metres gained and a goal.
The 21-year-old was awarded his third consecutive Brett Kirk Medal to equal the record stretch of being named best player afield in a Sydney derby also held by suspended teammate Luke Parker.
While Isaac Heeney (23 disposals) continued his rich vein of form in the Swans midfield, fellow onballer James Rowbottom was arguably even more pivotal in the battle around the clinches.
The tackling machine finished with a career-high 31 disposals along with 11 clearances, as the Swans had too many options at the stoppages as well as winners in all parts of the ground.
Brodie Grundy (28 disposals, 32 hitouts) was essentially like another midfielder for the Swans as their prized ruck recruit dominated Kieren Briggs (13, 28).
After impressing in his first attempt at a lockdown role last week, Toby Bedford went straight to Chad Warner and limited the Swans dynamo's impact through the first half.
But Warner got off the leash once the Giants had to chase the game and finished with 20 touches and two goals including a sublime set shot from outside 50m and on the wrong side of the boundary line.
00:24
Mark of the Week - Round 15
A dash through stoppage by Rowbottom leads to an impressive contested mark up the field from McDonald. Mark of the Week, presented by QATAR Airways.
00:32
Goal of the Week - Round 15
An elite kick from Errol and incredible shot from Chad Warner earns Goal of the Week for Round 15.
02:31
“We all brought our strengths and played our role.” - Gulden
Hear from the three-time Brett Kirk Medallist who spoke about the honour of claiming the medal, the side’s start and performance, the strength of the midfield, celebrating the little things and more
02:11
“It’s always something I relish and something I don't shy away from.” - Rowbottom
Hear from midfielder James Rowbottom who shared his thoughts on Swans victory, the confidence in the side and embracing the challenge each week. The bullocking onballer gathered a career-high 31 disposals along with game-highs for clearances (11) and score involvements (10).
09:20
Post-Match Press Conference: Round 15
Watch Sydney’s press conference after the Round 15 match against GWS.
02:18
Errol keeps on rolling with third straight Brett Kirk Medal
Errol Gulden adds yet another Brett Kirk medal to his impressive resume with a remarkable 41 disposals and a goal
00:41
Team Song: Sydney
Watch the Swans celebrate their round 15 win
06:43
Highlights: GWS v Sydney
The Giants and Swans clash in round 15
00:45
Right place, right time for Swans debutant
Sydney first-gamer Caiden Cleary joins the one kick, one goal club after a quick handball from teammate Will Hayward
00:36
Swans siege continues with stars on fire
Tom Papley and Will Hayward combine to pile on the pressure in a textbook Sydney surge
00:28
Lethal Lloyd leaves his mark with rocket
Jake Lloyd launches an absolute pearler as the Swans start to take full control
00:33
Papley punishes haphazard Giants
Tom Papley unleashes a monster goal into an open forward line after the Giants fumble the ball
Tom Green played a lone hand at times in the Giants' midfield, gathering 35 disposals with 15 of those coming before the first change.
But as the Swans piled on the goals either side of half-time, the Giants' onball bull was often forced to play a kick behind play and later had Rowbottom as a minder.
Finn Callaghan (27 disposals) added polish for the Giants, while Lachie Whitfield (25) and Harry Himmelberg (20) battled hard in a defence that was often under siege.
But it was not nearly enough to prevent the Giants losing for the fifth time in their past seven matches, and the question remains over which team can stop the Swans.
Blakey breaks open the game It was a slogfest early in slippery conditions as both sides struggled to move the ball and find ways to score. That was until Swans dasher Nick Blakey took matters into his own hands, starting with a kick in after a Giants behind. Blakey followed the transition to pick up two more touches while making a scything run through the centre square, eventually kicking long to Hayden McLean inside the forward 50 to mark and slot the opening goal. It was a trademark move from Blakey that set the scene for what was to come as the Swans went on to overrun their cross-town rivals.
Debutants dazzle in gloomy conditions It was a difficult night for a Giants tall forward to make a debut but Max Gruzewski showed plenty of promising signs. The 19-year-old presented strongly, even if he fumbled the ball at times, and kicked off wild celebrations when booting his first goal. Gruzewski booted a second later in the third term to finish as the Giants' equal leading goalkicker on what was mostly a dirty night for the hosts. Swans debutant Caiden Cleary had even fewer opportunities, only subbed into the match once it was all but over in the final term. But the ball-magnet will remember his debut if only for a goal with his first kick in the AFL.
Amartey party hangover Joel Amartey would have been riding a wave of momentum from a nine-goal haul against Adelaide last week, but quickly came back to earth with a thud. The Giants' high-leaping defender Leek Aleer was tasked with containing the in-form forward, while the greasy conditions also helped take away Amartey's aerial weapons. The 24-year-old only had one disposal to half-time then found other ways to contribute more in the forward half after the main break, but still finished goalless for the first time since Opening Round.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.1 3.3 7.4 11.9 (75) SYDNEY 2.4 9.7 13.10 15.12 (102)
BEST Greater Western Sydney: Green, Whitfield, Himmelberg, Callaghan, Ward Sydney: Gulden, Rowbottom, Grundy, Heeney, Warner, Adams, Blakey
INJURIES Greater Western Sydney: Nil Sydney: Nil
SUBSTITUTES Greater Western Sydney: James Peatling (replaced Ryan Angwin in the final quarter) Sydney: Caiden Cleary (replaced Lewis Melican in the final quarter)
Crowd: 19,751 at Engie Stadium
{}
Player Stats
See how the players are performing...
Team Stats
See how the teams are performing…
Disposals
Stoppages
Possession
Marks
Scoring
Defence
General
Loading…
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
Q1Q2Q3Q4ET1ET2
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
Expand match timelineClose
Team Line-Ups
The latest team changes…
Player Positions
FB
Full Backs
HB
Half Backs
C
Centres
HF
Half Forwards
FF
Full Forwards
FOL
Followers
I/C
Interchanges
EMG
Emergencies
Match Feed
The latest team changes....
The Match Timeline Explained
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
Q1Q2Q3Q4ET1ET2
Drag me!
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
Refresh Match Feed
--.-
--.-
--.-
--.-
--.-
--.-
Q1Q2Q3Q4ET1ET2
--.-
--.-
--.-
--.-
--.-
--.-
Match Feed
Loading…
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
Q1Q2Q3Q4ET1ET2
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
-.- (-)
Expand match timelineClose
Match News, Videos and Photos
Loading…
Rowbottom praised in Round 15 coaches votes
The tackle powerhouse was one of four Swans to be recognised for Sydney Derby XXVIII.
By the numbers: Brett Kirk Medal
Take a look at all the numbers and history behind the Brett Kirk Medal
00:24
Mark of the Week - Round 15
A dash through stoppage by Rowbottom leads to an impressive contested mark up the field from McDonald. Mark of the Week, presented by QATAR Airways.
00:32
Goal of the Week - Round 15
An elite kick from Errol and incredible shot from Chad Warner earns Goal of the Week for Round 15.
02:31
“We all brought our strengths and played our role.” - Gulden
Hear from the three-time Brett Kirk Medallist who spoke about the honour of claiming the medal, the side’s start and performance, the strength of the midfield, celebrating the little things and more
02:11
“It’s always something I relish and something I don't shy away from.” - Rowbottom
Hear from midfielder James Rowbottom who shared his thoughts on Swans victory, the confidence in the side and embracing the challenge each week. The bullocking onballer gathered a career-high 31 disposals along with game-highs for clearances (11) and score involvements (10).
09:20
Post-Match Press Conference: Round 15
Watch Sydney’s press conference after the Round 15 match against GWS.
Gulden awarded third Brett Kirk Medal
The star midfielder claimed eight votes after Saturday night's win over the GWS Giants.
02:18
Errol keeps on rolling with third straight Brett Kirk Medal
Errol Gulden adds yet another Brett Kirk medal to his impressive resume with a remarkable 41 disposals and a goal