Sydney Swans trio Luke Parker, Kieren Jack and Jake Lloyd will take fond memories of the last time they played Collingwood into Friday night’s crunch game at the SCG.

It was Round 1 last year, when the Swans kicked 13 of the first 14 goals, led 13.15 (93) to 1.4 (10) early in the third quarter, and ultimately won by 80 points: 18.15 (133) to 7.11 (53).

Parker had a career-best 40 possessions, Jack a career-best 35 possessions, and Lloyd a then career-best and now equal career-best 35 possessions.

Parker collected the three Brownlow Medal votes as he set out on a season in which he would poll 26 Brownlow votes to precisely double his vote tally of the previous five seasons and finish runner-up to Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield.

The 80-point win was the Swans biggest over the Pies since the corresponding Round 1 game at Victoria Park 29 years earlier, when they kicked 25.15 (165) to the home side’s 11.8 (74) to win by 91 points.

On that day Warwick Capper kicked nine goals to collect the only three-vote Brownlow Medal rating of his career, and the Swans majestic midfield trio of Gerard Healy, Barry Mitchell and Greg Healy amassed an even 100 possessions between them.

It was Wayne Henwood’s debut for the Swans as, quite remarkably, Collingwood debuted seven players – 1990 premiership team members Gavin Brown, Gavin Crosisca, Michael Christian and Craig Starcevich, plus Grant Fielke, Athas Hrysoulakis and Neil Brindley. Only 22-year-old Christian was not a teenager.

Tom Hafey coached Sydney and Dennis Carroll, now the club’s player welfare and development manager, was captain. Leigh Matthews and Tony Shaw filled the equivalent positions for Collingwood.

The Swans win in Round 1 last year produced their highest score against the Magpies since the turn of the century, and Collingwood’s lowest score against Sydney in the same period.

Also, it gave Sydney a 4-3 advantage in head-to-head meetings between the clubs in the last five years, and consecutive wins over Collingwood at the SCG.

Not insignificantly, in a statistic that will not have escaped the attention of Sydney coach John Longmire, in that time Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury has dined out against the Swans.

He has averaged 30.1 possessions a game against the red and white, having led his team possession count four times and ranked second three times.  He’s had hauls of 29-30-28-35-33-31-25.

Pendlebury has also led the Brownlow voting in games between the two clubs in that period with six.

In the same period Jarrad McVeigh, who won’t play this week due to injury, has led the Swans average possession count at 31.0, having played six of the seven games. He missed the season opener last year.

Josh Kennedy has averaged 27.7 possessions per game in the same period and Dan Hanneberry 25.7.


Callum Mills and Tom Papley celebrate a goal against the Magpies on debut.

The only bag of goals of more than four for either side in this period was Kurt Tippett’s six for Sydney in a losing effort at ANZ Stadium in Round 20, 2013.

Friday night’s clash will also see a special occasion for Sydney’s Sam Reid, the club’s leading goal-kicker in the first two rounds this season after he missed the entire 2016 season.

Reid will be opposed to older brother and Collingwood defender Ben for the fifth time at AFL level.

Sam has won the last three meetings between the siblings after Ben prevailed the first time they played against each other at Stadium Australia in 2011.

Ben, who missed Collingwood’s win over Sydney at Stadium Australia in 2014, is likely to be Collingwood’s first-choice opponent for Swans 250-gamer Lance Franklin, leaving Tyson Goldsack to play on Sam after Goldsack got the better of Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt last week.

But if things don’t work out for Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley it’s not inconceivable that the Reid brothers could be directly opposed at some stage during the game.

But perhaps the most relevant statistic in the lead-up to the clash between two sides chasing their first win of the season is the venue. Or more particularly, where it is not being played.

That the game is not at ANZ Stadium will please Sydney folk who follow statistical trends.

Why? Because Collingwood won nine of their last 10 games against Sydney at the former Olympic headquarters.

The Swans’ only ANZ Stadium win against Collingwood in that period from 2006 onwards was in the 2012 preliminary final, when they triumphed by 26 points.

But since home-and-away games between the two clubs in Sydney reverted to the SCG in 2015 Sydney have won both – by 80 points last year and 11 points in Round 20, 2015.

Collingwood’s last win at the SCG was on their previous visit in Round 4, 2000, when Paul Williams, later to win the 2001-02 Sydney Club Champion awards, was best afield for the visitors. He had 29 possessions and kicked two goals.

In the same game Buckley had 28 possessions for the Magpies.

Wayne Schwass (32) and Daryn Cresswell (28) led the statistics sheet for the Swans in the five-point loss, and Greg Stafford kicked four goals.

OVERALL RESULTS – SYDNEY v COLLINGWOOD – since Round 1, 2000.

Overall: Played 25 – Swans 9, Magpies 16

At SCG: Played 3 – Swans 2, Magpies 1

At ANZ Stadium: Played 13 – Swans 3, Magpies 10

At MCG: Played 5 – Swans 2, Magpies 3

At Etihad Stadium: Played 4 – Swans 2, Magpies 2.

Highest Scores
Swans – 18.25 (133), SCG, Round 1, 2016
Magpies– 18.17 (125), MCG, Elim Final 2007

Lowest Scores
Swans – 6.14 (50), ANZ Stadium, Round 14, 2008
Magpies – 7.11 (53), SCG, Round 1, 2016

Biggest Wins
Sydney – 80 points, SCG, Round 1, 2016
Pies – 45 points, Etihad Stadium, Round 21, 2008