Since the Swans moved to Sydney in 1982 to take up residence at the SCG and put the travel factor into home-and-away football they have a perfectly symmetrical 18-1-18 win/loss record in Round 1 matches.

In 37 years they’ve gone 11-7 at home, including 4-2 at Stadium Australia, and 7-1-11 away.

In eight years under coach John Longmire they are 4-2 at home, and 1-1-0 away, having never lost a Round 1 game interstate under the premiership coach.

As much as it is worth four premiership points, just like every other home-and-away match, there is no denying that Round 1 each year is a little extra special after the long, hard build-up over summer and the hopes, dreams and excitements of a new campaign.

This was never more evident than last year, when Lance Franklin put on a masterclass against West Coast in the opening of the new Perth Stadium on 25 March, kicking eight goals as the Swans beat the eventual premiers by 29 points.

Round 1 has also been extra special for a number of players who have made their debut, including in recent years Ollie Florent (2017), Callum Mills, George Hewett and Tom Papley (2016), Isaac Heeney (2015), Dane Rampe (2013) and Harry Cunningham (2012). Nick Blakey will join this group this weekend.

A total of 221 Swans players have enjoyed the Round 1 buzz since 1982, headed by games record-holder Adam Goodes at 16. The top 10 for Round 1 games in the post-1982 era (including ties) are:

16 – Adam Goodes
13 – Jude Bolton
12 – Jarrad McVeigh
11 – Mark Bayes
11 – Leo Barry
11 – Heath Grundy
11 – Ryan O’Keefe
10 – Daryn Cresswell
10 – Kieren Jack
10 – Paul Kelly
10 – Brett Kirk
10 – Michael O’Loughlin
10 – Ted Richards.

Josh Kennedy will join this group with his 10^th Round 1 match for the Swans this weekend.

Greg Williams holds the record for most possessions for the Swans in a Round 1 game during this era, having amassed 43 touches in a three-point win over West Coast at the SCG in 1992. Top 10 (including ties) are:

43 – Greg Williams, 1992 v West Coast (SCG)
40 – Luke Parker, 2016 v Collingwood (SCG)
37 – Greg Williams, 1986 v North Melb (MCG)
36 – Barry Mitchell, 1992 v West Coast (SCG)
35 – Mark Browning, 1982 v Melbourne (SCG)
35 – Kieren Jack, 2016 v Collingwood (SCG)
35 – Jake Lloyd, 2016 v Collingwood (SCG)
35 – Luke Parker, 2018 v West Coast (Perth Stadium)
33 – Greg Williams, 1989 v Richmond (SCG)
33 – Paul Kelly, 1997 v West Coast (Subiaco)
33 – Ryan O’Keefe, 2010 v St Kilda (Stadium Australia)

The record for most goals by a Swans player in a Round 1 game in this era stands at nine and is shared between Warwick Capper (1986) and Bernie Evans (1985). Top 10 (including ties) are:

9 – Warwick Capper, 1986 v North Melbourne (MCG)
9 – Bernie Evans, 1985 v St Kilda (Moorabbin)
8 -  Warwick Capper, 1987 v Collingwood (Victoria Park)
8 – Lance Franklin, 2018 v West Coast (Perth Stadium)
7 – Barry Hall, 2006 v Essendon (Docklands)
6 – David Rhys-Jones, 1984 v Hawthorn (Princes Park)
6 – Tony Lockett, 1995 v Footscray (Whitten Oval)
5 – Shane Fell, 1990 v Carlton (Princes Park)
5 – Simon Minton-Connell, 1995 v Footscray (Whitten Oval)
5 – Peter Filandia, 1998 v Port Adelaide (Football Park)
5 – Mick O’Loughlin, 2000 v St Kilda (Docklands)
5 – Ryan Fitzgerald, 2000 v St Kilda (Docklands)

Ten of the Swans’ more memorable Round 1 games since 1982 have been:

1982 – The Swans played their first game as an official Sydney-based side at the SCG. Having finished 9^th the year before, they took on reigning wooden-spooners Melbourne. Favorite son Ricky Quade, coaching the club for the first time, spotted an extraordinary 368 games in coaching experience to the Demons’ Ron Barassi, who 11 years later would move north to take over the Swans. Mark Browning, in the 121^st of 251 games for the club, had a game-high and career-best 35 possessions as the home side led at every change and won 20.17 (137) to 16.12 (108) in front of a crowd of 15,764. Captain Barry Round (259 games), Browning and Rod Carter (117 games) were the only 100-gamers in the Sydney team.

1985 – The Swans travelled to Moorabbin under coach John Northey to beat St Kilda by 110 points and set a string of Round 1 records that remain today. Their score of 26.20 (176) and the 110-point margin were the biggest of the post-1982 era. Bernie Evans, in his 130^th game, kicked nine goals to set a then Round 1 record for the same era. Mark Browning and Anthony Daniher topped the possession-count with 27 apiece as a 19-year-old Tony Lockett, later to become a Swans favorite, played his 33^rd game for the Saints, Jamie Duursma, John Ironmonger, Darren McAsey and Mark Russell made their AFL debut for the Swans, and ex-Collingwood player Andrew Smith played his first game in red and white. It was to be Northey’s one Round 1 game in charge of the Swans.

1986 – Tom Hafey coached the Swans for the first time as the club welcomed boom off-season recruits. Greg Williams, Gerard Healy, Merv Neagle, Bernard Toohey, Jim Edmond and David Bolton. With a combined experience of 587 games, the ‘super six’ played their first game in red and white as Sydney beat North Melbourne 20.6 (126) to 15.11 (101) in front of a growing home crowd of 22,579. Williams, in his 35^th game, had 37 disposals as Warwick Capper kicked a then personal-best eight goals in his 31^st game. Coming off 45 goals in 1985, Capper, an emerging favorite with the SCG faithful, would go on to kick 92 goals in ’86 and 103 goals in ‘87. David Ackerly, a 138-game Swan from 1979-85, played his first game against the Swans.

1987 – Warwick Capper kicked an equal Round 1 post-1982 era record of nine goals as the Swans belted Collingwood by 91 points at Victoria Park. The visitors kicked 25.15 (165) to the Pies’ 11.8 (74). Ex-Swan Paul Morwood played his first game in black and white as Collingwood coach Leigh Matthews debuted no less than six players – Gavin Brown, Michael Christian, Gavin Crosisca and Craig Starcevich, who went on to be members of their breakthrough premiership side in 1990, plus Grant Fielke and Athas Hrysoulakis. Wayne Henwood debuted for the Swans and Barry Mitchell played his 50^th game. Sadly, for the second year in a row the Swans, coached by Tom Hafey, would go on to their second consecutive straight-sets exit from the finals after dominant home-and-away seasons.

1990 – Paul Kelly made his AFL debut against Carlton at Princes Park in what was one of the Swans’ more memorable wins. Coached for the second year by Col Kinnear, they trailed by 45 points at halftime and 24 points at three-quarter time before kicking 6.5 to 2.0 in the final term to win by three points. Kelly, the 20-year-old Riverina boy who went on to become a Brownlow Medallist, club captain and all-time Swans favourite, was among four debutants. Shane Fell kicked five goals on debut, while Brad Tunbridge and Jim West also had their first taste of the AFL. Greg Williams had a masterful 43 possessions to earn three Brownlow Medal votes and set the Swans possessions record for most possessions in a Round 1 game post-1982, while Barry Mitchell had 31.

1993 – No less than 10 players wore the Swans jumper for the first time in a forgettable 57-point loss to Hawthorn at the SCG after scores were level at three-quarter time. Nathan Irvin played his one and only AFL game, while coach Gary Buckanara fielded nine off-seasons recruits from other clubs – Richard Osborne (Fitzroy), Dean McRae (North Melbourne), Paul Bryce (Melbourne), Jayson Daniels (St Kilda), John Hutton (Brisbane), Ed Considine and Michael Werner (Essendon), Scott Watters (West Coast), and Tony Malakelis (Geelong). The Hawks, led by six goals from Jason Dunstall, five from best afield Shane Crawford and four from Tony Hall, kicked 10.4 to the Swans 0.7 in the final stanza to win 22.17 (149) to 12.20 (92).

2000 – Ryan Fitzgerald, now one of Australia’s premier breakfast radio hosts and a regular on the hugely popular ‘Back Page’ show on Fox Sports, kicked five goals on debut as the Swans beat St Kilda by 34 points at what is now Marvel Stadium. Originally drafted from South Adelaide at #4 in the 1998 Draft behind Brisbane’s Des Headland (#1), Fremantle’s Justin Longmuir (#2) and Sydney’s Nic Fosdike (#3), Fitzgerald looked set for a long and bright career after his brilliant start but injury restricted him to just nine more games with the Swans and a further eight games with Adelaide in 2002. In the same game Jason Ball, Andrew Schauble and Brett Allison played their first game for the Swans and Michael O’Loughlin earned his first Brownlow Medal votes when judged best afield for 31 possessions and five goals.

2011 – The Swans played their only draw of the post-1982 era in John Longmire’s first game as coach. It was against Melbourne at the MCG, when both teams finished at 11.18 (84). Brad Green put the Demons four points up going into time-on before the Swans grabbed a rushed behind. In the closing seconds a Ryan O’Keefe behind tied it up to leave 19-year-old Swans first-gamer Byron Sumner, uncle of Sydney premiership player Lewis Jetta, with the rare distinction of playing in a draw in his only AFL game. Sam Reid played his second AFL game as Ryan O’Keefe took the three Brownlow votes with 31 possessions.

2012 - The AFL rivalry between the Swans and the GWS Giants was born when the teams clashed for the first time at Stadium Australia in front of a crowd of 32,203. It was a standalone game on Saturday 24 March, five days before the now traditional season-opener between Richmond and Carlton, and saw the Swans prevail by 63 points. Harry Cunningham, picked up via the Rookie Draft, capped a meteoric rise via a Round 1 debut in what, although he played out the rest of the season in the NEAFL, was a wonderful learning experience. Adam Goodes and Jude Bolton, with 581 AFL games between them, had almost as much experience as the entire GWS side (643 games). And that was despite the presence of  252-gamer James McDonald and 240-gamer Chad Cornes. Sydney won 14.16 (100) to 5.7 (37) after the competition newcomers ‘won’ the final quarter by a point. The Brownlow votes were shared between best afield Josh Kennedy, who had 27 possessions and kicked two goals, Kieren Jack, with 30 possessions and one goal, and Shane Mumford, with 11 possessions, one goal and 35 hit-outs.

2016 – The Swans belted Collingwood 18.25 (133) to 7.11 (53) at the SCG on a night that saw the debut of three rising Swans stars: Callum Mills, Tom Papley and George Hewett. Callum Sinclair played his first game for the Swans, and Michael Talia his only game for the club. Luke Parker was judged best afield with a career-best 40 possessions as no less than four Swans topped 30 – Kieren Jack and Jake Lloyd had 35 apiece and Tom Mitchell 30. Lance Franklin kicked four goals.