1. It was another horror trip for the Bombers
Essendon had lost 14 of their past 15 interstate matches and their last four at the SCG going into the game, but that shocking record looked likely to end when they stormed back from 24 points down late in the third quarter, to go 19 ahead late in the last. They piled on five in a row in the last term and it looked like an end the contest, but just like they did last week, the Swans refused to go away. Goals to Oliver Florent and Nic Newman gave the home side a sniff, and even though the Bombers threw their numbers back, they were unable to stop a quick kick landing with Gary Rohan, who took a one handed grab in the goal square. His first major for the night came after the siren to give Sydney an extraordinary win. Crazy.
2. The Swans revival continues
When John Longmire's men started 2017 with six straight losses their finals chances were all but done, but after six wins in their past seven matches, the Bloods are back. The season has been impossible to predict at the best of times, but Sydney are now the form side of the league and looking more like finalists than anyone. With the likes of Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery, Isaac Heeney and Heath Grundy all in fantastic touch, and the team pulling off wins like they did against the Bombers, there wouldn't be a team in the AFL that would relish playing the Swans if the finals started next week.
3. It was wet weather footy on a perfect night
For everyone watching the game the conditions were ideal in Sydney, but when the action started the wet deck caused problems from the outset. Players found it almost impossible to keep their feet at times, and on more than one occasion sprayed the ball by foot like they were playing in torrential rain. Essendon assistant coach Mark Harvey commented on the surface pre-game, and former champs Matthew Lloyd and Kane Cornes chimed in on radio during the match, also questioning if the ground had been watered to suit the home side. It wasn't exactly 'Sprinkler-gate' but it certainly was strange to see such a slippery surface given the weather in the harbour city had been pretty mild in the lead up.
4. Young Bomber tames the Bud
Heading into the match Lance Franklin was Essendon's bogeyman, with the superstar forward booting 64 goals in 13 games against them, at an average of 4.92 per match, and his recent form was even better, with 32 goals in his last six clashes with the Bombers. Despite Michael Hurley having an All Australian-type season so far, John Worsfold elected to give Michael Hartley – who watched his former club Sydney University go down to the Swans in the curtain raiser - the job on Franklin and the 24-year-old didn't let him down. Franklin didn't get his first touch until the 15th minute of the first term, and struggled to have any influence in the first half. The triple Coleman medallist has bags of nine (twice) and eight against Essendon to his name, and while his conversion (0.6) didn't help him, Franklin had to well and truly lower his colours to Hartley in his first goalless outing against the red and black.
5. Aliir Aliir dons the pink for a run at the SCG
It's been a frustrating season for the Swans key defender, who has played just three AFL games thanks to a mix of injuries, poor form, and discipline issues. Aliir has been battling away in the NEAFL for the past few games and looked close to earning a recall with a string of solid performances, but suffered a minor knee injury late in the reserves' win over Aspley in Brisbane last week. While the 22-year-old - who hasn't played seniors since round four - wasn't fit to play in round 14, the Swans wanted him to get some work in and made him the Swans' NEAFL runner in the curtain raiser on Friday night, with his left knee heavily strapped. His partner in crime was injured teammate Alex Johnson, who is still making his way back from a fifth knee reconstruction, and no doubt both backmen would rather have been putting the brakes on the Bombers, than delivering messages to the twos under the lights of Friday night footy.
