Football folklore says games are won in the third term and the Swans were thrilled with their performance in the premiership quarter in a 16-point win over the Giants on Saturday night.

The Swans led by a goal at half-time before running in five third-quarter majors to the Giants’ two en route to clinching a 16.7 (103) to 12.15 (87) victory at the SCG on Saturday night.

Sydney fell to Port Adelaide in a 23-point loss last Saturday and it was the third term which proved to be the Swans’ stumbling block. 

Ruckman Callum Sinclair said the third term continued to be an area for improvement for his side.

“I don’t think we’re too strong at third quarters,” Sinclair said.

“It’s been a real focus for us to come out after half-time and really start firing. That was a really good effort from the boys and it was talked about at half-time to come out and put the nail in the coffin.”

GWS kicked the first two goals of the third stanza but Sydney would go on to slot five on the trot, the first of which secured one of Sinclair’s three majors in the game.

But the Swans’ fourth-quarter dig played host to a highlights reel of its own and at centre stage was 874 goal champion Lance Franklin.

The four-time Coleman Medallist slammed home a pair of goals in the final term to surpass former Collingwood and Carlton great Peter McKenna on the all-time VFL/AFL goal-kicking chart. 

The first was a soaring left-foot roost from 70 metres out and the second a set shot to make history.

The scale of Franklin’s achievements is not lost on Sinclair.

“Obviously he’s one of the greats of the game and one of the things that doesn’t get spoken about is his defensive work rate and a lot of his pressure,” Sinclair said.

“I thought he was super tonight. I sometimes pinch myself that I’m playing in a side with an all-time great – especially when you’re playing up forward and you’re playing around him. It’s a great achievement of his to go ninth on the all-time list and I’m sure there are many more goals to come.” 

Franklin’s two fourth-term goals sealed the Sydney Derby win and Sinclair said the side is heading in the right direction.

“We let ourselves down last week and were really disappointed during the week,” Sinclair said.

“So it was really important that we came out today and gained back some momentum. The boys are really rapt and we’re really happy with the effort.”