It was touted as a battle of the midfields and when push came to shove, the Sydney Swans’ on-ballers got the job done in Sydney Derby IX.
Spearheaded by best afield Luke Parker, the Swans’ midfield division emerged victors in a tough battle against GWS.
Parker’s 30-disposal effort, which was enough to impress the judges and earn him the Brett Kirk Medal, was only one of a number of strong performances in the hard-fought 25-point win at the SCG.
WATCH: The highlight reel from Saturday's Sydney Derby IX
Dan Hannebery (31 disposals, two goals) and Josh Kennedy (29 disposals, 13 tackles, eight clearances) were also stellar while the likes of Kieren Jack, Tom Mitchell and Jake Lloyd towed the line.
The combined effort was enough to soften the impact of their opposition numbers and win – albeit marginally – the stats that mattered including stoppage clearances (29-27), forward 50 entries (67-47), and contested possessions (160-148) of which Parker won a team-high 16.
“We knew it was going to be a massive midfield battle and we got that from Joey (Kennedy), Tommy Mitchell, Hanners (Hannebery) and Kieren (Jack) while the boys in the ruck were outstanding,” Parker told SwansTV post-match.
“We wanted to minimise Shane Mumford’s impact and I think we did that. Whoever goes through the middle is playing their role and doing the job.
“The boys are then running hard forward and getting the job done down there as well.”
Parker and co will again be called upon to help account for the Crows in next weekend’s tough interstate trip to Adelaide.
The Swans are undefeated at the Adelaide Oval (3-0) which brings solace as they look to maintain their unbeaten run so far in 2016.
Recent results, Parker says, will account for nothing however against a form side and in front of a hostile crowd where lapses in concentration are made to pay.
“Obviously we’ve got to improve again, teams are going to seriously challenge us if we dish up what we did at times (on Saturday),” he said of the scrappy patches of play.
“The main thing is we keep that form going, keep the fun and excitement up out there going … hopefully we keep going well.”
Parker averages 34 disposals this season, looking in fine touch which extends beyond what the 24-year-old can do at ground level.
The 2014 Bob Skilton Medallist is in line for a Mark of the Year nomination after taking a towering grab in the early stages of Saturday’s match.
While the mark was impressive, it came at an expense of Isaac Heeney who will be a little sore and sorry after breaking Parker’s fall.
“I think I almost killed Isaac, he cushioned my landing so that was good fun,” Parker laughed.
“I ran off, turned around and he was still down. I was like ‘ah well, I’ll talk to him later about it.’”
