Round 1 - March 24, 2012

When Greater Western Sydney entered the AFL in 2012, the AFL wisely decided to play the Giants’ first-up against the Sydney Swans.

The two teams therefore clashed for the first “local derby” at ANZ Stadium in Round 1.

There was considerable hype surrounding the Giants as they had snared some of the best young talent in the land and had experienced players in Rhys Palmer, Callan Ward and others.

On the other hand, the Swans did not want to be humiliated by their “little brother” and were determined to let the Giants know they had a hard road to success.

The Swans took control early in the first quarter, but the Giants scored their first ever AFL goal through Ward during that quarter. Ironically, the former Western Bulldog is the grandson of former star Swan Bill Gunn (104 games from 1952-59 and club captain in 1955).

Although the Giants battled hard in the second quarter, the Swans always had their measure and led by 31 points at half-time.

Then, in the third quarter, Lewis Jetta exploded on his wing to kick two of the Swans five goals for the quarter while restricting the newcomers to just one behind.

Although the Swans kicked just one goal in the final quarter, they also kicked an inaccurate eight behinds to win by 63 points, with Kieren Jack and Josh Kennedy named the Swans’ best players.

The Swans went on to win the next four games before going down to Adelaide, by just five points in round six. Of course, the Swans then marched to their fifth VFL/AFL premiership, defeating Hawthorn by 10 points in the Grand Final.

Sydney    4.1      8.4     13.8      14.16  (100)
GWS        1.2      3.3      3.4        5.7    (37)

Goals - Kennedy, Bird, Jetta 2, McVeigh, Everitt, K. Jack, Rohan, McGlynn, Bolton, Roberts-Thomson, Mumford.
Best -  K. Jack, Kennedy, McGlynn, Jetta, Bird, Bolton.
Attendance - 38,203 (At ANZ Stadium)

The Swans take on GWS in another rendition of this emerging rivalry in Round 3. Click here to secure your tickets now!