THE SYDNEY Swans and West Coast have played out another classic at Patersons Stadium, with the Swans kicking the last four goals of the match to snatch a thriller by 13 points on Saturday night.

In a match full of ebbs and flows, West Coast built a two-goal lead early in the final term, before Swans co-captain Adam Goodes took control of the contest.   

The dual Brownlow medallist had eight telling final quarter possessions and kicked two of his three goals to lead the undefeated Swans to their fifth straight win over their great modern rival.

In what proved a masterstroke from Swans coach John Longmire, Andrejs Everitt was sent forward in the final quarter and kicked the final two goals of the match to seal the win, 15.11 (101) to 13.10 (88).

It was the sternest test West Coast had faced this season, and despite dominating the ruck through Dean Cox (38 hit-outs and two goals) and Nic Naitanui (28 and one), they were beaten in the midfield.

Workhorses Josh Kennedy (eight clearances), Jude Bolton (seven) and Kieren Jack (six) gave the visitors their edge at stoppages - winning the clearances 50-34 - with Eagle Matt Priddis (six) fighting a lone battle.

There were one-on-one battles all over the ground early, and nothing could separate the sides at the first break as another tight contest between the two teams unfolded. 

West Coast forward Quinten Lynch kept his side in the game with four first-half goals, seeing off opponents Alex Johnson and Everitt before the Swans settled on Ted Richards.     

At the other end of the ground, Goodes, playing forward, had been held to one goal by Mitch Brown and he started the third term in the centre square, winning the first clearance.

He had a crucial hand in the Ben McGlynn's second goal to open the third term, and when Jude Bolton snapped truly the Swans had their first clear break of the night - 17 points.   

From there, West Coast booted five straight goals to take all the momentum into the final term, but they had no match for Goodes when the game was on the line.

Influential players
The Swans simply had more midfielders willing and able to win the hard ball. Kennedy (18 contested possessions) was the pick of the visiting onballers, alongside Goodes, while Bolton set a new Champion Data record with 19 tackles. Cox couldn't do much more in the air and was voted best-on-ground, winning the HMAS Sydney II Trophy.  

Winning move
Former Bulldog Everitt endured a nightmare first half as he was routinely out-muscled by Lynch, but he, along with Goodes, turned the match for the visitors. His first goal at the 27-minute mark of the last term, broke the deadlock, and his second, after the siren, gave him his sweetest moment yet at his new club.   

What it means
The undefeated Swans, now with two wins and a draw, keep finding a way to edge home in the close ones. The contested, stoppage-heavy style that has become their trademark makes them a genuine top-six contender and a threat to Geelong next week. 

The next four
Geelong (SCG), bye, Carlton (SCG), Western Bulldogs (Manuka Oval)

Dream Team highlight
Jude Bolton set a new tackle record with Champion Data, and it was reflected in his Dream Team score of 124. The tackling component of his score was 76.  

What the coaches said
John Longmire (Sydney Swans): "In the last quarter they just found a way and dug in, and put in when the game was on the line. Fortunately we were in front at the end and it was just a really good performance."
John Worsfold (West Coast): "Their experience and strength and size, it's certainly a great experience for some of our young midfielders to be up against that and I thought they handled it pretty well all night. [It was a] great learning curve for them."

West Coast           3.3    6.8    10.10   13.10    (88)
Sydney Swans       3.3    7.5    9.10     15.11    (101)

GOALS
West Coast: Lynch 4, Cox 2, Embley, Ebert, Kennedy, Gaff, Shuey, Selwood, Naitanui.
Sydney Swans: White, Goodes 3, Everitt, McGlynn 2, Jetta, Shaw, Bolton, Rohan, Smith.

BEST
West Coast: Cox, Priddis, A.Selwood, Lynch, Naitanui, Darling
Sydney Swans: Kennedy, Goodes, Jack, Bolton, Smith, Everitt

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Sydney Swans: Nil

SUBSTITUTIONS
West Coast: Eric Mackenzie replaced by Andrew Gaff in the third quarter
Sydney Swans: Sam Reid replaced by Gary Rohan in the third quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Bowen, Nicholls, Jeffery

Official crowd: 37,288 at Patersons Stadium

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL