THE SYDNEY Swans have leapt to the top of the AFL ladder after pipping Essendon by four points in a remarkable match at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
The Swans led by as much as 48 points late in the third quarter before Essendon stormed home with a nine-goal-to-two final term to get within four points in the dying minutes.
With just seconds remaining, Bomber defender Courtenay Dempsey marked outside 50 and played on just as the siren went, preventing him from taking a difficult set shot and allowing the Swans to win, 13.8 (86) to 11.16 (82).
Just two minutes earlier, Swans speedster Lewis Jetta, the most influential player on the field with his pace, field kicking and goal sense, had put the Swans 10 points clear with his third goal.
It was a stunning finish to a match that had long appeared over.
For most of the night, the Swans proved too sharp, composed and fanatical for the Bombers.
The past four clashes between the two clubs have been decided by a total of 19 points - for two wins apiece.
The Swans appeared home when they held the Bombers to just 2.15 by three-quarter-time and made surprisingly easy work of the contest.
After conceding the first goal of the match inside five minutes, the Swans piled on nine consecutive goals. Meanwhile, Essendon added 13 straight behinds before scoring their second goal, which didn't come until midway through the third term.
The signs weren't good for the Bombers even before the first bounce, with midfielder David Zaharakis withdrawing with a quad tear that will sideline him for up to six weeks. But for three quarters, the Bombers were lacking a lot more than Zaharakis.
Remarkably, Essendon lost despite convincingly leading the inside 50s (78-50) and contested possessions (180-151) - but the Dons let themselves down with deplorable kicking to their forwards, caused largely by the Swans ferocious pressure.
The Swans teamed superbly with chains of quick handballs that released teammates like Jetta, Marty Mattner, Tony Armstrong and Rhyce Shaw into space, and that's where they did much of the damage.
The Bomber concerns about the Swans' pace were evident at half-time when they subbed off ruckman Tom Bellchambers for David Myers.
Meanwhile, Swans midfielder Dan Hanneberry was subbed off with a shoulder injury in the third term.
By virtue of the Swans' strong percentage, and the fact West Coast and Adelaide have byes, and Collingwood doesn't play until Monday, they have vaulted from fifth to first as a logjam forms at the head of the table. The Bombers would have claimed top spot themselves if they had won.
The Bombers have now lost consecutive games and will no doubt do much soul-searching when they have their bye next week, before a tough assignment against the Fremantle Dockers at Patersons Stadium.
ESSENDON 1.5 1.11 2.15 11.16 (82)
SYDNEY SWANS 5.3 8.6 11.8 13.8 (86)
GOALS
Essendon: Davey 3, Watson 2, Hocking, Howlett, Jetta, Lovett-Murray, Myers, Stanton
Sydney Swans: Jetta 3, Jack 2, Reid 2, Bolton, Everitt, McVeigh, Mumford, Roberts-Thomson, Shaw
BEST
Essendon: Watson, Davey, Dyson, Howlett, Heppell, Hooker, Dyson
Sydney Swans: Jetta, Bolton, Armstrong, Bird, Kennedy, Richards, McVeigh
INJURIES
Essendon: David Zaharakis (quad) replaced in selected side by Nathan Lovett-Murray
Sydney Swans: Hannebery (concussion)
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Tom Bellchambers replaced by David Myers at half-time
Sydney Swans: Dan Hannebery (concussion) replaced by Nick Malceski in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Meredith, McInerney
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
