On paper, this looked like a Swans win, and not by a small margin. They had the advantage all over the park, and with key Magpies injured or “managed”, it genuinely felt as though this was a matter of showing up and collecting the four points.
And they started like that, too.
Collingwood came prepared and hit the Swans right between the eyes.
And halfway through the second quarter, it seemed as though the Magpies may have done enough.
Sounds strange, especially against a team with the talent of the Sydney Swans, but as the rain started to settle in, the Pies were up by around five goals, and the Swans looked like their heads were not on the game..
It was going to take something special to bring the home team into the game. And that came in the quarter they call the Premiership Quarter.
Sydney elevated their game and their intensity, which was reflected in the way they got to the footy first, and drew the Pies into multiple errors. Following two late goals in the second quarter, the Swans kicked the first two of the third, with Nick Blakey and Tom Papley kicking truly. It lit a fire under the Pies, who were compelled to respond, but when the siren sounded to end the third, the Swans had kicked six for the quarter, and the margin was a goal in their favour.
Credit to Collingwood – it is not in their DNA to roll over, and they managed to continue to push the Swans, and even threatened to pinch the game. However, goals to Logan McDonald, and Papley again, gave the Swans the breathing room they needed to survive a late Jamie Elliot goal and pick up yet another win.
It was a crappy game, and one that seemed to be crying out for a bit of class to rise to the surface, but it never really occurred. It remained a bit of a slog, and reminded me of the old adage that good teams win ugly.
This was absolutely an ugly win by Sydney, but at this stage of the season, those wins add up, and keep good teams at the top of the table.
They also keep struggling teams outside the top ten.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Statements.
This is just the introduction – the remainder of this article is for our members. They support me, and I provide for them. It’s a good deal.
Oh… a Mongrel paywall… the worst of all paywalls. We’re all in on the 2026 AFL season. Player articles, stats, awards, game coverage. Dump the mainstream lip service and dive into articles like this – you will never look back. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I consider it your loss as we get into the grind of the season, and you’re stuck with the stuff that’s frustrated you for years.
