AFL round 8 Sydney v GWS: Swans’ derby statement keeps them alive in season 2025

The Lions showed last year that it’s irresponsible to write teams off too early in a season, and that’s exactly what the Swans will be hoping to replicate after saving their season on Sunday.

They are the words at the opening bounce from Isaac Heeney that should have sparked fear in the Giants, and will ensure the rest of the AFL remembers the Swans are not to be discounted in 2025.

Dean Cox’s side breathed life into their season after a bruising 14-point victory against GWS in the Sydney Derby, but it was their willingness to lean into the contest and aggression that stood out at the SCG.

“It was physical, always is against them. We do love that,” Heeney said.

“From the get-go, (Toby) Bedford was into me. I was like, ‘I love it, let’s go, we’re on all day’, at the start, which was good.

“I don’t shy down, so I enjoy that, and sometimes it gets me going. It’s always physical. We probably had to reel it in just a little bit quicker at times, myself included when I gave away 50.”

Heeney was one of several Swans who starred on Sunday, but who also received plenty of extra attention from the Giants.

Whether it was players leaving knees in at the contest or making sure the two-time All-Australian felt every tackle, GWS certainly tried to leave their mark on the Sydney superstar.

But it’s a testament to Heeney and the Swans that they rise highest when they have to dig deepest.

“There’s obviously a good rivalry there, but I think the most pleasing thing is we stuck for that four quarters,” Heeney said.

“We’ve had games where we’ve been up and down, start well, finish bad, finish strong. So it was good to have a really consistent four quarters.

“It’s a bit cliche, but it’ll never die in footy, the pressure and the tackling and the defensive side of things. We stripped it right back, and it was good we had a really good team performance.

“We still ebbed and flowed a little bit. Second quarter, we went away and they smacked us in the stoppage. They were winning crucial moments, and a couple of midfielders were going a little bit hard forward rather than staying in the contest.

“We’ll address that still, but it was a pleasing performance and it’s nice to get a win, isn’t it?”

It was a fiery Sydney derby as per usual. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Outside of the scoreboard, a lot of the numbers on Sunday afternoon might not have necessarily read in Sydney’s favour. They lost the clearances (35-38) and contested possessions (112-142), while finished equal with the Giants for inside 50s despite dominating most of the match.

However, the key figure that the Swans will be looking at now is the fact that they are 3-5 on the ladder as opposed to 2-6. It gives them a launching pad to find some momentum this season and build a run of form.

The Brisbane Lions showed last year that it’s irresponsible to write teams off too early in a season. Chris Fagan’s team only won two of their first seven matches before going on a run where they lost just one of their next 13 games.

Anything is possible, and after a tough draw to start the year, the Swans potentially have a month they should be making the most of.

In the next three weeks, they take on Essendon (A), Carlton (H) and Melbourne (A), who all sit outside of the top eight. And although the Swans are being cautious not to look too far ahead, Heeney believes their best is still good enough this season.

It was the win the Swans desperately needed. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“It’s going to be such a close competition this year all the way to the end,” Heeney said. “It’s absolutely important to make sure we ride the wave as long as we can.

“But I think we can’t look too far ahead. Each team on their day can beat anyone. It’s very cliche, but week in, week out. Focus on the next one. We hate talking about getting players back because we’ve got a big injury list at the moment, but that will help too.”

“The players are aware that it’s one game,” Cox added. “We’ve made some inroads, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.

“The great thing about it is we can come back in tomorrow morning, we’ve got a six-day break, we go to Essendon and can’t wait for that … to the players’ credit, they responded well, but we have to go again.”

Originally published as AFL round 8 Sydney v GWS: Swans’ derby statement keeps them alive in season 2025