Sydney Swans vs GWS Giants pre-season match: Lachlan McKirdy on who starred, SuperCoach intel

SuperCoaches have another midfield cheapie to consider after a young Giant surged into the frame for an early debut with an impressive outing in the pre-season hitout against Sydney.

The Amartey Party returned early this year as Joel Amartey starred for the Swans with six goals in their 57-point win over the Giants at Tramway Oval.

While all eyes might have been on Tom McCartin, it was Amartey who relished the first taste of footy for the year.

He led strongly and converted beautifully in a really promising sign of what’s to come for the Swans forward of the ball.

Amartey has regularly come under criticism, but considering 2024 was the first year he has played a full season given his injury history, there is no ceiling on what he could be in the future.

He has already finished a season as the Swans’ leading goal-kicker and the 25-year-old will be eyeing off that title again if Friday was anything to go by.

Amartey finished with six goals as the key forward had a day out against the Giants. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Swans outclassed the Giants for much of the contest, with their midfield running rampant and their new defensive philosophy passing all the tests that came their way. While Jesse Hogan kicked three goals, the star-studded GWS forward line was kept relatively quiet for much of the day as Lewis Melican, Nick Blakey and Dane Rampe commanded the backline sensationally.

POSITIONAL CHANGES

Braeden Campbell has put his hand up as a new X-Factor for the Swans forward line, kicking four goals in the first half.

Now with a permanent home in the forward line, Campbell was moving across the ground well and found plenty of the ball. He was also a great leading target and with a monster boot, converted a couple of big goals, particularly from the 50m arc. It gives the Swans another look alongside their talls, including Tom McCartin who spent all of the match in the forward line.

Braeden Campbell looks to have finally found a home as a high-half forward. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Sam Wicks showed some really nice composed moments when playing on the backline. He read the flight of the ball well and was assured by foot when looking for targets.

For the Giants, the only major positional change is Conor Stone who had a quiet day off halfback. He was matched up on Campbell for much of the match but looked clean when he had the opportunity.

Toby McMullin continues to spend more time in midfield and has built on a solid body of work from 2024.

Corey Warner and Conor Stone are both trying to cement their place in their respective sides for opening round. Picture: Phil Hillyard

ROOKIE WATCH

Cody Angove was certainly the name on everyone’s lips early in the match as the first-round draft pick starred for the Giants. He got two goals early on the back of his strong pressure and while playing predominantly on the wing, popped up occasionally on the defensive side.

The youngster from Claremont would be almost a certainty to play against Collingwood in opening round, taking the vacant wing spot left by Isaac Cumming’s departure.

“He was really impressive,” GWS assistant Jeremy Laidler said. “We’ve loved his progress over the pre-season and he’s doing everything right to put his name in the ring.

“It was great to see him against some mature wingmen, Gulden, (James) Jordon. It was also good for him to play with us and learn the patterns.

“He’s ticking a lot of boxes and he showed that today. Everyone’s a chance … but he’s seen that wing and trying to make that his own.”

Angove was clearly one of the Giants’ best on a day where the Swans had most of the running. Picture: Phil Hillyard

James Leake is probably the other Giant potentially in line to debut against the Pies. He only came into the game in the final quarter, but popped up with a goal and some nice touches. He also was a class above when playing in the VFL match that followed, showcasing incredible hands in very wet conditions.

For the Swans, Corey Warner looks likely to add to his nine AFL matches with some strong moments in the Swans’ forward line. He has put in an enormous body of work this pre-season and popped up with a few goals of his own on Friday morning.

NEW RECRUITS

Ben Paton had the most minutes among the Swans’ new recruits. The former Saint is playing a solid role off the defensive line. He and Wicks have both come into contention for opening round against Hawthorn and with Harry Cunningham unlikely to be fit for the clash, could be vital as smaller-sized defenders.

Tom Hanily arrived to the club in last year’s mid-season draft and has grown into the squad nicely. With no Tom Papley, he played well as a pressure forward with plenty of important touches.

There was no Jake Stringer on Friday for the Giants as he manages illness, with the former Bomber likely to play next Friday against Carlton.

For GWS, Angove was the clear standout among the new crop of players when pushing for a place in the best 23. Others to watch out for who impressed in the VFL match that followed were young rookie Nathan Wardius and draftee Ollie Hannaford.

Ben Paton could have a key role to play in the Swans’ defence this season. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

SURPRISE ROLE

Tom McCartin’s move into the forward line has been well document and he remained there for the entirety of the four-quarter match. The Swans have been coy about whether it’s a permanent shift, but the early signs suggest it will be.

The 25-year-old had an okay performance, proving a nuisance at the contest and grabbing a goal with the last kick of the game. However, he didn’t have the big contested mark or opportunity to lead for the ball he would have wanted.

Tom McCartin had a quiet day on the scoreboard, but the Swans will be pleased with their overall balance when he played forward. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The great news for Sydney is that defensively they looked strong without him, in particular, Lewis Melican was enormous and appears to be the new leader down back.

All eyes were on the Giants midfield with no Tom Green or Stephen Coniglio, and it was Finn Callaghan and Josh Kelly who shared the most centre bounce attendances. Xavier O’Halloran is another one who spent a fair bit of time on the wing but also rotated through the stoppages.

SWANS’ INJURY WATCH

The Swans’ injury list quickly has tallied up in recent weeks with Callum Mills, Tom Papley and Harry Cunningham all missing the match against the Giants. While Mills and Papley are both a test to play next Friday against Gold Coast, Cunningham will likely miss the start of the season with a ligament sprain.

“(Mills) has got some mild plantar fasciitis, I think is the best way to put it,” Swans assistant coach Ben Matthews said. “He trained a little bit this morning, and has done some training this week … we’re pretty confident with it, we’re managing well and we won’t take any risks either.

“ (Papley) rolled (his ankle) in the last intra-club game last week. So, he’ll be fine. He’s running, he’s moving well. We’ll give him a couple of days’ deload and whether we build him for this week. We’re pretty confident in the body of work he’s done over pre-season.

“(Harry) sprained one of the ligaments in his foot. So, we’ll get some scans on that. But at this stage, he’s in a boot for a week.

Isaac Heeney was back to his high-flying best in the Swans’ first match of the year. Picture: Phil Hillyard

HOT TAKE

The Swans’ elite midfield was the real star of the show on Friday morning.

The work Isaac Heeney, Errol Gulden, James Rowbottom and Chad Warner got through was immense and they look to have taken another step up in 2025.

They clearly got the better of the Giants through the middle, and then also were able to showcase their depth in the position with the likes of Angus Sheldrick, James Jordon and Justin McInerney also spending plenty of time at the stoppages. That will be the engine room for the Swans’ success this year and if that was just the start, there’s every chance they will be back at the MCG on the last day of the season.

Originally published as Sydney Swans vs GWS Giants pre-season match: Lachlan McKirdy on who starred, SuperCoach intel