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The Sydney Swans AFLW team have earned the keys to the city after winning the Sydney derby against the GWS Giants by 31 points at Henson Park on Sunday.
With 7340 fans – a record for the AFLW at the ground – enjoying a sunny September afternoon, Sydney’s 13.9 (87) to 8.8 (56) victory gives them the upper hand of three wins to the Giants’ two since the inaugural derby in 2022.
The Swans led early and maintained a healthy advantage over the Giants for the rest of the match. That was mirrored in the crowd, where spectators in red and white far outnumbered those in orange.
Chloe Molloy piloted the charge for the Swans, helping them to a lead of 41 points at one stage in the third quarter.
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Playing under the flight path in Sydney’s inner-west, Molloy sent almost as many goals soaring through the posts as low-flying aircraft flew overhead. She finished with four goals and four behinds in a productive afternoon.
The festive atmosphere was marred in the opening minutes of the final quarter when Sofia Hurley was stretchered off after sustaining an ankle injury in a tackle. She was taken to hospital by ambulance. Before that, she led the Swans for handballs (15) and was tied for the lead in disposals (25).
But coach Colin O’Riordan confirmed Hurley was in good spirits. “When she was being stretchered off, she just turned to the bench and goes, ‘Just get the job done’. So I think that’s her mentality and that’s why we love her so much,” O’Riordan said.
“You could see the wind kind of got sucked out of us in the last 10 minutes – that’s the impact she has in our group and how much we value her and how much we love her.”
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It was the Giants who returned to the scoresheet first after the lengthy delay, with a goal from Sara Howley. Nonetheless, with the bright sun finally conceding to cloud cover, the Giants couldn’t recover from frequent turnovers despiteAlyce Parker’s two goals and 26 disposals.
Footy teammates and friends Lexi Tait, 21, and Stella Trevaskis, 21, were part of the record crowd, though they supported different teams. Despite that, Trevaskis, who is a Giants supporter, was proud of her club for offering their message of support to the Swans AFLW team last month amid a turbulent period for their rival club.
“I thought it was really nice to see everyone coming together to support the girls because it’s not fair that they got overshadowed a little bit like that,” Trevaskis said.
“I think that’s so much more important than what team you go for, is just supporting the girls and making sure they know that everyone does love them and that we love footy regardless.”
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Frances Howe is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.AdvertisementAdvertisement