Updated
Sydney posted one of its most impressive wins of the season on Friday night, scraping to a 22-point win over Carlton at a waterlogged SCG.
 8.17(65) | Sydney v Carlton |  5.13 (43) |
|---|---|---|
| at the SCG, June 28 2013 | ||
| 346 | Disposals | 305 |
| 53 | Hit-outs | 52 |
| 95 | Tackles | 98 |
| 55 | Marks in 50 | 55 |
View full stats sheet
Interview: Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy
The Swans booted the opening five goals of the game, including two to star recruit Kurt Tippett, and held on for a 8.17 (65) to 5.13 (43) victory in driving rain.
The Blues were far more competitive after half-time and eroded the hosts' lead to just 13 points at three-quarter time.
Zach Tuohy snapped the first goal of the final term and the Blues had all the momentum, but could not land a killer punch when the game was on the line.
Carlton's Andrew Walker, with time and space and only 15m from the goal square, opted to dribble the ball along the ground instead of kicking a standard drop punt.
Sydney defender Dane Rampe came from nowhere to rush a behind with a desperate dive, and the margin was eight points.
It was a perfect snapshot of the game, reflective of the Swans' never-say-die attitude and Carlton's inability to manufacture goals in the wet.
More importantly, it was as close as the visitors would get.
"It was a matter of just trying to take ground and trying to play the game in our half," Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy told Grandstand.
"It was extremely slippery, especially in that second quarter.
"And [Carlton] were pretty good; I think they probably played it a little bit better than us.
"But we were able to not allow them to score which was good, but after that we sort of got the momentum back."
Brandon Jack, Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker all snapped behinds before Ben McGlynn kicked truly after earning a holding-the-ball free kick with a crucial tackle on Lachie Henderson.
The Blues had 13 more inside-50s in the second half, but Henderson, Bryce Gibbs (26 disposals, eight tackles) and Chris Judd (23 possessions, nine tackles) could not drag them over the line.
The Swans, minus nine of their premiership 22 after the last-minute withdrawal of Mitch Morton, did their best work in the first term.
"I think we're pretty disappointed with our effort last week [a loss at Port Adelaide]," Kennedy told Grandstand.
"It was good conditions for us to be able to get back to the basics and trying to work for each other and letting the little things take care of the result."
Tippett, the tallest man on the ground, snaffled a brilliant contested mark over Michael Jamison to lift his side to a 27-point lead at the first break.
In conditions better suited to Carlton's mosquito fleet, Tippett continued to defy his 202cm frame.
The former Adelaide ruck-forward provided the highlight of the night in the second term, when the rain was at its most torrential.
Tippett collected the Sherrin, ducked around would-be tackler Kane Lucas and reeled around to kick a magical goal.
The Blues looked like going goalless in the first half for the first time since 2009 until umpire Robert Findlay adjudged Nick Malceski to have deliberately rushed a behind with two minutes remaining.
Josh Bootsma, who hustled Malceski over the goal line, kicked the resultant goal.
Sydney Swans: 8.17 (65) - B McGlynn 2, K Tippett 2, L Parker, T Mitchell, M Pyke, J Bolton
Carlton: 5.13 (43) - Z Tuohy, D Armfield, K Lucas, J Bootsma, B Gibbs
ABC/AAP
Topics: australian-football-league, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, carlton-3053, vic, australia
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