Adam Goodes celebrates scoring a goal. Picture: Cooper Stephen Source: The Sunday Telegraph
- Fulltime: Sydney 17.13 (115) bt Essendon 10.11 (71) at SCG
FOR the first time in more than a week Adam Goodes was able to focus on football as he helped drive the Swans into the upper echelons of the AFL ladder with a strong victory over Essendon at the SCG.
Despite some doubts the dual Brownlow Medallist would take the field after suffering racial vilification from a 13-year-old Collingwood supporter then Magpies club president Eddie McGuire, Goodes was an important contributor with four goals.
Saturday night's 44-point victory in difficult wet and slippery conditions lifted the reigning premier into the top four and left the Swans comfortably on course to defend their title.
It was Essendons third loss in four matches, forcing the Bombers to fifth on the ladder after Fremantle snuck home against Adelaide.
The Swans face Adelaide in Adelaide next Saturday while the Bombers play Carlton in a crucial match at the MCG on Friday night.
Sydney's strong performance followed its stirring victory over the Collingwood the previous Friday night.
The Swans have refocused during the past two matches after a bad loss to Hawthorn in the Grand Final replay then a disappointing draw against Fremantle, when Sydney gave up a 27-point lead.
Essendon is in danger of suffering the same fate as last season, fading out after a brilliant start.
The Bombers won their opening six matches this year despite the constant cloud of an ongoing ASADA investigation, with skipper Jobe Watson claiming this week that all the players had now been interviewed by the anti-doping body.
It was Goodes who allowed the Swans to stretch their lead to 18 points heading into half time, a handy break in the difficult conditions, with Essendon managing just three goals for the half.
The biggest roar of the first half came even bigger when Goodes kicked truly and then celebrated with gusto as his team mates came from everywhere to offer congratulations.
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After a slow start which saw Goodes gather just two first quarter possessions playing mostly forward he had six to half time but exploded in the third term.
Paddy Ryan soars over Mike Pyke. Picture: Cooper Stephen
As the game began to open up Goodes snapped a left foot goal midway through the quarter and later in the term had a sliding goal eventually awarded following a replay.
It gave the Swans a six-goal break but two late goals from Essendon reduced the margin to 25 points at three-quarter time.
The Swans were forced to make an early substitution when forward Tommy Walsh overstretched attempting to mark and suffered a serious hamstring injury moments into the second term.
This gave Tom Mitchell the chance to take the field in his much anticipated debut.
Mitchell, son of former club champion Barry, had been forced to ensure a series of injuries before finally getting an opportunity a day after his 20th birthday.
Taller and more solid than his slightly built father, Mitchell did not disappoint, fitting in seamlessly to gather seven polished possession to half time.
Jude Bolton competes for the ball. Picture: Cooper Stephen
It was 23 minutes into the third term that Mitchell became the centre of animated celebrations when he soccered an opportunist goal in much the same way his father would have a generation ago.
This continued Sydney's gathering dominance of the game, stretching the lead to almost five goals, with much of the term played in the Swans half.
Essendon decided to roll the dice with a half time substitution in the slippery conditions, talking off key forward Scott Gumbleton and replacing him with debutant midfielder Will Hams.
Hams had been a late replacement in the side after Ben Howlett was ruled out.Just minutes later the Bombers were a man down when Courtenay Dempsey was cleaned up in a contest with Nick Smith and the game was eventually stopped so a motorised stretcher could be brought on to take Dempsey from the field.
The delayed pushed the third quarter out to almost 39 minutes.
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