For a team that came into this round with an 8-3 record, Sydney has barely featured in the premiership conversation. Sure, the Swans have claimed some scalps but they had not turned heads like West Coast, Richmond or new kids on the block Melbourne.
Until now.
The Swans of 2018 have by no means lacked substance but nor had they found a level to separate them from the peloton. That all changed in the space of half an hour against St Kilda when they ran rings around the halo-less Saints, kicking the first nine goals of the game.
Dominant: Lance Franklin kicked four goals for the winners.
Photo: AAP
The Saints have stood strong behind coach Alan Richardson but quarters like these are hard to forget. A few more of them, and careers can be ended.
The Swans will get a better gauge of their progress in their next two games when they take on the Eagles and reigning premiers the Tigers either side of the bye.
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Major factor: Josh Kennedy gets in on the act.
Photo: AAP
Flair and flamboyance have not been attributes associated with the Swans, whose reputation has been built on grunt and defence, but they showed when they get their parts all in synch they can be as easy to the eye as the glamour teams of the competition.
Sydney's 71-point win was built on the dominance of their midfield. Josh Kennedy, Isaac Heeney and Luke Parker supreme in close, which allowed the game to be played on the Swans' terms.
Their forward line, which has lacked potency at times, operated like clockwork in the first half. Lance Franklin bagged four but a feature of Sydney's attack was the ability of their midfield run into space where there should not have been any, and be hit up with precise kicks.
Callum Sinclair, in the midst of a career-best season, was again influential, eclipsing Tom Hickey with three goals.
Not even the placement of extra numbers behind the ball was able to stop the Swans' charge. If anything, it hurt the Saints when they went forward, where they lacked the skill or smarts to find a path to goal.
By half time, they had 14 goals on the board – not bad seeing they had averaged 13 a game – and the four points in the bag.
This has been a forgettable year for the Saints but even as the losses mounted their fans at least had periods where their side were competitive. Not so here.
Futile chase: A pair of Saints pressure Lance Franklin.
Photo: AAP
This was comfortably their worst effort in a season where they have not saluted since round one. Injuries have hurt. Here, they were without several from their best team, including skipper Jarryn Geary and their best defender Jake Carlisle, but that only partially explained this debacle.
Coaches can cop skill errors but effort is a non-negotiable. Only the 22 in St Kilda jumpers truly know how hard they tried but the tackle count told plenty. At half time, they trailed the tackle count despite having 73 fewer possessions.
When they had the ball, it seldom went where they wanted, due in part to the Swans' high pressure and their poor skill.
There was a play in the third term where Tim Membrey had a teammate in the open only for his kick to be smothered by Zak Jones. What should have been a certain goal to the Saints resulted in one to the Swans instead.
Effort is not negotiable: Daniel McKenzie of the Saints tackles Sydney's George Hewett.
Photo: AAP
It got more embarrassing in the last term when Jade Gresham's snap at goal went backwards only to be taken by Paddy McCartin, who missed from metres out with no angle to speak of.
McCartin, however, provided some rare highlights. Although he kicked just the one goal, he led strongly at the ball in the second term when the Saints pulled a few goals back.
Jimmy Webster was again one of this team's best but good players were hard to find. Senior player Jack Steven was particularly disappointing, managing only five possessions when the game was up for grabs in the first half.
ST KILDA 1.1 3.8 4.10 7.13 (55)
SYDNEY 9.1 14.3 17.7 19.12 (126)
GOALS
St Kilda: Battle 2, Sinclair, McCartin, Weller, Membrey, Gresham.
Sydney: Franklin 4, Sinclair 3, Papley 2, Hayward 2, Rohan 2, Parker 2, McCartin, Heeney, Jones, Kennedy.
BEST
St Kilda: Webster, Ross, McCartin.
Sydney: Kennedy, Heeney, Parker, Sinclair, Franklin, McVeigh, Florent.
INJURIES
St Kilda: Brown (concussion).
UMPIRES
Dalgleish, Nicholls, Gianfagna.
CROWD
27,569 at Etihad Stadium.
VOTES
Josh Kennedy (Sydney) … 8
Isaac Heeney (Sydney) … 8
Luke Parker (Sydney) … 8
Callum Sinclair (Sydney) … 7
Lance Franklin (Sydney) … 7
Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald
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