Match day guide and preview for the 2022 AFL round one game between the GWS Giants and Sydney Swans.
Who, when and where?
- Sydney Swans vs GWS Giants
- Saturday 19 March 2022 at 5pm (AEDST)
- Accor Stadium Australia, NSW.
- Click here to buy tickets.
- All time head-to-head record: Played 22. Swans 13 wins. Giants 9 wins.
Teams
Giants
GWS have named a strong side with Toby Greene suspended, while Nick Haynes and Jesse Hogan will play in a VFL practice match as they return from injury issues.
Lachie Keefe returns from an ACL injury to bolster the Giants’ strong backline, while co-captains Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly line up in the midfield together.
With Shane Mumford now retired, Matt Flynn will soldier the bulk of the ruck work.
Jarrod Brander will make his Giants debut after coming to the club from West Coast with coach Leon Cameron expecting him to have an immediate impact up forward.
“He’s done a mountain of work, he’s as ready as he’ll ever be. He’s building up some really good synergy with Himmelberg, Riccardi and the like. He gets his opportunity on Saturday in a huge game for us,” said Cameron
Swans
The Swans are without Tom Papley, Jake Lloyd, Chad Warner and off-season recruit Peter Ladhams for the first match of the season.
Former number one pick Paddy McCartin makes his long-awaited AFL return and will line up down back alongside younger brother Tom.
Angus Sheldrick has been named to make his AFL debut with coach John Longmire saying the 18-year-old has impressed over the pre-season with his competitiveness.
“We know he’s really hard, he’s a massive competitor and we’re really excited to see what he can do. He’s really impressed us so far and we know whatever happens from here, he will just keep improving,” said Longmire.
2021 Season summary
GWS Giants
- Ladder finish: 7th
- Leading goal kicker: Toby Greene – 42
- Best and fairest: Josh Kelly
People were writing GWS off after they started the season 0-3, but Leon Cameron managed to regroup the troops as they made a charge to the top 8.
They had two standout wins last year, an incredible upset over Geelong while missing a host of stars in round 21, and of course, the one-point elimination final victory over the Swans.
Josh Kelly was back to his best, while Toby Greene was a standout up forward for the Giants, but it was their back six that impressed most.
Sam Taylor, Connor Idun and Isaac Cumming all showed tremendous improvement last year while the Nick Haynes was his usual brilliant self.
Their season ultimately petered out in a rather dour semi-final against Geelong, but there was certainly plenty for GWS to build on heading into 2022.
Sydney Swans
- Ladder finish: 6th
- Leading goal kicker: Lance Franklin – 48
- Best and fairest: Luke Parker
Not many were predicting Sydney to play finals last year, but a combination of youth and experience saw them win 15 games, equal with the 4th placed Lions.
Their best performance of the season was all the way back in round one when they shocked Brisbane with a comfortable 31-point win at the Gabba. A 19-point victory over the Bulldogs in round 17 was also one of their finer wins on the year.
It was great to see Buddy Franklin back kicking goals in the red and white last year, while Callum Mills moving into the midfield was a masterstroke.
Errol Gulden and Justin McInerney were the standouts of their young brigade while Nick Blakey, Logan McDonald and Braeden Campbell showed plenty of promise.
Their season ended in that heartbreaking loss to the Giants where a series of late misses cost them victory.
Key matchups
Lance Franklin (SYD) vs Sam Taylor or Phil Davis (GWS)
All eyes will be on Lance Franklin as he approaches the magical 1000 goal milestone.
The 35-year-old champion of the game is just five goals shy of the mark and kicked 12 goals in the three games against GWS last season, so it is a genuine chance of happening.
GWS will be doing everything they can to make sure the superstar doesn’t get off the leash and they have a couple of very capable players to do the job.
Davis has a good record playing against Buddy over a long history and could get the job, while Taylor is the Giants’ best key defender and could also get the matchup.
With Nick Haynes out, whoever gets the job will likely need support from the likes of Isaac Cumming and Lachlan Keefe.
It will be one of the all-time great moments in the AFL when Franklin kicks his 1000th, so fingers crossed he does it in front of a massive crowd at Stadium Australia that will stream onto the ground.
Matt Flynn (GWS) vs Tom Hickey (SYD)
With Shane Mumford now gone, Flynn gets the first crack as the Giants’ number one ruckman
He got his first taste of AFL footy last year and did a solid job in his 12 games for the club, averaging 11.9 disposals per game and 18.5 hitouts.
He will likely have to do the bulk of the ruck work with no other recognised ruckman named, and it won’t be easy against one of the fittest ruckmen in the league.
Hickey had a great first season for the Swans, playing 21 games and averaging 16.5 disposals, 4.9 clearances and 24 hitouts per contest.
The 31-year-old had struggled to cement his place in the AFL before last season but quickly become one of Sydney’s most important players.
Hickey has more runs on the board, but Flynn has shown plenty of promise so it will be an intriguing battle in the middle of the ground.
Last 5 meetings and Stadium Australia history
- Elimination Final 2021 – Swans 10.13 (73) defeated by Giants 11.8 (74) at UTAS Stadium
- 2021 Round 8 – Giants 11.6 (72) defeated by Swans 15.8 (98) at Metricon Stadium
- 2021 Round 5 – Swans 10.9 (69) defeated by Giants 9.17 (71) at SCG
- 2020 Round 12 – Swans 10.6 (66) defeat Giants 3.7 (25) at Optus Stadium
- 2019 Round 20 – Giants 12.11 (83) defeat Swans12.9 (81) at Giants Stadium
- 2019 Round 6 – Swans 12.7 (79) defeated by Giants 18.12 (120) at SCG
The last five matchups have been split quite evenly with GWS winning three of those, including last year’s thrilling final.
This is the first time they have met at Stadium Australia since the 2016 qualifying final where GWS beat Sydney convincingly by 36 points.
Overall, the sides have met four times at Stadium Australia with Sydney holding a 3-1 edge.
Pre match predictions
People power: Buddy Franklin to kick five goals to reach the magical 1000 mark as the crowd storms onto the ground.
Green shoots: Tom Green to announce himself as a genuine A-grade midfielder with 30 touches and a goal.
Other match details
Saturday’s match will be shown live on Fox Footy and Kayo nationally and on 7mate in the ACT and NSW from 5pm.
ARIA Hall of Famers the Hoodoo Gurus will play at the half time break.
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