Match day guide and preview for the AFL elimination final between the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants in Tasmania.
Who, when and where?
Sydney Swans vs GWS Giants
Saturday 28 August 2021 at 3.20pm (AEST)
University of Tasmania Stadium, Launceston, TAS.
Tickets are sold out.
Swans IN: Chad Warner, James Bell OUT: Braeden Campbell, Callum Mills, Robbie Fox
Giants IN: Sam J. Reid, Shane Mumford, Tom Green OUT: Adam Kennedy, Kieren Briggs, Tanner Bruhn, Xavier O’Halloran
Click here to view final teams.
All time head-to-head record: Played 21. Swans 13 wins. Giants 8 wins.
Season summary and form heading into finals
Sydney Swans 6th – 119.9% | 1986 points for | 1656 points against | 15 wins & 7 losses
After notching just 13 wins over the last two seasons combined, not many would’ve picked the Swans winning 15 games in 2021 to secure a ‘home’ final.
The year began with stunning upsets over Brisbane and Richmond in a blistering 4-0 start before they dropped away a little, losing 3 of the next 4.
They went into the bye at 8-5 with some experts tipping them to drop out of the eight, but the Swans found some form to win 7 of their last 8 matches to just miss out on the top four.
They’ve been regarded as a somewhat dour team in recent years under coach John Longmire, but they’ve turned that around with some scintillating ball movement to finish the year 3rd in points scored.
Sydney have the second best record against the other finalists (6 wins, 3 losses), so they know they can match it with the best.
Many would say it has already been a successful season for this young Swans side, but the club come into these finals expecting to have a major impact.
GWS Giants 7th – 99.7% | 1768 points for |177 points against | 8 wins, 9 losses & 1 draw
The Giants seemed cooked when they started the season 0-3, but some injection of youth and a handful of stars has catapulted them into the finals.
The club has shown plenty of resilience dealing with a lengthy injury list at times, but it seems they’ve now got most of their best 22 on the park.
The Giants run to claim a spot in the finals was far from graceful with a couple of key losses against Hawthorn and Gold Coast almost derailing their season.
However, it was a season defining victory over Geelong in round 21 that cemented their finals credentials. GWS made a whopping eight changes for that match with stars Jacob Hopper, Josh Kelly and Shane Mumford all out, yet their young brigade and Toby Greene all stood up and delivered the most unlikely of victories.
That win proved they can beat anyone on their day, so they should head into this finals series full of confidence. They made a Grand Final in 2019 after finishing outside the top four and with the competition so even this year, this Giants side should be believing anything is possible.
Key matchups
Lance Franklin vs Sam Taylor
Franklin has been a star of the AFL for well over a decade and comes into this finals series on the verge of reaching the 1,000 career goals mark. Taylor is slightly lesser known, but the 22-year-old is quickly making a name for himself and his performance on Tom Hawkins a month ago was one of the best defensive games you will ever see.
They’ve already met twice this season with Buddy getting the better of Taylor on both occasions, kicking 5 goals in round 5 before booting 4 on him in their round 18 clash.
The round 18 contest was interesting though, with Taylor holding Buddy goalless in the first half when the Giants were on top, but as soon as the momentum swung in favour of the Swans, Buddy started to dominate.
Franklin is the main man up forward for Sydney so if Taylor can limit his influence, it will go a long way to GWS winning the match.
Luke Parker vs Jacob Hopper
Both men were rewarded for their brilliant seasons with a spot in the 40-man All-Australian squad and will play a pivotal role in their sides fortunes on Saturday afternoon.
With the Swans missing key inside midfielders Josh Kennedy and Callum Mills, the club will be relying on Parker to deliver a captain’s game in the middle.
He has a history of performing well against GWS and had 31 touches and a goal the last time they met, picking up his third Brett Kirk medal for best on ground in a Sydney Derby.
Hopper is having his best season to date, averaging career-highs in disposals (26.5), clearances (6.6) and inside 50s (4.4).
He copped a nasty concussion in round 20 against Port Adelaide but has come back from that well in the last two weeks, notching over 20 disposals and a goal in both games.
Finals are generally a tight, tough contest so both of these inside bulls should thrive in this battle.
Last 5 meetings and finals history
- 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 taking a slight 3-2 advantage despite the Swans winning two of the last three.
The two matchups this season suggests there isn’t much between the sides it’s anybody’s to win.
- 2018 Elimination Final – Swans 4.6 (30) defeated by Giants 10.19 (79) at ANZ Stadium
- 2016 Qualifying Final – Swans 7.13 (55) defeated by Giants 12.19 (91) at SCG
This will be the third Sydney Derby final with the Giants winning the first two comfortably.
The Swans went in as the higher ranked side in both those matches and will do so once again on Saturday.
Not surprisingly, this will be the first final between the Sydney teams played in Tasmania. Sydney will likely have more fans in the stands, but the ground conditions shouldn’t favour either side.
Pre match predictions
Mummy cops a Hickey: Tom Hickey to get the better of Shane Mumford in the ruck with 6 clearances and a goal
Captain Cogs: Stephen Coniglio to stand up on the big stage with 25 touches and a goal.
