3 minute read

Tom Papley, Isaac Heeney and Errol Gulden have all starred for top-of-the-table Sydney as the Swans saw off Essendon's challenge in a heated clash at the SCG.

Sydney have maintained their unbeaten start to the AFL season with a spiteful 30-point win over Essendon.

But the ladder-leading Swans' 19.17 (131) to 15.11 (101) victory at the SCG on Saturday night was overshadowed by a huge bump from big Bomber Peter Wright that left Sydney midfielder Harry Cunningham concussed.

The match was barely four minutes old when the 203cm-tall Wright leapt in the air, turned sideways and knocked out the 181cm Cunningham.

The Swans man was stretchered off the ground and substituted out with concussion, while Wright copped a chorus of boos every time he subsequently touched the ball.

Set upon by a throng of irate Sydney players, the big forward faces a lengthy suspension.

Tom Papley (four goals, 24 disposals) was dynamic, while Isaac Heeney (32 touches, one goal) and Errol Gulden (24, two) continued their blistering start to 2024.

Captain Zach Merrett (two goals, 32 disposals), Nic Martin (31 touches) and Will Setterfield (29) led the charge for valiant Essendon.

The visitors dominated the clearances early and drew 17 points clear before Sydney began to click, producing trademark slick chains from half-back to move ahead by three points at quarter-time.

Heeney continued to have a heavy influence in the second period, while Papley got going with a couple of goals.

His first came on the back of a 50m penalty awarded to Jake Lloyd, who was cannoned into by Essendon ruckman Sam Draper.

Draper's ill-discipline triggered further spotfires, with Essendon runner Travis Cloke finding himself in the middle of one scuffle.

"They're trying to get after us, it's all off the ball," Papley told Seven Network boundary rider Cameron Ling at the end of a fiery second quarter that included six lead changes.

"We're just worried about the ball. We'll keep being hard in the contest and get the job done."

The Swans did exactly that, stemming their first-half bleeding at clearance and turning a slender four-point halftime buffer into a 23-point cushion when Hayden McLean kicked a goal after the three-quarter-time siren.

Merrett's two fourth-term majors gave Essendon a heartbeat and the gap closed to 11 points before Sydney put their foot down again late.