Saturday first AFL Round 1 match is between Greater Western Sydney Giants and Sydney Swans with the game to be played at Spotless Stadium. The opening bounce is set to commence at 4.40pm local time with away team Sydney Swans currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Greater Western Sydney Giants and Sydney Swans.
Round: Round 1, Saturday March 15, 4.40pm
Stadium: Spotless Stadium
Weather: 29° Shower or two developing.
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Odds Comparison:
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| Greater Western Sydney Giants | 12.00 | 11.00 | 11.00 | 11.00 | 12.00 | 12.00 |
| Sydney Swans | 1.04 | 1.04 | 1.05 | 1.04 | 1.04 | 1.03 |
All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.
Preview:
The Swans take on the Giants on Saturday, 4.40pm at Spotless Stadium. Much like last year, the Giants will be massive underdogs for this match, in what has been dubbed the ‘Battle of the Bridge”. Despite landing premiership trio Shane Mumford, Heath Shaw, and Josh Hunt, GWS still have a long way to go before making a real impact on the AFL competition.
The Swans also initiated some aggressive transfer action in the off-season, bringing Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin into the fold. Both of these clubs have had mixed pre-season results, with the Swans winning the NAB Challenge before losing to West Coast by 35 points. The Giants had a big 68-point win against St Kilda, in an outcome fans will be hoping signals the start of a new era. Even with a more competitive Giants outfit, however, they will be struggling to make an impact against the Swans this weekend.
Teams:
Greater Western Sydney Giants:
B: Nick Haynes, Jonathan Giles, Adam Kennedy
HB: Curtly Hampton, Phil Davis,Sam Frost
C: Tom Scully, Adam Treloar, Heath Shaw
HF: Toby Greene, Jeremy Cameron, Lachie Whitfield
F: Dylan Addison, Jonathon Patton, Devon Smith
Fol: Shane Mumford, Rhys Palmer, Callan Ward
I/C: Josh Hunt, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel, Tomas Bugg
Emg: Jed Lamb, Joshua Kelly, Adam Tomlinson
New: Heath Shaw (Collingwood), Josh Hunt (Geelong), Shane Mumford (Sydney Swans), Dylan Addison (Western Bulldogs)
Sydney Swans:
B: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Jeremy Laidler
HB: Jarrad McVeigh, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski
C: Rhyce Shaw, Kieren Jack, Lewis Jetta
HF: Craig Bird, Sam Reid, Dan Hannebery
F: Ben McGlynn, Lance Franklin, Gary Rohan
Fol: Mike Pyke, Josh Kennedy, Tom Mitchell
I/C: Dane Rampe, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Luke Parker, Harry Cunningham
Emg: Ryan O’Keefe, Dean Towers, Tom Derickx
New: Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), Jeremy Laidler (Carlton)
Sydney defender Nick Smith is confident the Swans have enough height to counter Greater Western Sydney’s three exciting young tall forwards, should they all be picked for Saturday’s opening-round AFL derby.
The Giants could field No.1 draft picks Tom Boyd and Jonathon Patton as well as All-Australian Jeremy Cameron, who are 195 centimetres or taller.
Cameron will undergo a fitness test this week after rolling an ankle in last Friday’s practice match against Adelaide.
Patton, whose career has been stalled by injuries during the past two years, moved very well against Adelaide.
Boyd, the Giants latest No.1 draft pick, rotated between forward and ruck in his first senior hitout against Adelaide, and showed his goalkicking capabilities with a perfect set shot from almost 50 metres for his sole goal.
All Sydney’s specialist backs are below 195cm, and versatile Alex Johnson won’t be around to help key position backs Heath Grundy and Ted Richards because he will make his comeback from a long-term knee injury in the reserves.
“We’ve got Lewis Roberts-Thomson, who can swing back if we need to and obviously Teddy and Heath Grundy play down there, too,” Smith said.
“We’ll be able to cover, I would imagine, if they do play three talls.”
Smith believes former Carlton defender Jeremy Laidler could be the man to replace premiership-winning back Marty Mattner, who was forced to retire through injury last season.
“He’s a courageous player, gets across, pretty honest in his effort,” Smith said of Mattner.
“We lost Marty after 2012 and haven’t really found a replacement for him yet, but hopefully Jeremy can sort of fill that role.”
While Sydney co-captain Jarrad McVeigh was outstanding in a half-back role last season, Smith expected the All-Australian representative would lobby for a return to the midfield.
Smith said he expected GWS to be better and more competitive after winning one game in 2013, with former Swans ruckman Shane Mumford among a batch of quality recruits.
Most pundits have nominated Sydney, Hawthorn and Fremantle as the three flag favourites, but Smith followed the typical Sydney line of hosing down his team’s prospects.
“Obviously we expect to do well,” Smith said. “But we’re not going to be putting any number on where we finish.”