Greater Western Sydney Giants vs Sydney Swans preview, tips and teams – 2014 AFL Round 1

The first game on Saturday for AFL Round 1 is between Greater Western Sydney Giants and Sydney Swans. The opening bounce is set to commence at 4.40pm with the game to be played at Spotless Stadium. The favourite for the match is home team Greater Western Sydney Giants. View our preview and teams 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.

Featured Bookmakers:

Greater Western Sydney Giants $12.00 vs Sydney Swans $1.04 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Greater Western Sydney Giants $11.00 vs Sydney Swans $1.05 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:


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.

Tips: Sydney Swans to win and cover the line.

Preview:

LANCE Franklin will make his Sydney Swans debut, while Greater Western Sydney is seeking its first derby win, in an intriguing opening to the new season for these two teams. The Giants had hoped to lure Franklin to western Sydney, but instead he will line up in red and white. But GWS had a busy, successful off-season of its own, adding two former Swans in Shane Mumford and Jed Lamb to its list, plus Josh Hunt, Heath Shaw and Dylan Addison and top draft picks Tom Boyd and Joshua Kelly. Tipped to be right among the premiership favourites, the Swans will expect to start their campaign with a win at Spotless Stadium. But the Giants have been focused on this game for months and are happy to talk up their chances of an upset.

LAST FIVE TIMES

R16, 2013, Sydney 24.27 (171) d GWS Giants 5.12 (42) at the SCG

R1, 2013, Sydney 16.10 (106) d GWS Giants 11.10 (76) at ANZ Stadium

R14, 2012, Sydney 19.18 (132) d GWS Giants 5.8 (38) at ANZ Stadium

R1, 2012, Sydney 14.16 (100) d GWS Giants 5.7 (37) at ANZ Stadium

THE SIX POINTS

1. The Swans will head to Spotless Stadium for the first time. GWS has only prevailed twice at its home ground to date, which has also been known as Skoda Stadium and Giants Stadium.

2. The Giants have lost all four meetings against its cross-town rival. Last year GWS had both its closest loss (30 points) and biggest defeat (129) to the Swans so far.

3. Lance Franklin will make his debut for the Swans. During his time at Hawthorn, he faced the Giants twice, kicking six goals.

4. The Swans were the AFL’s best tackling team in 2013, averaging 71 per game. The Giants were ranked 14th with 52 per outing.

5. GWS should enjoy a boost in the ruck this year with Mumford in tow. The former Swan combined with Mike Pyke to lead the AFL in hitouts in 2013 with 47 per game. The Giants, led by Jonathan Giles, were 13th.

6. The Swans had two players in the top 10 at the conclusion of last year’s Official AFL Player Ratings, Kieren Jack at No.6 and Josh Kennedy at No.7. GWS co-captain Callan Ward led the newcomers at No.29.

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)

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