Sydney overcame an early dose of the goalkicking yips to beat a tenacious Gold Coast by 19 points in an AFL practice match at Blacktown on Saturday.
Late goals to ruckman Shane Mumford, rookie Harry Cunningham and midfielder Jarrad McVeigh broke an 84-84 deadlock, with the Swans winning 14.19 (103) to 13.6 (84).
Mumford amassed 42 hitouts in a strong performance, while the trio of Josh Kennedy, teenager Luke Parker and Nick Malceski tallied 34, 32 and 31 touches respectively.
For the Suns, Gary Ablett and Daniel Gorringe both kicked three goals, with the former getting 24 touches, one less than David Swallow.
Sydney led by seven points after the first quarter despite kicking a horrendous 1.7 for the term.
Nine of their first 10 scoring shots were behinds, but the Suns were far less wasteful, kicking nine goal from their first 11 shots.
Sparked by two early second-quarter goals from Gorringe and a major to 18-year-old Jaeger O’Meara, Gold Coast kicked six majors to two in the period to lead by 15 at halftime.
The Swans kicked the first four goals of the third quarter and eight majors to four in the term to lead by 11 at the last change.
Gold Coast forged ahead by one point after kicking the first two goals in the final quarter, before Sydney booted the last three.
“It was a solid hitout which is what you want in the last practice game,” Sydney coach John Longmire told reporters.
No one booted more than two goals for the Swans, who had 12 goalkickers, but Longmire wasn’t unduly concerned by their early inaccuracy.
He believed it was distorted by the inaccuracy of three players, Andrejs Everitt (1.4) and Adam Goodes and Jed Lamb (both 0.3).
The only injury worry for either side was young Sydney speedster Gary Rohan, who rolled an ankle.
“They whacked him on crutches and strapped him up. Hopefully he comes out of it alright and we’ll get a scan Monday,” Longmire said.
Lewis Roberts-Thomson again underlined his utility value to the Swans with a forward line cameo that included two set shot goals from close to 50 metres in the second quarter.
Suns’ coach Guy McKenna felt his team’s effort was better than it had been the past two weeks and there had been some good signs.
“I know we lost but the effort was really there,” McKenna told AAP.
“Matty Warnock continued to hold a spot down back, so that’s great given that we haven’t got Nathan Bock for the first two rounds.
“David Swallow, Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy again for his second run was better, Tom Hickey in the ruck.
“I thought the boys really had a crack.”
