AFL: Sydney Swans SMASH West Coast Eagles in new low for club

Sydney have smashed through the 200-point barrier and set a record for the biggest winning margin in club history with a 171-point thrashing of a hapless West Coast at the SCG.

The Swans piled on their second-highest score ever, and greatest since 1987, in the 31.19 (205) to 5.4 (34) triumph over an Eagles side that suffered their heaviest defeat in club history on Saturday.

While the contest was all but over in the first term, the margin gives the Swans’ percentage a healthy boost while also pushing last year’s grand finalists to within one win of the top eight.

But the percentage gain for the Swans raised more questions about the Eagles’ place in the competition, with pundits claiming it gives sides a ‘genuine advantage’ if they play them twice in a season.

‘They’ve got to find ways to make themselves more competitive,’ Gerard Healy said.

It was a new low for the Perth-based club at the SCG on Saturday night

‘It’s unbalancing the season if you can go out and ramp up 10% in a 120-point flogging. If you get the Eagles twice (in the AFL draw), it’s a genuine advantage.’

It took the Swans (6-8) just 26 seconds to boot their first goal through Chad Warner in an early sign of what was to come.

The Swans finished with 9.4 to 1.0 at the first change in their highest opening term score since 1997 and equal-third best ever, then topped that in the third term with 11.5 to 0.2.

The rampant Swans had winners all over the ground, often starting with Errol Gulden (32 disposals, three goals), Chad Warner (33, two), Angus Sheldrick (29, one) and co-captain Luke Parker (28, two) around the stoppages.

The Swans had 12 goalkickers with nine of those finishing with multiple majors, as Isaac Heeney filled his boots with 5.4 and promising tall forwards Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey both kicked four.

The Eagles’ (1-13) have now been defeated by more than 100 points four times this season but this was the worst of the lot as records tumbled in their most humiliating loss while the slick Swans were able to fine-tune for a late season surge.

There are more questions about the Eagles’ place in the AFL competition

Captain Luke Shuey (28 disposals) battled hard around the ball along with Tim Kelly (27, one goal), while Oscar Allen and Jack Darling were shining lights in the Eagles forward line with two goals each.

The undermanned Eagles were again hit hard by injury when Jack Williams ruled out before halftime, while Sam Petrevski-Seton was heavily restricted as he limped around the forward half.

Key defender Tom Barrass also spent time in the changerooms being assessed in his return game after being sidelined with a hip complaint.

Sydney are back at the SCG next week for a grand final rematch against Geelong on Friday night, while West Coast will have plenty of soul-searching to do ahead of their clash with St Kilda on Sunday.