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<\/p>\n
The home side racked up their highest first-half score for the year to lead by 51 points at the main break.<\/p>\n
And they refused to take their foot off the gas as they scored a massive percentage boost by full time.<\/p>\n
Sydney’s Hayden Mclean kicked four goals in his 100th game.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
Remarkably, the Swans posted the highest score of 2026 without Brodie Grundy (managed), Tom Papley, Malcolm Rosas and Callum Mills.<\/p>\n
For Richmond, they now head into a bye sitting on two wins.<\/p>\n
THE 3-2-1…<\/p>\n
3. \u2018IN A MOOD\u2019: \u2018UNRELENTING\u2019 SWANS CRUISE \u2026 BUT STAR EXITS EARLY<\/p>\n
The Tigers kept pace with the Swans in the game\u2019s opening minutes – the sides kicking three goals apiece in the first half of the first quarter – but it was the hosts\u2019 defensive-half ball movement and suffocating front-half pressure that proved overwhelming for the young Tigers. <\/p>\n
And by quarter-time, with Charlie Curnow leading the way, the Swans had already taken seven marks inside 50. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing in the first quarter I really liked was the Sydney front-half game,\u201d Jordan Lewis said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlso their tackles inside-50 – eight tackles to zero. They\u2019re buying into the defensive side of the game as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forward-half pressure has continued to be a highlight for the Swans, who went up by over seven goals halfway through the second quarter. <\/p>\n
\u201cSydney is unrelenting this afternoon. They are in a mood,\u201d Leigh Montagna said. <\/p>\n
Lewis added: \u201cI think that\u2019s the pleasing thing. As much as they\u2019re up right now, their pressure inside their forward 50 is relentless. They want to give themselves more opportunities to score.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s 15.7 (97) was its highest first-half score for the year, and it also marked the highest-scoring first half by any team in the competition this season. <\/p>\n
McLean hails Cox after 100th game | 00:58<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was powerful,\u201d Lewis said at half-time. \u201cEvery Swans player got involved, whether it was defensively or offensively. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey were challenged for the first five-to-10 minutes by Richmond, but that front-half game became so powerful, which allowed them to set up \u2026 really hard to penetrate (defensively). <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of their offensive stuff was on show, but I loved their defensive buy-in – their tackling, their pressure, their re-entries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s 22.14 (146) was just 18 points short of its biggest-ever three-quarter-time score, with the Swans punishing the Tigers to the tune of 14 goals from turnovers. <\/p>\n
By full-time, eight Swans were in double digits for score involvements. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, they\u2019ll hope Justin McInerney\u2019s ankle hiccup isn\u2019t serious, after he exited the contest in the third quarter. <\/p>\n
\u201cRolled his ankle in that third quarter \u2026 they tried to get him back on, re-taping it, but all precautionary now, so he won\u2019t take any further part in the game,\u201d Ben Dixon reported from the boundary.<\/p>\n
Cox relishes ‘satisfying’ Swans victory | 07:05<\/p>\n
2. TIGERS \u2018HIT THE WALL\u2019 AS GLARING FLAW EXPOSED BY FLAG FANCIES<\/p>\n
Undermanned Richmond hung with Sydney in the early stages, looking to match the hosts\u2019 scoring prowess with quick ball movement of their own, particularly by hands. <\/p>\n
But while the Tigers kicked four first-quarter goals, were up in the contested metrics and able to string together some threatening offensive chains in the first half, they were exposed on turnover as the Swans played an impeccable front-half game all afternoon. <\/p>\n
Sydney kicked the biggest first-half score of any team this season, while its three-quarter-time score of 22.14 (146) is now the Swans\u2019 biggest-ever. <\/p>\n
Shallow forward entries also hurt Adem Yze\u2019s side when it was able to build the ball up, failing to find enough options in the 50-70-metre zone before kicking deep. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they get the ball, I would like to see more short, sharp kicking – the ability to possess the ball, change the angles and then maybe involve some handball-receives,\u201d Jordan Lewis said at half-time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just think at times they\u2019ve tried to go quick, and they\u2019ve played a really long game, which has allowed Sydney that transition space and being able to move the ball on angles. <\/p>\n
\u201cRamp the pressure up, try and use the ball a little bit better, and bring these players into the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
But after conceding eight goals in the second term, Richmond gave up another seven majors in a goalless third quarter. <\/p>\n
\u201cTigers are just kicking it back, kicking it back – I mentioned they had to change their method in some way, shape or form. Go back at them with hands, try and overlap, try and get the line-breaks, because they\u2019re not doing that at the moment. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re hitting the wall, and we can see an all-time record score on the way. They\u2019ve only scored four goals from turnover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, though, 17th-placed Richmond never stood a chance against the flag-contending Swans, entering with a 19-player injury list. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unfair. It\u2019s been unfair today. They\u2019ve been undermanned, Richmond,\u201d Lewis said late in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
Yze: “They were way too good for us” | 08:38<\/p>\n
1. \u2018CRITICISED\u2019 STAR\u2019S SCARY STATEMENT IN DEMOLITION<\/p>\n
Charlie Curnow kicked seven goals against the Western Bulldogs back in Round 7, but this was surely the ex-Blue\u2019s best day as a Swan. <\/p>\n
The dual Coleman medallist erupted for eight goals on Saturday afternoon, with six coming in the first half alone. <\/p>\n
He also had 18 disposals, nine marks and 14 score involvements. <\/p>\n
Charlie could have gone into double digits, but the selfless Swans shared the load on Saturday, with Isaac Heeney booting five goals from 13 score involvements and 100-gamer Hayden McLean slotting four majors. <\/p>\n
Curnow returns to form with 6 in a half! | 00:41<\/p>\n
Curnow booted three goals in the opening term, and the Swans had seven, in what was their highest-scoring first quarter of the year. <\/p>\n
Two minutes into the second, the 29-year-old had his fifth of the match after outmuscling Luke Trainor in the goalsquare. <\/p>\n
Curnow had his sixth by the 19-minute mark. Before Saturday, he hadn\u2019t kicked six or more majors against Richmond. <\/p>\n
Along with his six goals, he had taken six marks and been involved in nine scores by half-time. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019ve liked about him is off the ball, the work he\u2019s been doing. I think he\u2019s been criticised somewhat this year for standing there and calling for the ball on his head,\u201d Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy at half-time. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got on the move – and maybe the ball movement further up the field has prompted him to get on the move and work his direct opponent over. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been lively. He\u2019s been an option \u2026 he\u2019s certainly taken his opportunities when they\u2019ve come. That is a fair half of football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Re-live Sydney vs Richmond in our blog below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A relentless Sydney Swans have demolished the undermanned Richmond by 114 points at the SCG on Saturday. Helped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707541,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-707540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}