In a match that never hit any great heights the Swans were challenged by the inaccurate Dees in the second half, but held on to register the 10.8 (68) to 6.14 (50) win in front of a modest crowd of 7,311.
The margin was just 12 points 24 minutes into the final term, but Jude Bolton took a courageous mark backing into the oncoming pack and kicked the sealer from 50m.
Darren Jolly continued to put his case for All-Australian selection with a best on ground 26-hitout, three-goal performance, with Jarrad McVeigh (31), Ryan O'Keefe (25), Rhyce Shaw (29) and Heath Grundy (26) all prominent.
Cale Morton got the big job on Adam Goodes and the youngster took the honours in the duel with the Brownlow Medallist not having a big say in proceedings.
Aaron Davey was influential with 22 possessions and received good support from Brent Moloney (21), Ricky Petterd (20) and Cameron Bruce (21).
The Swans quickly established a stranglehold on the game with their superior pressure making Melbourne inside-50s a rare commodity.
Jolly put the first score of the day on the board when he converted a free kick from just outside 50 and Jarred Moore made the most of an errant Davey kick to add his team's second.
The Dees looked wobbly when McVeigh slotted his first, but they did well to work into the contest and deserved their first major which came off the boot of Moloney shortly before quarter time.
The Swans took a 14-point lead into the second term which quickly became 20 after Craig Bird, a late inclusion for Amon Buchanan, fed O'Keefe whose left foot kick sailed right through the middle.
But Melbourne was beginning to generate more fluid movement into attack and would have slashed that margin if Brad Miller and Michael Newton had kicked truly from set shots well inside 50m.
Liam Jurrah showed his more experienced teammates how to do it when he pulled down a superb one-handed mark and coolly slotted the goal, but it was to be the Demons' only major for the quarter.
Marty Mattner made the most of some loose checking to slip in to mark and goal and when Darren Jolly out-bodied Matthew Warnock to do the same, the Swans had extended their advantage to 24 points at the main break.
But just when it looked like the Swans by how much, Melbourne mustered its best quarter of the day. The Dees outscored their opponents two goals to one, but continued to hurt themselves with poor shooting for goal.
Swan Jesse White booted his side's only major for the term, but when Miller converted his toughest shot of the day, and Davey kicked truly from a set shot, the margin was back to 13 points at the last change.
Goals to Jolly and McVeigh appeared to have settled the outcome early in the last quarter, but to their credit the Demons fought back to give themselves an outside chance only to again be foiled by their inaccuracy in front of goal.
Melbourne 1.2 2.6 4.11 6.14 (50)
Sydney Swans 3.4 6.6 7.6 10.8 (68)
GOALS
Melbourne: Miller, Whelan, Davey, Jurrah, Moloney, Newton.
Sydney Swans: Jolly 3, McVeigh 2, Bolton, O'Keefe, Moore, Mattner, White.
BEST
Melbourne: Davey, Morton, Moloney, Warnock, Petterd, Bruce, Rivers.
Sydney Swans: Jolly, McVeigh, O'Keefe, Grundy, Bolton, Shaw, Kirk.
INJURIES
Melbourne: None
Sydney Swans: None
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Nicholls, Mollison
Official crowd: 7,311 at Manuka Oval
The views in this article are those of the author and not those of the clubs or the AFL
