IT'S HARD to picture a more devastating quarter than Sydney 12-goal third term avalanche against Carlton to open the 2026 season last Thursday night.

The Swans were running in waves and seemingly kicking goals at will. Justin McInerney kicked three for the quarter. Charlie Curnow, Isaac Heeney and Matt Roberts all booted two apiece.

They finished with a whopping 75 points from 12 goals and three behinds.

Despite the absurdity of the scoring, it ranked just equal-seventh for single-quarter outputs by teams since the AFL era started in 1990.

We have to go back 15 years to find the highest-scoring quarter since the competition officially went national, with Essendon piling on 15 first-quarter goals against the fledgling Gold Coast Suns.

It what became known as the 'Kyle Reimers Game', the Bombers ran riot under the then Etihad Stadium roof.

Reimers kicked three of his eight goals in that first term, while Paddy Ryder, Stewart Crameri and Sam Lonergan were also multiple goalkickers in the quarter.

In just the Suns' fifth game in their history, they had conceded 94 points by quarter-time.

Also on the podium was Geelong, kicking 14 of its 37 goals against the Brisbane Bears during the fourth quarter of a 1992 annihilation at Carrara.

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Gary Ablett snr added nine for the day in a result that still stands as the highest score (239) in AFL history.

Rounding out the top three is Adelaide, also putting 14 goals past Fitzroy in the second quarter of a round 17 match during the Lions' final season in 1996.

Highest-scoring quarters in the AFL era

Essendon 15.4 (94) v Gold Coast, Q1, R6 2011
Geelong 14.3 (87) v Brisbane, Q4, R7 1992
Adelaide 14.2 (86) v Fitzroy, Q2, R17, 1996
Brisbane 13.6 (84) v Fremantle, Q4, R5 2001
North Melb 13.3 (81) v Richmond, Q1, R2 1990
Hawthorn 11.10 (76) v Fitzroy, Q3, R21 1991
North Melb 12.3 (75) v Fremantle, Q4, R10 2000
Sydney 12.3 (75) v Carlton, Q3, OR 2026
Sydney 12.3 (75) v Adelaide, Q4, R5 1995