A GAME-TURNING four-goal haul from Chloe Molloy has helped Sydney claim all-important bragging rights over cross-town rivals Greater Western Sydney with a 31-point victory in Sunday afternoon's Sydney Derby at Henson Park.
However, the 13.9 (87) to 8.8 (56) victory was bittersweet for the depleted Swans, marred by a serious ankle injury to Sophia Hurley.
GIANTS v SWANS Full match coverage and stats
On the stats sheet, Sydney dominated inside-50s 46–36, while the Giants slightly edged the clearances 27–21.
The Swans carved up the ground in space, outclassing GWS in uncontested possessions 138–116 and capitalising on the scoreboard. Conversely, the Giants did their work in tight, leading contested possessions 131–118, but their inside grunt wasn't enough as their losing streak extended to four.
Lively from the opening bounce while matched up against Poppy Boltz, Chloe Molloy showcased her exceptional forward craft by skilfully drawing contact. After kicking two behinds in the opening quarter — the second following a strong contested mark deep inside 50 — she exploded in the second term with three majors that proved to be the difference. As the most influential forward on the ground, she finished with 16 disposals, 4.4, and 361 metres gained.
Before being forced out of the match with her injury, Hurley had also put on a dominant display for the Swans, compiling a then game-high 25 disposals and six inside-50s.
The loss of Ally Morphett to a one-match suspension for striking forced first-year tall Maddie Quinn to shoulder the primary ruck role alongside Taylor Smith against rookie ruck Yasmeen Janschek. Quinn and Smith each finished with 11 hitouts to Janschek's match-high 27.
For the Giants, Alyce Parker led all comers with 26 disposals and two goals. However, Tanya Kennedy spent extended periods tagging Parker in the second half, effectively curbing her impact.
Early pressure set the tone for Sydney. With the breeze in their favour, Smith made an immediate impact in her return from a wrist injury, finding space up forward to mark a pass from Montana Ham and slot the opening goal.
Capitalising on repeated turnovers, the Swans pushed forward again as Cynthia Hamilton carried the ball inside 50, ran her full distance, and slotted their second.
The Giants responded in the 11th minute when Tarni Evans was awarded a free kick and converted for their first goal. However, Sydney's relentless early pressure proved too much. Out-tackling GWS 21–14 in the early stages, Sydney locked the ball in their front half and won the first-quarter inside-50 count 16–14 to take a 10-point lead into the first break.
The Swans picked up where they left off in the second term as a clever over-the-top handpass from Hamilton found Holly Cooper for a goal.
Continuing to dominate, Molloy slotted back-to-back goals in four minutes — first snapping on her right, then laying a crunching tackle on Caitlin Fletcher, who came off second best with an ankle complaint, to convert the resulting holding-the-ball free kick.
Doing everything she could to keep the Giants in touch, Parker’s efforts were rewarded with a major before she bombed a second home on the stroke of half-time to cut the Swans’ lead to 23 points.
The teams traded goals, with Isabel Huntington, Hamilton, and Molloy all adding to their tallies. Notching her first AFLW goal, Emma Juneja then got in on the action from the pocket with a classy finish to give the Swans a 41-point lead at the last change.
The final quarter took a sombre turn when play was paused as Hurley was stretchered off the field with a serious left ankle injury sustained in a heavy tackle, just as GWS began to finish the match strongly.
Molloy makes it three amid bizarre free kick chaos
In bizarre second-quarter scenes, three Giants defenders flew for the ball in their defensive 50, only for Chloe Molloy to end up with it and a shot on goal. A foul behind play took precedence as Cambridge McCormick was penalised for high contact on Molloy off the ball. Given the resulting free kick, the star forward made no mistake, converting to slot her third major of the match.
Record crowd packs Henson Park
More than 7,340 fans packed Henson Park for the Sydney Derby, setting a new venue record that surpassed the 7,171 spectators at last year’s derby. The fixture highlighted the growing significance of Henson Park as a home for AFLW in Sydney amid booming interest in the women's game across the Harbour City. That surge was also evident last month, when more than 16,000 fans packed the SCG to break Sydney's all-time AFLW crowd record as the Swans hosted Essendon in round two.
Swans victory marred by ankle injury to Hurley
Sophia Hurley was taken to hospital with a suspected severe left ankle injury after a heavy tackle five minutes into the final quarter, receiving on-field pain relief before being stretchered off. Sydney coach Colin O'Riordan acknowledged the emotional toll the incident took on the playing group, noting that in the last term "you could see the wind kind of got sucked out of us". Even in immense distress, Hurley could be seen calling to the bench, "Just get the job done". O'Riordan said the act spoke volumes about her character, adding the club remains hopeful the damage isn't as severe as first feared.
Up next
Sydney will travel to Adelaide to take on Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Saturday, with the match starting at 2:35pm AEST. Meanwhile, Greater Western Sydney will head to Canberra for their second game at Corroboree Group Oval Manuka, clashing with Richmond on Sunday at 12:35pm AEST.
SYDNEY 2.5 7.6 12.8 13.9 (87)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 1.1 5.1 6.3 8.8 (56)
GOALS
Sydney: Molloy 4, C.Hamilton 2, Juneja 2, Smith, Cooper, McCarthy, Grunden, Gardiner
Greater Western Sydney: Huntington 3, Parker 2, Evans, Doyle, Howley
BEST
Sydney: Molloy, Hurley, Gardiner, Smith, Ham, Kennedy
Greater Western Sydney: Parker, Beeson, Janschek, Evans, Brazendale, Lucas-Rodd
INJURIES
Sydney: Hurley (ankle)
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
LATE CHANGES
Sydney: Nil
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 7,340 at Henson Park
