CHLOE Molloy returned in style and Zippy Fish dazzled on debut as Sydney made an early statement with a 20-point victory over Richmond at North Sydney Oval.

The Swans were in control for much of the contest without quite putting the Tigers away until breaking the game open with four third-term goals on the way to an 8.10 (58) to 5.8 (38) win on Friday night.

SWANS v TIGERS Full match coverage and stats

Molloy made an immediate impact in her first game back from an ACL injury that ruled her out of most of last season, with Sydney’s opening goal in the first term.

The 26-year-old’s class was on display from there as the Swans’ main target near goal while they locked the ball forward for long periods.

Molloy showed no signs of last year’s injury as she threatened on the lead and outmuscled opponents, finishing with four majors.

But the Swans’ co-captain was almost outshone by Fish’s superb first game as the 19-year-old gathered 25 disposals to fall one short of the record for the most on debut. 

The highly-touted draftee showed plenty of promise with her penetrating kicking a weapon on the shorter field. 

A courageous mark taken in front of Richmond key forward Caitlin Greiser was an early sign that Fish has a game suited to defence, but it was her dash and dare when streaming through the midfield that looks set to thrill Sydney fans this season. 

Ally Morphett was another Swan quick to put an injury-ravaged campaign behind her as the young ruck was a presence around the stoppages with five clearances and 20 hitouts. 

Laura Gardiner (27 disposals) and Sydney’s reigning club champion Sofia Hurley (18) were busy in the engine room, while former Cat Darcy Moloney (one goal) hit the ground running in her club debut.    

"Chloe obviously makes a massive difference. I'm not going to say it just because she's standing here, but she's a superstar," Swans coach Scott Gowans said post-match.

"I've always said that she's the best female footballer I've seen. I'm going to stick with that. Tonight showed me why I believe that."

The Tigers were able to stay with the Swans through the opening half as they remained a threat on the counterattack, but were unable to stick with the hosts as the game opened up.

Caitlin Greiser booted the first goal of the game with a long bomb from 50m as the Sydney defenders switched off as the ball floated through at head height.

But there was no stopping Greiser’s second major as the key forward flushed her kick from beyond the arc to keep the Tigers in the contest after the Swans were on top heading into the main change.

Monique Conti was outstanding with a game-high 32 disposals, while Ellie McKenzie (20, one goal) also battled hard in the midfield.

"'Mon' worked her way into the game really well," Tigers coach Ryan Ferguson said. 

"When she's tackling and putting pressure on, as well as winning the ball and getting the ball forward, that's a really hard player to stop.

"It was really good to see Mon and Ellie working in combination together. We need some more support around that to make sure we've got a little bit more multifaceted midfield."

Katelyn Cox got through her first game in 649 days unscathed after recovering from an ACL injury and had some important interventions as Richmond fought out the final term.  

The Tigers found a hint of consolation after key defender Rebecca Miller was thrown forward and booted her first AFLW goal in her 52nd game, then kicked a second to give her side a hint of life.

But by then the Swans had already opened up what proved to be a match-winning lead, even before Molloy put the icing on the cake with her fourth goal in the dying stages.

Hamilton hops through Tigers defence 
Sydney had relied on grit as much as Chloe Molloy for much of their scoring through the opening half, at least until Cynthia Hamilton outshone her inspirational co-captain with a classy goal. The versatile Swan received a handpass inside the forward 50 but still had plenty of work to do as the Tigers defence closed in. But Hamilton hardly skipped a beat as she stepped around the first tackle attempt, baulked the second, then threw in a dummy to finally open up enough space to slot a team-lifting goal on the brink of half-time.

Former No.1 picks share the spoils
Montana Ham and Ellie McKenzie share a slice of history as former No.1 draft picks, but there was no love lost with the midfield duo butting heads from the opening bounce. After keeping a close eye on each other and enjoying a bit of niggle through the early exchanges, the pair eventually went their separate ways, with Ham doing most of her damage in the forward half and McKenzie continuing in her on-ball role. The Swans’ prized draftee might have taken the honours if not for misfiring near goal as she finished with 0.3, while McKenzie was important for the Tigers at the coalface with a game-high eight clearances. 

Up next
Sydney can seek back-to-back wins when it heads north to face Gold Coast at People First Stadium on Saturday at 3.05pm AEST. Richmond will search for a first win of the season when it hosts Western Bulldogs at Ikon Park on Sunday from 12.35pm AEST.

SYDNEY          1.4    3.6    7.9    8.10 (58)
RICHMOND     1.2    2.3    3.6    5.8 (38) 

GOALS
Sydney: Molloy 4, Cooper 2, C.Hamilton, Moloney
Richmond: Greiser 2, Miller 2, McKenzie

BEST 
Sydney: Molloy, Fish, Gardiner, Ham, Morphett, Hurley, Grierson
Richmond: Conti, McKenzie, Greiser, Kelly, Miller 

INJURIES 
Sydney: Nil
Richmond: Nil 

Crowd: 4,126 at North Sydney Oval