Both the men’s and women’s squads for the Sydney Swans have won their games in a double-header at the SCG. A threat of a walkout before the men’s match over the scandal that has engulfed the club failed to eventuate in large numbers.
Five men’s team players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon — have been stood down for breaching team standards.
Several fans outside the SCG said they were torn about whether to walk out before the men’s game, while others said they hoped today’s games would be a chance to unify the club. One fan had his banner removed by security, while it was confirmed the 16,672 through the gate for the AFLW was a new record for a Swans game.
In Sunday’s other AFL games, Essendon lost to Port Adelaide in a heartbreaker at Docklands, locking in its place on the bottom of the ladder, while Hawthorn travels to Perth to face the West Coast Eagles at 7:20pm, with a top four spot on the line for the Hawks.
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Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 12:20pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 12:20pmAFL scoreboardSun 23 Aug 2026 at 6:01pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 6:01pmFT: Sydney 17.21 (123) defeats North Melbourne 10.10 (70)
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 6:01pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 6:01pmFT: Sydney 17.21 (123) defeats North Melbourne 10.10 (70)
Incredibly emotional scenes after the final siren at the SCG!
Vision is shown of Dean Cox sharing some embraces with his coaching staff in the box, and the players receive a standing ovation.
Callum Mills and Errol Gulden are in tears out there.
“I’m so grateful for our fans for sticking with us,” Mills told Fox Footy.
“They do it for us every week, but this week felt extra special.
“They’ve [the replacement players] been amazing. The whole footy club is amazing.
“We spoke about it as a team. We have a system that we believe in and anyone who comes in will do the job, and today was proof of that. Bring on finals.”
Following Mills’s interview, cameras show Cox embracing his family inside the locker room.
Emotions running high for everyone after a very testing week.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 6:00pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 6:00pm
Gulden crosses 40-disposal mark once again
Errol Gulden is hitting his straps ahead of the finals, and my goodness will the Swans need him or what?
Gulden is up to 41 disposals and six clearances now, and it comes after he racked up a career-high 47 touches against the Dons last week.
It is the third time this season that Gulden has grabbed 40 touches or more.
Gulden has also racked up 1,055m gained after breaching the kilometre mark last week as well.
He is the first player in league history since metres gained started being tracked to rack up over 1,000m in consecutive games.
What a player.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:57pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:57pm
Three minutes to go at the SCG
Nick Larkey narrowly misses a set shot to the left, again one that he would’ve kicked blindfolded a few years back.
We’re almost there folks. Into the final two minutes in this one.
Dean Cox is looking a relieved man in the coaches box.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:51pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:51pm
Swans continue to run up margin as McDonald goals
Logan McDonald drills a set shot from close range after winning a free kick for holding the man.
McDonald has two for the day and the Swans have pushed the lead to 54 points.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:50pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:50pm
Stephens shaken up after huge contest
Dylan Stephens, a former Swan, gets an applause as he jogs off the ground after being shaken up in a big contest.
It looks like Stephens’s head might have hit the turf, so I doubt we’ll see him again.
Just seven minutes left in this one, Swans by 48 points.
I’m really interested to see what the scenes are like after the final siren.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:45pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:45pm
Curnow executes another snap to perfection!
How good is this from some of Sydney’s prime movers!
Warner, Heeney and Blakey may be banned, but there is still plenty of starpower on this team.
Brodie Grundy combines with Errol Gulden on the wing and then Gulden sizzles a ball inside 50 to a leading Charlie Curnow.
Curnow love the snapped set shots from the angle, and drills it once again. He’s now got 3.4 for the afternoon and Sydney leads by 49 points.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:42pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:42pm
Curnow snaps home his second goal of the day
Charlie Curnow, after missing a tough shot a few minutes earlier, makes no mistake from close range.
That’s his second goal of the afternoon, both have come via snaps.
Curnow’s now got a league-leading 68 goals for the season, he’s been well worth the acquisition for the Swans.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:39pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:39pm
A massive ovation as the attendance is announced
The vibes are now good at the SCG, this is starting to feel like the end of the W game did.
The attendance is flashed on the big screen around the ground and there’s a big ovation.
All of that comes as Cam Zurhaar kicks a goal to trim the margin to 36 points.
Still plenty of time left, over 13 minutes to be exact, but it doesn’t feel like the Kangaroos have enough left in the tank.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:36pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:36pm
Kyle overjoyed after kicking his first career goal
What a first goal this is!
Harry Kyle snaps it through after receiving a quick handball from Charlie Curnow, and he is PUMPED.
Swans have three goals inside the first 10 minutes of the final quarter and this lead has blown out to a game-high 42 points.
Game. Over.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:35pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:35pm
Campbell gets lucky bounce inside the square
Braeden Campbell unleashes a long ball from just outside 50 and it looks as though it’s not going to make the distance, but the ball pitches in the square and then rushes past Aidan Corr.
A bit going on behind the play. Tristan Xerri, who isn’t afraid to throw his body around, flattened Angus Sheldrick with a huge tackle, and Brodie Grundy wasn’t too happy about that.
Sheldrick looks shaken up for a little bit, but tells the trainer nearby that he’s OK.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:30pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:30pm
Cootee gets the crucial first goal after break
Billy Cootee continues to make a nuisance of himself in Sydney’s forward line!
He wins a free kick for holding the ball and then drills his third goal of the afternoon.
Sydney really needed that one to just steady the nerves.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:26pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:26pmThe official attendance for the Swans men’s clash is in
We’ve got 30,058 spectators in at the SCG for this men’s clash between the Swans and Kangaroos.
If you missed it earlier, a record-breaking 16,672 fans watched the women’s team beat the Bombers.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:23pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:23pm3QT: Sydney 10.15 (75) leads North Melbourne 8.6 (54)
Cooper Trembath’s late goal gave the Kangaroos a sniff going into the final quarter. (Getty Images)
A fascinating final quarter coming up as North Melbourne takes advantage of Sydney’s poor kicking.
The Kangarooos kicked 3.1 to the Swans’ 1.8 for the quarter, trimming the half-time margin ever so slightly.
Sydney will feel like it can blow this game wide open once again, but the first goal of the final quarter going to the Roos could change things drastically.
It’s been a very taxing week for the Swans emotionally, I wonder if we see the impacts of that in this quarter.
The Swans lead the inside 50 count 51-30 and the clearance count 31-27.
Errol Gulden has brought his own footy once again. He’s got 30 disposals and five clearances, while Luke Parker, Caleb Daniel and Finn O’Sullivan lead the way for the Roos with 18 touches apiece.
Brodie Grundy has 21 disposals, 25 hitouts and five clearances for the Swans.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:17pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:17pm
Trembath on the board as Roos continue march
We’ve got a game on at the SCG folks!
Cooper Trembath wins a free kick in the pocket after laying a brilliant tackle on Dane Rampe.
Trembath executes the snap perfectly from the pocket to trim the margin to 21 points with two minutes left in the quarter.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:10pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:10pm
Zurhaar threads the needle to trim margin
The Kangaroos are hanging around!
Nick Larkey with a lovely kick inside 50 from the outside of the boot and he finds a leading Cam Zurhaar.
Zurhaar drills the tricky set shot. The contrast between his shot and Larkey’s from earlier in the quarter compared with some of Sydney’s misses is very interesting.
The door is ever so slightly ajar.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:07pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:07pm
The Swans have butchered some set shots
Jai Serong is the latest Swan to miss a set shot from virtually directly in front this quarter, joining Charlie Curnow.
Sydney has kicked 1.6 for the quarter after kicking seven behinds for the entire first half.
They lead by 31 points, but they’re allowing North to hang around, which is never a wise thing to do.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:03pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 5:03pm
Larkey’s excellent set shot keeps North in it
This is the good version of Nick Larkey!
The Kangaroos skipper, for so long a deadeye in front of goal, has blown incredibly hot and cold this season.
He works this shot from 40m out on a tough angle beautifully from left to right.
Larkey’s 27 behinds this season are the highest in a single season in his career.
When he kicked a career-best 71 goals in 2023, he kicked just 24 behinds.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 4:56pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 4:56pm
Cootee strikes early in the third quarter
Billy Cootee is turning into such a useful player for the Swans!
The former Essendon VFL skipper hammers home his second goal to go along with 13 touches after a wonderful kick inside 50 from Braeden Campbell.
Swans out to a 31-point lead. That’s the steadier Dean Cox would’ve wanted after the break.
Sun 23 Aug 2026 at 4:51pmSun 23 Aug 2026 at 4:51pm
Second half underway between Swans and Roos
The players are back out on the SCG and the play is underway in the third quarter.
Can the Kangaroos continue their positive momentum from before the break?
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