- The Swans beat Geelong in a thriller on Sunday
- The club’s mascot entered the field before the final siren
- Sydney has won eight in a row and is in great form
The Swans pulled off a thrilling comeback, beating Geelong by 30 points and taking their AFL winning streak to eight games.
But the club’s mascot was a little ahead of himself when entering the field before the final siren. in scenes that left fans in stitches.
Footage circulating on Reddit shows Sydney’s Swan mascot running between the posts and onto the grass, leaving players and referees confused.
A security officer ran after the mascot and took it away as the final seconds of the game ticked down.
It was the only setback in a great night that began with the league leader scoreless. and was trailing by 29 points at the first change on Sunday before Joel Amartey began a string of five unanswered majors to deceive the Cats.
Sydney’s mascot enters the pitch before Sunday’s final siren
The Swans extended their winning streak to eight games after Sunday’s victory
Amartey and Tom Papley scored two goals each in the third quarter to help Sydney take an 11-point lead before a high-octane Swans unit overwhelmed the Cats to win 16.16 (112) to 12.10 (82).
The victory in front of 44,714 spectators at the SCG was coach John Longmire’s 200th at the helm of the team.
Errol Gulden (one goal, 37 touches) went to work in the Swans’ engine room, while red-hot Chad Warner (two, 26) and Brownlow Medal favorite Isaac Heeney (two, 26) also dominated .
Papley scored a game-high four goals, the first coming 26 minutes into the third period, while Amartey scored three.
Sydney’s James Jordon was again deployed as a defensive forward against Australian defender Tom Stewart, limiting him to 20 touches.
Stewart’s Geelong teammates Max Holmes and Tom Atkins were earnest in their attempts to hold down the fort, while Jeremy Cameron was held goalless until kicking two in the final period.
Geelong had surprised with a ruthless performance in the first period, punishing the hosts with turnovers and kicking five goals to none.
Geelong had made a fast start but were unable to maintain their lead.
Tyson Stengle (three goals) showed glimpses of his best premiership performance in 2022 with a superb dribble goal from the pocket, before kicking his second to send the Cats to the first change well ahead.
The visitors looked set to continue their dominance until Amartey finally scored Sydney’s first big win of the night and revived his wayward side late in the second period.
Playing like a team possessed, Sydney reduced their 35-point deficit to five points in 10 minutes, with bigs Will Hayward, Warner and Heeney racking up five unanswered goals against the visitors.
Geelong tried to get back into the game, kicking three consecutive majors in the final period, but Warner ended their momentum with a spectacular individual goal.