1. The rivalry is real in the Harbour city
The game's fiery first quarter showed that while the Sydney Derby is the newest cross-town battle in the league, there's plenty of spice in it. Star Swan Josh Kennedy was left visibly dazed after a clash with GWS veteran Steve Johnson, while Kurt Tippett went down off the ball, and both men spent plenty of time off the ground undergoing concussion tests. GIANTS co-captain Callan Ward was crunched in a couple of bruising tackles in the second term but played on, and there were mini-eruptions all over the ground.
2. The GIANTS' finals rookies handled the occasion brilliantly
The heat was on in an action-packed first half, and the GIANTS' young stars, led by hard nut Stephen Coniglio, held their nerve. There were a few early nerves from both sides but GWS settled first under immense pressure, and laid the foundations for a historic win. The GIANTS kicked the first three goals of the second half through Jeremy Cameron and finished with seven goals to two after the long break, to launch themselves into a home preliminary final in a fortnight's time. It was a stunning display that sent a clear message to the rest of the finals combatants.
3. Opposition clubs must tag Heath Shaw
The All Australian defender led the league for kicks and rebound 50s in 2016, but had a lot of his penetration negated by Swans youngster George Hewett, who followed the veteran everywhere he went. Shaw sets up so many of the GIANTS' attacking moves with his run from the back 50, and while he was still very good with 26 touches and eight rebound 50s, the efforts of Hewett at least kept him accountable in the first half. When he's allowed to roam free and direct the back six, like he does most weeks, Shaw is lethal, so if he's not the opposition's number one target for the rest of this finals series, something is wrong.
4. The Rising Star's season is likely over
Callum Mills was named the game's best young player on Tuesday, but he came back to earth with a thud when he tore his right hamstring against the GIANTS. The 19-year-old started on Steve Johnson and had six possessions at 100 per cent efficiency before he hobbled from the ground midway through the second term, and was visibly upset on the Swans bench before the main break. The loss of Mills forced co-captain Jarrad McVeigh to move into defence after he'd been a solid contributor in the midfield, and left the minor premiers with one less runner in the second half. Even if the Swans do win through to the grand final, it's going to take a miracle recovery for Mills to get up.
5. Stevie J faces an anxious wait
The three-time premiership Cat will be sweating over his clash with Kennedy in the first half, and with just two games to play at most for the year, a suspension could end his season, and perhaps his career. Johnson is yet to decide if he'll play on in 2017 and with Kennedy spending significant time on the interchange bench before returning to the field, the Match Review Panel will no doubt scrutinize the incident heavily.
