Sydney have overrun the brave Saints to win by 19 points at Marvel Stadium during an afternoon of injury mayhem that saw a 42-minute final quarter.
Play was suspended during the last term after Sydney defender Will Edwards suffered a badly broken ankle in a marking contest. He required a green whistle for pain relief and was taken from the ground on a motorised cart.
Not long after, Jack Silvagni had to be helped from the field in pain with a dislocated shoulder.
Sydney also lost James Rowbottom with a broken hand in the first term, while St Kilda superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera spent time off the ground with a hip ailment and teammate Tom De Koning needed treatment for a hamstring concern.
The Swans kicked the first two goals of the game, but then trailed by nine points at quarter time, 13 points at half-time and 12 points at the final break as St Kilda dominated possession and Wanganeen-Milera booted three goals.
But with the St Kilda midfielder clearly hampered in the final term, finishing the game out as a forward, Sydney’s midfielders went on a rampage and the Swans kicked seven last-quarter goals to St Kilda’s two. They won 16.11 (107) to St Kilda’s 13.10 (88).
“These guys are really physical,” Swans star Isaac Heeney told Fox Footy after the game. “I found out the hard way in the guts there, and a few of the boys came off not that great, unfortunately.
“So hopefully, Rowy’s OK. I think he has broken the middle bone, so hopefully it is a pretty quick turn around. And then, Will, poor fella, that was one of the grosser ones I have seen, so hopefully he can bounce back pretty quick. But he’s been outstanding for us.”
Play was stopped for 10 minutes while medical staff attended 23-year-old Edwards for what appeared to be a compound fracture.
He did not make his AFL debut until this year after a serious leg infection and then a broken leg threatened his career.
