The Sydney Derby, formerly and unofficially called the Battle of the Bridge or the Battle of Sydney,[1][2][3] is an Australian rules football local derby match between the two Sydney-based Australian Football League (AFL) clubs, the Sydney Swans and the Greater Western Sydney Giants. As of the conclusion of the 2023 AFL season, the head-to-head score is in favour of the Sydney Swans with 16 wins to 10; the teams have also met three times in finals matches, with Greater Western Sydney winning each time.
The match's former nickname, The Battle of the Bridge, was suggested by GWS's inaugural coach Kevin Sheedy. The bridge in question is the Anzac Bridge which connects Eastern and Western Sydney, not the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, which connects North Sydney to the city part of Sydney.[4][5]
The first Sydney Derby was held on 24 March 2012 and attracted a then-record Derby crowd of 38,203. This game was also the first game of the 2012 AFL season and the first AFL premiership match for the Giants. Fielding a very young and inexperienced team, the Giants only won three games in their first two years in the competition and failed to win any Derby games. This led to declining attendances at Sydney Derbies.
The Giants won their first Derby in the opening clash of 2014. Later that year, The Daily Telegraph noted there was "genuine dislike off the field" between the clubs.[6] Over the subsequent years, the Giants progressively moved up the AFL ladder and got closer to the Swans, who were premiership contenders during this time. The opening Derby of 2015 attracted a crowd of over 30,000—the first time this had occurred since the first Derby. The 2016 Derbies were both well attended—the Swans' home game had the second-highest attendance in fixture history. The Giants' home game was the 10th Sydney Derby. With both teams vying for a top-four spot at the end of the season, the game was described as a blockbuster.[7] In the lead up to the game, The Daily Telegraph published an article analysing the rivalry. Though noting that Sydney's surprise recruitment of Lance Franklin created some animosity between the clubs, the article went on to say, "What the rivalry needs is a flash point. ... Something to make it clear that when the Swans and Giants meet there is real feeling. Not the slightly awkward yet mutually respectful détente that currently exists."[8] After the game, the paper declared that an altercation between Steve Johnson and Lance Franklin "was the moment of sporting theatre that inspired a rivalry to truly ignite".[9] It was the first AFL game at Sydney Showground Stadium to be declared a sell-out, and it was Foxtel's highest-rating program of the day, second-highest rating twilight match of the season, and the second-most-watched Sydney Derby—behind only the inaugural clash.[10][11]
The first finals series match between the teams was on 10 September 2016, when the Swans hosted the Giants in the 1st Qualifying Final of the 2016 season. The Giants defeated the Swans by 36 points, an historic victory considering it was the Giants' first win in a finals series match and was played before a record derby crowd of 60,222.[12][13] The two teams met again in a finals match in the 2018 second elimination final; it was the first time the sides met in a knock-out match.[14] The Giants registered their biggest-ever victory over the Swans, winning by 49 points in front of a crowd of 40,350—the largest for a Sydney Derby at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[15]
In August 2020, the two teams contested a Sydney Derby at Optus Stadium in Perth due to concerns over a second wave of coronavirus cases in Sydney,[16] while Sydney's outbreak in July 2021 saw that month's fixture moved first to Mars Stadium in Ballarat,[17] then to Metricon Stadium following a COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria.[18]
The two teams met in a Sydney Derby final for the third time in 2021, with that match taking place at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania. It became the fourth different state to host a Sydney Derby.[19] In front of a crowd of 8,635, the smallest-ever Sydney Derby finals crowd and the third-smallest Sydney Derby crowd overall, the Giants defeated the Swans by 1 point, the narrowest winning margin in the derby's history.
The two venues usually used for the Sydney Derby are the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Showground Stadium. However, the first three Sydney Derbies and the 2016 finals series derby were held at Stadium Australia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sydney Derby was played at various neutral grounds. Sydney Derby XIX was played at Optus Stadium in Perth,[16] Sydney Derby XXI was played at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast,[18] and Sydney Derby XXII was played at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston.[19]
Source: Click here
a Crowds impacted by COVID-19
The Brett Kirk Medal is awarded to the player deemed to be the best player on the ground after the match. It is named after Sydney Swans AFL premiership player Brett Kirk, who was born and raised in country New South Wales and played junior football for North Albury. Players highlighted in green are current players for either club.
NOTE: No medal was awarded in Sydney Derby XI, Sydney Derby XVI or Sydney Derby XXII due to those matches being finals matches.
Below are listed statistics from the Battle of the Bridge only.
Players highlighted in green are still on AFL lists for either Sydney or Greater Western Sydney. Updated to the end of 2024.
Brownlow Votes as of the end of the 2023 AFL season.
Coaches highlighted in green are the current head coach for either Sydney or Greater Western Sydney.
Like both the "Western Derby" and the "Showdown", pre-season matches do not count towards the overall Sydney Derby results and statistics. However, The first ever match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Sydney Swans occurred during the 2011 pre-season. To date GWS and Sydney have played 10 pre-season fixtures including annually from 2013 to 2021.
