Swans beat Suns in scrappy encounter

Three goals each to Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett have helped the Sydney Swans secure a scrappy 52-point win over the Suns on the Gold Coast.

Sydney Swans players Lance Franklin and Adam Goodes

Fans have been booing Adam Goodes at every possession. (AAP) Source: AAP

Adam Goodes was booed by the Gold Coast crowd as a strong first half display from the Sydney Swans helped set up a 52-point win over a spirited Suns outfit.

The Swans were made to work hard for their scrappy 13.15 (93) to 5.11 (41) victory against a resilient Gold Coast side battling an injury toll nudging double figures and minus key forward Charlie Dixon due to a club-imposed suspension.

Goodes made headlines last weekend by directing an indigenous dance towards Carlton supporters during their 60-point win at the SCG and was booed from the outset by the Gold Coast locals on Saturday night at Metricon Stadium.

The crowd gained further volume when the dual Brownlow medallist conceded a 50-metre penalty which directly led to the Suns opening goal through Tom Lynch.

The 35-year-old delivered the perfect response to the 13,068 spectators by kicking his one and only major midway through the opening quarter.

The jeers subsided for Goodes over the course of the contest with the veteran finishing the match with 17 disposals and six marks.

Lance Franklin kicked three goals including a sublime effort from a tight angle in the opening term, while forward partner Kurt Tippett booted three majors from only four kicks before being substituted during the final quarter.

Leading by 44 at halftime, the Swans were outplayed by the Suns in patches during a rain-affected second half.

A goal to debutant Peter Wright sparked a mini revival for the Suns as they shaved the deficit to 39 points at the end of the third term.

It took until the ninth minute of the final quarter for a goal to be kicked, with Franklin snapping for his third after marking a kick from Goodes.

Sam Reid's goal after the siren ended the dour affair with the Swans notching their eighth win of the season to remain in second place on the AFL ladder.

Sydney coach John Longmire was happy with the win but wanted more from his side during a scrappy second half.

"It's good to win a game of footy. In the end we won by 50 points, but we had a really strong advantage at halftime and it would have been good to make a bigger advantage in the second half," Longmire said.

"They put an extra number back; it was a bit slippery, we didn't use the ball well and our intensity needed to ramp up and it plateaued a bit."

Meanwhile, Suns coach Rodney Eade alleviated fears surrounding Steven May's groin after the defender limped off in the third quarter.

"He got a slight groin strain early in the second quarter and it got a little bit worse during the third and we thought we'd err on the side of caution," Eade said.

"He's a chance for next week but we don't know at this stage."


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Source: AAP


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