Swans kick away for big win over Blues

Sydney were rarely troubled by Carlton on Sunday as the Swans kicked away to a big win over the Blues at Etihad Stadium..

Sydney Swans players

Sydney made it two big wins from two starts on Sunday, kicking away to a 60-point win over Carlton. (AAP)

It's not the perfect beginning to an AFL season but Sydney's two big wins from two starts isn't far off it.

The Swans followed up their season-opening 80-point demolition of Collingwood with a clinical 60-point dissection of Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Sunday to sit second on the AFL ladder after two rounds.

The Blues toiled away in front of their 33,146-strong home crowd but their was an air of inevitability about the 20.11 (131) to 10.11 (71) result.

The Swans just had that extra touch of class across every line but nowhere was their ascendancy more evident than at the stoppages.

With 34 possessions and eight clearances, Tom Mitchell led an onball group that largely controlled proceedings, with Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker and Josh Kennedy also influential.

Sydney starved the Blues' forwards of opportunities while giving their own plenty with a lopsided 69-44 inside 50 count.

Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett made the most of those opportunities with four goals apiece while former West Coast ruckman Callum Sinclair helped himself to three.

"You're always aiming for utopia and you never quite get there as a coach," John Longmire said of his team's impressive start to its premiership campaign.

"We're really pleased with the evenness of our group at the moment but we know that it can be very fleeting. You need to keep working at it."

But while those more experienced players impressed, the Swans' young brigade was a key component once again.

Tom Papley, Callum Mills and Isaac Heeney were among the new breed of Swans to have a significant influence on proceeding at various stages.

"We don't look at the birth certificates of our playing group when it comes to team selection," Longmire said.

"The younger boys coming into the team and doing what they're doing has been fantastic."

As well as Sydney played, Carlton will take plenty away from their own performance.

The Blues trailed by 38 points at halftime but came out with renewed vigour only to squander their hard work with a wasteful 2.5 in the third quarter.

There were danger signs for Brendon Bolton's young side as Sydney kicked the first three goals of the final term but the rookie coach will take some heart from the way his charges at least fought the game out.

"We played a very well-oiled machine today that's got a very strong culture that's been developed over time," Bolton said.

"We aspire to get to that space. We know it's going to take some time but we're not going to give up on going into every training session trying to improve and make that gap up."

Former Crow Matthew Wright was again important for his new club with 26 possessions, with Bryce Gibbs and Dale Thomas - playing his first game of the season - also prominent.


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Source: AAP


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