Arriving at Marvel after somewhat surprising losses to the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows, the Swans were in desperate need for a win to kick-start their faltering season.
In an entertaining battle at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Isaac Heeney (26 disposals, 4 goals) was influential in the Swans securing their first win of the season, 14.9 (93) to 10.14 (74).
With the lead ballooning to 31-points late in a tightly-contested third term, the Blues kicked two goals in a minute to close out the term, trailing by 19 points.
An Ed Curnow (19 disposals, 4 goals) goal midway through the last quarter narrowed the lead to 16 points, before more drama and wastefulness cut the margin to 13-points, coinciding with Jarrad McVeigh joining the casualty ward with an injured quad.
The Swans were already without forward Will Hayward, who kicked two first-half goals but broke his jaw in a contest with veteran Blue Kade Simpson late in the second term.
Isaac Heeney's late goal, his fourth for the match, sealed the game for the Swans as time ticked over 25 minutes, the beneficiary of front-on contact against Lachie Plowman.
Swans coach John Longmire praised his young star's return to form in his post-match press conference.
"He had a sore ankle there for a couple of weeks – he hurt it in the last JLT game – and that gets lost in the mix a little bit," Longmire told reporters.
"When you play like he does, he's lucky he didn't get a syndesmosis in that last game … and with a bit longer week he was able to get right and trained really well in the last session.
"He had the mix absolutely what we like, which is the mix of midfield-forward and taking marks either end, going forward and putting pressure on.
"His ability and courage overhead is outstanding."
Zak Jones starred in the midfield for the Swans in a quality combination with captain Josh Kennedy, picking up 31 disposals and 7 clearances each.
Jake Lloyd (32 disposals) and Jarrad McVeigh (24 disposals) were terrific for the Swans throughout the match, while Heeney was a star in the forward line, finishing with 11 score involvements and 1 goal assist, to go with his 4 goals.
Superstar forward Lance Franklin found it a tough day's work at the office against Blues defender Liam Jones, finishing the match with 2 goals from 12 disposals.
Jones, who bore the brunt of Franklin's Coleman medal winning 10-goal haul in Round 23, 2017, played arguably the game of his career, limiting the Swans spearhead to just 4 marks and little-to-no influence throughout the match.
Sydney ran head-on into a Carlton team who haven't reached triple figures for 57 consecutive matches (now 58) but that looked to change after a blistering first quarter with 11 goals kicked between the sides.
Lance Franklin (2 goals) booted the first goal of the match, before a Patrick Cripps (28 disposals, 22 contested) instantly replied, kicking the Blues' first centre clearance goal of the year.
The Blues went toe-to-toe with the Swans, trading the opening 10 goals of the match inside the first 23 minutes, at one stage leading by 8 points after two Ed Curnow goals and No. 1 draft pick Sam Walsh's first goal.
It was a pulsating opening quarter, with the Blues unlucky to be trailing, after McKay missed from 15 metres out and Paddy Dow misfired on the run and dropped a mark inside 50.
The best was saved for Ed Curnow's second goal of the quarter, a perfect dribble attempt from deep in the pocket that's sure to win this Round's Coates Goal of the Year.
The electric pace was always going to be hard for Carlton to maintain, and when they fell away, Sydney's array of forward options capitalised, booting four consecutive goals.
Despite the drama of the last quarter, Carlton's forwards couldn't keep up with their Sydney opposites, with Tom Papley and Patrick Cripps combining for the highlight of the match.
Harry McKay was arguably the best of Carlton's tall trio, finishing with 1.3 and 6 marks, while Mitch McGovern and Levi Casboult had little impact on the contest.
Tom McCartin, who was playing his first game of the season, was a surprise when he lined up at centre half back on Mitch McGovern.
The forward turned defender had arguably the best game of his fledgling career (14 disposals, 7 intercept possessions, 6 tackles), while Aliir Aliir and Dane Rampe dominated their opponents once McGovern joined the casualty ward.
The Swans now hosts another opponent without a win, Melbourne, at the SCG on Thursday night with the chance to put itself right back in the top-eight race.
NEXT UP
The Swans return home to the much-criticised surface of the SCG to take on another winless opponent in Round 4, the Melbourne Demons.
SYDNEY 6.1 9.5 11.9 14.9 (93)
CARLTON 5.4 6.5 8.8 10.14 (74)
Injuries
Sydney: Hayward (jaw), McVeigh (thigh)
Carlton: Phillips (corked quad), replaced in selected side by Lobbe, McGovern (hamstring)
Reports
Nil
GOALS
SYDNEY: Heeney (4), Franklin (2), Hayward (2), Papley (2), Parker, Blakey, Kennedy, Sinclair
CARLTON: E. Curnow (4), Cripps, Murphy, Walsh, McGovern, McKay, Fisher
BEST
SYDNEY: Heeney, Kennedy, Sinclair, Jones, Papley, Lloyd, McVeigh, McCartin
CARLTON: Cripps, E. Curnow, Jones, Walsh, Murphy, Fisher
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