Nine-goal Amartey helps all-conquering Swans sink Crows

JOEL Amartey has kicked a career-high nine goals to lead Sydney to a 42-point come-from-behind victory over Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

The Crows led by 23 points late in the second quarter of Saturday night's match, and they overcame Amartey's first blitzkrieg to still lead by 16 points late in the third.

CROWS v SWANS Full match coverage and stats

But Amartey's heroics eventually proved too much to handle for the Crows as Sydney kicked the next 10 goals of the match to secure the 16.13 (109) to 10.7 (67) win.

The victory was Sydney's ninth on the trot, and lifted them three wins clear on top of the ladder with a 12-1 record.

Amartey didn't have a disposal to his name at quarter-time, but he kicked four goals in the second term and another four in the third to flip the match on its head. 

He added another goal in the final term to finish with 9.1 from 10 disposals. 

The 24-year-old's haul was the most by a Sydney player since Lance Franklin kicked 10 against Carlton in round 23, 2017.

Amartey's previous personal best was four goals, but his magical night against Adelaide boosted his season tally to 31 goals and has put him in the mix for the Coleman Medal.

Errol Gulden was also huge for Sydney with 35 disposals and 10 clearances, while Brodie Grundy racked up 31 possessions, nine clearances and 49 hitouts.

Adelaide made the most of its chances in the opening term, kicking four goals to two to take an 11-point lead into the first change.

It marked the fourth consecutive match Sydney had trailed at quarter-time, and the warning bells were ringing when a Brayden Cook volley put Adelaide ahead 45-22 with seven minutes remaining in the half.

Amartey had already kicked a goal from a strong mark earlier in the second term, but he was left frustrated time and again by Sydney's poor entries, which often favoured Adelaide's defenders.

When Sydney finally fixed up their flaws, Amartey cashed in with a three-goal burst in the final five minutes of the quarter.

The first of that flurry came via a set shot from a tight angle.

A contested mark with a little less than four minutes remaining set him up for another goal, and he ended the rampage with an acrobatic snap around his body.

Amartey entered the half-time break with 4.0 from four kicks, helping reduce the margin to four points.

The Crows kicked away again after the break, and with six minutes to go in the third quarter, Sydney was still yet to kick a goal for the term.

That all changed in the blink of the eye as the Swans slammed through six unanswered goals to finish the quarter, including four to Amartey.

Most of Amartey's goals came from marks, with his efforts giving Sydney a 21-point lead at the final change.

Don't forget Errol
Much has been made of the Swans' near-unstoppable midfield this season, and while Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney have won most of the plaudits, and rightly so, Errol Gulden has quietly flown under the radar but is putting together an equally as impressive season as his cohorts. The 21-year-old was outstanding again against the Crows, collecting a game-high 35 disposals, 10 clearances, six tackles, one goal and 766m gained.

Where’s Horse's sense of occasion?
Nine-goal hero Joel Amartey found himself on the bench on two seperate occasions late in the final term, denying him the chance to kick a magical 10-goal haul. After he took a strong mark midway through the quarter to kick goal No.9 with 10 minutes remaining, he immediately ran to the bench for a rest. He returned to the field a few minutes later with teammates doing all they could to reward him with a 10th major. Despite a few close calls, he couldn't quite notch the elusive goal and once coach John Longmire brought to him to the bench for the final two minutes of the match, the 10-goal dream was over.

Hayward celebrates game No.150
Recently re-signed Swan Will Hayward celebrated his 150th game on Saturday night, and the milestone man looked ready to assert himself in the contest early on. Hayward had the game's first shot on goal, although it ultimately went through for a behind, and then moments later almost took a Virgin Australia Mark of the Year contender. While he had a quieter outing than usual by his lofty standards, Hayward was still a solid contributor as the Swans clocked up their 12th win of the season. The 25-year-old joins Errol Gulden, Ollie Florent, James Rowbottom and Lewis Melican in signing new deals at the Swans this season.

ADELAIDE          4.2    7.4    9.6     10.7 (67)
SYDNEY             2.3    6.6    12.9    16.13 (109)

GOALS
Adelaide: Fogarty 2, Rankine 2, Cook, Dawson, Keays, Rachele, Sholl, Soligo
Sydney: Amartey 9, Adams 2, Heeney 2, McDonald, Papley, Warner

BEST
Adelaide: Hinge, Laird, Rankine, Fogarty, Dawson
Sydney: Amartey, Grundy, Gulden, Heeney, Rowbottom, Papley

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Sydney: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Sam Berry (replaced Harry Schoenberg in the third quarter)
Sydney: Matt Roberts (replaced Hayden McLean in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 41,535 at Adelaide Oval