Essendon v Sydney Swans, Round 23 2026
2026 AFLRound 23
| Club | QT | HT | 3QT | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESS | 3.0 18 | 7.4 46 | 9.7 61 | 11.10 76 |
| SYD | 9.1 55 | 11.4 70 | 13.9 87 | 17.10 112 |
MCG, MelbourneMostly sunny, 15°Lead changes 0
Recap
Sydney too strong for Essendon
Sydney 17.10 (112) beat Essendon 11.10 (76) at MCG in Round 23, a 36-point win.
Sydney led at every change.
Charlie Curnow kicked four goals for Sydney and Isaac Heeney three; Nate Caddy kicked three for Essendon.
Isaac Heeney led the way with 29 disposals, three goals and 7 clearances.
A run of five straight goals in the first quarter stretched the lead from 6 to 37.
Essendon laid 76 tackles to 61 but couldn’t convert it.
In context
- Errol Gulden’s 47 disposals are the most by any player in a game this season.
Best on ground
Sydney · #5 · 88% game time
- 29
- D
- 3
- G
- 9
- M
- 7
- T
7 clearances · 6 inside 50s · AFL Fantasy 142
Brownlow votes2026 count
Score worm
Essendon aheadSydney aheadGoalFour or more goals in a row
- 5 goals in a row to SydneyQ1 15:12 – 27:22
- Sydney lead by 44Q2 2:55
- 5 goals in a row to SydneyQ3 17:29 – Q4 10:03
EssendonGoals
- N. Caddy 3.1
- P. Wright 2.1
- R. Unwin 1.1
- A. Day-Wicks 1
- A. Perkins 1
- J. Prior 1
- W. Setterfield 1
- V. Visentini 1
SydneyGoals
- C. Curnow 4.1
- I. Heeney 3.2
- C. Warner 3
- L. McDonald 2.2
- J. Lloyd 2
- J. Dattoli 1.1
- B. Cootee 1
- J. Serong 1
- Venue
- MCG, Melbourne
- Field umpires
- Nick Jankovskis, Mathew Nicholls, Sam Morgan, Sam Ferguson
EssendonFinal team
Interchange
- 6Caldwell
- 29Kondogiannis
- 23Jones
- 24Bryan
- 10Kako
EmergenciesE. Tsatas, H. El Achkar, L. Blakiston
In
- +Angus Clarke
- +Harrison Jones
- +Nick Bryan
Out
- −Sam Durham · Injured
- −Zak Johnson · Omitted
- −Hussien El Achkar · Managed
Sydney SwansFinal team
How the FanCrew rating works
FanCrew rating: Champion Data rating points and AFL Fantasy points together, on a 0–10 scale against every AFL game since 2001 (Fantasy points alone before 2012). 6.5 is a typical game, 8.5 and up a standout. Players need 15% game time to be rated.
Essendon laid 76 tackles to 61 but couldn’t convert it.
ESSAttackSYD
- Inside 50s 54
- Scoring shots 17.1027
- Accuracy 63%
50
2111.10
52%
The ball
- Disposals 399
- Contested possessions 141
- Clearances 40
- Marks 73
- Tackles 61
- Free kicks 14
- Biggest lead 44
380
134
33
96
76
24
0
Essendon11.1076
| Player | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12W. Setterfield | 32 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 123 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | |
| 17V. Visentini | 19 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 120 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 14 | |
| 25J. Prior | 16 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 103 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 31Z. Reid | 20 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 97 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 0 | |
| 21A. Roberts | 28 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 105 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15D. Sharp | 22 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 95 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1A. McGrath | 19 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 74 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 0 | |
| 6J. CaldwellInt | 28 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 95 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |
| 27M. Redman | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 81 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| 24N. BryanInt | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 79 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 17 | |
| 7Z. Merrett | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 71 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 0 | |
| 29M. KondogiannisInt | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 51 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | |
| 10I. KakoInt | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2J. Farrow | 15 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 64 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | |
| 38R. Unwin | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 73 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| 30N. Caddy | 11 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 4K. Langford | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
| 16A. Perkins | 9 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 44A. Day-Wicks | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 57 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | |
| 20P. Wright | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 34J. Artemis | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| 36A. Clarke | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23H. JonesInt | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team | 380 | 11 | 9 | 96 | 76 | 33 | 1663 | 223 | 157 | 50 | 31 |
Sydney Swans17.10112
| Player | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5I. Heeney | 29 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 142 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 0 | |
| 21E. Gulden | 47 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 147 | 30 | 17 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1C. Warner | 23 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 102 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 0 | |
| 4B. Grundy | 25 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 101 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 22 | |
| 44J. Lloyd | 21 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 91 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | |
| 22N. Blakey | 29 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 89 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 0 | |
| 34M. Roberts | 19 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 72 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 0 | |
| 6L. McDonald | 15 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| 29J. Hamling | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14C. Mills | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 66 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 0 | |
| 15S. WicksInt | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 61 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17J. Jordon | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9J. DattoliInt | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | |
| 35C. Curnow | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 30T. McCartin | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16B. Campbell | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | |
| 26R. BiceInt | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 24D. Rampe | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13J. Serong | 15 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 0 | |
| 11T. Papley | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | |
| 25B. CooteeInt | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| 45W. GreenInt | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | |
| 32H. Kyle | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | |
| Team | 399 | 17 | 7 | 73 | 61 | 40 | 1544 | 199 | 200 | 54 | 33 |
Bold marks each side's best in a column; tap a heading to sort. RTG is the FanCrew rating, AF is AFL Fantasy points.
First quarterESS 3.0 (18) · SYD 9.1 (55)
- 1:59GoalC. CurnowSYD0.0 (0) – 1.0 (6)
- 4:56GoalC. CurnowSYD0.0 (0) – 2.0 (12)
- 7:03GoalJ. PriorESS1.0 (6) – 2.0 (12)
- 8:20GoalC. CurnowSYD1.0 (6) – 3.0 (18)
- 10:24GoalA. PerkinsESS2.0 (12) – 3.0 (18)
- 15:12GoalJ. LloydSYD2.0 (12) – 4.0 (24)
- 17:04GoalC. WarnerSYD2.0 (12) – 5.0 (30)
- 20:07GoalJ. DattoliSYD2.0 (12) – 6.0 (36)
- 21:57GoalC. WarnerSYD2.0 (12) – 7.0 (42)
- 24:03BehindL. McDonaldSYD2.0 (12) – 7.1 (43)
- 27:22GoalC. WarnerSYD2.0 (12) – 8.1 (49)
- 29:06GoalP. WrightESS3.0 (18) – 8.1 (49)
- 32:44GoalL. McDonaldSYD3.0 (18) – 9.1 (55)
Second quarterESS 4.4 (28) · SYD 2.3 (15)
- 0:44BehindJ. DattoliSYD3.0 (18) – 9.2 (56)
- 2:55GoalB. CooteeSYD3.0 (18) – 10.2 (62)
- 5:34BehindA. ClarkeESS3.1 (19) – 10.2 (62)
- 8:03GoalN. CaddyESS4.1 (25) – 10.2 (62)
- 9:53BehindI. HeeneySYD4.1 (25) – 10.3 (63)
- 11:07GoalP. WrightESS5.1 (31) – 10.3 (63)
- 14:40BehindC. CurnowSYD5.1 (31) – 10.4 (64)
- 16:30GoalR. UnwinESS6.1 (37) – 10.4 (64)
- 18:15GoalI. HeeneySYD6.1 (37) – 11.4 (70)
- 25:18BehindJ. CaldwellESS6.2 (38) – 11.4 (70)
- 27:46GoalN. CaddyESS7.2 (44) – 11.4 (70)
- 29:43BehindR. UnwinESS7.3 (45) – 11.4 (70)
- 30:21BehindN. CaddyESS7.4 (46) – 11.4 (70)
Third quarterESS 2.3 (15) · SYD 2.5 (17)
- 2:02BehindL. McDonaldSYD7.4 (46) – 11.5 (71)
- 3:26BehindJ. FarrowESS7.5 (47) – 11.5 (71)
- 6:02BehindD. SharpESS7.6 (48) – 11.5 (71)
- 10:02GoalA. Day-WicksESS8.6 (54) – 11.5 (71)
- 13:12GoalW. SetterfieldESS9.6 (60) – 11.5 (71)
- 15:40RushedSydneySYD9.6 (60) – 11.6 (72)
- 17:29GoalJ. SerongSYD9.6 (60) – 12.6 (78)
- 20:30GoalL. McDonaldSYD9.6 (60) – 13.6 (84)
- 21:44BehindI. KakoESS9.7 (61) – 13.6 (84)
- 23:17RushedSydneySYD9.7 (61) – 13.7 (85)
- 25:43BehindW. GreenSYD9.7 (61) – 13.8 (86)
- 29:25BehindI. HeeneySYD9.7 (61) – 13.9 (87)
Last quarterESS 2.3 (15) · SYD 4.1 (25)
- 1:05GoalI. HeeneySYD9.7 (61) – 14.9 (93)
- 2:39RushedSydneySYD9.7 (61) – 14.10 (94)
- 5:36BehindJ. CaldwellESS9.8 (62) – 14.10 (94)
- 7:48RushedEssendonESS9.9 (63) – 14.10 (94)
- 8:35GoalC. CurnowSYD9.9 (63) – 15.10 (100)
- 10:03GoalI. HeeneySYD9.9 (63) – 16.10 (106)
- 15:34GoalV. VisentiniESS10.9 (69) – 16.10 (106)
- 17:44GoalN. CaddyESS11.9 (75) – 16.10 (106)
- 24:20BehindP. WrightESS11.10 (76) – 16.10 (106)
- 29:29GoalJ. LloydSYD11.10 (76) – 17.10 (112)