Sydney fans can now breathe after nearly slipping on that blue and white striped banana peel.
The Swans have been the team to beat in the first half of 2026, and their opponents, the rising North Melbourne, nearly did. However, the Swans' class oozed through late as they regained their spot atop the ladder.
Nick Blakey, whose left peg was a central figure in the fixture as he sliced and diced the Roos, went off the ground early with a shoulder complaint but returned to the game. The flying half-back flanker gave his opposition credit post-match following a feisty encounter between the two sides.
"When you have no shoulders and no muscle on you and (Tristan Xerri) is running through you, it's bound to hurt," Blakey said post-game on the Fox Footy broadcast.
"It was bloody tough, North are in some great form. We probably aren't at our best, but their pressure was unreal. There was a reunion for the '96 flag, and they came out and played like a lot of those boys and had a lot of Shinboner spirit.
"It's exciting; we are 8-1.
"Last few weeks, we probably haven't been at our best, but we are still scoring over 100 points, and they scored about 90 today, but we usually defend pretty well as well. We are in a good spot.
"But there's no point being good now; we need to be good at the end of the year. A long way to go."
That last sentence is especially poignant for Sydney, given the Swans have been perennially good but have choked in their two recent grand finals against Brisbane in 2024 (lost by 60) and Geelong in 2022 (lost by 81).
Blakey collected 26 disposals, while some of his kicking had to be seen to be believed. The 26-year-old is in red-hot form and on track for a second All-Australian blazer as he reflected on his position in the side.
"I have a pretty good role," he said. "It's play high and try to test (the opposition) out, and my teammates really fill me with confidence, and the other five backs really have my back out there, and they let me do what I do.
"There's probably not a whole lot of running back to goals, but that's my role, and if I can bridge that gap between defence and offence, that's when I'm at my best, and I think I've been able to do that to start the year. My teammates put me in great spots, and I work off them."
