It was Sydney's game to lose.
As the half-time siren sounded, the Swans were in complete control, leading by 28 points. They had dominated contested possession (+9), leveled up their clearance work rate (+7) and structured themselves beautifully in defence, intercepting eight of the Giants 11 second quarter defensive chains for a score of 3.1 (19) and holding them to three goals from 23 forward 50 entries.
While emotions were high for both teams, with plenty of scuffles between the archrivals in the first half, Sydney seemed to be controlling this area too, as Giants veteran Toby Greene dropped a surprising comment criticising Tom Papley's weight while leaving for the locker rooms.
Then it all fell apart.
A nine-goal, 57-point third quarter tsunami from the Giants tore the game open with the Swans defence unable to tread water as the Giants launched their onslaught, kicking five goals between the 19th and 29th minute of the term. Sydney never recovered, kicking just two behinds in the final term as GWS extended their lead to 44 points - the biggest winning margin in a Sydney Derby since 2022.
So, what caused the sudden momentum swing that effectively ended Sydney's season?
A timely spray at half-time from Giants senior coach Adam Kingsley undoubtedly got things in motion.
"I reminded them around the way we want to play and asked certain players to lift their output," Kingsley said post-game.
"I loved the way that the guys responded, I thought it was led by our leaders. Toby Greene was outstanding, Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Tom Green, I thought they were brilliant, particularly around the contest."
While Kingsley is right to mention those names, as they all played a key role in the Giants dominating contested possession 70-48 in the second half, no player was more damaging out of the middle than Finn Callaghan.
After a quiet first half to his standards, facing the tough tag of the notorious James Jordon, Callaghan was influential with every possession in GWS' third-quarter tidal wave. He recorded eight touches with perfect efficiency, four inside 50s, five score involvements and 349 metres gained in the quarter but most notably kicked the goal that was the catalyst to the comeback.
"The goal from Finn that kick-started it... I haven't seen a better goal this year," Kingsley said.
"Jordon's a good player and not many players touch the ball playing on him. Finn didn't necessarily touch the ball a heap but a lot of his disposals were really damaging possessions and he has that capacity. Low-possession, high-output type of player.
"He's experienced [tagging] not often... A lot of teams have gone to Whitfield in the past, not Finn, so that's new for him. For him to be able to fight his way through it and still impact the game to the level that he did is a real credit to him."
Callaghan's ability to shake off the physicality of Jordon and damage the scoreboard with nearly every disposal was a game-breaker in the third term and deservedly earned him the Brett Kirk Medal. It highlights the 22-year-old's ability to be another leader for the Giants in pivotal moments, bolstering an already imposing strength of theirs ahead of September action.
Furthermore, GWS' ability to score from turnovers in the second half was crucial, outscoring the Swans 8.3 (51) to 0.1 (1) from the source. The game essentially flipped, Sydney becoming the side to struggle with their possession chains from defensive 50 as the Giants intercepted 13 of their 17 chains in the second half.
"After half-time we played the way that we want to play. I thought we put incredible pressure on both defensively and offensively. Around the ball we were really strong and aggressive. It was what [the Swans] were in the first half," Kingsley said.
That pressure enabled the Giants forwards to do their best work, receiving quality entries from their midfield and kicking with top-notch accuracy to place Sydney's defence under siege. Jake Stringer was the biggest beneficiary, kicking three second-half goals and creating six score involvements as his season continues to reach impressive new heights.
"That was an unbelievable level of output. I thought our centre bounce stuff where we were able to surge it forward and then our forwards winning their contests and scoring on the back of it really accurately [was important]," Kingsley said.
"It felt like everything our forwards touched turned to gold. That's the capacity we have, we just need to deliver it more than what we have and I think we're building towards that."
The Giants have firmly cemented themselves in the premiership conversation with Friday night's win, extending their win streak to six games and improving their record to 13-6. With matchups against the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast to come, the Giants have a perfect opportunity to create separation between them and the top eight pack in the hopes of securing a crucial double chance.
Considering the depth of talent of GWS' playing list, which becomes more dangerous with every passing game, there's every possibility the Orange Tsunami can surge into September by doing just that.
