Sydney may have provided a successful blueprint in curbing influential GWS defenders Sam Taylor and Jack Buckley, as depth options Joel Hamling and Aaron Francis applied immense pressure during the club's 14-point win.
The Swans are without first-choice key forwards in Logan McDonald (fibula) and Joel Amartey (hamstring), leaving coach Dean Cox with the difficult task of curbing Taylor and Buckley, but he managed to do it successfully with the unlikeliest of pairings.
The Giants rely heavily on Taylor and Buckley's ability to intercept the ball, peeling off their direct opponent and having an influence on the surrounding contests.
In Sydney Derby 30, both the GWS talls were kept to a combined 13 intercept possessions, five marks and 17 touches, which is well below their lofty standards.
In contrast, Hamling, who was a premiership player for the Western Bulldogs in 2016 and has played predominantly as a defender, kicked his first career goal after over a decade in the AFL system.
Francis also chimed in with a major, and took five marks, ensuring Taylor remained engaged with defending.
"I think you have to against those quality defenders," Cox said.
"What they've been able to do for GWS for a long time, and for our normal key forwards out, we had to look at something different.
"I think that's a credit to Joel and Aaron for the way they prepared, but also, they were really keen for the role.
"We can't allow them to play on their terms, and the boys did a really good job in that."
The Swans snapped a three-game losing streak and are confident they can use the momentum of the emotionally-charged victory to spur their season forward after a sluggish start.
The win was soured by the incident involving Lewis Melican, who can expect to receive some attention from the MRO after his strike resulted in "blurred vision" for GWS speedster Toby Bedford.
Bedford drew blood from his face and was subbed out of the game due to the injury to his eye, but it is unclear whether he suffered a concussion.
"I've only seen it briefly. I understand that it'll go through the AFL and the tribunal. Obviously, we hope Toby is okay," Cox said.
"Lewis has probably got an immaculate record (at the tribunal). The way he plays his footy, he isn't malicious.
"He's always been a ball player, and that's why we love having him at our footy club. That will play out in the next couple of days.
"You want to back your players in playing at a level that doesn't overstep the mark."
The MRO will hand down their findings on Monday evening.
Sydney will head to Marvel Stadium to take on Essendon in Round 9.