Live: Swans win last-gasp thriller despite Ryan’s mark of the year contender

I don’t know how they’ve done it, but Sydney has pulled off a huge heist at the SCG!

What a game, and what a win for the Swans.

The Saints will be furious that they let this one go.

What is happening!

The Swans go forward, they thought they had holding the ball but nothing.

But then Isaac Heeney gets the ball from the stoppage and sends it to Jai Serong, and he snaps the go-ahead goal with 16 seconds left!

Oh my days.

This is just too intense.

The Saints go up one end and Darcy Wilson’s kick is touched on the line.

And then the Swans go down the other end, and Nick Blakey hits a kick, and a Saints defender leaps like a goalkeeper for a game-saving mark on the line.

A minute left!

This is shaping as an absolute belter of a finish at the SCG.

Both teams are giving EVERYTHING – William Edwards produced a huge smother on the wing for the Swans, and then turned up 30 seconds later to split two Saints defenders with a brilliant pass to Chad Warner inside 50.

Warner has been a bit wobbly with his kicking, but he nails this one, and we are back to four points!

Under four to go.

This one is not over, there are 10 points in it inside time on.

The Swans and Saints have both missed kicks at either end.

Hold on to your hats, folks.

Sometimes you just have to watch and smile – even if you happen to be a Swans fan!

The Saints were picking the Swans apart moving it down the ground, then Mattaes Phillipou kicked from long from the wing … and Liam Ryan launched into the stratosphere to take the mark of the year so far!

What a soar, what a grab!

Swans players flew everywhere. Ryan was left standing, and he kicked his fifth to give the Saints an 11-point buffer.

That is an epic speccie for “Flyin’ Ryan”.

And the Saints answer quickly!

They get the ball forward into the right forward pocket.

Isaac Heeney moves to clear the ball, but he slips over and punches it from the ground. It falls to Brad Hill and he nailed the kick!

Back to five points. Plenty of time.

The Swans are not going away!

They just shifted the ball forward, the ball did not fall properly for Chad Warner, who had to step back and around – but he steadied and nailed a kick across 50 to Hayden McLean, who marked despite copping a stray elbow to the back of the head.

He kicked the goal, and it’s back to a point!

The intensity of the contests is not slackening off, in fact it’s ramping up.

Players are colliding with teammates and opponents with equal frequency. Joel Amartey and Callum Wilkie came together on the wing in a clash that could probably be heard in the stands.

It could be survival of the fittest here in the final term.

Inside 50s: 49-46 St K

Clearances: 35-26 St K

Centre clearances: 12-12

Contested possessions: 117-114 St K

Uncontested possessions: 203-183 Syd

Marks inside 50: 8-6 St K

Tackles: 48-41 St K

As we suspected, Tom McCartin is out of the game with concussion. We wish him well as he goes through the protocols.

That was a typically fierce contest from McCartin, who went back with the flight and was collected by a flying Liam Ryan.

We have a quarter to go at the SCG, and suddenly the Swans are coming!

St Kilda still have the advantage, but it’s only by a kick after a horror end to the quarter.

Isaac Heeney popped up in the final minute to snap a vital goal to keep the Swans within reach. And then they put the pressure on and forced the ball forward, the ball spilled – and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera fumbled it to let it Charlie Curnow, who dribbled it through from 35m out.

Those late goals are vital for Sydney,  particularly given their personnel issues.

Riley Bice is being looked at – if he is out that means Sydney would be down to two rotations on the bench.

Don’t go anywhere, this one is shaping as a nervous final quarter.

We’re deep in time on, and the pressure is absolutely intense at the SCG.

The tackling is fierce, and the physical efforts are impressive.

But the Saints have managed to put it together, with a kick forward kept from a behind by Cooper Sharman, and the ball is still there for Tom De Koning to kick a vital goal!

The lead is out to 17 points!

The crowd is a little subdued at the SCG, possibly because of Tom McCartin coming off.

The Swans have been struggling to make headway, and are hanging in there. The Saints look the better side, but Sydney has just produced another strike, with a clean kick to Malcolm Rosas Jr deep in the right pocket.

He stepped inside and snapped it truly from a difficult angle.

The lead is back to 10 points!

That’s a big moment there for the Swans, and for Tom McCartin.

The big man flew for a contest inside D50 with Tom De Koning. He landed heavily and looks in trouble. After a few seconds the umpire called play to a halt to allow an official to come out and look at McCartin, who ended up coming off the ground.

Unfortunately, the replay suggests that might be a concussion, and with McCartin’s history, the greatest of care has to be taken.

We wish him well, and hope it’s not serious, but that could well be the end of his game.

That reduces Sydney to three on the bench, as Justin McInerney did not come back after half-time with a hamstring issue.

The Saints make amends for that miss, with a goal from defensive 50. The clearing kick is contested, then Hugo Garcia kicks to Cooper Sharman, who feeds Liam Ryan and Ryan kicks his fourth!

His celebration was quite entertaining as well.

The Saints are back out to 15 points.

That was a couple of minutes of circle work from both sides to kick things off in the second half.

Neither team could get it right going inside 50, but finally the Saints got the ball back and Liam Ryan fed a low drive of a kick that was taken brilliantly by a diving Tom De Koning.

The kick didn’t match the grab, however, but the Saints now lead by nine.

• Inside 50s: 37-31 Syd

• Clearances: 21-19 St K

• Centre clearances: 11-9 Syd

• Contested possessions: 79-75 Syd

• Uncontested possessions: 134-120 Syd

• Marks inside 50: 5-4 Syd

• Tackles: 24-21 Syd

The Swans have lifted in that second quarter, including contested possessions – Sydney led that category 45-36 in that term to lead by four at half-time.

It’s no wonder there have been a fair number of goals in this one, with a combined 68 inside 50s to half-time.

If any players still have any running ability left, this second half could open up even more.

We’ve been waiting for the footage of that crazy finish from outside the boundary from Chad Warner – and here it is.

The Swans could do with a bit more straight kicking in the second half. That is a brilliant goal from the Swans’s number one.