Little brother has grown up and he's out for revenge. The ledger is still lopsided but Greater Western Sydney have landed a major blow on their crosstown rival.

Unlike the opening round of 2014 when the Giants caught Sydney on an off day, this victory came against a team that knew what was coming.

The Giants' 42-point win is arguably the young club's finest. Firstly, it ended a two-game losing streak, but importantly it means they come out of a tough four-week stretch with a respectable 2-2 record.

But most significantly, it means the Giants will not have a colossal red and white millstone weighing them down in September should they encounter the Swans again.

This could prove a costly night for the Swans, for whom this Sydney derby turned into a demolition derby instead. The flag favourite entering the round lost star trio Kurt Tippett, Gary Rohan and Callum Mills to injury and were limited to just one rotation for much of the second half.

The Giants set up their win with six unanswered goals either side of half-time then showed their maturity by withstanding a spirited revival by the undermanned Swans before running away late.

Toby Greene starred with four goals, while Callan Ward and Josh Kelly were influential in a midfield which surprisingly batted deeper than the Swans.

Tellingly, the Giants had 11 players with 20 possessions or more compared to the Swans' six.

Well beaten in the contest last week, the Giants needed to make an early statement – if not on the scoreboard then in the clinches where the Swans like it hard and heavy.

Within 10 minutes they had five shots on the board for only a goal. The Swans erased the deficit with two goals in the blink of an eye but, tellingly, some of their stars were finding the going hard.

Josh Kennedy was having trouble finding the ball, Lance Franklin was being forced to the wing to get near it. The pair would later find themselves closer than normal in the middle.

Bullied so often in these games in the past, the Giants were more than matching it with the flag favourite, for long periods they were outplaying them.

It's no secret how to beat the Swans – deny them the ball by beating them in close, spread fast and wide from the contest and isolate their defenders deep. Most teams can't do this but the Giants were putting theory into practice.

Their run from defence was troubling Sydney, who are the masters at locking the ball inside their 50. Not many have the audacity to take on Franklin, even fewer get around him and sprint away like Nathan Wilson did.

The Giants were wearing the Swans down in the midfield through weight of numbers. Dan Hannebery and Tom Mitchell were honouring their ends of the bargain but Kennedy, Kieren Jack and Luke Parker were off the boil.

Unable to dictate proceedings, the Swans' ball movement broke down. That Franklin had the ball four times in the first half was indicative of this, though Phil Davis gave him little freedom.

The Swans were proving a tough nut to crack but the Giants landed two key blows late in the first half, including a goal after the siren to Steve Johnson.

Franklin was swung into the middle but it was not until the Giants made a decisive move with four unanswered goals that the superstar Swan made an impact.

GWS v SYDNEY
Votes
Shaw (GWS) 8
Ward (GWS) 8
Greene (GWS) 7
Kelly (GWS) 7
Hannebery (Syd) 7