Sydney forward Charlie Curnow kicked five goals as the Swans demolished Port Adelaide by 97 points at the SCG to consolidate second place on the ladder.

Curnow extended his lead in the standings for the Coleman Medal, awarded to the season’s top goalscorer, while midfielder Errol Gulden underlined his return to form with 39 disposals and three goal assists in the Swans’ 167-70 win.

The Swans’ goal threat extended far beyond Curnow, as an undermanned and outmatched Port Adelaide were handed their heaviest defeat of the season. Tom Papley, Logan McDonald, Jake Lloyd and Chad Warner all finished with three goals.

The Swans treated Port as a practice paper before the finals examinations against far tougher teams in September, which explained a sloppy first-quarter performance as a string of rookies were given their chance at the SCG.

The Swans were without star ruckman Brodie Grundy, who missed the game for personal reasons after the birth of his first child. His absence allowed Dean Cox to hand a long-awaited AFL debut to Will Green, who was drafted with pick 16 in 2023.

Green showed why the Swans had rated him so highly, competing well in the ruck with 19 hitouts despite missing a straightforward chance for a debut goal in the second quarter.

Midfielder Jesse Dattoli also played his first game this year, kicking two goals and providing quality distribution to his team that often inexplicably struggled with simple handballs, while Billy Cootee impressed with two goals and intense forward defensive pressure with four tackles.

The Swans were slow to start, with Jake Lloyd kicking the first major in the 12th minute after an assist from Green. The winter sun dipped over the SCG and the Swans remained sleepy and sluggish throughout the first quarter.

The only saving grace for the Swans was that Port failed to punish them in front of goal and only led by two points at the end of the quarter. That was as good as it got for the visitors, who lost star midfielder Horne-Francis to an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter.

Cox reminded his players what was expected of them after the sub-par opening period, and the Swans delivered emphatically after the re-start.

The Swans kicked nine consecutive goals in the second quarter through Cootee, Matt Roberts, Tom Papley, Dattoli, McDonald, Riley Bice, Jai Serong and Curnow (2).

The goal streak turned the game for the Swans and exposed the expected gap against an inexperienced Port Adelaide team that revealed its soft centre.

Curnow kicked his third major in the third quarter, continuing to make a mockery of media reports early in the season that he was struggling to make an impact at the Swans.

Curnow has revelled in the Swans forward line, taking the opposition’s best defender and allowing space for the likes of McDonald and Papley to shine.

Papley kicked two more goals in the quarter and threw himself into contact, smashing Horne-Francis to the ground in a tackle which drew a huge cheer from the SCG crowd.

Isaac Heeney kicked his first major after working his way into the game after an uncharacteristically rusty start. The Swans ended the quarter 59 points in front, with Port Adelaide’s first quarter exploits a distant memory.

The final quarter gave Curnow his fourth and fifth goal of the game, underlining a devastating performance from the Swans.