Lance Franklin has made a triumphant return as Sydney monstered Collingwood by 80 points in a horror start to the Pies' season.
Franklin finished with four goals and the Swans piled on 10 straight between the first and third quarters, on their way to a 18.25 (133) to 7.11 (53) win on Saturday night at the SCG.
Compounding the Pies' woes was an ankle injury to champion midfielder Dane Swan in the first five minutes, which could sideline him for several weeks.
And their misery might last beyond Saturday after another of their prime movers after Steele Sidebottom was reported for a bump on Dan Hannebery.
Franklin, who missed Sydney's 2015 finals campaign because of a mental health issue, kicked a goal inside the first 40 seconds and nailed three long-distance shots in the second quarter.
One of the senior figures in a youthful Swans side, 29-year-old Franklin had a fifth major goal scrubbed for an off-the-ball incident involving a teammate.
But he moved into 20th on the leading goal-kickers list with his second for the night and finished the evening on 710, which is the most by any current player.
He had plenty of support with Luke Parker, Tom Mitchell, Jake Lloyd and Kieren Jack running riot, and their three AFL debutants contributing, with lively small forward Tom Papley kicking three goals.
The Swans led by as much as 90 points in the final quarter and would surely have won by a three-figure margin had they kicked more accurately.
Collingwood were so inept in the first half that Franklin had outscored them 25-10 by half-time, and two other Swans, Mitchell and Papley, had also contributed more than the entire Collingwood outfit.
The Pies' service to their forwards was so poor that spearhead Travis Cloke didn't record a disposal in the first half.
One of the few bright spots for Collingwood was from former Giants midfielder Adam Treloar.
Pies coach Nathan Buckley said Swan had a cracked fibula and foot fractures and would require surgery.
"I assume once that's done we'll have a better idea of what it means for him for the rest of the year," Buckley said.
He rated Collingwood on Saturday as a shadow of the side that performed so impressively through the NAB Challenge.
"It was poor, there wasn't anything that was redeeming in that performance at all," said Buckley, who added Cloke was given a spell in the ruck to try and spark him up.
He reported Marley Williams came off late with a knee issue and Nathan Brown was taken off as a precautionary measure after feeling hamstring tightness.
Sydney Swans coach John Longmire described Franklin's effort as terrific and praised him for his work with the younger Swans forwards.
"His shoulder was a bit sore, I think he got a knock in a contest just after he kicked a goal in the first quarter," Longmire said.
"But he's come back on and played pretty well after that."
Longmire praised his bevy of youngsters and said he had told them to play to their strengths.
"Under that real pressure early in that game, round one when it's right on the whips are cracking, the kids were pretty good," Longmire said.
MEDICAL ROOM
Collingwood will be sweating on the scans from Swan's ankle injury, but the way he hobbled from the ground in pain, he looks set for some time on the sidelines. Franklin's shoulder looked to bother him at various stages after quarter-time but he should be fine to play next week.
NEXT UP
The Pies need to rebound next Friday night in what should be a belter against Richmond at a packed MCG, while the Swans head to Melbourne to take on the Tigers' round one opponents Carlton at Etihad stadium.
SYDNEY SWANS 3.9 10.12 14.21 18.25 (133)
COLLINGWOOD 1.1 1.4 5.6 7.11 (53)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Franklin 4, Mitchell 3, Papley 3, Cunningham 2, Hewett, Towers, Hannebery, Parker, Jones, Heeney
Collingwood: Greenwood, Crisp, De Goey, Moore, Fasolo, Treloar, Maynard
BEST
Sydney Swans: Parker, Grundy,Jack, Mitchell, Lloyd, Franklin, Rampe, Papley
Collingwood: Treloar, Adams, Sidebottom, Blair, Greenwood
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Franklin (shoulder)
Collingwood: Swan (ankle)
Reports: Sidebottom (Collingwood) for rough conduct on Dan Hannebery (Sydney Swans) in the third quarter
Umpires: Bannister, Dalgleish, Schmitt
Official crowd: 33, 857 at the SCG
