It’s one thing to see a perceived advantage going into a match, another to bring it to fruition.

Sydney had a depleted ruck battery with injuries to Callum Sinclair and Sam Naismith, which meant they had pinch hitter Aliir Aliir as their No.1 big man – opposed to perhaps the most influential ruckman in the game, Nic Naitanui.

Aliir, a key defender in the main, was out-sized and out-played by a man at the top of his game, with Naitanui the most influential player on the ground as the Eagles scored an important 34-point victory over the Swans at Metricon Stadium.

Naitanui won 39 hit outs and in conjunction with Oscar Allen manufactured plus-11 in hit outs to advantage.

He had 11 possessions and a mark, but seven of those disposals were clearances, the majority of them out of the middle. Only Dom Sheed and Elliot Yeo had more clearances.

With the Eagles relishing the Naitanui dominance, the ball was consistently sent out of the centre bounce inside his team’s forward 50, resulting in a 47-30 advantage in probes inside the attacking arc.

The big man also set the tone for a more aggressive and dynamic performance which will help build belief as the club takes aim at its last game in the Queensland hub, against Adelaide at the Gabba next Saturday.