A late Sydney rally denied plucky Geelong an upset win as the Swans battled their way to a six-point AFL win over the Cats at the SCG.

Geelong led for much of the last three quarters, but the youthful and under-strength visitors couldn't seal the deal in the last term as Sydney eked out a 10.13 (73) to 10.7 (67) victory.

The Swans kicked 3.8 to 1.0 in the last quarter as they mounted almost constant pressure on a Geelong side notorious for its inability to register big totals.

Geelong, which suffered its third straight loss, held the Swans goalless in the third quarter and entered the last period with a 14-point advantage.

Hustled out of their stride for much of the evening, Sydney cranked up its intensity.

Sydney's prime movers Paul Williams, Barry Hall and Adam Goodes, who had been well contained for much of the contest, kicked the first three goals of the last quarter to push the match beyond the visitors reach.

Hall and Williams headed Sydney's goal chart with two apiece.

While Sydney kicked the first two goals of the night and led by seven points at the first break, Geelong dictated terms for much of the next two quarters and unsettled Sydney with their tenacious scrambling, chasing and spoiling.

Youngster James Kelly sparked much of Geelong's good work kicking three goals and accumulating a match high 22 possessions and was paid the compliment of having Sydney's chief tagger Brett Kirk moved onto him in the second half.

The Cats kicked five goals to four in the second quarter to establish a two-point halftime advantage.

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