The match's former nickname, The Battle of the Bridge, was suggested by GWS's inaugural coach Kevin Sheedy.

[6] Over the subsequent years, the Giants progressively moved up the AFL ladder and got closer to the Swans, who were premiership contenders during this time.

Though noting that Sydney's surprise recruitment of Lance Franklin created some animosity between the clubs, the article went on to say, "What the rivalry needs is a flash point.

"[8] After the game, the paper declared that an altercation between Steve Johnson and Lance Franklin "was the moment of sporting theatre that inspired a rivalry to truly ignite".

[14] The Giants registered their biggest-ever victory over the Swans, winning by 49 points in front of a crowd of 40,350.

[19] In front of a crowd of 8,635, the Giants defeated the Swans by 1 point, the narrowest winning margin in the derby's history.

It is named after Sydney Swans AFL premiership player Brett Kirk, who was born and raised in country New South Wales and played junior football for North Albury.