They came to the SCG to support Adam Goodes, and left a few hours later with another 52 reasons to be happy.
As far as statements go, Sydney could not have delivered a more powerful one during the week. Their players sent another strong message on Saturday.
From the moment Lewis Jetta, one of the most influential players on the ground, kicked the first goal of the game this was a celebration for the crowd of 38,690 - the Swans' highest home attendance this year.
Even before the shameful actions of West Coast's supporters brought matters to a head, this was shaping as a very important game.
For Adelaide, who have fought adversity of a different level, any slip up could be the difference between finals or a September holiday. The Swans had fallen out of the top four after two heavy losses and needed a performance of authority to show they deserved to remain in the premiership conversation. And on Saturday they played indisputably their best game in 10 weeks, if not the season, reclaiming fourth position on the ladder.
The Swans who obliterated the Crows were unrecognisable to the error-prone team that rolled over against Hawthorn and were outclassed by the Eagles. They were hard, slick and clean, particularly in the first half when they made the Crows resemble witches hats.
When they had the ball they moved it with such speed the Crows had better chance of trying to follow a pinball in a slot machine. When they didn't have it, apart from a brief spell in the third quarter, they forced the Crows into errors.
The Swans simply worked harder than their opponents, a fact best reflected in the uncontested possession count - which read a lopsided 345-208 - and made more tackles despite having the ball 128 times more.
Well beaten in the midfield last week, the Swans had six players register 30-plus possessions, though none had as much impact as Dan Hannebery, who complemented a 40-possession game with three goals.
Tom Lynch was Adelaide's best, his return of three goals even better than it looked on paper given how poorly the Crows moved the ball.
The Swans weren't afraid to use the corridor and, unlike recent weeks, hit their target. This allowed them to kick into an open front half line where their forwards generally had one-on-one contests.
Lance Franklin, with three goals, had flashes of brilliance but finished the game on the bench nursing a suspected back problem. However, it was the form of Kurt Tippett - playing against his old team for the first time - which could prove the most telling for the Swans in the next two months.
The added responsibility of playing as the No.1 ruck seemed to agree with Tippett, who played one of his best games in the red and white. He was recruited by the Swans as a forward but he is a very handy ruckman as well. And few rucks are as potent as Tippett in attack when he's on song. His three goals in the first term helped set up the game.
Just as importantly, it made the Swans less predictable in attack, making it more difficult for the Crows to double team Franklin.
The emotion of the week was reflected in a high-voltage opening by the Swans, whose play belied that of a side that had been stuck in a form slump.
Poignantly, Jetta kicked the first goal of the game, capping off an enterprising run up the Bill O'Reilly Stand wing with a crowd-lifting finish. This time there was a happier reason for his celebratory dance.
The Swans had five goals on the board by time on and so uncompetitive were the Crows it seemed a major hiding was on the cards.
If there was a passage of play which highlighted the Swans' silkiness and Adelaide's laziness, it was the move started by Nick Smith in their defensive 50. Three possessions later, Hannebery kicked truly at the other hand with no Crow getting remotely close to their opponent.
The Crows started the second term with an extra man back but when Franklin bombs them in from outside 50 he is rendered useless.
Franklin, however, was quieter in the second half, well held by Daniel Talia, who was one of few Crows to win his position.
SYDNEY 6.2 11.5 13.9 17.15 (117) ADELAIDE 2.2 4.4 7.8 9.11 (65)
GOALS Sydney: Hannebery 3, Tippett 3, Franklin 3, Kennedy 2, Parker 2, Lloyd, McVeigh, Jetta, Reid. Adelaide: Lynch 3, Jenkins 2, Walker 2, Betts, Lyons.
BEST Sydney: Hannebery, McVeigh, Kennedy, Tippett, Rampe, Parker. Adelaide: Lynch, Talia, Dangerfield.
UMPIRES Pannell, Mollison, Margetts. CROWD 38,690 at SCG.
