Qualifying Finals
Swans down arch-rivals in a thriller
Sydney pulled off a brilliant last-quarter fightback from the clouds to defeat Greater Western Sydney in what will go down as a ‘Battle of the Bridge’ for the ages. Although they did the double over their crosstown rivals during the regular home and away season, this was their first-ever victory over them in a finals series match.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith the scores all tied and just over two minutes remaining, Joel Amartey (pictured above) scored what proved to be the winning goal that nearly took the roof off a sold-out SCG.
It was the Giants, though, that made the better start, with Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan (pictured below) scoring the opening two majors. The Orange Tsunami led at every change and played so well, but they were just unable to see it out. This will be a huge disappointment, but their top-four finish means that they get another chance.
Embed from Getty ImagesIsaac Heeney (pictured below), one of the favourites for this year’s Brownlow Medal, put in yet another stellar display for the Swans. The midfielder racked up 30 disposals and seven clearances, booted three snags, and took an absolute screamer that could have been a ‘Virgin Australia Mark of the Year’ contender had not been in a final.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was also a big night for Braeden Campbell, who put a difficult week behind him with the loss of his grandad by coming on as a substitute and making a real impact.
Speaking in the rooms to Swans TV, the 22-year-old (pictured below) said, “I can’t really describe it; pretty surreal, after a tough week, but I was happy to be out there and playing for the boys. It was a great win.”
Embed from Getty Images“The amount of fight that we show to win a game, it’s unreal. We’ve done it time and time again, like in the last finals series, just finding a way to come back and win.”
On his current run, he commented “It’s been a nice change going up forward, playing on the wing as well, finding some form and training pretty hard so I am pretty happy.”
Cats flex into a Prelim
Geelong made an emphatic statement, booking their place in a fortnight after travelling interstate and humbling Port Adelaide by a massive 84-point margin.
This despite being dealt a blow in the lead-up, with influential defender Tom Stewart ruled out with illness. It gave a chance, though, to Irishman Oisín Mullin, who used to play Gaelic football back in Ireland for Mayo, to come in as a September debutant.
Embed from Getty ImagesJeremy Cameron (pictured above) showed why he is considered one of the best forwards in the game. He received the fourth All-Australian of his career by scoring an outrageous goal from right out on the boundary that got the travelling supporters up and about.
It laid the foundation for the visitors to completely dominate the match with coach Chris Scott (pictured below) leading his side to an amazing ninth Preliminary Final.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Power wasn’t helped by losing star midfielder Zak Butters with a rib injury during the half-time interval, but it wouldn’t have made any difference to the result.
Only 14 out of the 23 won the last Premiership with the Cats two years ago, which highlights the exciting young talent coming through at the club.
Embed from Getty ImagesSpeaking post-siren to Channel 7, skipper Patrick Dangerfield (pictured above) said, “Really proud of our guys and the way they attacked the week despite the disruption with Stewy (Tom Stewart) yesterday. But we had a really clear game plan of what we wanted to go after and you give our coaches a couple of weeks, we knew that if we could bring our game and stay at the level long enough then good things would happen.”
Asked about the younger players coming through, he replied: “It brings a freshness but it also reinforces that the guys we are bringing in like Jack Bowes, who comes to the club when he could have gone elsewhere for more money but chooses Geelong, Tanner Bruhn comes home, the growth of Ollie Dempsey, Lawson Humphries goes very well off half back; some wonderful stories and the list goes on.”
Results
Port Adelaide 7.12 (54)
Geelong 20.18 (138)
Sydney 13.10 (88)
GWS 12.10 (82)
Elimination Finals
The Wizard stars in ‘Hollywood Hawks’ victory
Hawthorn’s amazing year continues, advancing to the semi-finals after producing a scintillating display to see off the challenge of the much fancied Western Bulldogs.
They become just the second team in AFL history to win a match in the finals series, following a zip-five opening to a season when things looked completely different, and also their first victory, at the pointy end, since winning their last flag back in 2015.
Played in front of a crowd of 97,828 at the MCG – the biggest ever for an elimination final – the first quarter was a pretty even affair. Still, once the momentum shifted in the second and they got the contest played on their terms, there was no looking back.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis young side is nicknamed the ‘Hollywood Hawks’ for being the most exciting, talked about in the competition, so watchable, and just because of how they go about it. The occasion did not faze them, and they will head into next week full of confidence.
There were some impressive performances across the oval, but the mercurial Nick Watson (pictured below), nicknamed ‘The Wizard’, who only joined the club last summer as Pick 5 in the 2023 national draft, really caught the eye and returned a career-high four majors.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was also a big evening for forward Calsher Dear, son of the late premiership player and 1991 Norm Smith medallist Paul. Although he only debuted back in May, he has gone on to firmly establish himself in the line-up and be part of this magical journey so far.
Embed from Getty ImagesTalking on ground to Channel 7, the 19-year-old said “It doesn’t feel real, I am absolute speechless. I am so proud of the boys and the way they performed today; it has been just so much fun to be a part of and I am so happy.”
“It’s a massive dream come true and always what I have wanted to do for ages. Just the joy I see it brings my family and friends makes it even more special for me.”
Lions roar into semi-finals
Joining them next week is a Brisbane side that got off to a flyer and effectively had the game wrapped up at the main break as they swept aside a below-par Carlton.
They kicked the first 15 scoring shots of the encounter, including nine goals in a row, whilst keeping the visitors completley scoreless in the opening quarter – something that hasn’t happened in a finals series match since a semi way back in 1974.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Blues welcomed back six players from injury thanks to the pre-finals bye – Mitch McGovern, Sam Docherty, Harry McKay, Adam Cerra, Tom De Koning, and Zac Williams – to boost their line-up but the hosts blew them away.
To their credit, though, they did restore some pride by at least winning the second half, making the score a bit more respectable and also showing some heart.
In contrast, the Lions, as good as they were, will be a little disappointed at taking their foot off the gas and allowing the opposition to reduce the final deficit to 28 points. In addition, their inaccuracy in front of the big sticks was again an issue (15 behinds).
Embed from Getty ImagesThey will also be sweating on the news of defender Jack Payne after he landed awkwardly in a contest, hobbled off with a knee issue and had to be substituted.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the presser, coach Chris Fagan (pictured above) said “It is the best footy that we have played this year for 50 to 55 minutes. We set out to put a lot of pressure on Carlton, we were aware that they had quite a lot of players coming back that hadn’t played a lot of football because they have had a fair old battle with injuries.”
“We wanted to try and get them on the back foot early. I probably didn’t think that we would do it as well as that; it was a pretty emphatic performance. If we can play the football we played, particularly in the first half tonight, we’ll challenge anybody.”
Results
Western Bulldogs 9.8 (62)
Hawthorn 14.15 (99)
Brisbane 14.15 (99)
Carlton 11.5 (71)
AFL finals: Week 2 fixtures – Semi-Finals
Friday 13 September – Port Adelaide v Hawthorn @ Oval (7.10 pm AEST)
Saturday 14 September – GWS v Brisbane @ Engie Stadium (7.30 pm AEST)
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