| * |
Sydney will
contest successive grand finals for the first time since the 1930s after sealing a
comfortable 35 point victory over Fremantle in the preliminary final played on Friday
night at Homebush – 61,373 attended. Though the Swans were in control for much of the
night, Fremantle kept peppering away and crept as close as eight points midway through the
third quarter.
Paul Gough commented for Sportal that Sydney
co-captain Barry Hall produced a great performance with 24 disposals, 14
marks and six goals. It was just as well for the Swans that Hall was in such peerless form
because Matthew Pavlich starred for the Dockers in a losing side with
four goals.
The difference was that while Pavlich had no support in attack as the Dockers' fairytale
season ended heartbreakingly short of a first grand final appearance, the Swans had
options galore up forward.
The Swans other big guns in attack in Michael O'Loughlin and Ryan
O'Keefe also helped themselves to four goals each while in contrast the Dockers'
other big gun in attack in Jeff Farmer had no impact thanks to the
efforts of the Swans' All-Australian defender Craig Bolton.
David Reed reported The West Australian: The
Swans victory was built on another warts-and-all team assault at every contest. While
Hall, O’Loughlin and O’Keefe again starred in a preliminary final, it was team
ethos that finally sunk Fremantle.
The Dockers were brave but paid dearly for having a few
passengers amongst a sea of gutsy performers led by superstar Pavlich. They also had their
share of injuries with run-with midfielder Matthew Carr going down with a
knee injury in the second term, Farmer limping off with a leg injury and Luke
McPharlin missing a quarter after a heavy knock.
Martin Blake concluded for The
Age: For all the pre-match talk of niggling, Fremantle pointedly did none of
it. Not an elbow flew and not a word appeared to be said in angst at the first bounce.
Connolly's players came to focus on the football, but perhaps they might have been better
served by following their customary policy.
The Swans are there again through good management and
organisation and a sprinkling of big-time talent, a combination that is proving lethal
under Paul Roos' coaching. They were dreadful in the pre-season and beaten by lowly
Essendon in round one. But under Roos, they have proven that they will hit the finish line
running hard. They get their best players on the park week after grinding week. And they
know that the season is a marathon, not a sprint. |
| 2006
— FIRST PRELIMINARY FINAL — GAME 1 |
| Sydney v Fremantle |
Friday (n), September 22,
2006
Stadium Australia, Homebush, 8.00pm AEST, crowd: 61,373
Conditions: Good generally; ball slippery from humidity
Weather: 26C at start, warm and humid |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| SYD |
3.6-24 (4) |
8.7-55 (17) |
14.8-92 (20) |
19.13-127 (35) |
| FRE |
3.2-20 |
6.2-38 |
11.6-72 |
14.8-92 |
Goals: Sydney:
Barry Hall 6.1, Ryan O'Keefe 4, Michael O'Loughlin 4, Jude Bolton 2, Nick Davis, Sean
Dempster, Adam Goodes. Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich 4, Peter Bell 3, Troy Cook 2,
Ryan Crowley 2, Jeff Farmer, Ryan Murphy, Brett Peake.
Best: Sydney: Barry Hall, Brett Kirk, Ryan O'Keefe, Michael O'Loughlin, Craig
Bolton, Jude Bolton, Adam Goodes. Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich, Peter Bell, Josh
Carr, Ryan Crowley, Roger Hayden, Aaron Sandilands.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Stephen McBurney, Brett Allen.
Reports:
l Jeff Farmer (Fre)
was cited by the MRP with a Level One striking offence against Craig Bolton (Syd)
during the second quarter. While Farmer has residual points on his record, he is able to
accept a reprimand with an early plea. Farmer admitted guilt and accepted the reprimand
issued by the MRP and 95.85 added to his record.
l Justin
Longmuir (Fre) was cited by the MRP with a Level One striking offencee against Barry
Hall (Syd) during thethird quarter. Longmuir has a five-year good record and an
early plea reduces the penalty to a reprimand. Longmuir admitted guilt and accepted the
reprimand issued by the MRP and 42.18 added to his record. |
West Coast set up a grand final
rematch with Sydney after putting in a superb second-half performance to run away from
Adelaide in an enthralling preliminary final struggle at a windswept Football Park on
Saturday afternoon.
In front of 50,514, the Crows led by 17 points at quarter-time and 22 by half-time but the
Eagles, with their midfielders in control and with stronger forward targets, added 9.12 to
5.4 in the second half to win by 10 points.
Alan Shiell noted for Sportal: West Coast's
classy midfielders – ruckman Dean Cox and runners Chris Judd,
Ben Cousins, Andrew Embley, Daniel Kerr,
Tyson Stenglein and Michael Braun – took the game
away from Adelaide, and Adam Hunter's four goals were important, as was
the marking power of big forwards Ashley Hansen and Quinten Lynch.
The Crows still had many good players, including defender Graham Johncock
and midfielders Tyson Edwards, Simon Goodwin, Scott
Thompson and Brent Reilly – as well as regular cameos from Brett
Burton, Andrew McLeod and Matthew Bode.
Overall, though, West Coast's 30 scoring shots to 20 suggested it deserved to win, yet
Adelaide still had reason to believe it was unlucky. The Eagles had kicked just two goals
to half-time from 23 entries into their attacking 50m and duly found themselves 22 points
in arrears at the major break.
Digby Beacham noted for The Sunday Times: a
shock early finals exit was looming until the contest underwent a dramatic transformation
early in the third quarter when the Eagles' running prowess and brilliance at stoppages
came to the fore. Dean Cox, one of the game's best three at half-time, continued to
dominate the ruck early in the third quarter, but his effectiveness at the centre bounces
and stoppages became more pronounced with the input of reigning Brownlow medallist Ben
Cousins, who ran tirelessly. Cousins had 11 disposals for the term and his goal, a 35m
snap at the 10-minute mark, cut the Crows' lead to just three points following earlier
goals to Hunter and Embley.
Adelaide's seemingly insurmountable advantage was under siege from a side that gut-runs
better than any other in the competition. The Eagles ran in waves, with Judd and Kerr
assisting Cousins in trademark fashion. Much of the Crows' ball handling was shaky, while
the pep and confidence of the home team evaporated almost instantly.
For all its efforts, West Coast could not hit the front by three-quarter-time, with goals
to Edwards and McLeod giving Adelaide an eight-point break at the final change. It was all
academic, however, with the Eagles surging like only they can. When Lynch goaled in the
eighth minute, they were ahead for the first time in the match.
Another goal to Embley, brilliant all afternoon, assured West Coast would get its shot at
redemption in Saturday's Grand Final against Sydney. |
| 2006
— SECOND PRELIMINARY FINAL — GAME 2 |
| Adelaide v West Coast |
Saturday, September 23,
2006
Football Park, 3.30pm AEST, crowd: 50,514
Conditions: Good; lights on in Q3
Weather: 19C, overcast, stiff and swirling northerly |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| ADE |
3.3-21 (17) |
6.5-41 (22) |
8.8-56 (8) |
11.9-75 |
| WCE |
0.4-4 |
2.7-19 |
6.12-48 |
11.19-85 (10) |
Goals: West
Coast: Adam Hunter 4, Andrew Embley 2, Quinten Lynch, Daniel Kerr, Ben Cousins, Sam
Butler, Ashley Hansen. Adelaide: Nathan Bock 3, Matthew Bode 2, Brett Burton 2,
Tyson Edwards, Scott Welsh, Matthew Clarke, Andrew McLeod.
Best: West Coast: Dean Cox, Chris Judd, Ben Cousins, Andrew Embley, Adam Hunter,
Sam Butler, Daniel Kerr. Adelaide: Graham Johncock, Simon Goodwin, Andrew McLeod,
Tyson Edwards, Brent Reilly, Brett Burton, Scott Thompson.
Umpires: Martin Ellis, Shaun Ryan, Darren Goldspink. |
|
|
