Sydney v Fremantle player ratings: Brightest stars and stunning moments on a night of agony and ecstasy
Some fairytales just don’t come true.
After the events of last month in Melbourne, the second-on-the-ladder Swans couldn’t have seemed further away from another grand final berth.
But what happened since – despite missing a host of their best players after they were handed season-ending suspensions by the Swans for failing to meet the club’s standards after their round 23 win over Essendon – has been nothing short of remarkable.
On Friday night, they finished just 13 points shy of the decider as the Dockers roared home.
Marc McGowan (Sydney) and Steve Barrett (Fremantle) run their eye over every player in from the preliminary final at the SCG.
Sydney
(2) Hayden McLean: Relieved Brodie Grundy in the ruck and comfortably won those stints against Mason Cox. His intercept marking was also a feature. 6/10
(4) Brodie Grundy: Grundy took the first-half honours against Luke Jackson and was a key reason the Swans started so well, but the star Docker rose to the occasion after half-time. It was a great ruck battle. 6.5/10
(6) Logan McDonald: McDonald was excellent again, after kicking six goals in the Swans’ qualifying final drubbing of the Lions. He was often Sydney’s deepest forward and constantly presented, and was rewarded with a game-high three goals. 8/10
(8) James Rowbottom: Had a series of defensive efforts that led to Angus Sheldrick’s third-quarter goal and there is never any question on his effort. 6.5/10
(9) Jesse Dattoli: A quiet night for the second-year Swan, who otherwise grabbed his opportunity late in the season. 1/10
(11) Tom Papley: Papley was sensational in the opening half, whether kicking or setting up goals, executing diving smothers or stealing handballs. But he would have loved a better return than 1.3. 8/10
(12) Angus Sheldrick: Sheldrick is as tough as nails and kicked a goal in the third quarter, but won only 12 disposals. 6/10
(13) Jai Serong: Who would have picked the ex-Hawk at the start of the year to be a centre-bounce midfielder in a preliminary final? Serong’s been a bargain recruit and was a strong performer on the night. 7/10
(15) Sam Wicks: Wicks won enough of the ball, but was a bit sloppy with his disposals, and wasn’t quite as good defensively as usual. 5/10
(16) Braeden Campbell: Started the game strongly, including a terrific snap for a goal, and seemed headed for a big night, but faded dramatically before getting a few touches late. 4/10
(21) Errol Gulden: Had an early turnover that gifted Fremantle a goal, but quickly returned to his dominant self that extended his purple patch. Gulden’s 36 disposals were seven more than any other player, but probably wasn’t quite as damaging as usual. 8.5/10
(24) Dane Rampe: Returned to the captaincy after Callum Mills’ ACL rupture, and typically gave his all in what may have been his last game. Copped a huge fend-off from Patrick Voss in the last quarter before the Docker’s key goal. 6/10
(25) Billy Cootee: Had a second-quarter handball blunder that almost cost the Swans a goal, but was part of the Swans’ ground-wide defensive effort. 3/10
(27) Justin McInerney: One of many Swans who faded badly in the final term, picking up just one of his 14 disposals. Sydney rolled the dice in selecting him for his first match since June, and he was OK without doing a great deal. 5/10
(29) Joel Hamling: The premiership-winning Bulldog and ex-Docker grabbed a few intercept marks and spent time on Jye Amiss and Patrick Voss. Can hold his head up high. 7/10
(30) Tom McCartin: Big moment early with a goal-saving tackle on Patrick Voss and finished with a game-high 11 intercept possessions, which sums up how strong he was aerially. Conceded a goal to Luke Jackson with a no-look hack kick in his defensive 50. 7.5/10
(32) Harry Kyle: Kyle did not look out of place down back and looks a promising prospect who will play further afield in the future. 6/10
(33) Caiden Cleary: Cleary’s turnover off a risky corridor kick when the game was in the balance late could have been incredibly costly. His tackling pressure was good, but didn’t win a heap of the Sherrin. 5/10
(34) Matt Roberts: Roberts was a solid performer without having a major impact. He has played much better games than this. 6/10
(35) Charlie Curnow: It was not Charlie’s night. Outside of a brilliant hanger over Oscar McDonald, which preceded his sole goal, Curnow failed to have his usual impact when the Swans needed him most. 2/10
(40) Tom Hanily: Did his best work in the first quarter, when his repeated strong efforts were rewarded with an opportunistic goal. But he had only four touches after quarter-time. 3/10
(43) Lewis Melican: Lost contact with Mason Cox in the final term when the ex-Pie marked and kicked Fremantle ahead, then dropped a mark before Isaiah Dudley’s sealing goal. Was solid in the first three quarters. 4/10
(44) Jake Lloyd: Lloyd did as he has throughout his career, providing strong rebound out of defence and generally using the ball well. 7/10
Fremantle
(3) Caleb Serong: After seeing off Oisin Mullin’s tag a week ago, Serong got away from Rowbottom, before Sydney dispensed with the run-with role at half-time. The lion-hearted midfielder misfired with 0.3 but set others up with his 28 disposals and 10 clearances. 7.5/10
(5) Heath Chapman: His aerial game was sturdy, and he used the footy neatly off half-back, aside from one obviously costly moment, which resulted in a third quarter goal which sparked Sydney’s resurgence. 6/10
(6) Jordan Clark: Had 497 metres gained, with his customary dash out of defence, but that was offset by some imprecise use of the footy and below-par decision-making. 5/10
(8) Andrew Brayshaw: A typically industrious display in the centre-square. Brayshaw’s disposal was a tad off in the preliminary final heat, but his heart and head – covered in blood approaching three-quarter-time – could never be questioned, amassing a team-high 29 touches. 7/10
(9) Luke Jackson: A week after destroying Geelong, Jackson was always going to be in for a more challenging night against Grundy. Still, “the Unicorn” narrowly took the individual honours, booting two important goals and letting Grundy know about it. 7/10
(10) Shai Bolton: Constantly hurried in the first half and unsighted in the third term, Bolton came alive in the fourth. He booted two fourth-quarter goals, his shift from midfield to deep forward proving a masterstroke. He also laid eight tackles. A cameo by his standards, but what a cameo. 7.5/10
(13) Luke Ryan: Generated rebound out of defensive 50 and rarely wasted the footy. Important down the stretch and went at 94 per cent disposal efficiency. 7/10
(16) Murphy Reid: That trademark craftiness, creativity and poise – all of it was absent in the first half. Reid was under the pump against Sydney’s hounding pressure, before bouncing back to his best with some key, deft touches after the break. 7/10
(17) Judd McVee: Had the challenging task of minding Papley and, after a more than rough start, held his own. 6/10
(18) Mason Cox: Won his share of hitouts but was unimpactful around the ground … until his moment came. The big fella’s strong mark and goal put the Dockers in front in the final term. 5/10
(20) Patrick Voss: Talk about a mixed bag. He’d conceded three free kicks by the time he finally registered his first touch, after the half-time siren. Then in the second half, he showed why he belongs on the big stage. Voss produced the fend-off of the year with a vicious “don’t argue” on Rampe, before goaling during the fourth-quarter barrage. 5/10
(21) Oscar McDonald: Had the job on the other McDonald and conceded three goals, before coughing up another when matched up on Curnow. He started well, but faded considerably. 3.5/10
(23) Karl Worner: His pressure across half-back was important and his ball use was solid, if not as pristine as it was in the semi-final. 5.5/10
(24) Jye Amiss: He jagged a brilliant, team-lifting left-foot goal early in the third term, but generally found the going tough against Sydney’s backline. 4.5/10
(25) Alex Pearce: Kept Curnow largely under the thumb for the large stretches they were matched up on each other. The skipper was quiet offensively, but his defensive efforts were sound. 5/10
(26) Hayden Young: A magnificent third term, capped by a stunning goal on the three-quarter-time bell, sparked Fremantle. Young was involved in most of Fremantle’s scoring chains, whether rotating through the middle or lurking across half-forward. You’d argue his goal was the biggest kick in Dockers history. Outstanding. 8.5/10
(28) Neil Erasmus: Kicked the first goal of the night with a smart snap and was solid on his wing, aside from a few shaky moments. 6/10
(32) Michael Frederick: Failed to get a possession in the first quarter, before kicking a goal in the second. His outside run and tackling pressure were important in the second half. Twin brother Martin will line up for Sturt in this Sunday’s SANFL grand final at Adelaide Oval. It could be a big week coming up for the Frederick family. 6/10
(34) Corey Wagner: The experienced utility provided contest and run. He stood up in the first half when not many of his mates did. 6.5/10
(35) Josh Treacy: Booted four on McCartin the last time these sides met, but lowered his colours this time. His usually powerful contested marking was down. Goalless, beaten, but grand final-bound. 3.5/10
(39) Sam Switkowski: He supplied forward pressure and got involved during the comeback after being well held for the first three quarters. Has one more game left in him. 5/10
(43) Isaiah Dudley: The little goalsneak’s ball use was sketchy at times, but he booted two majors, including the sealer at the death. Dudley found more of the footy than usual too, which is always a good sign. 7/10
(44) Matthew Johnson: Played predominantly on the wing and was a consistent four-quarter contributor. 7/10
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