SYDNEY 7.2 11.3 14.4 15.7 (97)
GEELONG 0.5 2.8 7.10 8.12 (60)
GOALS - Sydney: Papley 3, Rohan 2, Tippett 2, Franklin 2, Parker 2, McGlynn, Heeney, Naismith, Richards.
Geelong: Taylor 2, Bartel, Caddy, J Selwood, Dangerfield, Stanley, Hawkins.
BEST - Sydney: Mitchell, Rampe, McGlynn, Franklin, Heeney, Rohan, Hannebery, Parker, Jack.
Geelong: J Selwood, Dangerfield, Enright, Taylor, S Selwood, Bartel.
INJURIES - Sydney: Aliir (knee).
UMPIRES Donlon, Stevic, Jeffery.
CROWD 71,772 at MCG.
Finals punish the poor just as they exalt the great. Finals magnify weakness just as they illuminate strength. Finals expose holes, peel wallpaper from cracks.
More AFL Real Footy Videos
- Video duration
- 02:24
Plays of the AFL preliminary finals
Plays of the AFL preliminary finals
The Swans start in a hurry and cruise past Geelong while in Sydney the Bulldogs win one of the all time great preliminary finals against GWS to reach their first grand final since 1961.
Up Next
James Hird's father speaks out
- Video duration
- 03:51
- Video duration
- 03:51
James Hird's father speaks out
James Hird's father speaks out
James Hird's father Allan talks to 3AW about his view on his son's overdose and the Essendon doping saga.
- Video duration
- 00:00
James Hird pushed out of Essendon
James Hird pushed out of Essendon
LIVE: Essendon is expected to announce they have parted company with senior coach James Hird, effective immediately.
Up Next
Essendon offers support following Hird health scare
- Video duration
- 01:32
- Video duration
- 01:32
Essendon offers support following Hird ...
Essendon offers support following Hird health scare
Following a suspected overdose, players showed up to training and kept mum about their distressed coach. Vision courtesy Seven News, Melbourne.
Up Next
Heeney wants midfield spot
- Video duration
- 00:47
- Video duration
- 00:47
Heeney wants midfield spot
Heeney wants midfield spot
Isaac Heeney makes his message clear about where he wants to play in 2017.
Up Next
Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 Brownlows
- Video duration
- 00:48
- Video duration
- 00:48
Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 ...
Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 Brownlows
Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin are presented with their Brownlow Medals after more than four years in a special ceremony in Melbourne.
Up Next
Dangerfield: No players, no game
- Video duration
- 00:20
- Video duration
- 00:20
Dangerfield: No players, no game
Dangerfield: No players, no game
Players Association representative and reigning Brownlow medalist Patrick Dangerfield talks tough on the AFL's discussions with the PA over contract talks.
Up Next
Roughead reveals he's been given all-clear
- Video duration
- 00:47
- Video duration
- 00:47
Roughead reveals he's been given all-clear
Roughead reveals he's been given all-clear
Jarryd Roughead has been told his treatment was successful and he is 'cancer-free'.
Plays of the AFL preliminary finals
The Swans start in a hurry and cruise past Geelong while in Sydney the Bulldogs win one of the all time great preliminary finals against GWS to reach their first grand final since 1961.
Sydney scratched back the wallpaper from Geelong's patchy team and revealed it as a good team but one reliant on too few to be great. A good team but too thin in the midfield to match one of depth and class.
Patty Dangerfield could carry Geelong from tenth to a preliminary final but no further. The burden of helping Joel Selwood carry a team proved too great. They could go not another step.
Related Content
How long did it take? Being generous you would say a quarter, being honest you would say half that.
At the 14 minute mark Sydney led by 32 points. By quarter time they had seven goals to none. The first goal came in seconds not minutes but that was ok, sometimes that happens and it proves an aberration. This night it wasn't.
The Swans proved they were not battle-weary they were battle-hardened. They multi-tasked on Dangerfield and stretched the next tier of Cats to capacity - to illustrate the point Dangerfield and Selwood had almost double the touches as the next best Cat). They lost ruck taps and clearances yet their midfield – Luke Parker, Tom Mitchell and Dan Hannebery - recovered the ball and early on when the game was to be won they moved it forward as they wished.
Early Geelong could not smuggle the ball out of Sydney's forward line and the pressure built. It was neither the tall Sydney forwards nor their small ones who did the damage. It was both.
Buddy Franklin pushed up high and Kurt Tippett drew them back. Tippett led at the ball and Ben McGlynn bit at his ankles playing possibly the best game of his career.
The Swans third goal came when Mitchell had time to turn and offer repeated options to handball then change his mind. No-one went to him and suddenly space opened and he gave the ball to Parker to goal. Parker kicked another and Tippett his second.
Aliir Aliir's landed jarringly on his leg just before the first break, hyper-extending his knee and perhaps straining a ligament. He left the ground and for a period toyed with bringing him back on but when the margin tipped to 50 points they abandoned those thoughts and put his leg in ice. He will doubtless become this year's hyperbaric chamber story.
His knee could now mean Teddy Richards' last game of football might be in a grand final – with his brother.
Like the 2008 Grand Final many numbers pointed one way but the scoreboard pointed another. Geelong in this game had double the hit-outs, more contested possessions and almost double the inside 50's (amazingly 72 to 40) – yet the five goal margin was established in the first 15 minutes when the Swans owned the ball and it could never really be breached afterwards.
The Cats reshaped defensively after quarter-time to try to block the corridor and force the long kick up the line. For a period it worked but their inability to score – they had 2.3 to the Swans 4.1 in the second term - meant the Swans always felt comfortable.
Inevitably without goals the Swans were able to pick through to space coming out of defence.
With more of the ball forward but no ability to score Chris Scott moved Harry Taylor up the ground. Lachie Henderson was playing like a player who had not played football for months, and then injured his ankle in the third term. Tom Hawkins was often double teamed and the ball was floated in high to him when it did come forward meaning Sydney routinely intercepted in the air.
Taylor instantly hit the scoreboard and with the Cats determined to be riskier and faster with their ball movement they gained some momentum.
They kicked five goals for the quarter but often Sydney managed to answer too easily. Twice it was through Tom Papley, one of whose goals came after a free or too high that was paid a moment after a high tackle to Cam Guthrie was ignored.
Again in the last as the Cats trimmed the margin to a still unlikely 30 points but closer than they had been since halfway through the first term it was a blunder that cost them the vaguest sniff of a chance. Corey Enright played on from the kick in and with a blown one two handball with Cam Guthrie, Gary Rohan – sprightly despite his knee injury last week – scooped in the loose ball and snapped the goal to settle the matter for the night.
And so the Swans now follow Hawthorn's path to take the long route from top four to the grand final. And that seemed to work out ok for the Hawks.