FINALS UPDATE
Collingwood v Sydney
Magpies cruise past Swans at MCG
Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network
Saturday, 8th September, 2007 11:15:00 p
COLLINGWOOD has ended the 2007 finals campaign of the Sydney Swans, defeating the Swans by 38 points in their second elimination final at the MCG.
The Magpies will travel to Perth to take on reigning premier West Coast after the 18.17 (125) to 13.9 (87) win over the team the Eagles beat by a point in last year’s Grand Final.
Collingwood set up the win with a six goal to one first term to lead by 31 points at quarter-time. The Swans kicked the last four goals of the first half to narrow the gap to 10 points at the major break, and when Michael O’Loughlin kicked a goal within a minute of the restart, the Swans were within four points.
Collingwood then kicked five goals without reply to take a 28-point lead into the last change, and kicked five goals to four in the final term to run out comfortable winners.
For the Magpies, Anthony Rocca starred with six goals after his night appeared to be over just before half time, when he hyper-extended his left knee in a marking contest and had to be carried from the field.
A booming goal from 50m three minutes into the second half showed that he wouldn’t be restricted for the rest of the game, and he ended up with 6.0 from 16 kicks and nine marks. Fellow power forward Sean Rusling kicked 3.2 from 13 kicks and eight marks, while Travis Cloke also kicked three goals. The three forwards took 26 marks between them in a commanding display.
Sean Pendlebury led the Magpies with 24 possessions, while Heath Shaw had 23 touches off half-back.
For the Swans, Adam Goodes was the outstanding player on the ground in the first half and finished with 29 touches and 11 marks, while Brett Kirk was tireless with 23 possessions. Nick Malceski had 23 touches, and Michael O’Loughlin was Sydney’s one shining light up forward, booting 4.1.
The Magpies led 13.12 (90) to 8.8 (62) at three-quarter time.
O’Loughlin kicked the first goal of the second half after just one minute to reduce Collingwood’s half time lead of 10 points even further before Collingwood steadied with three quick goals.
Rocca kicked a long goal from the boundary after three minutes, and when Dane Swan capitalised on a Sydney turnover with a goal of his own, Collingwood led by 16 points.
Rocca then took a mark on the goal line and unselfishly handballed to Rusling, with Rusling’s third goal of the night the third for the Magpies in less than four minutes.
Cloke made it four Pies goals in a row with a mark and booming kick from 50m after 13 minutes, restoring Collingwood’s lead to 28 points.
Neither team could manage another goal until the 24-minute mark, when Rocca bagged his fourth after a mark to extend the lead to 33 points. O’Loughlin then pegged one back for the Swans with 40 seconds remaining in the term.
The Magpies led by 10 points, 8.9 (57) to 7.5 (47), at half time.
Sydney kicked the final four goals of the second term, the last of them after the siren by Jude Bolton, to narrow a margin that looked set to spiral out of control midway through the quarter.
Sydney kicked the first two goals of the second term in the opening six minutes after successful snaps from Kirk and Nick Davis, with Davis’ goal coming with his first touch of the game after being held without a possession in the first term by James Clement. Collingwood responded with the next two goals, the first by Leon Davis after a mark inside 50, and the second from another mark close to goal by Rusling. Rusling’s second for the half saw Collingwood skip to a 33-point lead after 14 minutes in the term.
Nic Fosdike snuck inside 50 for Sydney and took an uncontested mark and goalled, bringing the Swans back to within 28 points at the 21-minute mark, and when Adam Schneider kicked a great goal on the run from just inside 50, Sydney had back-to-back majors and were within 22 points. Davis made it three in a row for the Swans when he converted a set shot from 45m, and suddenly the Magpies were only 15 points up. Fosdike’s goal after a mark just before the siren saw the Swans go to the rooms with all of the momentum despite being on the wrong side of a 10-point margin.
The Magpies led by 31 points, 6.5 (41) to 1.4 (10), at quarter-time. Collingwood had the last six scores of the term, with the Swans not scoring at all after the 20-minute mark.
COLLINGWOOD: 6.5 8.9 13.12 18.17 (125)
SYDNEY SWANS: 1.4 7.5 9.8 13.9 (87)
GOALS - Collingwood: A Rocca 6, S Rusling 3, T Cloke 3, A Didak, S Pendlebury, L Davis, D Swan, N Buckley, P Medhurst
Sydney Swans: M O'Loughlin 4, N Davis 2, N Malceski 2, B Kirk, N Fosdike, A Schneider, J. Bolton, B Hall.
BEST - Collingwood: A Rocca, N Buckley, S Rusling, T Cloke, D Swan, S Pendlebury, L Davis, A Didak, H Shaw.
Sydney Swans: A Goodes, M O'Loughlin, B Kirk, J Bolton, N Malceski.
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Stevic, McInerney.
Official crowd: 64,645 at the MCG
didn't see too much of the game but from what I saw the pies were winning convincingly, although the swans got within ten points at half-time. The pies will now play the Eagles next weekend at Subiaco.
Geelong v Kangaroos
Cats hand Kangas record thrashing
By Michael Winkler
with AAP
Sunday, 9th September, 2007 6:00:00 pm
GEELONG has sounded an ominous warning to its five surviving rivals, with a thumping victory over the Kangaroos in Sunday’s qualifying final.
The Cats won every quarter en route to victory by 106 points in front of 77,630 fans at the MCG. The winning margin was the greatest in Geelong's history in a finals match and the fifth-highest in VFL/AFL history.
The minor premiers’ plethora of forward targets posed constant problems for Dean Laidley’s men, illustrated by the Cats’ 41 scoring shots to 10.
Cameron Mooney and Paul Chapman kicked five goals each, Nathan Ablett three, while Gary Ablett and Brad Ottens added two apiece.
At the other end of the ground Geelong’s defence not only held the Kangaroo forwards in check but also provided immense drive. Matthew Scarlett was magnificent for the winners, well supported by Tom Harley and Andrew Mackie. The Kangaroos did not have a multiple goalkicker.
Geelong’s prolific on-ball brigade was irrepressible. Gary Ablett had 32 possessions in a superb display.
The returning Jimmy Bartel had 20 disposals up to half-time, while acclaimed rookie Joel Selwood started on the bench before asserting his influence.
The Kangaroos’ senior men were blanketed. Shannon Grant was quiet when it mattered, Glenn Archer had a day to forget, and Brent Harvey was silenced by Cameron Ling.
Adam Simpson had 29 touches, but the next best possession-winner for his side was 100-gamer Daniel Wells with 19.
The Roos were competitive in a hard-hitting opening, trailing by less than a straight kick at quarter time.
The fireworks started 40 minutes before the opening bounce, when Geelong forward Cam Mooney ran through the Kangaroos' huddle as the two sides crossed paths during a pre-game warm-up lap, sparking a brief scuffle.
That tone was continued early in the match, when Geelong big man Brad Ottens was reported for crashing into 'Roos' defender Michael Firrito, after the backman kicked a classy running goal.
The Cats kicked six goals in the second term to lead by 45 points at the long break, forcing Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley to mix his team around after half time to try to spark an unlikely comeback.
Forwards Corey Jones and Shannon Grant were thrown into defensive midfield roles, with Jones assigned to Ablett and Grant to Bartel, while Drew Petrie was moved into the ruck.
But it made little difference, with the Cats continuing to run amok, adding a further six goals in the premiership quarter to be up by 75 points at the last change.
The Roos’ unhappy day was exacerbated by Daniel Harris – who had enjoyed an excellent first quarter – suffering a suspected broken hand in the second term.
Geelong had 14 players with 18 or more disposals; the team had 414 to 280. Ablett led the way, with Bartel (29), James Kelly (29) and Darren Milburn (28).
The Cats also had an advantage of 121 marks to 64.
They took 20 marks inside 50 to the Kangaroos’ three.
Eight Roos had eight possessions or fewer, including Archer and Harvey.
Geelong will now enjoy a weekend off before reappearing for their preliminary final against the winner of next week’s West Coast-Collingwood semi-final at Subiaco Oval.
The Kangaroos will need to regroup rapidly before facing Hawthorn in a do-or-die semi-final at the MCG next Saturday night.
Geelong 3.5 10.10 16.16 23.18 (156)
Kangaroos 3.0 4.1 6.1 8.2 (50)
GOALS
Geelong: Mooney 5, Chapman 5, N Ablett 3, Enright 2, G Ablett 2, Ottens 2, Bartel, S Johnson, Stokes, Mackie
Kangaroos: McIntosh, Grant, Brown, Petrie, Firrito, Edwards, Harvey, Wells
BEST
Geelong: Scarlett, G Ablett, Chapman, Milburn, Bartel, Harley, J Selwood, Stoke, Hunt
Kangaroos: Rawlings, Firrito, Wells, Edwards, Simpson
Umpires: Margetts, McLaren, Jeffery
Official crowd: 77,630 at the MCG.
Another massive win by the Cats, don't see anyone geeting in their way this September, but you never know.
The roos will now play the hawks at the 'G' next week.
You'll struggle to kick a couple of goals. 