Sydney crushed Port Adelaide by 36 points in a lopsided AFL preliminary final at the SCG, cruising into the 2024 grand final
Nick Blakey and Chad Warner of the Sydney Swans celebrate victory in the AFL preliminary final against Port Adelaide at the SCG.Nick Blakey and Chad Warner of the Sydney Swans celebrate victory in the AFL preliminary final against Port Adelaide at the SCG.The SCG has hosted some nerve-shredding finals over the years, but this year’s preliminary final was a jolly romp. By early in the second quarter, it was obvious that the game was being played completely on Sydney’s terms.
As always, Port excelled in close and at stoppages, but as soon as the footy was pushed wide and out in space, Sydney completely dominated. This isn’t the dour, contest-to-contest teams of the Paul Roos era. This is a team that attacks, a team with flair, a team that can slam on a lot of goals in a short amount of time. Their goals came from all comers – from the pests, the crumbers, the midfield stars who charged forward, even their running half backs.
He and Chad Warner look for one another at every opportunity, a bit like Scott Pendlebury and Nick Daicos. Indeed, in the first 30 seconds of the second half, an unmarked Warner flushed a running goal from the centre square and the game was as good as done. He was the clear best afield, and so light on his feet as he cut, danced and wove his way through the Port midfield.
Tom Papley was up to his usual tricks. Like so many of his teammates, he had a poor record against Port Adelaide. But when he boots multiple goals, the Swans almost never lose. He bent a goal after the quarter-time siren, barrelled into Willie Rioli, started an all-in brawl, and skulked away with his jumper torn in two. He’s more than a nuisance, more than an energy injector, with his workrate, his overhead marking and his goal-sense all standouts.
And so, Sydney progress to their seventh grand final this century. They were the best home and away team. They got their game back on track after a mid-year rough patch. They won one of the great finals a fortnight ago. And they turned the tables on a Port team that annihilated them just a few months ago. The only sour spot was the injury to Logan McDonald, who finished the night with his foot in a bucket of ice.
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