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| AFL GRAND FINAL (Michael Shillito’s tip in bold – Season to Date 118/184) Saturday 27th September Geelong v Hawthorn (MCG, 2:30pm) All times shown are Sydney time. |
Hawthorn are through to a grand final showdown with Geelong, their first grand final since 1991, after
the Hawks defeated St Kilda by 54 points at the MCG on Saturday night.
St Kilda were competitive in the early stages, goals in the first 10 minutes to Adam Schneider and
Sam Fisher giving them a 5-point advantage. But then the Hawks swung into action, and the Saints
had no answers. A marking goal to Mark Williams, his first of 5 for the night, gave the Hawks the lead
before goals from free kicks to Jarryd Roughead and Clinton Young extended the advantage to 13
points at quarter time.
The Hawks took control in the second term, 7 goals to 1 giving them a 47-point lead at half time. The
Saints' defence was focussed on keeping Lance Franklin quiet, and succeeded in achieving that; but
while Buddy was quiet the Saints were unable to restrain Mark Williams and Jarryd Roughead.
Williams would end up with 5 goals for the knight and Roughead 4, with both creating numerous other
opportunities.
The third quarter saw the rot continue, with the Hawks kicking the first 3 goals of the quarter to put the
lead over 10 goals. A late rally during time-on, with Nick Riewoldt scoring 3 goals during the closing
stages of the term, cut the margin back close to the half-time deficit; but there was no realistic hope
the Saints could get back into the match.
3 goals to 1 in the last term saw the final margin go to 54 points. St Kilda had again fallen at the
preliminary final, as they had in 2004 and 2005; and the dream of qualifying for their first grand final
appearance since their loss to Adelaide in 1997 was to elude them.
Instead it was the Hawks who have made it through to football's big day. The big one will be Geelong v
Hawthorn, the two best sides over the 2008 season. And if this grand final turns out to be as
memorable as the last time these sides played in a grand final, the epic contest of 1989, it will be a
treat for football fans.
Hawthorn 4.4 11.5 15.8 18.10 (118)
St Kilda 2.3 3.6 7.7 9.10 (64)
Goals : Hawthorn - Williams 5, Roughead 4, Rioli 2, Young 2, Bateman, Brown, Crawford, Franklin,
Osborne. St Kilda - Riewoldt 3, Fisher 2, Fiora, Milne, Montagna, Schneider.
Best : Hawthorn - Lewis, Mitchell, Williams, Sewell, Young, Hodge, Guerra, Birchall. St Kilda -
Hudghton, Goddard, Fisher, Clarke, Hayes.
Injuries : Hawthorn - Hodge (ribs). St Kilda - Nil.
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Kennedy, Rosebury, McLaren.
Crowd - 77,002 at MCG.
the Hawks defeated St Kilda by 54 points at the MCG on Saturday night.
St Kilda were competitive in the early stages, goals in the first 10 minutes to Adam Schneider and
Sam Fisher giving them a 5-point advantage. But then the Hawks swung into action, and the Saints
had no answers. A marking goal to Mark Williams, his first of 5 for the night, gave the Hawks the lead
before goals from free kicks to Jarryd Roughead and Clinton Young extended the advantage to 13
points at quarter time.
The Hawks took control in the second term, 7 goals to 1 giving them a 47-point lead at half time. The
Saints' defence was focussed on keeping Lance Franklin quiet, and succeeded in achieving that; but
while Buddy was quiet the Saints were unable to restrain Mark Williams and Jarryd Roughead.
Williams would end up with 5 goals for the knight and Roughead 4, with both creating numerous other
opportunities.
The third quarter saw the rot continue, with the Hawks kicking the first 3 goals of the quarter to put the
lead over 10 goals. A late rally during time-on, with Nick Riewoldt scoring 3 goals during the closing
stages of the term, cut the margin back close to the half-time deficit; but there was no realistic hope
the Saints could get back into the match.
3 goals to 1 in the last term saw the final margin go to 54 points. St Kilda had again fallen at the
preliminary final, as they had in 2004 and 2005; and the dream of qualifying for their first grand final
appearance since their loss to Adelaide in 1997 was to elude them.
Instead it was the Hawks who have made it through to football's big day. The big one will be Geelong v
Hawthorn, the two best sides over the 2008 season. And if this grand final turns out to be as
memorable as the last time these sides played in a grand final, the epic contest of 1989, it will be a
treat for football fans.
Hawthorn 4.4 11.5 15.8 18.10 (118)
St Kilda 2.3 3.6 7.7 9.10 (64)
Goals : Hawthorn - Williams 5, Roughead 4, Rioli 2, Young 2, Bateman, Brown, Crawford, Franklin,
Osborne. St Kilda - Riewoldt 3, Fisher 2, Fiora, Milne, Montagna, Schneider.
Best : Hawthorn - Lewis, Mitchell, Williams, Sewell, Young, Hodge, Guerra, Birchall. St Kilda -
Hudghton, Goddard, Fisher, Clarke, Hayes.
Injuries : Hawthorn - Hodge (ribs). St Kilda - Nil.
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Kennedy, Rosebury, McLaren.
Crowd - 77,002 at MCG.
Geelong have advanced to their second straight grand final with a 29-point victory over the Western
Bulldogs in front of 70,140 fans at the MCG on Friday night.
For all their dominance in last year's record-breaking grand final win, the Cats were close to not even
playing in that much after being pushed all the way by Collingwood in last year's preliminary final. And
again this year the Bulldogs caused the Cats some nervous moments early in the match, but
fortunately for the nerves of the Geelong faithful they gradually extended their lead during the night. The
Bulldogs gave their all in the hope of an upset, but the Cats had enough strength to hold off the
Bulldog challenge and qualify for football's biggest day.
The first quarter was one of fluctuating fortunes. Matthew Stokes kicked the first goal of the game after
4 minutes, threading the ball through a tight angle from the boundary. But the Bulldogs were up for the
early challenge, with Shaun Higgins snapping a quick reply to put the Bulldogs a point ahead. Jimmy
Bartel marked to restore the Geelong lead, but that was to be short-lived when veteran Brad Johnson
found his way between the big sticks. Higgins' second goal added to the advantage, and when Jason
Akermanis snapped truly at the 22 minute mark the Bulldogs were 11 points clear.
But the final minutes of the first term saw the Cats lift a gear and keep themselves in the drivers' seat
of the contest. Quick goals to Wojcinski, Rooke and Longeran gave the Cats a 6-point lead at quarter
time. The second quarter saw the game tighten up, with the intensity and the tackling tightening, and it
was to be nearly 15 minutes before a goal was to be scored. The deadlock was finally broken with a
mark from Steven Johnson from 20 metres out on a slight angle, Johnson making no mistake to
extend the Cats' lead. A 50 metre penalty and goal to Tom Harley and a snap from point blank range by
Brad Ottens extended the margin; but when the Cats looked like pulling away, a snap from Nathan
Eagleton in the final seconds of the half cut the margin back to 21 points.
Into the third quarter, and the Bulldogs threw everything they had at Geelong, desperately looking for a
way back into the contest and clinging to their last hopes of a grand final berth. Travis Varcoe scored
an early goal for the Cats, but the Bulldogs played their best football during the third term and, had they
been better able to capitalise on the opportunities they created, could have forced the game down to
the wire. As it was, Harbrow scored twice in the quarter. The Bulldogs continued to press, but Will
Minson and Mitchell Hahn both scored behinds from set shots when they could have done more. But
the behinds cut the margin back to 12 points, the result looking far from assured. And so it was to
remain for the remainder of the quarter, even when Cam Mooney marked and goaled from 35 metres
out against the run of play.
With an 18-point margin at the last change, the Bulldogs needed the first goal of the final quarter if they
were to have any hope of snatching victory; the longer the quarter went before a goal was scored the
more imperitive that became. But it wasn't to be, and when Max Rooke kicked truly after 13 minutes the
fate of the game was sealed. Cats' fans could start queueing for grand final tickets, while the Bulldogs'
scarves were headed for the off-season mothballs.
After a dominant season by the Cats, in which they have only lost one game, comparisons of the side
are being made to the all-conquering Essendon side of 2000. But for such comparisons to have any
credibility, one hurdle remains. The greatest day of the football calendar, and the Cats will be there.
Geelong 5.3 8.8 10.9 12.11 (83)
Western Bulldogs 4.3 5.5 7.9 7.12 (54)
Goals : Geelong - Rooke 2, Johnson 2, Bartel, Lonergan, Stokes, Wojcinski, Ottens, Harley, Varcoe,
Mooney. Bulldogs - Higgins 2, Harbrow 2, Akermanis, Johnson, Eagleton.
Best : Geelong - Mackie, Corey, Bartel, Ling, Scarlett, Varcoe. Bulldogs - Cross, Morris, Lake, Harbrow,
Giansiracusa, Hargrave.
Injuries : Geelong - Nil. Bulldogs - Johnson (corked thigh).
Reports : Bulldogs - Hill for making high contact with Mackie in the third quarter.
Umpires - Ryan, Vozzo, McBurney.
Crowd - 70,140 at MCG.
Bulldogs in front of 70,140 fans at the MCG on Friday night.
For all their dominance in last year's record-breaking grand final win, the Cats were close to not even
playing in that much after being pushed all the way by Collingwood in last year's preliminary final. And
again this year the Bulldogs caused the Cats some nervous moments early in the match, but
fortunately for the nerves of the Geelong faithful they gradually extended their lead during the night. The
Bulldogs gave their all in the hope of an upset, but the Cats had enough strength to hold off the
Bulldog challenge and qualify for football's biggest day.
The first quarter was one of fluctuating fortunes. Matthew Stokes kicked the first goal of the game after
4 minutes, threading the ball through a tight angle from the boundary. But the Bulldogs were up for the
early challenge, with Shaun Higgins snapping a quick reply to put the Bulldogs a point ahead. Jimmy
Bartel marked to restore the Geelong lead, but that was to be short-lived when veteran Brad Johnson
found his way between the big sticks. Higgins' second goal added to the advantage, and when Jason
Akermanis snapped truly at the 22 minute mark the Bulldogs were 11 points clear.
But the final minutes of the first term saw the Cats lift a gear and keep themselves in the drivers' seat
of the contest. Quick goals to Wojcinski, Rooke and Longeran gave the Cats a 6-point lead at quarter
time. The second quarter saw the game tighten up, with the intensity and the tackling tightening, and it
was to be nearly 15 minutes before a goal was to be scored. The deadlock was finally broken with a
mark from Steven Johnson from 20 metres out on a slight angle, Johnson making no mistake to
extend the Cats' lead. A 50 metre penalty and goal to Tom Harley and a snap from point blank range by
Brad Ottens extended the margin; but when the Cats looked like pulling away, a snap from Nathan
Eagleton in the final seconds of the half cut the margin back to 21 points.
Into the third quarter, and the Bulldogs threw everything they had at Geelong, desperately looking for a
way back into the contest and clinging to their last hopes of a grand final berth. Travis Varcoe scored
an early goal for the Cats, but the Bulldogs played their best football during the third term and, had they
been better able to capitalise on the opportunities they created, could have forced the game down to
the wire. As it was, Harbrow scored twice in the quarter. The Bulldogs continued to press, but Will
Minson and Mitchell Hahn both scored behinds from set shots when they could have done more. But
the behinds cut the margin back to 12 points, the result looking far from assured. And so it was to
remain for the remainder of the quarter, even when Cam Mooney marked and goaled from 35 metres
out against the run of play.
With an 18-point margin at the last change, the Bulldogs needed the first goal of the final quarter if they
were to have any hope of snatching victory; the longer the quarter went before a goal was scored the
more imperitive that became. But it wasn't to be, and when Max Rooke kicked truly after 13 minutes the
fate of the game was sealed. Cats' fans could start queueing for grand final tickets, while the Bulldogs'
scarves were headed for the off-season mothballs.
After a dominant season by the Cats, in which they have only lost one game, comparisons of the side
are being made to the all-conquering Essendon side of 2000. But for such comparisons to have any
credibility, one hurdle remains. The greatest day of the football calendar, and the Cats will be there.
Geelong 5.3 8.8 10.9 12.11 (83)
Western Bulldogs 4.3 5.5 7.9 7.12 (54)
Goals : Geelong - Rooke 2, Johnson 2, Bartel, Lonergan, Stokes, Wojcinski, Ottens, Harley, Varcoe,
Mooney. Bulldogs - Higgins 2, Harbrow 2, Akermanis, Johnson, Eagleton.
Best : Geelong - Mackie, Corey, Bartel, Ling, Scarlett, Varcoe. Bulldogs - Cross, Morris, Lake, Harbrow,
Giansiracusa, Hargrave.
Injuries : Geelong - Nil. Bulldogs - Johnson (corked thigh).
Reports : Bulldogs - Hill for making high contact with Mackie in the third quarter.
Umpires - Ryan, Vozzo, McBurney.
Crowd - 70,140 at MCG.