Key events
Final teams are in with no late changes.
Sydney have been forced to make two changes with luckless skipper Callum Mills sustaining a serious knee injury in the first term of the otherwise rousing qualifying final victory against Brisbane. Veteran defender Harry Cunningham has also been sidelined with a calf injury picked up in training. Justin McInerney returns for his first game since round 13 to bolster the Swans’ midfield though he will surely find it difficult to immediately recapture the career-best form he was in before suffering a significant hamstring injury. Reliable key defender Lewis Melican steps into the backline to help cover the Dockers’ three-pronged tall forward attack. But Joel Amartey will be watching on as the Swans back in Hayden McLean after the forward-ruck booted three goals against the Lions and with one eye on containing Dockers big man Luke Jackson.
Fremantle are unchanged from the side that overcame Geelong in the semi-final, with key defender Brennan Cox to instead play in the Wafl grand final for Peel Thunder on the road back from a calf injury. The Dockers resisted the temptation to hurry back Brandon Walker after the pacey defender injured an ankle in the qualifying final loss to the Hawks, even with Swans firestarter Tom Papley looming large over this clash.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the AFL preliminary final between Sydney and Fremantle at the SCG. The Swans are one win away from the most unlikely of grand final berths after they banned five players – including three top-liners – a month ago for a breach of club standards. The Dockers’ path towards a first spot in the AFL decider since the club’s only visit to the Big Dance in 2013 was taking a much more traditional route as they stormed their way to the minor premiership. That was at least until they were blown off course in a horror home qualifying final defeat to the Hawks.
The undermanned Sydney finished as runners-up in the home and away season and – to the surprise of many, including yours truly – took a huge leap towards a third grand final in five years with a stirring triumph over the highly fancied Lions. But doubts remain over whether their galvanised group fired their shot in that qualifying final victory against the surprisingly complacent two-time reigning premiers to earn a home preliminary final.
Fremantle naturally hoped to have home ground advantage for this, their most high-stakes game since a 2015 preliminary final, after winning a club record 19 matches during the home and away campaign. But the occasion got to the minor premiers as an inspired Hawthorn came out swinging from the opening ball-up at the same time as the Dockers players’ and fans’ expectations appeared to weigh them down in a humbling defeat. Justin Longmuir’s side bounced back with a tense win in a high-quality semi-final contest with the Cats to claim just their second finals win since reaching this same stage in 2015, and should give them a calming shot of confidence heading into this crunch clash.
The winner tonight will face either Hawthorn or back-to-back reigning premiers Brisbane in the AFL grand final at the MCG next Saturday. But for now, first ball-up at the SCG is 7.40pm local / 5.40pm AWST. I’ll drop in team news shortly. Meanwhile, shoot me an email with your thoughts and predictions. Let’s get into it!
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