Australian Football

Match Report

The Grand Final playoff match was the Second Semi-Final contest between the Magpies and the Bulldogs. The Magpies had to call a few rookies into the squad to cover a couple of losses, one of those losses being Jeremy Clayton who at this point was still in hospital after last week's devastating knock during the Qualifying Final. The Bulldogs on the other hand were fighting fit, no injury worries for the reigning champions and they were well rested after the week off. They were well on their way to a sixth successive grand final. But it was always going to be fiery.

The Bulldogs dominated the game from the beginning, booting 4.6 to the Magpies' 2.3 to establish a 15 point lead at quarter time. But in the second quarter, the Magpies were kept silent on the scoreboard, not that the Dogs did anything big in that quarter. They managed only 2.1 for that quarter, at the half time siren, tempers flared a bit as a big melee started near the centre square with a large group of opposing players. When play resumed for the third term, the Bulldogs began to take apart the Magpies little by little with their 5.1 to 2.3 effort. Brad Currie held Magpie spearhead Clive Waterhouse pretty well, he frustrated the Pies long enough for Clive to be pulled off-field in the final term. Both sides didn't do much score-wise in that quarter, both only got one goal each. The Dogs already did the damage, they ran into their sixth grand final in a row with their 45 point win. The only low light in the Dogs' day was a massive concussion on Kane Officer, who was taken from the ground by ambulance.