Australian Football

Match Report

Sydney is through to its third consecutive Preliminary Final after the Swans accounted for Fremantle by 24 points to gain a small amount of revenge for their loss to the Dockers in last year's Preliminary Final. The Swans broke away in the third quarter after an even first half and held off a last-quarter challenge from Fremantle to earn a week off.

The Swans did all the early attacking but its reward was just three behinds after seven minutes. The first goal of the match went to Fremantle after Sydney's Gary Rohan was penalised for running too far and Tendai Mzungu accurately converted the resultant free kick. Lance Franklin got the Swans going three minutes later after he too received a free kick and Luke Parker made it a nine-point advantage for Sydney at the 12-minute mark with the third goal of the match from a free kick after he was held without the ball. Pavlich marked and goaled at the 15-minute mark but Ben McGlynn restored the nine-point lead with a running goal a minute later. There was just one further major for the term, kicked by Nat Fyfe after he took a contested mark at the 23-minute mark, and at the first break Sydney held sway by just three points.

Not unexpectedly for these two teams, the second term was tight and tough, each side managing just two goals. Pavlich kicked the first for Fremantle after a minute to give the Dockers the lead but a second goal from McGlynn restored Sydney's advantage. The Swans were dealt a blow at the six-minute mark when Nick Malceski limped off with a hamstring strain. The two sides traded behinds until the 25-minute mark when Kurt Tippett took a big mark in the goal square and converted to give Sydney an 11-point lead but Docker skipper Pavlich beat three opponents to kick his third from the goal square to reduce the difference to five points at half time.

Ben McGlynn made the difference 10 points with his third at the 11-minute mark of the third term but Mzungu cut the difference back to three two minutes later with his second. It was after that moment that the Swans seized control of the match. They did not allow the Dockers to score another goal for the quarter and added three of their own, through Lewis Jetta, Adam Goodes and Kieran Jack to take a decisive 22-point lead into the last break.

The Dockers were not done with yet, however, and when Cameron Sutcliffe and Pavlich goaled within the first three minutes of the last quarter, the margin was just 10 points and a thrilling finish looked likely. But that man Buddy Franklin then  stamped his authority on the contest, kicking a huge goal from outside 50 at the four-minute mark and then adding another two minutes later to once again open up a break of four goals. Each side added another two goals after that but Fremantle did not really threaten again as the Swans finished the match four goals clear.

McGlynn was outstanding for the Swans with 19 possessions and three goals, while Luke Parker (32 touches and six tackles) ands Dan Hannebery (27 disposals and six tackles) also played pivotal roles in the win. The Dockers best included Matthew Pavlich (four goals), Nat Fyfe (29 possessions and six marks) and Michael Barlow (28 disposals, nine tackles).

The win gives Sydney a well-earned week off, after which the Swans will meet the winner of next Friday night's Geelong-North Melbourne game for a place in the Grand Final. The Dockers, if they are to play in their second consecutive Grand Final, will have to defeat Port Adelaide at Subiaco next Saturday and Hawthorn in a Preliminary Final a week later.

GOALS
Sydney: McGlynn, Franklin 3; Hannebery, Tippett, Jack, Parker, Jetta, Goodes, Pyke
Fremantle: Pavlich 4; Mzungu 2; Fyfe, Walters, Mundy, Sutcliffe

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Sydney: McGlynn, McVeigh, Hannebery, Parker, Jetta, Kennedy
Fremantle: Pavlich, Barlow, Fyfe, Mzungu, Neale, Sandilands, Silvagni

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
Sydney: Parker, Hannebery, Franklin, Smith, Rampe, McVeigh
Fremantle: Fyfe, Pavlich, Mzungu, Ibbitson, Barlow, Neale

INJURIES
Sydney: Malceski (hamstring)
Fremantle: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Craig Bird replaced Nick Malceski at quarter-time
Fremantle: Hayden Crozier replaced Danyle Pearce in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Schmitt, Meredith

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Basil Zempilas, Hamish McLachlan, Tom Harley, Jude Bolton, Andrew Welsh