After a scintillating first week of Finals action, two teams have been eliminated and four teams are set to battle it out this week, hoping to face Sydney and Geelong in the preliminary finals.
Port Adelaide vs Geelong
Port Adelaide (54) were defeated by Geelong (138)
Rundown
While Port Adelaide was competitive in the first quarter, Geelong unleashed an offensive onslaught, scoring five goals or more in each of the remaining three quarters. The Cats outscored the Power by 64 points in the second half, sending an emphatic reminder to the rest of the competition.
Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron was back to his dazzling best, scoring a snap on the run while being chased down by Aliir Aliir - and it deserves to be re-watched again and again.
His partner in crime Tyson Stengle, was clinical when the ball hit the ground, matching Cameron for four goals each.
Star youngsters
Despite the amount of experience within the Geelong team, their youngsters are impressive.
Picked ahead of the returning Tom Hawkins who played in the VFL this week, Shannon Neale, 22, has continued to justify his selection scoring two goals.
Drafted by Geelong with pick 63 last year, 21-year-old Lawson Humphries, has exceeded all expectations, flourishing on the wing with 20 disposals.
Finally, we can't forget about 22-year-old Max Holmes who has continued to play a brilliant role off of half-back, maintaining 86 per cent disposal efficiency across his 28 disposals in Thursday night’s clash.
Looking ahead
Geelong will enjoy a week off before their preliminary final, which could prove crucial in providing more time for Tom Stewart and Tom De Koning to be fit and available in two weeks' time.
Meanwhile, the Power will have to pick themselves up and try to defend Adelaide Oval if they hope to keep their season alive.
But this will likely be without star midfielder Zak Butters, who is battling a rib injury.
Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn
Western Bulldogs (62) were defeated by Hawthorn (99)
Rundown
Only one final was held in Victoria this week, but it was the match-up between the two best-form sides facing elimination.
Everything was on the line.
The Western Bulldogs started well in the first quarter. However, it was Hawthorn who pulled away in the third term.
In a puzzling move by Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, Captain Marcus Bontempelli was pushed up to full-forward and only moved back to the centre of the ground full-time in the final quarter.
It was too little too late.
Hawthorn was able to match each of the Bulldogs’ goals in the last term and put an end to any chance of a comeback.
Jai Newcombe continued to shine, providing 35 disposals and one goal, while Adam Treloar went down swinging with 28 disposals and a goal of his own.
Star youngsters
The Hawks young brigade stepped up to the big stage and seemed unfazed.
With an entire section of fans donning wizard hats, ‘The Wizard’ himself, 19-year-old Nick Watson, shook off poor set shot accuracy earlier in the season to kick four goals.
Fellow first-year player Calsher Dear, 19, scored three goals and is certainly an exciting prospect for the future standing at 195cm.
Finally, it would be remiss not to mention Jack Ginnivan, 21, who was the talk of the AFL media a day before his game. The former premiership Magpie was spotted enjoying some drinks at a pub watching the Geelong game with friends, just 24 hours before Hawthorn’s first finals game in six years.
Despite his unusual routines, Ginnivan used the football exquisitely, recording three goal assists and a goal for himself, which he celebrated as he mimed cracking open a beer on the field.
Looking ahead
Bulldogs fans were left disappointed at how their team failed to capitalise on the quality of their playing list for yet another year. Their week was further soured when star Bailey Smith officially requested a trade away from the club on Monday.
Hawthorn will look to unleash the affectionately dubbed ‘Hokball’ on Port Adelaide next week, for the opportunity to face Sydney at the SCG in a preliminary final.
Sydney vs GWS
Sydney (88) defeated GWS Giants (82)
Rundown
Despite playing better than the minor premiers in the first half, GWS's inaccuracy left the game open for Sydney to chase down a 21-point lead at halftime.
They defended valiantly in the third quarter but the dam finally broke, with the Swans scoring six goals in the final quarter, to edge the Giants out by six points.
In a season where he was the early Brownlow favourite and earned his second All-Australian blazer, Isaac Heeney stepped up when he was called on.
After taking one of the best marks of the year earlier in the game, Heeney was able to convert on a breakaway chance, scoring his third goal from over 60 metres out, tying the game, before Joel Amartey sealed the deal for the Swans.
Star youngsters
Chad Warner, 23, was instrumental in the fourth quarter, racking up 13 disposals, seven clearances and five score involvements, including the kick that led to Heeney's game-tying goal.
Although the Coleman medal winner was present throughout the game, 20-year-old Aaron Cadman matched Jesse Hogan's three goals for the game and gently reminded the competition that he is a star in the making.
Looking ahead
Although it wasn't pretty, the Swans got the job done and will host a preliminary final in a fortnight, while GWS will have to take the long way to premiership success if it is to come this year.
Brisbane vs Carlton
Brisbane Lions (99) defeated Carlton (71)
Rundown
Despite making a poor start to the season, Brisbane established some good form heading into September. The same couldn’t be said for Carlton.
With a plethora of injuries to players in their starting 22 over the past month, Carlton made six changes to their squad this week, hoping they could make a difference.
The Lions pounced from the opening siren scoring the first nine goals of the game and earned a 60-0 lead during the second quarter.
Carlton was held scoreless in the first quarter, the first team to do so in a final since 1974 and only managed two goals for the first half, going into the rooms down 48 points.
Carlton tried to stem the bleeding and won the second half by twenty points, but the damage was well and truly done by that point.
Dayne Zorko’s All-Australian selection was further solidified by his performance, gathering 29 disposals and over 600 metres gained. His kicking from half-back was a sight to behold, as he moved the ball down the wing and through the corridor, to carve open Carlton’s defence.
Star youngsters
There’s nothing better for a young forward than playing alongside established footballers who draw away the opposition's best defenders.
Logan Morris, 19, is fortunate to find himself in this position playing with Daniher and Hipwood, as he was able to score two goals and continue to develop his game.
Kai Lohmann has continued his impressive form this season, scoring another two goals. While Will Ashcroft, 20, has well and truly established himself as a key part of this Lions’ team moving forward, collecting 20 disposals with a stunning efficiency of 95 per cent.
Looking ahead
Carlton fans will need time to recover after that game and the 2024 season as a whole, which began with them among the top premiership favourites.
Although they dominated the first half, there will be some slight concerns for the Lions second-half performance.
Regardless, they’ll be heading to Sydney to face GWS in a semi-final this week, with a preliminary final against Geelong on the line.