Final score - Sydney 18.10 (118) defeat Adelaide 12.10 (82)
In the end, comfortable. Earlier, anything but. That was a proper final, both sides completely committed to the physical task. The Swans did it with 20 after losing McVeigh to a calf injury and Rohan a knee ailment that looked pretty nasty.
That opened the door to Adelaide, who worked their way back into this contest in the third quarter, with four goals to two. But Sydney shut down any hope swiftly in the final term.
Adelaide will lament how long it took to get into the game, all-too-regular skill errors taken advantage of by the hosts in the early stages.
As the game went on, it was the big names: Kennedy (42 touches), Haneberry (31), Heeney (32), Franklin (four goals) - all outstanding. Then the work of the small forwards Papley (four goals) and McGlynn (three). All told, they overwhelmed the visitors.
So after threatening for so long this season, Adelaide’s campaign is over at least a week earlier than what they would have considered satisfactory. For the victors, they return to the biggest venue of them all for a Friday night preliminary final against Geelong.
And with that, I bid you farewell. Thanks for the company through the night. We’ll be back with our live AFL blog coverage on Friday night. Till then.
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It’s over! Siren! Cheer, cheer the red and the white. 36 points the victory margin. Buddy: “I can’t wait to get down to Melbourne and play Geelong.”
Brilliant from the SCG/AFL. Some booing before when they said kick to kick wouldn’t happen. Then they reversed the decision. They do have an issue turning the ground around in time for the Sheffield Shield, but let’s not worry about that now. We’ve got tonight. Who needs tomorrow?
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Sydney goal! 4th quarter 4:46 remaining) Sydney 18.10 (118) vs Adelaide 12.9 (81) Tom Mitchell the beneficiary of Josh Kennedy’s tough torso. He must do tons of yoga. The Crows just fell off him when trying to bring him down, his 41st possession of the night putting Mitchell into enough space to snap Sydney’s 18th goal of the night. Nearly there now.
Adelaide goal! 4th quarter 5:46 remaining) Sydney 17.10 (112) vs Adelaide 12.9 (81) Charlie Cameron snaps one too, so that’s three goals in five kicks. for the Crows. As you do. Adelaide’s centre break machine working a treat now. It’s all too late, of course. But the scoreboard, I reckon, closer to where it should be now for the contest that this has been for much of the night.
Adelaide goal! 4th quarter 6:06 remaining) Sydney 17.10 (112) vs Adelaide 11.9 (75) Two in a minute, captain Walker popping through a set shot from 30 after a centre break. TV commentators inform us that the last time Sydney played Geelong (well, South) was 1934. Remarkable given their frequency of September footy over the last decade especially.
Adelaide goal! 4th quarter 6:34 remaining) Sydney 17.10 (112) vs Adelaide 10.9 (69) Class finish from Betts after forcing an out on the full. Lovely shape. That’s his third tonight and 75th for the season.
Graham Neal has dropped a line to say that he can outdo Nairobi for our reader in the most creative location. He’s in Tehran. Let’s grow the game, I say.
Sydney goal! 4th quarter 9:40 remaining) Sydney 17.10 (112) vs Adelaide 9.9 (63) Richards put into space after a chain of handballs on the wing, kicks penetratively inside 50 where Heeney is there to take a strong grab. Slots it home. Big smiles in the Harbour City. Friday night at the MCG they will meet Geelong.
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Sydney goal! 4th quarter 13:17 remaining) Sydney 16.10 (106) vs Adelaide 9.9 (63) Party time. A series of handballs inside 50 lands in the mits of Hanneberry with enough space to fling his left boot at it, and through the middle it goes. 43 points the margin. After a year off, Sydney are back in the Prelim.
Sydney goal! 4th quarter 12:00 remaining) Sydney 15.10 (100) vs Adelaide 9.9 (63) Pattern of the night continues, Sydney hitting back within a couple of minutes. And it’s Papley for his fourth, crumbing a ball that evaded the big men beneath their knees. Sydney’s small forwards have seven between them now.
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Adelaide goal! 4th quarter 14:47 remaining) Sydney 14.10 (94) vs Adelaide 9.9 (63) Lynch jags Adelaide’s first of the last quarter, and even though less than seven minutes have been taken from the clock it already feels a bit too late. Clever from Betts to find him 20m out with a left-foot pass from the pocket.
Sydney goal! 4th quarter 14:47 remaining) Sydney 14.10 (94) vs Adelaide 8.9 (57) McGlynn, who has had an excellent night, gets on the end of one. Steps back to 50 and slams it home. How far his game has come since moving up north. Nice work, Hoopy. He has three. Sydney are home.
Josh Kennedy is relentless. Chasing his own kicks twice there they way you are taught in the under 10s. He’s had 34 of the best tonight, especially potent forward of centre.
Already some scrutiny over Jacobs hit on Papley. It’s a bump with the elbow down, but he’s a foot taller than him and collected his head. Never looks good. Might be in strife in the event that Adelaide progress to next week. Unlikely as it feels at this very moment.
Sydney goal! 4th quarter 18:40 remaining) Sydney 13.9 (87) vs Adelaide 8.9 (57) Papley has the last two of the game and three for the night not making a mistake from 30m out directly in front. Been the most influential small forward on the ground, extending Sydney’s lead to an even five goals 71 seconds into the final term. Some goals are more important than others.
The final term begins.
There's a great atmosphere at the SCG for #AFLSwansCrows. On track to lose voice #proudlysydney
— Urthboy (@urthboy) September 17, 2016
Three quarter time - Sydney 12.9 (81) vs Adelaide 8.9 (57)
Grandstand finish? Sydney kick away? Don’t switch off. Some sort of game, this.
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Siren! Four goals to two for the Crows that quarter. As the old political slogan goes: more to do, but heading in the right direction. Panache.
Sydney goal! 3rd quarter 2:17 remaining) Sydney 12.9 (81) vs Adelaide 8.8 (56) Maybe not! Sydney respond within 17 seconds. Classic centre break bombed to the hot spot, some clever roving from Tom Papley who snaps with the right boot and it... is... true. Back to 25 points.
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Adelaide goal! 3rd quarter 2:17 remaining) Sydney 11.9 (75) vs Adelaide 8.8 (56) Oh there is a moment! Eddie Betts held by Nick Smith according to the official, but gee that’s stiff on the defender. He pays the maximum price with the free kick inside 30m. The margin inside 20 points. Game on?
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High funny from Buddy. His old HFC teammate McGlynn takes a grab 52m out, and he knows full well he can’t kick over the proverbial jam tin so he tries to claim a little handball around the back. Blocked by a couple of Crows who know the score.
Adelaide goal! 3rd quarter 5:27 remaining) Sydney 11.8 (74) vs Adelaide 7.8 (50) Well, Adelaide strike right back. It’s Charlie Cameron, who has been hard at it tonight and created plenty after a slow start. He burns off the chasers into an open goal and gives it the big ones after slotting it through. Four even goals the margin. Plenty of time left in this quarter, as we learned – um – last night.
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Sydney goal! 3rd quarter 6:41 remaining) Sydney 11.7 (73) vs Adelaide 6.8 (44) Lance doesn’t miss from there. Right to left like Waqar Younis. He has four, has set up a couple, and is the best player on the ground.
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Missed snap! Adelaide won’t be able to say they didn’t have their chances. Eddie plays a role in bringing the ball to ground, Jenkins fails to convert the snap; shoulda done better. Fast forward 20 seconds: Buddy has a set shot from the most Buddy spot on the park, 50 out. Guess what? Yep. New post.
Nankervis guts. Drops back into Eddie leaping over his head. He’s been super impressive coming into the side tonight. Down the other end, and Kennedy has a set shot as a result. What will he do? Not enough. Misses to the right.
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Bad miss, Jerka. Jenkins the recipient of a free kick after looking to be the man doing the bulk of the holding? No matter: he misses from 30. A chance blown to take the margin inside 20 points there.
What we're seeing at SCG - the casualties - show the real advantage of @GeelongCats winning QF. Two byes > losing players. #AFLSwansCrows
— Jake Niall (@JakeNiallFOX) September 17, 2016
The physical challenge continues: “It’s all or nothing here for Adelaide, you can tell by the way they’re playing,” says BT on the call.
Adelaide goal! 3rd quarter (15:15 remaining) Sydney 10.6 (65) vs Adelaide 6.4 (40) Two in a minute! Now the Camrys are getting somewhere. Lynch brings the long ball to ground at the kick-off line as D-Com used to say, McGovern does the rest at ground level.
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Adelaide goal! 3rd quarter (15:48 remaining) Sydney 10.6 (65) vs Adelaide 5.4 (34) Better, Eddie. Laird finds the gun in the pocket. He takes the grab, plays on, snaps the goal. Okay. A start.
No, Eddie. Tries to start his half with a speccy, but goes about quarter of an hour early to give away the free. Admire him trying to find a way to get into this game though. The visitors need him real bad.
Second half underway...
The Crows with plenty to do - and probably in a hurry if history is any guide in these semi-finals – but the Swans down to 20. Here we go.
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Some unpleasant viewing for Adelaide fans into the commercial break, a shot down to the rooms with Jake Lever trying to run and looking, well, awful. He’s already shown tonight that he’s as hard as this masthead’s cryptic crossword, but guts only go so far.
All these injuries. Seems to be Gary Rohan with a knee, McVeigh with a calf along with Lever’s ankle issue for the Crows. If the Swans are down to 20, that won’t be for nothing.
Nice stat here from the Wu-Tube.
Wonder why Adelaide look so much worse than last week? North laid 43 tackles, Swans have 39 to half time #AFLSwansCrows
— Andrew Wu (@wutube) September 17, 2016
Half time - Sydney 10.5 (65) vs Adelaide 4.4 (28)
Three goals to one for the home side in the second term with the Swans stars really putting a stamp on this game. “Geelong are the winner out of the first half,” is Mark Ricciuto’s assessment. Seems about right.
Let’s take a break. Grab a Fanta and some chicken twisties. Or whatever it is that makes you happy. I’ll scan twitter for some ~value add~ and will be back in a tic.
Summary
Siren. What a rabid quarter.
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Gary Rowan is down. Here comes to the stretcher. Hard to tell from the replay if it was a contact injury or something on landing? But they’re taking it pretty slowly. This is good news: he’s on his feet now, onto the back of the car. 11 seconds till the hooter for half time.
Sydney goal! 2nd quarter (1:00 remaining) Sydney 10.5 (65) vs Adelaide 4.4 (28) You can’t stop the Franklin, nobody can stop the Franklin! Contested mark to the champ, Hartigan nowhere near it. Buddy well inside range, pops it through. Crucial 10 minutes for the Swans there.
Goal umpire hits the deck for the second time tonight as another Adelaide set shot misses, this time Dick Doug the culprit. Sure enough, Sydney get their own chance as a consequence, but mercifully for the Crows Josh Kennedy isn’t able to finish off a running chance from outside 50.
Lever’s injury is an ankle, not a corky, we are told. Get the magic spray on the kid, he’s very much needed at the moment.
Sydney goal! 2nd quarter (6:00 remaining) Sydney 9.4 (58) vs Adelaide 4.3 (27) Brilliant from Franklin to collect and evade on the wing, spots out Josh Kennedy at centre half forward, who in turn latches onto the deep man Xavier Richards who runs into an open goal. Buddy having a massive game.
Not good, Tay. He missed a set shot from 30. Can’t afford that in a game like this. Because Sydney go the other way... and...
Sydney goal! 2nd quarter (9:00 remaining) Sydney 8.4 (52) vs Adelaide 4.2 (26) Hoop Dreams Benny McGlynn kicks his second! After nine minutes of scrap and blokes beating each other up, Sydney have won this battle. Lever on the boundary looks proppy at best.
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Jake Lever is gutsy as. That mark running back with the flight before, and then stands in front of Franklin at full speed who crashes into his leg, corking it. He’s hobbling off. “Doesn’t look good at all,” says Richo. And I believe pretty much whatever that man says.
Whoa! Poor Hartigan gets monstered by Buddy, and then dispossessed by Rohan, but running into the open goal he hits the outside of the post. Two more CRAZY tackles, time Kennedy and Buddy again. The type of physicality that is exclusive to September. Soak it up, friends. This is sensational.
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McVeigh has done a pinger. He’s jogging from the field, so that’s positive? But he couldn’t chase and they’re looking at him closely on the bench. A calf maybe, on second viewing? It’s still frantic. Jake Lever wonderful mark running back, setting up a surge where Rory Atkins ultimately failed to convert. But the signs are good for the visitors.
Adelaide goal! 2nd quarter (18:16) remaining) Sydney 7.3 (45) vs Adelaide 4.2 (26) ...and he kicks it, beautifully. That’s Lynch on the board. And somehow Adelaide are three goals down. Your move, Sydney.
Reader Dean Rizetti is following the blog from Nairobi. Can you do better than that?
Okay, back to your telly, the second quarter has started. Neglected to mention at the breather that Eddie Betts has yet to get a kick. Oh, and as I type this he takes a grab outside 50 and finds Lynch inside the arc for a set shot. Stand by...
Is that Sweet Caroline I can hear on the SCG speakers? I think it is.
Quarter time - Sydney 7.3 (45) vs Adelaide 3.2 (19)
Ten goals in one of those quarter of footy where you barely get a chance to breathe, let alone think. It’s why they are paid the big bucks. Sydney’s drive is immense through the guts, while the Crows showed with a late surge that they aren’t for rolling over.
Stats, stats, stats...
Touches 112-58 (!!) Sydney’s way; handballs 61-16 really telling that story. Yet inside 50s 12-11 to the hosts.
Frenetic down the other end! BALL! YEAAAH! Charlie Cameron lays a ferocious tackle to get a shot from a similar position to where Thompson dunked his long goal a few minutes ago, but the kick is amiss. They keep it in the mixer with Sloane getting a chance snapping with his right boot, and it looked good until hitting the post.
Siren. Phew. Let’s take stock.
Urgh! Thompson gets his hands on it for another set shot crack. A far easier chance from 40 out right in front, but sprays it badly. The point: Adelaide have found a way to create a couple of chances just when it looked like Sydney were a chance of blowing this game open. “If they can go in 20 points down it would be a good result,” says Richo on the call. I’m with him.
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Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (4:25 remaining) Sydney 7.3 (45) vs Adelaide 3.1 (19) Who wanted it more? Scott Thompson wanted it more. A gang-tackle on Parker earns a free kick on the corner of the 50 and the boundary in front of the Bill O’Reilly. A helluva kick from there, sneaking through for a major and keeping the Crows in touch.
Sydney goal! 1st quarter (5:23 remaining) Sydney 7.3 (45) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13) BUDDY! Oh that was delish! Nankervis to Franklin with a lovely little touch, finding the big man on the lead after a series of neat handballs. He kicks the stitches out of it from just outside the arc to finish the job.
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Sydney are frantic. A young side who are moving the ball coast to coast at will. Adelaide having to use a burn a lot of petrol just to keep up at this stage. Complete reversal of what we expected. Eddie and Lynch yet to have a sniff (or a stat) down the other end. Oh, and Buddy ran through someone when having a frolic down back. Contested possies 29 to 17 in favour of the hosts. All told: proper finals footy.
Sydney goal! 1st quarter (10:57 remaining) Sydney 6.2 (38) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13) More! More! Richards takes a handy overhead grab in the forward pocket and drains a banana goal. This is football in fast forward. 54 touches to 24 tells the story.
Sydney goal! 1st quarter (11:40 remaining) Sydney 5.2 (32) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13) Buddy now! On the board. Over the shoulder free kick given against Talia and Lance smashes it through. We have ourselves a shoot out.
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Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (12:30 remaining) Sydney 4.2 (26) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13) Make that six in seven and a half minutes. Can you give a bloke a chance to check twitter? It’s the Crows’ McGovern who takes advantage of a set shot chance on the 45 and doesn’t mess about; right through the middle.
Sydney goal! 1st quarter (13:20 remaining) Sydney 4.2 (26) vs Adelaide 1.1 (7) All happening! Five goals in less than seven minutes game time, Isaac Heeney genius to pinch the contested ball and get the clean handball away, Luke Parker doing the rest from 45.
Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (14:20 remaining) Sydney 3.1 (19) vs Adelaide 1.1 (7) And sure enough, it’s the captain Walker who launches his own long-range bomb from inside the square. Blimey, they needed that.
Sydney goal! 1st quarter (15:15 remaining) Sydney 3.1 (19) vs Adelaide 0.1 (1) What a start! Ben McGlynn roves Franklin on the 50, turns on the proverbial dime and bangs it home from 45. Reluctant to go early on this, but Adelaide a risk of getting totally blown away here.
A bit of magic from McGlynn! #AFLFinals https://t.co/pWbj5YdXlu
— AFL (@AFL) September 17, 2016
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Sydney goal! 1st quarter (16:15 remaining) Sydney 2.1 (13) vs Adelaide 0.0 (0) Nankervis shows full commitment to prevent an Adelaide run on the wing, the ball comes back the other way and Papley snaps crisply from 20m out.
Sydney goal! 1st quarter (18:00 remaining) Sydney 1.1 (7) vs Adelaide 0.0 (0) What a beautiful strike of the football, Gary Rohan leaning back and draining the first goal of the game from 53 metres. Likes it too, big fist bump. Buddy missed from similar range moments before. Swans the early running.
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We are away!
I had that wrong before, the Crows are down to the Trumper Stand End (right of screen).
Taylor Walker wins the toss and Adelaide will bat first. I mean, they’ll kick to the Bradman Stand End. Buddy’s arms are more oil than flesh. Talia will drift towards him in a tic. What an awful gig.
Both teams link arms for the anthems. If I die prematurely, can someone please make sure that Craig Willis MCs the funeral?
Speaking of arm-linking, 15 years this weekend since Hawthorn knocked off Port when Johnny Barker drained the winner from the Tony Hall Pocket. Context? That’s when the arm-linking business started. All the rage now.
Both teams warming up. Teams as expected, Sandy Roberts tells me. And that’s good enough for me. For Sydney, it’s Jeremy Laidler and Toby Nankervis into the side. Anthem and toss in a couple of minutes.
They’re running out. Adelaide’s banner... I caught the first three lines and wasn’t exactly Lennon and McCartney: “We are the mighty Crows/We fly as one/Watch out Swans...”
Good evening to you all
Adam Collins with you here for the Guardian’s live coverage of the second semi-final between the Sydney Swans and the Pride of South Australia from the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The winner tonight earns the right to play Geelong next Friday night, joining the G-Dubs and the Scraggers in the final four.
Righto. Let’s get into it?
If the hosts don’t make it work tonight they’ll suffer the indignity of being bounced in straight sets on consecutive years. So, plenty to play for then.
They were towelled up by the Giants at the Olympic Stadium last week, the six goal margin made all the worse by Kurt Tippett’s smashed face. He’ll be watching on from the Pavilion tonight, as will defender Callum Mills who pinged a hammy in that misadventure.
What’s that mean? More pressure on Lance Franklin. Buddy. Frankie. The Big Bopper. Full disclosure: I’m Hawthorn ‘til I die, and I adore the man forever. So if he lights up tonight, look out. Alas, he went goalless last week. Even so, with 74 to his name for season, [Bruce] you just get the feeeeeling [/Bruce] he’s going to do as he does this time of year.
To the Camrys. It’s their forward line that is the best in the business, with Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch and Eddie Betts having wonderful campaigns, the Crows the highest scoring average side.
Betts is all the rage after his bag of six last week as they accounted for North by ten goals. Nick Smith gets some of the hardest jobs in footy, and tonight will be no different in having to mark him.
At selection Adelaide got to utter the two best words in the footy language: NO CHANGE. And the bookies like them a bit too, winding them into... oh, you know what? Who cares. Let’s ignore the bookies. Deal?
Last time they met, it was the Swans by a couple of goals back in round 4 when the players still had tans from pre-season, so probably don’t read much into that. Hanneberry had 38 touches that night in a shootout where the bulk of the goals came late.
This is going to be fun. If you’ve joined me for other live blogs before during the Olympics and the cricket you’ll know I really dig your chat. So please drop plenty of it my way. Adam.Collins.Freelance@theguardian.com for considered missives, @collinsadam for your hottest takes.
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Adam will be with you shortly but in the meantime, check out JP Howcroft’s preview.
