GWS Giants to play Richmond in Grand Final after epic preliminary final win over Collingwood
With an injured calf and sore shoulder, GWS captain Phil Davis typified the Giants' fighting spirit as they progressed to a maiden grand final with an epic victory over Collingwood.
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Does anybody have Arnold Schwarzenegger’s number?
If Greater Western Sydney repeats Saturday’s monstrous upset in next week’s Grand Final and a movie is commissioned, the Hollywood star is the only man fit to play Phil Davis.
The inspirational captain played the role of Terminator at the MCG and his GWS teammates fed off that as if they were breaking a hunger strike at a buffet.
Davis, 29, dislocated his finger at the start of the match and coolly asked Adam Tomlinson to pop it back in.
The full-back then hobbled into the rooms in the first quarter with a calf strain, but casually slotted a heal raise into his boots and started the second quarter at full-forward.
Davis then appeared to pop a shoulder, but soldiered on with a layer of strapping.
In previous preliminary final losses the Giants have lost Callan Ward (2016) and Dylan Shiel (2017) early to concussion.
Davis refused to join that list and, while he might not be fit for the biggest game of his life, he ensured his mates would get there.
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“Sore lower leg. Can’t quite sprint, but can jog around,” Davis said at halftime.
But he spotted Jeremy Cameron at the start of the last quarter and shortly after Cameron’s powerful strike GWS led by 33 points.
The Giants didn’t score again. It turned out they didn’t need to. Collingwood had 73 per cent of territory for the last term but was wasteful.
The Magpies had 11 more inside-50s but kicked 4.5 (29) and one of those goals shouldn’t have even counted.
Josh Thomas’s kick appeared to be touched by two sets of hands, but the AFL’s glamorous new AFL Review Centre found no reason to overturn the goal umpire’s call.
Imagine if the league’s flawed system cost its newest club a Grand Final berth? Boy, Gillon McLachlan must’ve breathed a sigh of relief when GWS held on by four points.
The Magpies held four marks inside 50m in the last quarter for just 1.2(8). For the second week in a row, GWS put up a wall in the final quarter that couldn’t be penetrated.
Kid John Noble’s forward thrust hit Davis on the chest. Yes, Davis had gone back to help build that wall and watched with his heart in his mouth as a running Taylor Adams hit the post.
The ball lived in the Magpies’ forward line for the frenetic final minutes, but when the siren sounded GWS became the first team to win back-to-back finals by under a kick since Fitzroy in 1986.
The Magpies started the third quarter asleep and it was those 15 minutes that cost them their season.
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In slippery conditions kids Brent Daniels and Bobby Hill handballed back and forth so cleanly before Daniels curled through a clever goal. It defied conditions, and defied the script.
Then, Zac Williams pushed GWS 10 points clear when the orange team had won 30 more ground balls. It was the key statistic.
Jeremy Finlayson’s tap to Tim Taranto put them 16 points clear and Finlayson then got away with an illegal shove on Brodie Grundy before snapping GWS 23 points clear.
One of the most one-sided crowds in VFL-AFL history sat in silence stunned. They were chanting “COLLINGWOOD, COLLINGWOOD” when Scott Pendlebury kicked a second-quarter stoppage goal.
But it was overturned on review because of a fingernail and after that there was little to cheer.
Twelve months after the Magpies orchestrated a preliminary final upset for the ages, they were on the end of a shock of similar proportions.
MOTHER OF A PROBLEM
Shane Mumford’s career is out of oxygen and he has also done his best to leave the umpires short of breath this year. Mumford gave away six free kicks, taking his season tally to an AFL-record 78. That’s 22 more kicks than Mummy has had himself in 2019. At 33 Mumford has now been smashed in two consecutive finals. Former Bulldog and Richmond star Nathan Brown said Mumford was a “liability”. Is the banged-up beast a certain selection against Richmond?
MISSING MAGPIES
A clutch of Magpies will feel like putting their fists through brick walls when they look back on their preliminary final stats. That’s because their hands simply couldn’t get anywhere near the Sherrin. The angriest will be Brody Mihocek, who’s only two handballs came in the last quarter. Ben Reid (four disposals) sprayed an easy shot in the final term while James Aish, Will Hoskin-Elliott (both eight disposals) and Chris Mayne (nine) were all beaten. Mayne’s contested grab in the last quarter had him within touching distance of glory, but the accurate set shot was touched by Sam Taylor on the goal line. This will sting.
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LOCK IN LEON
Three weeks ago GWS board member Jimmy Bartel made headlines when he spoke out of school by saying: “There has to be a review looking at the whole football department”. Well, three finals victories on and maybe the Giants should be reviewing how many years they should add to Leon Cameron’s contract. He’s had a brilliant September in the box and the Giants’ selection was as clever as the legal eagles that sat in Toby Greene’s hearings last week. GWS put Lachie Keeffe in the team and Zac Williams into the midfield and they were brilliant. Meanwhile, Nathan Buckley picked 150-gamer Ben Reid in a heartwarming story that turned cold. What was Travis Varcoe thinking in the stands?
BEST
COLLNGWOOD: Grundy, Crisp, Howe, Maynard, Moore, Thomas, Wills, Treloar
GWS: Nick Haynes, Zac Williams, Kelly, Taranto,Taylor, Perryrman, Finlayson, de Boer, Cameron, Shaw
VOTES
3. Nick Haynes (GWS)
All-Australian selectors might like their time again. Criminally underrated outside of GWS while his nine marks yesterday went with a career-best 30 disposals. A pleasure to watch.
2. Zac Williams (GWS)
Speed machine stepped into the midfield in Lachie Whitfield’s absence and the defender looked as if he’d never played anywhere else. A staggering 10 clearances said it all, with four of those (and 11 disposals) coming in the second term.
1. Brodie Grundy (Coll)
Midfield numbers again for the bloke that monstered Mummy with 73 hit-outs.
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