The Sydney Swans reserves have fallen to the Brisbane Lions in this year’s NEAFL Grand Final, held at Aspley’s Graham Road Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Fielding one of their most inexperienced teams for the season, with just ten Swans listed players in the side, the Swans reserves fought gallantly until the end, falling just eight points short of the Northern Conference premiers.
Tim Membrey finished the match as one of the Swans reserves’ best with five goals for the match, while ruckman Sam Naismith and top up player Doug Hadden were also strong for the side.
Matthew Dick was also important for the Swans reserves, and kept Lions' forward Aaron Cornelius to just one goal for the match.
In sunny but windy Brisbane conditions, the Swans reserves’ energy was high in the opening term, with the visitors attacking the football and applying strong tackling pressure, which prevented the Lions from going inside their forward 50 for the first ten minutes of the match.
Top up player Lloyd Perris was lively early on and set up the Swans reserves’ first goal of the match after centring the ball to Hadden, who kicked truly from a 30 metre set shot before Brad Plug added another goal to the Swans reserves’ tally.
The Lions reserves hit back soon after and made the most of the Swans reserves’ turnovers, piling on five consecutive goals to give the home side a 19-point lead heading into the first change.
Tackling pressure from Plug and Jordan Weir created late opportunities for the Swans, including a kick on the siren from Weir, which was on-line but fell short.
The Swans reserves bounced back after quarter time and kept the Lions reserves to just one behind for the quarter, led by Membrey, who was the dominant player for the visitors in the second term.
Membrey kicked two goals, including a set shot from a very tight angle in the opening minute of the second quarter, and applied plenty of forward pressure to help the Swans work their way back into the match.
Relentless tackling pressure from Yarren Jaffer-Williams also played a role in the Swans reserves’ comeback, including a brilliant diving tackle inside the Swans’ forward 50, which set up Plug for his second goal.
After a handful of early set shot misses, reserves captain Alex Brown showed off his pace and skills and drove hard off the half back line to find Dean Towers, who delivered a perfect pass to Membrey, who went back to kick his third.
Moments later, midfielder Dan Robinson worked hard into space and sent another loping kick into the hands of the Swans’ number one, who made no mistake and kicked his fourth.
After a strong start to the third term, the momentum then swung the way of the home side, with Lions forward Michael Close spurring on a four-goal revival late in the quarter for the Lions, who secured an eight-point lead at the final change.
The Swans hit the ground running in the final term with Jaffer-Williams adding his name to the goal scoring list, before the Lions took control of the match with two quick goals to Close and Sam Michael.
The Swans reserves battled hard to stem the flow into the Lions’ attack, and reduced the margin to just eight points just ahead of the final siren thanks to a sensational final goal from Membrey from the boundary line.
Brisbane Lions midfielder Jesse O’Brien was awarded the Andrew Ireland Medal, which was presented by Ireland’s daughter Natalie.
Final score
Sydney Swans reserves 2.2 5.6 8.10 10.13 (67)
Brisbane Lions reserves 5.3 5.4 10.7 12.9 (81)
Goals: Membrey 5, Plug 2, Hadden, Vivic, Jaffer-Williams
