Sydney Swans VFL v Casey Demons - Qualifying Final
CASEY DEMONS 14.15 (99)
SYDNEY 7.10 (52)
The Sydney Swans VFL side face an elimination Semi Final this weekend after going down to minor premier Casey by 47 points in the qualifying final.
Casey returned to the form that saw them win their first 17 games of the season after blitzing Sydney in the third quarter at Casey Fields.
The first half was a dour struggle as the Demons slowly ground the Swans down to lead by 17 points at the main break, but it was Ben Ronke’s second goal at the three-minute mark of the third that sparked the home team into action.
The goal saw the home side's lead cut to 10-points and gave the Swans a chance for their sixth win in a row, but the Demons rallied to score three goals in the next four minutes, the last seven of the quarter and eight in a row to blow the margin out as far as 59 points before the Swans kicked three of the last four to add some respectability to the score.
Casey took a risk in going in without a recognised ruckman against Sydney’s powerhouse big man division, but it paid off with Sam Weideman (22 disposals, six marks, 19 hitouts) providing extra mobility around the ground.
Callum Sinclair (16, 38 hitouts, nine clearances, five tackles) starred for the Swans, while Joel Amartey (16, eight marks), Peter Ladhams (13, 14 hitouts) and Lachlan McAndrew (four disposals, six hitouts) were limited in their opportunities.
Angus Sheldrick kicked the opening goal for the Swans and went on to be their best player with 30 disposals, five tackles and five entries, while Ronke played a lone hand up forward with 16 disposals and four goals, Harry Cunningham (23, seven marks) played well in defence.
James Bell (19) and Matt Roberts (17) were busy, Braeden Campbell notched up 14 disposals while Corey Warner, fresh off signing a contract extension alongside his brother Chad until the end of 2025, also had 14 possessions.
Casey's Luke Dunstan was peerless in the midfield for Casey, piling up 38 disposals, eight marks, 11 clearances and two goals to be a dominant best-on-ground.
NEXT WEEK
Sydney will now face the Gold Coast Suns in a Semi Final clash this weekend after the Suns defeated the Box Hill Hawks. The clash will be on Sunday, September 4 at Blacktown International Sporspark from 1:05pm AEST.
Sunday September 4
First Semi Final, Sydney Swans (4th) vs. Gold Coast Suns (5th)
Blacktown International Sports Park, 1:05pm AEST
Broadcaster: Seven Network
All VFL matches in 2022 are live-streamed free. The match of the round can be viewed on Channel 7, while all remaining games are streamed live and on demand via www.afl.com.au and the AFL Live and VFL apps.
