The Sydney Swans have staved off a brave but undermanned Gold Coast Suns, the minor premiers storming away in the second half to take a 67-point win on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Metricon Stadium.
Aliir Aliir (20 disposals, eight marks, three goals) used his versatility with impact, playing back, forward and in the ruck for the Swans, and supported by an elite midfield brigade led his side to a comfortable 23.12 (150) to 13.5 (83) win after a shaky start.
The Suns faced a nigh insurmountable task from the outset, taking seven AFL-listed players into a match against a Swans team featuring a whopping 19, needing win to ensure a home final against the NT Thunder.
But despite the loss the Suns still managed to hang onto their home final as the Aspley Hornets defeated the Thunder by 45points.
James Rose (32 disposals, eight marks) was prolific as a midfielder pushing forward, but squandered some opportunities to finish with 4.4.
Brandon Jack (30 disposals), Tyrone Leonardis (29 disposals, five tackles, one goal) and Daniel Robinson (31 disposals) were also instrumental in securing the win.
After surviving a Swans onslaught for the first 10 minutes of the match with just one goal conceded the Suns managed to turn the rest of the term into an arm wrestle, not allowing the Swans to break away into space, and at quarter time trailed by just two points.
The second term opened up into a shoot-out, but the Swans got the upper hand late and booted 7.3 to 4.2 for the quarter, gaining the ascendency and capitalising on the spirited but inexperienced Suns mistakes.
But the Suns rose early in the third stanza, putting on the first two goals through Will Brodie and Jack Bowes, but the Swans’ Rose – of the James variety – helped the Swans kick into gear with a goal of his own to see Sydney kick into gear once more.
They kicked seven of the next nine and never looked back.
Brayden Crossley (15 disposals, seven tackles, five marks) dominated the hit outs with 59 for the Suns as the Swans shared the ruck duties between Toby Pink, Michael Talia and Aliir, the Academy prospect turning in another strong performance in the lead up to the AFL Draft.
Will Brodie (39 disposals, six marks, four tackles) and Jack Bowes (32 disposals) were also solid performers for a Suns side missing a raft of regulars.
The Swans will enjoy the week off next weekend before their preliminary final, whilst the Suns will host the NT Thunder in a do-or-die elimination final blockbuster at Metricon Stadium.
SYDNEY 3.3 10.6 17.9 23.12 (150)
GOLD COAST 3.1 7.3 12.4 13.5 (83)
GOALS – Sydney: S Edwards 4 J Rose 4 A Aliir 3 B Ronke 2 H Carr 2 S Fisher 2 O Florent M Talia T Leonardis H Cunningham J Foote T Pink. Gold Coast: B Scheer 2 R Davis 2 A Sexton 2 K Boakye W Brodie E Baru S Davidson J Bowes B Crossley B Scott
BEST – Sydney: J Rose B Jack T Leonardis A Aliir D Robinson S Fisher. Gold Coast: J Bowes W Brodie B Scheer R Davis M Rischitelli B Crossley.
