Facts and Figures
Average Score: 82 points per team.
Average Winning Margin: 18 points per game, with one game close and the other game reasonably one sided.
Finals Week 1 (In a Nutshell): In the Semi-finals Week 1 I correctly predicted one out of two matches.
Friday (Game One of Two- The Story)
Geelong Cats (103) v GWS Giants (68)
Giants Get Giant Lesson
Facts and Figures: It was 28 scoring shots to 18 in favour of the Cats. Both teams had 49 inside 50s. The Cats had eight more hitouts as well as one more centre clearance than the Giants. Remarkably, the Giants had three more clearances than the Cats.
Pivotal Moment: Tom Hawkins of the Cats gave them a 34 point lead midway through the 4th quarter.
Geelong Cats Game Changers: Tom Hawkins, Sam Menegola, Zach Tuohy
GWS Giants Game Changer: Lachie Whitfield
Friday (Game One of Two- Trials and Tribulations)
- Tom Hawkins was on form kicking five goals.
- Sam Menegola put in a good shift with two goals and 29 disposals.
- The Giants only key forward that presented a target was Harry Himmelberg; their forward structure was a bit one dimensional.
- The Giants couldn’t cope with the three tall forwards that the Cats had; Jeremy Cameron, Tom Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea kicked eight goals between them.
- Contrastingly Harry Himmelberg kicked two goals.
- The Giants waited too long to put Tim Taranto into the midfield.
Saturday (Game Two of Two- The Story)
Brisbane Lions (78) v Western Bulldogs (79)
Bulldogs Dogged Win!
Facts and Figures: The Bulldogs had one more scoring shot than the Lions. Despite that, the Lions had 14 more inside 50s, as well as 11 more hitouts than the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs had ten more clearances and three more centre clearances than the Lions.
Pivotal Moment: Jack Macrae made the deficit four points with the opening goal of the 4th quarter.
Brisbane Lions Game Changer: Hugh McCluggage
Western Bulldogs Game Changer: Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith
Saturday (Game Two of Two- Trials and Tribulations)
- In the 1st quarter Charlie Cameron of the Lions kicked three goals, while for the Bulldogs Tom Liberatore kicked two goals in the 1st
- The Lions played the better footy in the 1st 2 quarters, but they trailed by one point at half time.
- Both teams should be proud of the endeavour that they displayed.
- It was a game that will go down in history as one of the best ever in any sport.