Swans shock Crows to seal home prelim

Updated September 08, 2012 19:10:54

Sydney has beaten its danger team and grabbed back home advantage for the finals with a stunning 29-point win over Adelaide at Football Park on Saturday afternoon.

Adelaide had beaten Sydney in 12 of their last 14 meetings, but that stat counted for nothing as the Swans out-ran, out-tackled and out-manoeuvred their favoured opponents to win 11.5 (71) to 5.12 (42).

Sydney co-captain Jarrad McVeigh told Grandstand the Swans had confidence in their ability to get the job done in the finals.

"We think we play finals footy every week and our game plan does stand up in that type of scenario," he said.

"We started well, which you have to do when you're (playing) away, (it was) just a super effort throughout the whole game."

Sydney came out full of fire, restricting Adelaide's space and opportunities and kicking two goals - both from Adam Goodes - to one in the first quarter.

The Swans made the break in the second term, booting five goals to one as Adelaide failed to match Sydney in attack, in particular failing to convert scoring opportunities through dropped marks and poor kicking.

McVeigh said even though Adelaide was well on top in forward entries at half-time, there was no big concern from the Swans.

"They weren't really hurting us (with inside 50s), our defence was doing it really well and forcing them into tough shots," McVeigh said.

"Then we were working them back the other way ... and hurting them ourselves."

Crows captain Nathan van Berlo said the Swans had targeted areas where Adelaide had prided themselves on during the season.

"Contested possessions, clearances, and spread from stoppages have been among our highlights for the year," van Berlo told Grandstand.

"Today we were really outplayed in that area which is really disappointing."

In an incredible third term, both sides failed to kick a goal until the final two minutes.

Suddenly the Crows went forward, and David Mackay's kick inside 50 took a crazy bounce into the arms of Rory Sloane, who snapped a precious goal to put the Crows back within 18 points.

Sydney responded, however, with a mark and goal to late inclusion Mitch Morton to restore the Swans' four-goal lead at three-quarter time.

Adelaide got the start it needed in the final term, with an early goal to Graham Johncock, and Sydney was forced to use its substitute as Ben McGlynn came off with a hamstring injury.

Sub Luke Parker had an immediate impact, kicking a goal to push the lead back to four goals.

Ian Callinan sharked another goal for the home side, but Adelaide struggled to get enough clear shots on goal and when Lewis Jetta drilled another goal Sydney was headed for a home preliminary final.

The Crows will now face the winner of Saturday night's match between Geelong and Fremantle in an elimination final in Adelaide next Friday night.

"Obviously the boys are shattered at the moment," van Berlo told Grandstand.

"We've got to regroup pretty quick and turn it round.

"We had a good enough year to give ourselves the double chance. We've got that chance next week and we need to take it."

In injury news, Adelaide's Rising Star award-winner Daniel Talia is expected to be out for the year after suffering a suspected broken arm.

McGlynn's injury - while not believed to be as serious as first feared - will still make it a struggle for the midfielder to come up for the Swans' next game in a fortnight's time.

Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield took a blow to the jaw near full-time but was cleared of serious injury.

Adelaide: 5.12 (42) - Walker, Van Berlo, Sloane, Johncock, Callinan

Sydney: 11.5 (71) - Goodes 3, Morton 2, Jetta 2, McGlynn, Reid, Kennedy, Parker

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, sydney-2000, nsw, adelaide-5000, sa, australia

First posted September 08, 2012 17:53:36

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Power shock Kangaroos at death

Updated May 19, 2012 18:07:38

Jay Schulz kicked seven goals as Port Adelaide staged a remarkable comeback from 32 points down against North Melbourne to win by two points at Football Park.

Schulz's perfect kicking, which included four goals in the final quarter, brought Port back in position to seal a remarkable victory but it was Paul Stewart's major with less than a minute remaining which saw them surge to a 14.11 (95) to 14.9 (93) win.

It was Port's first lead since midway through the second quarter.

After scoring five goals in the first quarter, the Power only managed three in the next two stanzas, putting them behind the eight ball.

Drew Petrie kicked five goals for the Kangaroos while Andrew Swallow's 12 tackles quelled Port's attacks for much of the game.

Schulz was keen to put the comeback down to a team effort and said coach Matthew Primus encouraged his troops that victory was still possible despite their 21-point deficit at three-quarter time.

"It was just hard work today - it was an absolute slog," Schulz said.

"Matty said 'take the game on no matter what'.

"We managed to get a run on. Showed great spirit and great determination.

"When we do take risks, we can be a good and damaging side. Hopefully this is the start of something good for us.

"This doesn't count a great deal for us unless we back it up this week.

"We know when we play our best footy we're good enough to challenge most sides."

Danyle Pearce, fresh from a spell in SANFL, was Port's best on ground.

"Pearcey was fantastic. He went back to the SANFL - it was quite hard for him to cop," Schulz said.

"(But) he thought he deserved that cop.

"He went back and he was tremendous with his defensive stuff. That's what they told him to work on.

"I told him at the start 'you just run all day no matter what'. He was fantastic for us, one of the stand-outs, it was one of his best games for a while."

Schulz himself was playing his first game back after an eye injury.

"I have a new-found respect for people who have eye issues," he admitted.

"It wasn't my eye that kept me out last week. It affected my balance, made me feel nauseous. I don't wish anyone to go through that."Ultimately, Port's six-goal final quarter, which could have been more considering their five behinds, saw them over the line to the delight of the near 15,000 in attendance.

There could be more bad news for North coach Brad Scott as Brent Harvey could be charged for a forearm to the head of Chad Wingard.

Port Adelaide: 14.11 (95): Goals - Schulz 7, Broadbent, Cornes, Brett Ebert, Jacobs, McCarthy, Stewart, Westhoff.

North Melbourne: 14.9 (93): Goals - Petrie 5, Thomas 2, Wells, 2, Harvey, Pedersen, Swallow, Warren, Ziebell.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, adelaide-5000, north-melbourne-3051

First posted May 19, 2012 16:38:22

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Dees romp home to shock Bombers

Updated June 3, 2011 22:53:00

The Demons went into party mode at the MCG on Friday night after a third-quarter blitz provided the catalyst for a 33-point upset of Essendon and moved them to the brink of the top eight.

Melbourne pounced on the Bombers after trailing by seven points at the long change to lead by five goals at three-quarter-time, eventually prevailing 15.11 (101) to 10.8 (68).

Dees midfielder Jordan Gysberts was best afield with 30 possessions and captain Brad Green led his team superbly, kicking four goals.

Green (4.0) and Liam Jurrah (3.1) were the chief goal threats but the loudest cheer of the night was reserved for Brent Moloney, whose long bomb in the final minutes sent Demons fans wild and provided the exclamation point on a crucial win.

Normally reserved coach Dean Bailey punched the air with delight late in the last term and ran onto the field at the final siren.

The challenge for the inconsistent Demons will be to build on the upset win.

Melbourne now moves into ninth spot - ahead of Richmond on percentage - on 18 points and give the Demons their second straight win over Essendon; they beat the Bombers by 19 points when the sides last met in round 15 last year.

Essendon is now in danger of slipping from fifth to eighth should Sydney, West Coast and Fremantle all enjoy wins against Brisbane, Gold Coast and Hawthorn respectively over the course of the weekend.

The Bombers have now lost two in a row while for Melbourne this victory snapped a three-match skid.

In another positive for the Dees, former number one draft pick Tom Scully played his first senior match of the season.

The win ended a challenging week for the Demons, who claimed Carlton had accused them of playing "bruise-free" football when the Blues beat them last Friday night.

As Melbourne ran out onto the ground for the start of the match, the club's banner read: "Whatever it takes, mongrel or brilliance, go hard, go Dees, push the limits".

Inspired performance

Bailey said he was proud of his team, adding every player had contributed to the win.

He also revealed club president Jim Stynes had spoken to the team a day before he had another bout of surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his brain.

The operation on Thursday was successful.

"It probably all started when Jimmy came out and spoke to the players during the week," Bailey said.

"He gave Max Gawn his jumper, he spoke about the importance of showing resilience.

"He also mentioned when he handed the jumper over to Maxy that ... (after) his first game, he was dropped the next week.

"So he was making the point that it doesn't matter how often you get knocked down, it's how you get back up.

"He was terrific and this was 12-14 hours before he went into surgery - the big bloke was an inspiration during the week, no doubt, and the players took that message."

Essendon also lost to Richmond before the bye, leaving the club mid-table with five wins and a draw from 10 games.

The Bombers have not done well interstate in the last few seasons and they face a major challenge next Sunday when they play Fremantle in Perth.

Coach James Hird said this bad patch showed his developing team still had a lot of improvement to make.

The good news for Essendon is that it will regain captain Jobe Watson and tall utility Michael Hurley for the Dockers match.

"Having been in football a long time, there are periods throughout every year and every season ... you don't play as well as you would have liked," Hird said.

"We would hope we get through this lean patch as quickly as possible.

"We came into this job, as a coaching group, knowing there was a lot of work to do and a lot of improvement to be had before we can really call ourselves a good team.

"We've had some success this year and some real improvement in certain areas, but games like (Friday night) show you there's a lot more improvement needed.

"As disappointing as (Friday night) is, it's a reality check for everyone that Essendon have a lot of work to do."

Melbourne: B Green 4, L Jurrah 3, B Moloney 2, N Jetta 2, C Sylvia, J Howe, J Watts, T Scully

Essendon: P Ryder 2, A Monfries, B Howlett, B Stanton, D Hille, D Zaharakis, J Melksham, K Hardingham, S Crameri

- ABC/AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, essendon-3040, melbourne-3000

First posted June 3, 2011 22:22:00

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Suns rise to shock the Power

Gold Coast left a disappointing start to its AFL inception in the rear view mirror, coming back from 40 points down to claim its first victory with an emphatic three-point upset over Port Adelaide on Saturday.

Power forward Justin Westhoff, a hero in last week's Showdown win over the Crows, had a chance to break the Suns' hearts with a shot on goal after the siren, but his skewed effort sailed wide for a behind, setting off a wave of memorable celebrations.

Port coach Matthew Primus was clearly embarrassed by his side's capitulation, agreeing with the assessment of Power's best on ground, Hamish Hartlett, the Power is now the "laughing stock of the competition".

Despite trailing by 28 points, Gold Coast finished the third term with all the momentum and went on to kick six goals to one in a thrilling final quarter which featured standout performances from captain Gary Ablett, first draft pick Andrew Swallow and a host of others including forward pocket speedster Brandon Matera who finished with four goals.

Former Lion Michael Rischitelli was named best on ground for his 31 touches and two goals, but a long list of Suns players, including their senior contingent, could have easily taken the honour in the 15.14 (104) to 15.11 (101) triumph.

The Suns lost their opening three matches by 119, 71 and 90 points and many were tipping they would struggle to register a single win this season.

But Ablett, who was criticised heavily mid-week and accused of turning into a party boy, told Grandstand the club had faith the results would start turning around.

"A lot of younger boys needed that belief, that if we stuck to the structures and stuck to the way we play that we could get up in the end." the champion midfielder said.

"It's fantastic, you can't wipe the smile off any of their faces.

"All the senior blokes were also outstanding today. It's very hard with 17 to 18-year-old kids sometimes, when the game gets tough they drop their heads but they are all good quality.

"But for the senior blokes to stand up and lead and bring them along was fantastic."

Jared Brennan, Nathan Bock, Jarrod Harbrow and Josh Fraser all showed their experience and produced the type of displays expected to keep Gold Coast competitive in 2011.

Port fall back to earth

Just a week after romping to a similar come-from-behind victory, Port returned to its inconsistent ways and inexplicably switched off with the game seemingly safe in its keeping.

"We need to delve real deep in the psyche of the club and understand why we produce these types of results," Primus said post-match.

"To our supporters and sponsors listening, we apologise for that and we'll keep delving away to try and find a 22 that wants to compete on a weekly basis.

Down by 23 at the long break, the deficit slipped to 40 as Port continued to make the most of Gold Coast turnovers from skill errors, particularly in the Suns' own back half.

But a late running goal to Ablett and a snap by Luke Russell on the siren had the competition's new boys stirring and it was Russell again who popped up to kick what was the match-winner for the Gold Coast deep in time on after a horrendous error by Michael Pettigrew from the kick-out.

Two goals by Charlie Dixon in the fourth quarter after stellar contested grabs was the catalyst for the young Suns, smelling blood as the Power fell apart under a stream of pressure as Gold Coast dominated the stoppages and clearances.

Karmichael Hunt also had easily his best outing in his short AFL career, moving to dangerous Port forward Daniel Motlop in the last quarter and contributing significantly with a number of crucial spoils and hard attacks at the footy.

Suns: 15.14 (104) - B Matera 4, C Dixon 2, L Russell 2, M Rischitelli 2, G Ablett, H Bennell, J Brennan, T McKenzie, Z Smith

Power: 15.11 (101) - D Motlop 4, H Hartlett 2, J Surjan 2, B Ebert, C Cornes, D Stewart, J Davenport, J Trentgrove, J Westhoff, T Boak

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