Swans sail into grand final

Sydney 19.13 (127) def. Fremantle 14. 8 (92)

Sydney has earned the chance to defend its 2005 premiership, defeating Fremantle by 35 points in the First Preliminary Final at the Telstra Stadium tonight.

Swans spearhead Barry Hall finished with 24 disposals and six goals, while Michael O’Loughlin and Ryan O’Keefe kicked four majors each. Matthew Pavlich finished with four goals for the Dockers, while Peter Bell kicked three.

Brett Kirk led Sydney’s disposal count with 28 possessions with Jude Bolton finished two behind on 26, while O’Keefe had 24 touches of the ball.

Best for Fremantle was captain Bell, who finished with 24 disposals. Josh Carr finished with 19, while Mitchell Johnson had 18 touches and Pavlich 17.

Last time they met, the Swans snatched came from behind to claim victory from the Dockers’ grasp by 33 points with a scintillating six-goal final quarter, but this time Sydney made a solid start despite inaccurate kicking on goal early, which resulted in three straight behinds.

O'Keefe booted the opening major from a free-kick set shot in the eighth minute, while an Amon Buchanan forward thrust found an unmarked O'Loughlin who delivered straight to Hall 30 metres out directly in front of the sticks.

Fremantle hit back through Jeff Farmer, but Luke McPharlin hobbled off injured moments before Jude Bolton threaded the Swans' third major.

Ryan Crowley and Pavlich chipped in for two late rallying majors for Fremantle, taking away the Swans’ early advantage with the lead cut back to just four points at quarter-time.

Two early majors for the Swans early in the second term from O’Loughlin and Jude Bolton saw the lead back out to 16 points for a second time in the match.

But just like in the first term the Dockers fought back through Pavlich, who went solo against three red-and-white defenders and claimed a juggling contested mark before booting the Dockers’ fourth major.

While McPharlin returned, Fremantle lost another player to injury; Matthew Carr went down with a knee injury which looked like ending his night, but he surprisingly returned later in the contest.

Eager to keep the Dockers within reach, Pavlich moved out onto the wing where he set up a goal for Bell with a long kick inside forward fifty. The captain charged onto the loose ball and from the pocket, and with the outside of his boot, he slotted a perfectly timed shot that curved round the post.

Bell returned in the shadows of the main break to keep his side in the contest with his second major after O’Keefe, Adam Goodes and Hall had booted three straight for the Swans.

Sydney led at half time by 17 points, and increased that to 23 inside the opening two minutes of the third term when O’Keefe nabbed his third major. It was The Hall and O’Loughlin Show as the Swans matched all of what the Dockers could throw at them.

The third term was an arm-wrestle with neither team able to take hold of the match, despite Fremantle dominating play inside their forward fifty. The Swans won out with six goals to five, taking advantage of limited forward entries.

Two goals each for Hall and O’Loughlin in the third stanza saw Sydney go into the final change leading by 20 points, before they took command with a five-goal-to-three fourth term. O’Loughlin returned after team mate Stephen Doyle stomped on his hand whilst pacing the interchange boundary to convert the match-winner in the 10th minute.

Next week, the MCG awaits the reigning premiers who will play either Adelaide or West Coast in the decider next Saturday afternoon.

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