2ND SEMI FINAL
BRISBANE LIONS 11.6 (72)
CARLTON 8.12 (60)
THE only team to beat the Casey Demons this season will get the opportunity to repeat the dose after the Brisbane Lions produced a last-minute salvo to edge out a fast finishing but wasteful Carlton by 12 points in their Smithy’s VFL second semi-final at a soggy Red Rooster Park in Moreton Bay on Saturday.
The Lions were comfortably the better team in the wet for the first three quarters and potentially could have led by more than the 32-point advantage they held just before the final change, but a goal just before the siren to Joel Trudgeon gave the Blues confidence and they took over with one of the most one-sided finals periods in recent memory.
Carlton had the first 16 inside-50s of the last quarter but missed a series of gettable chances, booting 3.8 in that time to level the scores at 60 apiece to level the scores heading to the death.
But just when the Lions looked cooked, they were able to rally and son-of-a-gun Darryl McDowell-White snapped his second remarkable goal that cleared the outstretched hands of Sam Durdin by a matter of millimetres to regain the lead.
Then ruck-forward Henry Smith, who battled through a shoulder injury but otherwise lowered his colours to Alex Mirkov, got on the end of a surge forward to receive a handball from McDowell-White to kick the sealer just before the final siren.
It was a tough start earlier, with neither team able to score until Tom Fullarton took a strong mark and wheeled around to convert after nine minutes, with the Lions backing that up to kick three goals to one and lead by 14 points at the first break.
Carlton hit back hard in the second quarter with a terrific mark and snapped goal from Jesse Motlop and took the lead when Wylie Buzza made a crucial mistake at a kick-in, booting it into the man on the mark Brodie Kemp, who was then smart enough not to put pressure on as the Lions captain walked it back over the line to be pinged for a deliberate rushed behind.
Level at half-time, the Lions took control with the wind at their backs in the third quarter, kicking five goals to one including Fullarton’s second from a strong mark after a Tyreece Lieu error, McDowell-White’s first miracle snap and a nice mark and conversion from captain Buzza to kick his 100th VFL goal, blowing the lead out to 32 points before Joel Trudgeon won a free-kick for a push in the back and goalled in the dying seconds to give Carlton a lift.
And they took it, completely dominating the first 25 minutes of the last with 21 inside-50s to just two but spraying their opportunities, booting 3.8 to level the scores, despite several opportunities that really should have been taken.
The man who took his chances was Ben Crocker, who was completely shut out of the game by Tahj Abberley and then the impressive Riley Greene but found another gear when Greene was briefly on the bench to kick back-to-back goals and bring the margin back to two points.
Ned Cahill, who was again dangerous but let himself down with his finishing in kicking 1.4, missed a couple of chances to level the scores, but the Lions were able to answer with those two last minute goals to book their flight to Melbourne to take on the Casey Demons.
The Lions’ defence was the difference, with Connor McFadyen putting in a terrific shift with 28 disposals, five marks and 12 rebounds, while Abberley mostly blanketed Jesse Motlop and Ryan Lester was wonderful as the loose backman, picking up 24 touches, 12 marks, five inside-50s, five rebounds and five tackles while also sneaking forward to kick a crucial goal just before half-time.
Mitch Cox (25, six marks) showed he was made for finals footy with an assured display and Ely Smith (23, five marks) also impressed, stepping up to cover AFL star Jarryd Lyons, who was held to just 16 touches by Trudgeon.
Paddy Dow had his own footy for Carlton, racking up 41 possessions, 15 clearances, nine inside-50s, seven tackles and a goal, although his disposal let him down at times in the wet conditions, with Jack Carroll (32, 12 clearances, eight entries) probably the Blues’ best player, although Liam Stocker (25, five rebounds), Alex Cincotta (26, seven entries) and Will Hayes (22, five tackles) also had claims.
Will Setterfield (23, nine tackles) worked hard to overcome some close attention from the Lions, while Alex Mirkov dominated the ruck with a whopping 52 hitouts.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, September 10: 1st Preliminary Final: Casey Demons v Brisbane Lions (Casey Fields, 1.10pm).
Sunday, September 11: 2nd Preliminary Final: Southport v Gold Coast (Fankhauser Reserve, 1.10pm)
NEXT WEEK: Sunday, September 18: Smithy’s VFL Grand Final: Winner 1st PF v Winner 2nd PF (Ikon Park)
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
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. Radio 3WBC and Casey Radio are also broadcasting matches.
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