1ST SEMI FINAL
SYDNEY 12.15 (87)
GOLD COAST 15.9 (99)
SAM Flanders produced possibly the best game of his career so far as Gold Coast marched into its first preliminary final at any level with a 12-point win over Sydney in the Smithy’s VFL 1st semi-final at Blacktown International Sports Park on Sunday.
Flanders not only took his own football on the flight south, he took two as he piled up 46 disposals, seven marks, 10 clearances, five inside-50s and six rebounds to lead a Suns midfield which overwhelmed the Swans at the coalface to since their bunnies for the sixth time in a row and set up a blockbuster Coast Clash preliminary final against Southport at Fankhauser Reserve this week.
The Suns made a great start with the wind in the first term with four of the first five goals to lead by 19 points before the Swans got their teeth into the game and booted the next five and six out of seven to take control, led by tough midfielder Matt Roberts, uncompromising backman Will Gould and the smooth moving Braeden Campbell and James Bell.
But when Frosty Miller medallist Chris Burgess, who hadn’t previously touched the footy, took a strong mark in the goalsquare and converted at the 14-minute mark of the second term to stop the Swans’ run-on, the game changed again.
Burgess snagged two more before half-time with his opponent Barry O’Connor on the bench, and with back-up ruckman Lachlan McAndrew out of the game with concussion after a heavy landing in a tackle, the Suns took total control of the contest.
The outstanding Jeremy Sharp gave Gold Coast the lead at the three-minute mark of the third term and the Suns left Sydney in their wake, booting 6.4 to 2.2 to lead by 24 at the final change as Flanders found able allies in the prolific Charlie Constable, co-captain James Tsitas and the clever Jack Bowes.
Staring at a straight-sets exit from an otherwise quality campaign, the Swans responded in the last quarter, but missed several gettable opportunities as they kicked 3.4 without response to get back within two points when retiring warhorse Callum Sinclair ran into an open goal for his second at the 13-minute mark.
But where Gold Coast overran Sydney in their previous three outings, the Suns showed a steely determination to hang on, with Alex Sexton snaring his third before Bowes sealed it with an opportunistic snap out of a pack from the goalsquare with less than a minute to play to beat the Swans for the sixth time in a row and bank an eighth consecutive victory.
It's a run that started when they hauled in a 22-point deficit to pip Frankston in Round 16 – a week after losing convincingly to Coburg at Piranha Park – and includes wins over both their Queensland rivals … the Brisbane Lions and this week’s opponent Southport.
Sharp (24 disposals, 13 marks, six rebounds, two goals) shone for Gold Coast, while Tsitas (31, seven marks, seven entries, seven tackles, one goal), Constable (35, eight clearances, six rebounds), Bowes (26, five marks, two goals), Darcy Macpherson (24, eight marks, seven rebounds) and Elijah Hollands (26) all had too much pace and poise for Sydney, while Burgess (six marks, four goals) and Sexton (three goals) caused headaches in attack.
Gould was once again the Swans’ best player, standing taller in the absence of the injured full-back Lewis Melican to finish with 24 disposals, 11 marks, 10 rebounds and countless spoils, with Roberts bouncing back from a quiet qualifying final to have 30 touches, six marks, six inside-50s and a rare goal.
Campbell (24, six entries, five tackles, one goal), Bell (26, seven clearances, one goal) and Harry Cunningham (22, seven marks, six entries) also had terrific days, while the in-form Ben Ronke (21, five marks, six entries, five tackles, two goals) and Hayden McLean (13, nine marks, six tackles, four goals) starred in attack.
Sinclair, who announced his retirement last week and was chaired off after the game, turned in a lion-hearted effort after being asked to step up to first ruck due to Peter Ladhams’ suspension, finishing with 14 disposals, seven marks, 18 hitouts, five clearances and two goals to quell the influence of star Suns big man Ned Moyle (13, 29 hitouts, five clearances, five entries).
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
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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