Sydney 2.4 7.6 13.8 17.10 112 Fremantle 3.5 8.8 10.13 15.18 108
So was it another rousing snatch of victory from the jaws of defeat, further evidence of the will of the Bloods to triumph from a hopeless position? Or a lucky, scratchy performance against a mediocre team with the inability to close out matches and with nothing to look forward to beyond the end of season trip? A case can be made for either version but I defy anyone who had the privilege of freezing their butt off at the SCG to claim that they weren't firstly entertained, then put through an emotional rollercoaster as they watched the season slip away, and finally jumping out of their seat as Goodesy and Baz worked their magic in those final minutes.
You have to go back to 2005, and a certain semi-final, for the last time the metaphorical roof was blasted off so emphatically. The roar that went up when Goodes danced through the goal square defied the modest crowd of barely 20,000. And when Hall sent that final shot sweetly through, the icy shivers were banished by jumps for joy. Only for a matter of seconds though, the time it took to realise there were still a couple of minutes left to hang on. Time enough to see McPharlin stab the ball towards goal, and from my O'Reilly vantage point a few extra seconds to see through the mass of bodies in the goal square and realise he'd hit the post. Time enough, too, to see the Swans twice in possession, seemingly in control, only to be forced to kick to a contest and see the ball rebound back towards the Freo goal. But also time enough to see Bevan launch himself backwards to take a mark he knew he had to hold. And to see Lewis calmly collect himself on the wing and position himself perfectly in front of Pavlich. And to see the omnipresent Jude Bolton dissipate the final seconds of panic as he attacked the ball and worked it towards the safe hands of Kirk.
In the cold light of Monday, what of the claim that a four point, last gasp victory against the 13th placed team asks more questions than it answers as September draws close? For starters, Fremantle are a much better side than their ladder position suggests. Switch around the win-loss outcomes of those goal-in-it games, and it would be Freo with claims to a top 4 spot and the Swans pondering a season lost. They came on Saturday night full of confidence and with nothing to lose, and they played a spirited, skilful match. With an immovable giant controlling centre bounces they achieved a far more even contribution across midfield than the Swans were able to muster. Crowley's blanketing of the in-form O'Keefe deprived Sydney of a major cog in its attacking thrusts, while Michael Johnson's duel with Barry Hall was one of the highlights of the game, and he equipped himself admirably despite Hall's four goal haul.
Even the most ardent Swans fan won't claim much has changed. This win does little to ease fears about the test coming up this weekend. But it gained four points, which make some form of finals action more likely than not, and maintains just a glimmer of hope that the September double chance can be retained. Just as importantly, it is one more game for the likes of Bird, Jack - and now Vezspremi - to stick in the memory banks alongside similar escapes against West Coast, Port and Carlton and to recall in future years when Bolton and Kirk, Goodes and Hall have moved on and it is down to them to win games when all seems lost.
But at the simplest level, it barely matters where the teams sat on the ladder, or what the stakes were. What we saw was a terrific contest between two flawed yet committed teams. It was fast. It was furious. Barely a contest was shirked all night. We saw quality goals at both ends of the ground and pivotal one-on-one match ups all over the place. It was entertaining, it was dramatic, and when the final siren went it was back to being fun.
Oh, and just one more thing...WE WON!
Goals:
Sydney: Goodes 8, Hall 4, Vezspremi 2, J Bolton 2, O'Keefe
Fremantle: Bradley 3, Campbell 2, Duffield 2, Crowley 2, Palmer, Peake, Pavlich, Tarrant, Michael Johnson, Mayne
Best:
Sydney: J Bolton, Goodes, Bevan, Hall, Kennelly, Kirk
Fremantle: Pavlich, Palmer, Crowley, Michael Johnson, Sandilands, Tarrant
Injuries:
Sydney: Barry (hamstring) replaced in the selected side by Ablett
Fremantle: Grover replaced in the selected side by Drum
Reports: Nil
None
Umpires: Sully, Schmitt, Avon
Crowd: 20,846 at the SCG
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