By chammond.
SYDNEY 11.8 (74) FREMANTLE 14.15 (99)
Fremantle produced an impressive display of high-pressure football to defeat Sydney by 25 points in front of 43,000 fans at Paterson Stadium. The Swans had limped into this Preliminary Final with a team depleted by injuries, and the Dockers never gave them a chance to settle, tackling and harassing the hapless visitors, and building a match-winning 42 point lead by three-quarter time.
Fremantle dominated the opening term but couldn?t capitalise, poor kicking yielding only 2.9 from a quarter that mostly played out in the Swans defensive third. Miraculously, the Swans stayed in touch courtesy of quality goals against the play from Lewis Jetta and Harry Cunningham.
Sydney couldn?t mount a single attack for the first 27 minutes of the second term as the Dockers attacked relentlessly, and the Swans half-time score of 2.2 set new record lows.
The second half was more even, with Sydney gradually breaking the shackles, but the horse had well and truly bolted. The consolations for the Swans were that Jude Bolton kicked a goal in his 325th and last match, and Gary Rohan showed sparkling form when subbed on.
A sad ending to a promising season ruined by injuries, with Goodes, Tippett, LRT, Mitchell, Johnson, Shaw and Reid all watching from the stands. Still, there was definitely a silver lining with a series of promising debuts that augur well for the future.
GOALS: Rohan 2, Cunningham 2, Jetta, Parker, Bolton, McGlynn, Pyke, Hannebery, McVeigh
Bob Skilton medal: Jarrad McVeigh 30, Ben McGlynn 26, Luke Parker 25
TLM Votes
5 Jarrad McVeigh
4 Jesse White
3 Josh Kennedy
2 Ted Richards
1 Luke Parker
1 Dane Rampe
26 Voters
TLM Leaderboard
56 Jarrad McVeigh
48 Kieren Jack
44 Josh Kennedy
42 Dan Hannebery
27 Mike Pyke
23 Nick Malceski
18 Kurt Tippett
17 Dane Rampe
17 Ted Richards
16 Adam Goodes
16 Luke Parker
13 Ryan O'Keefe
13 Shane Mumford
10 Jesse White
6 Craig Bird
4 Ben McGlynn
4 Tom Mitchell
4 Jude Bolton
2 Brandon Jack
2 Heath Grundy
1 Sam Reid
1 Nick Smith
1 Andrejs Everitt
1 Rhyce Shaw
Another 5 to Jarrad McVeigh and he is the 2013 TLM winner.
Congratulations on a tremendous season.
Well done to Jack, Kennedy and Hannebery who all polled well though the year.
Also well done to Big Mike Pyke for coming in 5th. Not bad for the worst footballer ever (Thanks BT).
Malceski was the best defender.
Rampe the best rookie.
And big Tippett polled well for only 1/2 a season.
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