The Finals Player Ratings from every September game go into a spreadsheet to crown the Mongrel Player of the Finals.
Here are the Prelim Final results from the Sydney win over Port, courtesy of Jono Mwanangela and The Slugger
Preliminary Final 1: Sydney vs Port Adelaide
Sydney (Jonathan Mwanangela)
[24] Dane Rampe – 8
As rock solid as always. The 250-gamer’s team-first approach saw him locking down on his opponents and supporting his fellow backmen. Had a team-high 7 intercept possessions showing how well he reads the ball in the air.
[30] Tom McCartin – 7.5
Showed his importance as a lockdown key defender, keeping the Port forwards relatively quiet. He was often able to come in and kill forward entries with great positioning and use of the body. Port Adelaide’s predictability certainly helped at times, but McCartin was rock solid down back.
[22] Nick Blakey – 8
Historically has had lacklustre performances against Port Adelaide averaging 13 disposals from previous encounters. Due to no one keeping him accountable or putting time into him, he was able to get off the chain. Blakey backed himself to take the game on at all cost and boy did it pay off at times. If he wasn’t taking on aggressive kicks, he’d be going on his trademark runs where it’s hard for the opposition to chase him and nail him down. The Lizard supported his defence aerially when it was his turn to go and was as decisive and destructive in attack. Even when there’s not many options forward of the ball, he creates something. He finished with a game-high 9 rebound-50s, 628 metres gained and 4 inside-50s.
[44] Jake Lloyd – 7.5
The veteran showed his experience in a big finals game like this one. Kicked the first goal for Sydney after the away team were all over them, which kickstarted the Swans’ momentum. Opposed to Boak for most of the night, he was able to keep his width and maintain his shape on the wing to be an outlet or to create overlap. He’s somewhat underrated around the competition for what he brings, but inside the four walls, they love everything he brings.
[7] Harry Cunningham – 7
A solid contribution from Cunningham as always. He rarely wastes a disposal, going at 92 disposal efficiency from 13 disposals. Whenever the Swans looked to switch the ball and change angles, he’s always providing an option. He was lucky with how Port used the ball going inside-50, but he was rarely beaten 1-on-1 and he was also able to provide a bit of run and dash and get the ball inside his team’s forward half at times.
[43] Lewis Melican – 7.5
Melican was more than serviceable down back, being a rock solid sidekick to McCartin. He kept Charlie Dixon relatively quiet, he only looked likely when he went into the ruck. If he wasn’t able to outmark his direct opponent, he was able to at least halve the contest and bring the ball to ground. He’s got deceptively good closing speed, where he’s able to keep on the tail of a forward and come in with a timely spoil. Some of the efforts he produced won’t show up on the stat sheets but his teammates and coach would be rapt with all of his goal-saving actions.
[17] James Jordon – 5
It wasn’t a game to write home about for Jordon. At first it looked like he had the job to shut down Horne-Francis, but he failed at times to nullify his influence, especially very early in the first quarter. He tightened the screws a little bit just as Sydney started to get their game going. Apart from that, he didn’t really offer anything else and he was almost unnoticeable for most of the game. Thankfully though, his team’s dominance meant that he didn’t really have to knuckle down in his shut down role and was able to play with a bit of freedom towards the end of the game. Still, he’d like to contribute a bit more by getting on the scoreboard or getting his hands on the ball a bit more.
[1] Chad Warner – 8.5
Probably the second best player on the ground. Warner was at his best evading oncoming tacklers and exploding out of contests. His workrate was evident as he spent a lot of time supporting his backline. When he had the ball in hand, he always chose the best options and gave it to a teammate in a better position. Not only did he work hard defensively, he also was at his attacking best, getting on the end of 2 goals and having 5 score involvements. He’s playing good footy at the right time and projects to be a nightmare to contain come grand final day.
[13] Oliver Florent – 7
An almost game for Florent. He missed two gettable shots at goal, which he’d normally kick, that would’ve given him a better rating but it was still a good contribution from him overall. From his 23 disposals, he had 6 intercept possessions, 365 metres gained, 6 score involvements and 5 inside 50s. Not a bad return from the half-back.
[26] Luke Parker – 6.5
The stat sheet probably doesn’t do his sacrificial performance any justice. Playing as a negating forward, Parker was able to keep Aliir accountable for most of the game, making it easier for the likes of Amartey and McDonald to get separation and impact on the scoreboard. Longmire is blessed to have a warrior like Parker, who’s willing to do whatever it takes for the betterment of his team. Although he played a key role in nullifying Aliir’s influence, it would’ve been nice to see him get a bit of reward for it, especially on the scoreboard.
[6] Logan McDonald – 7.5
Didn’t look like he’d get anywhere near it early in the first quarter, until he kicked his first goal where he gathered a loose ground ball that spilled out from a tackle. That looked to bring about some confidence, as he began presenting an option with timely leads and if he didn’t mark it, he was able to bring the ball down to ground. For a big man, his field kicking is actually really good and he rarely wastes it either. McDonald kicked 2 goals for the game but looked like he could’ve finished with a couple more. Unfortunately for him, he was subbed out before 3 quarter time with a foot or ankle injury, so he might be touch and go for the grand final depending on the prognosis.
[21] Errol Gulden – 8
Enjoyed the luxury of not having anyone doing a run-with role on him. When Port turned the pressure on early on he was a bit errant with his disposals. As the game wore on and opened up a bit more, his disposals started cutting Port up to pieces. If he’s given a lot of time and space, he becomes dangerous. Some of the kicks he took on, especially the bullet to Amartey that didn’t travel any higher than 2 metres off the ground and Amartey basically didn’t have to move, showed that a lot of time needs to be put into him. Gulden spent time inside and on the wing. He finished with a game-high 27 disposals.
[11] Tom Papley – 7.5
Goals can be hard to come by in finals for any player, let alone a small forward. So for Papley to end up with 3 goals for the game from only 6 kicks, showed his importance for Sydney in that forward line. He’s an absolute pest, but that’s what his teammates love about him. He brings an energy that’s almost unmatched and is almost a barometer for the Swans. He was a little quiet in the second half, but by then the job had just about been done and the Swans were in total control of that game.
[36] Joel Amartey – 8
Another one of Sydney’s forwards that struggled early on, probably not helped by the ball movement at the time. As the game progressed and Sydney moved the ball freely, that’s where he shone. He could’ve easily finished with 5 goals for the game if he had kicked straighter. He certainly got his hands on the ball a fair bit though, collecting 16 disposals for the game, which is a huge effort for a key forward. Amartey also took 3 contested marks, which is gold in finals, and ended up with 3 goals next to his name. He’ll take great confidence from this outing going into the grand final.
[9] Will Hayward – 8
Speaking of underrated players, Hayward certainly fits the bill. He was instrumental in the early period when the Swans struggled to get the ball past half-back thanks to his conditional work rate. He’d come up really high up the ground to provide a contest or just apply pressure, which took a lot of heat off the backline. When he had the ball, he was proactive and he’d quickly scan the field and find the best option. I would’ve loved for him to get a bit of reward for effort and finish off with a couple of goals next to his name. Despite being goalless, he still did plenty of things Horse would notice and highlight in the team meeting on Monday.
[4] Brodie Grundy – 6
Unfortunately, Grundy wasn’t influential at all in this game and was soundly beaten for at least 3 quarters of the game. Throughout his career, he’s shown that if someone can match it up to him physically then he’s easily nullified. Although his follow up stuff is good, he rarely plays like a big man like most of the premier rucks in the comp do. I know around the ground marking isn’t his go to and it never has been, but I’d like to see him have a crack at it more often. In the ruck contest he got beaten far too easily at times and kept on giving away silly free kicks. He’ll have to improve these things come grand final day, otherwise his team might not be able to get away with it like they did against Port last night.
[5] Isaac Heeney – 9.5
Is there a safer bet for the Norm Smith next week than Heeney? He’s already the MVP for this finals series with back-to-back BOG performances. Had the match up of Drew throughout the game. What stood out a lot was his workrate. When without the ball, he looked for where he could next get involved. Found mismatches up forward and managed to get on the scoreboard. It was noticeable that the Swans would look for him almost every time when taking kick-outs, as his aerial ability is just about the best in the game. Another stellar performance from him which saw him end up with 2 goals from 28 disposals. He also had 6 marks and 6 tackles for the game. Hitting a purple patch at the right time of the year, although to be fair that’s been the case for most of 2024.
[8] James Rowbottom – 8.5
Just about every team needs a defensive midfielder like Rowbottom. Especially a team like the Swans that boast attacking mids like Heeney, Warner and Gulden. He’s not the most skillful by foot but he makes up for it by his workrate and tenacity. Rowbottom just wouldn’t let up in this game, finishing with a whopping 11 tackles to beat all comers. Some of the bone-crunching tackles he laid certainly stopped the Port ball getters in their tracks and definitely stifled their ball movement. It’s not about the disposal count with him, it’s more about what he does without the ball.
[34] Matt Roberts – 6.5
Not the best performance he’s put in this year but he definitely tried. When he’s at his best, his raking left boot can be dangerous. Unfortunately, he didn’t have his kicking boots on last night, turning the ball over 8 times. Longmire will admire him for at least trying but he’ll want to be better than that if he wants to claim a spot in the grand final side. Still, he wasn’t the worst player on the ground by any stretch.
[16] Braeden Campbell – 4.5
Didn’t live up to his qualifying final performance where he came on as the sub and just about changed the dynamic of the game. A lot of his disposals seemed rushed and he couldn’t find much time or space. Missed some targets by foot and struggled to crack over the 10 disposals mark in 71% time on ground. May lose his spot next week or return back to the sub role.
[27] Justin McInerney – 7.5
Stationed on the opposite wing, McInerney got involved early on. You can see why Longmire likes him, as he was decisive with ball in hand and hit targets going inside 50. Missed an opportunity to kick a relatively easy goal on the run, but that was one of the few blemishes of the night. When he’s able to get a handball receive and kick into the forward line, something usually happens.
[2] Hayden McLean – 6
A pretty serviceable return for the big man, after struggling a bit in the first half. He finally got some reward for his patience later in the game as the Swans had control. McLean works well in tandem with McDonald and Amartey and doesn’t get in the way of the other forwards. As long as he sticks to his role, Longmire will be happy with his output.
[SUB – 42] Robbie Fox – 4
Hard to rate his performance when the game was already put to bed by the time he came on. Despite that, he didn’t set the world on fire in the limited time he was on. In the past he’s played the sub role perfectly, but in this one it was hard for him to have an influence. He might be more suited to starting on the field but I can see the flexibility he provides as sub. With lacklustre performances from a couple of players, it’ll be interesting to see if he replaces anyone next week to start in the final team.
Port Adelaide (Nick Sluggett)
[25] Brandon Zerk-Thatcher – 0
Couldn’t catch Covid-19 in a Wuhan wet market. Seems it’s difficult to play key position defence when you’re not matched up on Mabior Chol. Was surprised so many rated him so highly after last week and was vindicated this week. BZT needs to build some confidence and spend a pre-season under the high ball with a teammate hitting him in the side with a tackle bag. He also needs to be more desperate in keeping touch with his opponent. Too many times they would shake him early with a step and his head would drop and he would give up on that 100% everything on the line effort, and just settle for almost. That is not enough if you want to be playing in a Grand Final.
[21] Aliir Aliir – 7
One of the few to try their guts out. Swans clued onto his importance early and worked hard to limit his impact. Lead the match in intercepts despite Luke Parker trying to keep him accountable. Really the only Port defender who can hold his head up. Port spent an off-season trying to bring in some support for Aliir and now they just about have to do it all again. They ended up throwing Ratugolea forward and Zerk-Thatcher crumbled under the lights.
[14] Miles Bergman – 5
The other Port defender who gave it a crack. Bergman had his usual flying for the footy in defence and offered some dash and flair. The Swans pressure and structure was just too good to pierce.
[34] Lachie Jones – 4
Didn’t really notice him out there. Beaten by his opponents tonight, whether it was Heeney, Papley or Hayward. The Swans forwards did as they pleased and their smalls particularly looked in command of their match-ups and were way too clean.
[43] Logan Evans – 2
Bad night for Evans. Suffered the same fate as Jones, only worse. Just beaten. Simple as that. But has shown plenty this eason. Enough to build on and he could become a really reliable defender. However in this match he just couldn’t meet the moment against the Swans forwards.
[3] Ryan Burton – 5
Had some moments but they were few and far between. It was a very typical halfback role. Got the ball, ran 15 metres and then kicked 50 metres. It makes his numbers look good and he did snag a goal as well, but maybe Port needed some more specific direction? Either way you can’t argue with his effort and the call to bring him straight back into the team.
[7] Jase Burgoyne – 4
Got the early goal from a free kick off the ball, and had plenty of the footy in the first quarter. But after that it was a crash landing back down to earth for Burgoyne.He just struggled to have a significant impact, but it’s probably tough to ask such a young player for that sort of performance in multiple finals. Definitely wasn’t the worst Port player and should use the experience of the couple times he got caught out on Heeney as a benchmark of what he should be striving for next year.
[28] Willem Drew – 4
Hard to stop anyone when every opposition player is running riot. Drew couldn’t have the same impact as last week as he is only one player and he can’t “cool” or make accountable half the Sydney team. So it really left him with not a lot of certainty on where to go. He bobbed up here and there and showed a bit of class, but it was an avalanche in the turnover game. And bad turnovers catch everyone out, no matter how good you are.
[10] Travis Boak – 5
Boak’s game was like that scene in the Simpsons where Homer buys the cursed Krusty Doll. Turnovers straight in front of goal. That’s bad. Kicks a goal. That’s good. Getting caught HTB multiple times. That’s bad. Still had some classy play and stoppage work. That’s good. Be outrun over the field by the opposition. That’s bad.
Honestly there were multiple times in this match I had Boak out the door and retired and others where he looked the Power’s best player
[15] Willie Rioli – 2
Was it a supply issue? Who knows, but Rioli was not a major factor in this match. Even in the fourth quarter Rioli was being scolded by teammates for his defensive efforts and was continuously run-off by the Swans defenders.
[33] Darcy Byrne-Jones – 3
Rough way to spend your birthday. Byrne-Jones did play his role. He pressured the Sydney defenders and tried to cause chaos in the Port Adelaide forward line. He just couldn’t get much of the ball and when he did it wasn’t threatening. 6 disposals and no score involvements for a forward is disastrous.
[44] Jackson Mead – 1
Subbed out in a team littered with sore players and also had Charlie Dixon in it! You have to be going bloody poorly for that to happen and look like you’re perfectly fine. The moment for Mead was the advantage call just before quarter time. Narkle got caught holding the ball and it spilled right to Mead’s feet. And he bloody just walked over it and let Heeney pick it up. He didn’t block Heeney out and delay the play, and once Heeney had it he didn’t even choose to put any pressure on him and instead turned to the umpire looking for them to call the ball back. Do your bloody job and play football!
[19] Mitch Georgiades – 3
Well covered by the Swans defence. He did manage to give himself a couple opportunities but failed to take them. They are difficult when they’re from the boundary, but when you are the main man up front and your team is kicking long like you’re Tony Lockett, you’ve got to compete.
[27] Esava Ratugolea – 1
Honestly, it could’ve been worse. Esava competed and based on last week, that is what Port wanted from him. It’s just harder when other parts of the team’s game is struggling and they’re looking for something more from the big man to help dig them out.
[22] Charlie Dixon – 4
It’s time for King Charles to abdicate. He probably gave what we expected tonight. He gave everything in the air and worked until he couldn’t, but it’s just not enough against the best of the competition any more. Was glad he managed to kick a goal as he didn’t deserve to be goalless.
[24] Jordon Sweet – 6
Had an interesting battle with Grundy in the ruck. I gave him the points but others may view it differently. He had some great tap work and his pressure around the ball was also good. Funniest moment was when Grundy faked a swing at him and Sweet didn’t even blink. Glorious stuff. Sweet with pretty much half his body taped up and still stronger than Grundy in the contest. That’s what real tough is.
[18] Jason Horne-Francis – 6
Performed admirably. There’s plenty of reasons Port lost this game but Horne-Francis was not one of them. Lead the Power in disposals and clearances. Just such a dynamic player. Provided a spark early, but can sometimes lack a bit of accountability. Maybe just a bit exhausted after being one of two Port Adelaide players to play a decent game in three successive finals.
[1] Connor Rozee – 6
Thought he ran hard and looked to create forward momentum for his team. Probably would like a couple moments back as a captain. Otherwise he created some havoc at stoppage and he was able to get clear for a few shots on goal from the 50. Two of them went through. Whatever Port’s plan was around the ball, it worked.
[8] Josh Sinn – 1
The numbers might say he deserved a slightly higher mark, but really didn’t turn up until three quarter time. And by that time the game was over. One of a few Port players who looked completely out of their depth compared to their Sydney opponents.
[9] Zak Butters – 5
Well, the Port Adelaide trinity all fired, in a way. None of them were terrible, in fact they were all pretty decent without being great. Butters was probably the lesser of the three but was still serviceable. Seemed to stick to between the arcs for most of the night and not stray too deep either way. Played more outside of the stoppage as the connector, which would explain fewer contested possessions but makes his turnovers more of an indictment.
[16] Ollie Wines – 4
Looked too slow out there. Was good when the Power had the ball and when the game was kept close. But when the ball got switched and the Swans started some overlap run, he just looked like he couldn’t keep up. Maybe Port needs to do a bit of an adjustment to protect Wines and emphasise the aspects of the game he is best at?
[42] Quinton Narkle – 1
Just another port player that looked completely outclassed on the field. Fumbly and slow to react when Swans defenders chose to run off him, except he had nothing going the other way to justify such lacklustre accountability.
[SUB – 31] Francis Evans – N/A
Came on in the last quarter. The game was already done. Evans didn’t look great in his short period though, probably spared a harsher critique due to being the sub.
