Every game during the AFL Finals, the Mongrel Team rate every player our of ten to feed into our Finals Player of the Year Award.
Here are the numbers from Brisbane’s thrilling win over the Cats, courtesy of JB Eddy and Max Ford.
Preliminary Final 2: Geelong vs Brisbane
Geelong (JB Eddy)
First up, as a footy spectacle, this prelim gets a solid 10/10. Hard running, high pressure play, some towering marks and highlight reel goals to go with sheer gut-busting tackles and even some solid body hits to sate the more pugnacious of viewers. No matter what you like about footy, this game probably had a bit of it.
But, there can only be one winner on the day, and in this case it wasn’t to be for the Cats, setting up a rematch of the 1899 VFL grand final where South Melbourne lost to Fitzroy by a point. We can only hope the big game is just as close and entertaining as the prelim was.
The ratings:
[24] Jed Bews – 5
He had a tough day, spending quite a bit of it on Charlie Cameron. Charlie and Jed both had moments of dominance, and Cameron’s two goals were far below his damaging best, but Bews struggled to match the pace of Cameron as he collected six marks for the day and set up teammates with alarming regularity.
In fairness, every smaller defender in the league has had trouble with Charlie at times, and holding him down as much as he did is a decent return, but he still got the ball in space far too often to give Bews a higher rating than this.
[38] Jack Henry – 4
Henry stood on Hipwood most of the time, with Daniher and McInerney in bursts, but couldn’t quite impact the game as much as they needed him to. He didn’t have the pace to match Hipwood (who was unusually impactful in this match), the aerial counters for Daniher, and the muscle for McInerney. It’s tough for a defender when they rotate their forward line so much, even with Blicavs often coming back there to take McInerney when possible, but Henry just didn’t look quite settled for a lot of the game.
His spoiling was okay, but his lack of follow up was a little frustrating to watch at times, and to end the game with one tackle in such a tight contest is very disappointing.
[8] Jake Kolodjashnij – 4
Kolodjashni had a very similar game to Henry, except he also failed to get a single tackle. As a linchpin of the defensive zone, Jake should have been able to work at ground level once the ball was there, but instead left it to Stewart far too often.
Geelong’s defence has been great all year, but seemed to struggle with the creative offence that Brisbane could bring to bear.
[12] Jack Bowes – 6
A solid game from Bowes, without being spectacular. Had some nice tackles to bring down Rayner when he looked dangerous, but ultimately he got off the chain a few times too.
[46] Mark Blicavs – 8
Blicavs has always been the sort of player that gets some hype and some hate, but I thought he was excellent in this game.
His ruck work against Daniher and McInerney was extremely good, regularly hitting the footy into the path of a running teammate.
His intercept work was good too, and his work off the ball was surprisingly physical. For a guy his size, he’s often criticised for being a bit of a ‘bruise-free’ player, but time and again he was able to put a body on an opponent to give his players space.
The only reason he’s not higher is because he didn’t quite get enough of the ball when swinging forward or back, though his goal was a nice one.
[39] Zach Guthrie – 7
Guthrie’s playmaker work was a highlight, and his work to switch from the flanks to the corridor (and at times vice-versa) was smart and timely a majority of the time. The problems were those other times when a waiting opponent would pounce on the ball and intercept the pass, causing all sorts of issues as they broke through Geelong’s defensive structure on the overlap.
[9] Max Holmes – 7
Holmes had some good impact with his ability to intercept the ball in passing lanes and create turnovers, but looked like he came into the match with leg issues. He looked proppy for much of the match, and was in the hands of the physios a lot of the time in the second and third quarters, before heading down into the rooms in the fourth.
He was instrumental in a lot of the play, but a little down on his usual ability to create chains at speed. For most of the year, he’d find a way to earn the ball, flick it to a teammate, then run forward to get it again. The give-get-give style of play that has made him so dangerous was absent for much of the match, so while he still had a very good game by a normal players standard, Holmes is an even more dangerous player when at 100%. It’s a credit to him that he was able to do as much as he did with his leg issues, but there’s no sentiment in the scoreboard.
[35] Patrick Dangerfield – 8
The Cats have a team with several star players that would be walk-in starts in any side, but each and every one of them looks to Dangerfield for leadership, which makes sense in a captain.
His lead-by-example efforts in this match were excellent. He earned a lot of the inside ball and managed to keep his arms free to find a teammate. A lot of Geelong’s structural execution around the ground can be put down to his ability to read the situation and adjust their positioning in the moment.
His own work was excellent on the inside and in space, and his ability to read the play has only gotten better this year, even if he’s lost a step in pace.
[28] Oliver Dempsey – 7
Dempsey looked to be threatening to break the game open at times, especially when he had the ball in space on the wing, but he went missing for a lot of the game too. He scored a nice goal, and was a little unlucky not to make it two, but played his role well for most of the match.
[18] Tyson Stengle – 5
On his day, Stengle is a game-breaking forward who can carve up opponents.
This was not that day.
He did give some value with his forward pressure, but was far too often out of position and occasionally trying to milk a kick with a bit of added flair on any body contact.
It was a frustrating effort for a player that struggled to break into the game early on, and didn’t really get into gear, unlike Miers and Henry.
[33] Shannon Neale – 3
Neale had a quiet night, but almost turned it into a kid’s dream as his long bomb from 50 could have given his team the six points they desperately needed late in the game. His kick didn’t score, and that kind of summed up his game — almost there, but falling short of what was needed.
[7] Shaun Mannagh – 5
Another ‘almost’ player for Geelong. Was involved in a lot of scoring chances, but ultimately his 1.2 return is another ‘what if’ scenario for the Cats.
[32] Gryan Miers – 8
“Messi” Miers had a fantastic game for his role. His work inside 50 to create scoring opportunities and constant movement was exactly what they needed from him. At the ground, you could see him zig-zagging into the forward 50, causing the Brisbane defence to use multiple players to cover the zones he was leading into, or ignore him and focus on covering Cameron. Even when they played the odds, Miers found a way to have an impact, such as his soccer-style cross to Henry that was more instinct than planning, but a great result for his team.
[5] Jeremy Cameron – 7
Cameron was incredible in parts, and if not for a wayward return in front of the sticks, he’d have gotten a 10. Some good tackling pressure in the forward 50 created opportunities for his team, and some solid body work opened up space for his smalls.
His nine score involvements were all off the back of his attack on the ball and smart play, though he did drop a couple of marks that he probably should have taken.
Very much a ‘close, but no cigar’ type of outing for Jezza.
[36] Oliver Henry – 9
Four goals in a final is an excellent return, including a brilliant finish from a Premier League-like cross from Miers. His work rate was amazing to watch as he’d rove the packs or lead into the pockets in sync with Cameron’s leading efforts. I know some old school footy fanatics take a dim view of roaming behind the marking contest to collect the ball if it spills over the back, but with Miers or Danger often taking the front-and-square crumbing spot, it’s just good structure to have someone lurking at the back, and Henry did that well more than once.
He didn’t only get the easy ones though, and his work as the man on the move near the contest was also good. He timed his runs well and kept the defenders guessing.
[1] Rhys Stanley – 8
Stanley was excellent in the ruck all day, feeding his mids some silver service in the middle and around the grounds. A lot of it looked very structured, with his taps hitting a running player, which shows how well they can coordinate. McInerney was nursing a busted shoulder, but you can only play the guy in front of you, and 45 hitouts to 18 (and 9 for Daniher) is a rout by any standard.
In fact, I’d have given him a 9, except for his shocking miss at goal late in the game.
I know some people will look at his stats and say that ten touches, three marks and three tackles isn’t a top-level game, but I’m marking him mostly on his tap work, which earned Geelong a lot of clearances out of the contest. For my money, that’s the number one duty of a ruck, and Stanley did it as well as any I’ve seen this year.
[30] Tom Atkins – 3
Far short of what the Cats needed from him. He was intercepted far too often, and Neale killed him in the middle. His tackles lacked a bit of oomph as well. If you’re playing on a player as dangerous as Neale, you don’t just want to restrict his movement, you want to squeeze the life out of him and bring him down as hard as you legally can.
Needed a bit more mongrel in him on the day.
[44] Tom Stewart – 9
Stewart was a monster all game. His hit on Lohmann was ruled a free, but it did set the tone for his day. Personally, I think that was a bit of a harsh call, it was a solid bump, but well away from the head, right into the ribs. Kai will feel bruised today, but that’s finals footy in a contact sport.
Stewart was almost the man of the moment when a ferocious tackle late in the game denied Brisbane a shot on goal, and gave them a chance to score on the fast break late in the match to give the Cats a one-point lead.
He had a few nice runs through the middle too, even getting a couple of bounces in to eat up the space and transition into attack.
If Geelong had’ve gotten up, maybe he’d have gotten a 10, but instead he and the rest of the team will likely be thinking over every moment where they could have given that little bit more, until they realise that they’ve actually had a spectacular season this year, and Stewart’s been a big part of that.
[17] Lawson Humphries – 7
Great intercept work that came from reading the play and running to where the ball was going to be. Also looked very at home in the finals atmosphere with some classy disposals under pressure. He wasn’t scared to hold the ball and wait for an opportunity to present itself, and looked like he actually enjoyed the rise in physicality.
[34] Oisin Mullin – 4
Mullin had a frustrating day. When watching him, he was so often just a step too short, just a fraction of a second too slow to cover his player. For parts of the match he was following Lohmann into the Brisbane forward line, and Lohmann tore him apart.
I know he’s an Irish import, and perhaps his instincts aren’t quite where they need to be because of his recent-ish entry into the sport, but in a loss this close those small details matter a lot.
He tackled well though, and did work well around stoppages, so it’s not as bad as it might have been.
[45] Brad Close – 6
Close seemed to understand the finals footy atmosphere. He ran hard all day and got a bit of the ball while putting a body on opponents at every opportunity.
I liked the way he went about it, but he too often chose the chip kick or short pass when the longer option was viable.
[4] Tanner Bruhn – 4
Did an excellent job in the first half, but went missing after that when his team needed him the most. Practically unsighted when the game was on the line.
A disappointing outing for someone who can do much better.
[SUB] [22] Mitch Duncan – 5
Only played a quarter of footy and didn’t do a whole lot. It might seem harsh to rate him this low, but the sub’s role is to come in and inject some fresh speed into the game, and he wasn’t able to fulfil that role when the game was there to be won. No tackles and three touches in a quarter of footy when the game is on the line isn’t what you want from a very good player in the sub role.
Brisbane (Max Ford)
[15] Dayne Zorko: 7
Prolific game with 25 kicks, but not always effective. Had two shocking turnovers in the third quarter, one which led directly to a Dangerfield goal. In the same quarter, though, he was often the start of an attacking chain as his team attacked relentlessly through the corridor. And who can forget his chase and semi-tackle on Stengle when the Cats looked for all money like goaling. Kept on running and providing an option when he must’ve been absolutely buggered.
[31] Harris Andrews: 7
Stood up manfully as always. One error of judgement when he got sucked into the contest and left Cameron free for a goal does not diminish the many spoils and instances in which he neutralised a crucial aerial contest. In his desperation, gave away a free kick to Stanley at point blank range with about fifty seconds left, to put Brisbane hearts in mouths, but the resulting miss put the result beyond doubt.
[44] Darcy Wilmot: 8
Had some moments of tremendous courage and dare, both offensively and defensively. Offensive moments included a specky in the last term and multiple driving kicks from the back half, and his defence included some courageous spoils and ten intercepts. Popped up wherever some defending needed to be done, particularly in the middle two quarters. There probably aren’t many defenders you’d take ahead of him for two-way impact, and what a compliment that is.
[40] Jack Payne: 6
Got more involved as the day went on. Had what will likely be, barring unlikely circumstances next week, the most important tackle of the year, when Duncan was looking to straighten up and have a shot to put his team back within a goal in the last few minutes. Had a couple of moments where he was either pushed under the ball or missed a spoil, but ultimately did his job reasonably well, and his direct opponent Neale was a non-factor.
[35] Ryan Lester: 9
Absolutely enormous second half. Probably the performance that will finally carve out a permanent space for him in the ethereal mist of the footy world’s consciousness. Provided tremendous drive in the third quarter when his team was looking to flick the switch, running past tirelessly for handballs and executing incisive, game-breaking kicks into the middle. Positioned himself well for his nine intercept possessions, living and dying by the basic principle of staying in front of his man, even as the Cats swarmed forward. Brilliantly won a 3-on-1 contest on the wing in the fourth quarter when everything was on the line.
[28] Jaspa Fletcher: 6
Had a lovely fisted cushion of the ball down to Hipwood for a snapped goal in the first term. Basically went to sleep thereafter, until he woke up, along with many teammates, during the third quarter (8 touches and 3 inside 50s). A quick decision to handball to Wilmot running past in the last quarter caught the Cats off guard and eventually led to a Logan Morris goal. Not as involved as many of his teammates but you seemed to see his face more and more as the Lions pushed.
[8] Will Ashcroft: 6
Despite gathering 14 touches in the first half, he seemed to be lagging a bit behind his more experienced midfield mates McCluggage and Neale for much of the day impact-wise. Nevertheless, completed the invaluable handball steal that eventually saw Rayner kick the sealer, and had some timely showings in midfield contests, popping up with the ball when one least expected it. Probably a testament to his ability that 22 disposals constitutes a relatively quiet game.
[6] Hugh McCluggage: 8
Bit of a shaky start, with uncertainty written on his face en route to a couple of fumbles and dodgy moments, but grew into the game beautifully. Won some fantastic contests on the way to his 14 contested possessions and seven tackles, and kicked a nice goal to curb the Cats’ momentum in the second quarter following a tackle on Holmes. Was involved in quite a few of the chains in his team’s scintillating second half. Had an underrated moment at the end of the third when he flirted with the 50m penalty rules to hold up an opponent and stop the quick rebound.
[16] Cam Rayner: 9
Hibernated for the first half and woke up for the second. A couple of brutal defensive moments early in the third quarter foreshadowed his explosion, which yielded 11 disposals, 1.2, and 3 inside 50s for the quarter. The goal capped off one of the greatest team moves of the year, and he just seemed to get the ball in the corridor time and time again. His fourth quarter wasn’t as prolific, but just as important, with an enormous pressure-relieving pack mark and a goal off the left from 50m to put the winning margin into double digits.
[3] Joe Daniher: 7
Probably the most underrated performance of the day. Battled away valiantly in the ruck in McInerney’s absence during the last three quarters, and despite not winning many hit-outs, was integral in combating the advantage that Stanley probably expected to capitalise upon with ease. Had some surprisingly nimble moments at ground level too, including a sublime handball through traffic along the ground to Dunkley.
[7] Jarrod Berry: 7
Had a couple of brain snaps, as is now customary of him, including a decision to go quickly which resulted in a smother, and a half-arsed attempt at stopping the ball in the forward pocket in the third quarter, leading to an over-run and a Geelong slingshot. However, he showed real guts and determination in his approach to the contest. Eked out many a high-difficulty handball as he steadfastly refused to capitulate to the manic pressure of his opponents, none better than ‘that’ ridiculous no-looker on the wing. Four tackles rounds out his game well. One whose absence would’ve been noticed big-time.
[23] Charlie Cameron: 8
A classic small forward’s game. Not always involved, but his involvements consisted exclusively of high-impact moments. His handballing, positioning and pace was an incredible asset to his team. His scissor kick on the wing in the final term somehow led to a goal. Seven score involvements and a goal assist (a sumptuous pulled kick to Callum Ah Chee, which gave their team a lead beyond one point for the first time in the second half) probably don’t tell the story of just how dangerous he was. Had one questionable moment where he didn’t fully commit to a contest going back with the flight, where he would’ve marked uncontested, but frankly, it doesn’t matter.
[30] Eric Hipwood: 6
His finest contributions were his first quarter goal and his gather, fend-off and handball to Rayner for the game’s final goal. Was on his bike for much of the day, roaming within 70m of goal, but given that he wasn’t positioned on an elite interceptor, it didn’t have a huge tangible impact. Had a good defensive spoil on Guthrie too as the Cats tried to switch the play in the desperate final term, but a minute or two later he stuffed up a forward entry to a 1 on 1. Valuable presence.
[33] Zac Bailey: 8
A game filled with bad individual moments, that still had enough good for a rating like this to be given. Was always trying to create with his elusiveness and pace, and though he wasn’t always successful (missed shots from 25m and 50m, caught HTB by Stewart in a moment that in an alternate universe costs his team the game), it was an electric performance. Kicked two goals, including a goal in the third quarter to draw level, and then in the all-important final term, hit an absolutely ridiculous 50m pass to Cameron on the run. Was sprinting when others were barely able to jog.
[46] Oscar McInerney: 3
Had a panic kick or two in the first as his team struggled to settle their nerves. Then dislocated his shoulder shortly after, and though he came back on, he was visibly out of sorts and struggled to match Stanley in the ruck contests. This didn’t preclude him from a couple of good moments, including some nice ruck-midfielder connection with Lachie Neale, and a spoil on a Geelong fast-break kick over the back deep in defensive 50. His resemblance to a vampiric silent film villain was also as strong as ever.
[5] Josh Dunkley: 6
28 touches suggests that he was busy at the stoppages, but then you see he had one clearance. Honestly, I’m staggered that he had that much of the ball. He seemed to be a link in the chain more than anything, with plenty of marks presenting up towards the ball carrier. Fumbled a hard ball get at the start of the fourth, which seemed to sum up his willingness to get down and crack in at the bottom of the packs. Four tackles rounds out a rather beige game.
[9] Lachie Neale: 8
Was a busy bee, carrying the lion’s share (heh, geddit?) of the midfield duties as usual. Used his left handed flick handballs to great effect on his way to six centre clearances and 16 contested possessions. Although he lost a couple of physical contests to Dangerfield as the Cats gained the ascendancy, his endeavour in and skill at his role cannot be understated, and it was his drive that turned the midfield tide in the third quarter. Also thought his way well through a situation inside 50 early in the third where he stepped off his line and was still able to find Cameron.
[1] Kai Lohmann: 7
Along with Bailey and Rayner, seemed to be doing everything everywhere all at once. Did not lack an iota of confidence in his efforts to take the game on and push his team down the chaos ball road, starting with a havoc-wreaking high kick after a bit of dodging and weaving that led to the Lions’ much-sought after first goal. Kicked a goal in the third to bring the margin back to single digits, and though that was his only goal amongst four scoring shots (including a miss that would’ve put his team two kicks ahead deep into the last) ultimately he is one that the Cats players will remember. Would’ve scored an 8 if not for his last quarter errors; being caught HTB twice and losing his feet in a vital contest at half-forward.
[4] Callum Ah Chee: 8
Another who turned his somewhat minimal offensive involvement in the first half into a frenzied period of mayhem in the second, though he differs slightly from some of his teammates in this boat in that he was contributing defensively all the while (trying to take Humphries out of the game). Snapped the all-important goal to keep his team within touch as the Cats threatened to pull away in the third, and repeated the dose in the final term, kicking two goals which both put his team ahead, one of those for good. Two beautifully placed handballs in the third term also directly led to goals. Just has an incredible knack of being in the right place when the ball’s coming in. There’s an argument that he’s been his team’s player of the finals.
[13] Logan Morris: 7
Contested all day, and for a young key forward, that’s all you want. The fact that he actually kicked two goals and had a couple of other huge moments is an added bonus. Won a vital contest on the wing against Jack Henry in the second quarter, and tackled Stewart as he gathered the ball on the last line in the third, causing the ball to spill out to Lohmann, who duly capitalised. Was the beneficiary of some Cameron-McKenna black magic for his goal in the last term, the goal which in my humble opinion shifted the psychological levers within his teammates from ‘we can win this’ to ‘we will win this.’ You could probably argue he deserves an 8, a quite ludicrous scenario for a 6 disposal, 1 tackle game.
[37] Brandon Starcevich: 9
Hard to find a clear BOG, but holy hell, is this man up there. Aside from holding Stengle goalless, a borderline impossible task (yes, he owes a bit to Zorko for that desperate tackle in the goal square but the point still stands), his attacking contributions were absolutely sublime, particularly in the third quarter. With each of his five disposals in that term, he was looking to hit kicks in the middle of the ground and get his team into a more dangerous position. He, Berry and Lohmann, in the same quarter, enacted a Harlem Globetrotters move on the wing to handball themselves out of a pressure-cooker situation, leading to a Rayner goal. His marking was safe, even under pressure, and similarly to Lester, his positioning in front of his man meant that Geelong needed to be precise with their inside 50s, which they often weren’t.
[43] Noah Answerth: 6
Coughed it up a bit and looked a bit heavy on his feet, but defensive grit and a surprising ability to accumulate negate any noticeable detrimental effects on his rating. His eight tackles was the most for his team. Also had an absolutely pivotal moment at the death where he kept his feet as he scrambled a centre clearance away, the passage ending with Ah Chee’s lead-stealing third goal.
[SUB]: [26] Conor McKenna: 5
Just the three disposals in 21% of game-time but I think he deserves a score, because he genuinely helped shape the win. His roving of a contest in the forward pocket and subsequent deft Gaelic-looking snap to an unmarked Morris in the square was important. Then, in the frenetic final few minutes, he managed to handball it in front of himself whilst competing against multiple opponents, and then get a soccer kick away to buy territory. Can’t ask for a better three-disposal game.
