The final set of numbers before we unveil to the 2025 Mongrel Punt Player of the Finals.
Over to Disco Monagle and Justin Rake to walk us through the Grand Final Player Ratings.
Brisbane (Disco)
Chris Fagan beat Chris Scott at the selection table by holding his ‘bottle’ and resting Lachie Neale on the pine for half a game, before releasing him into the game at halftime.
(Chris Scott’s selection mistake was deciding on Rhys Stanley to replace the injured Tom Stewart instead of selecting a specialised defender. Stanley was subbed out in the last quarter.)
Lachie Neale, in the second half of the Grand Final had 17 possessions, including seven clearances with 226 metres gained, and a long goal in the withering third quarter onslaught – what a performance.
The Lions have now won back to back Premierships by a total of 107 points establishing the Brisbane Lions as the greatest team of the new millennium with five Cups.
Given the age of the current Lions team it would not be a stretch to suggest they ain’t finished yet dominating the competition.
Here are the Lions Super Player gradings:
Dayne Zorko [15] – 10
Zorko the Great has franked his career with a near best on ground performance on the grandest stage of them all. With 716 metres gained from his 28 possessions, including eight marks and four tackles, Zorko has etched his name as a Lions Legend.
Darcy Gardiner [27] – 9
Darcy took Jezza to the cleaners (in conjunction with Lester), holding him to a mere 8 possessions and two behinds for the game. Not a performance many would notice, but in the inner sanctum of the Lions he would be a hero. Note: Gardiner was beating up on Cameron before he was injured.
Ryan Lester [35] – 8.5
Lester is another player who will be heralded within the walls of the Lions Den.
Six defensive marks and four tackles when the game was tight speaks for itself as well as keeping Dangerfield’s influence on the game to zilch after halftime when Starcevich was concussed.
Darcy Wilmot [44] – 9.5
Darcy Wilmot is another hero of the Lions defence in this Grand Final.
Darcy plays with flair and he is very creative with the ball in hand and he is often the fire starter for the Lions defensive runs through the guts. It wasn’t just his 17 possessions that stood out, it was the manner in which he got them and what he did with the ball.
Harris Andrews [31] – 10
Harris Andrews will be heralded as one of the Lions all-time great Captains. At the end of each quarter I made notes about each player, and for Andrews I just noted, ‘The General’.
Andrews leads and directs his troops with a cool, calm and collective demeanour demanding their respect. Poor old Son of Scratcher got taught a lesson and then some by probably the best defender he will ever play against.
Brandon Starcevich [37] – 7 (until injured)
Firstly, I hope, like every other football fan does, that Brandon recovers from another terrible concussion received in the third quarter. Last year he beat up on Tom Papley, and until hurt he minimised any impact Patrick Dangerfield was having on this game.
No matter what happens to Brandon’s career from here, he will always be known as a tough defender who performed his best on the big stage. All at The Mongrel Punt wish you well Brandon as you start your recovery from your latest concussion.
Hugh McClaggage [6] – 9.5
It took Hugh a half a game to completely break the tag from Oisin Mullin, but when he did he was one of the main men driving the Lions in the third quarter as they tore the game apart.
After Mullin beat him one-on-one three weeks ago, McCluggage worked through his demons in the first half before he broke the shackles finishing with four goals, 26 possessions and five clearances.
Bruce Reville [38] – 8
Bruce Reville had an important role to play in this match in the first half as he manfully held his own minimising the damage before Lachie Neale was subbed into the game at halftime.
Reville held up his end in the first half before Lachie was introduced into the game, and then in the second half he played with some real dare, dashing up and down the outer wing. Bruce Reville is up there with Mitch Morton and Oleg Markov as lesser-known players who have performed their roles with an unflinching steel on the last Saturday in September to help their team win a flag.
Levi Ashcroft [10] – 9
Welcome to the big time Will’s little brother. In the second quarter Levi had his highlight moment that will be replayed over and over when he ran around Jhye Clark on the mark to kick a really special goal from beyond the 50 metre arc. Between Will and Levi the Ashcroft’s accumulated an amazing 49 possessions between them in a brilliant brotherly love performance.
Charlie Cameron [23] – 8
Midway through the third quarter Charlie had only 3 possessions and a goal to his name in a very vanilla start to the game, but then…fourth possession – goal…fifth possession – goal…and seventh possession – goal.
In the space of twenty minutes Charlie destroyed the Cats and in the process he enhanced his reputation as a small forward who performed his craft and wizardry on the Grandest Stage.
Ty Gallop [22] – 5.5
At quarter time young Ty had six of his ten possessions for the game in a very impressive start to his first Grand Final. Utilising the principle it takes 23 players to perform when it is their turn in a Grand Final, Ty didn’t shirk the issue when the heat was on early in the game.
Congratulations Ty, you will always be known as a Premiership player.
Zac Bailey [33] – 9.9
A grading of 9.9 sums up Bailey’s day, he was almost the Lions best but he couldn’t hit up a goal mid-match no matter how hard he tried for the game. Three goals and a scarcely believable six behinds from 23 possessions, five clearances and 534 metres gained is almost best on ground, which it would have been had it ended as six goals and three behinds. Great game Zac.
Cam Rayner [16] – 7
Rayner was on his way to a negative grading before halftime, but he lifted his game in the third quarter and in the last quarter he got off the chain. Three clearances, five superb bone-crunching tackles and a goal all after halftime from minimal possessions is impressive, and the impression he left on Bailey Smith will haunt him for life.
Logan Morris [13] – 5
In the first half Logan had an ‘almost game’, almost holding marks, and just being caught when he was almost free. This kid has a huge career ahead of him. I’ll rephrase that, two Premiership medals in two years would make him the envy of his old draft contemporaries.
Callum Ah Chee [4] – 8.5
The best man-o-man epic battle from this Grand Final was the wing matchup of Ollie Dempsey and Callum Ah Chee. It was an intriguing battle within a larger battle.
If I was grading the Cats I would be marking Dempsey 8.5 as well. Ollie got some really cheap goals late, but that shouldn’t overshadow the performance of Ah Chee who went toe to toe with Ollie from the first bounce to the final siren.
Darcy Fort [32] – 7.5
The big men didn’t really have much impact in this Grand Final, however Fort was the best of the big men on the day. Fort’s performance was such that Rhys Stanley was subbed off in the last term. Is Darcy Fort a modern day version of Clark Keating?
Josh Dunkley [5] – 7
When the blow torch was applied in the third quarter Josh lifted his game to another level as the Lions surged away from the Cats, however he was quiet by his standards for the rest of the match.
It was announced after the game that Dunkley carried a serious syndesmosis injury into this match which didn’t overly distract from his performance and when it was his turn to lift in the third quarter he launched.
With three Premiership medals in ten years Dunkley’s place in the history of the Lions and the Dogs is guaranteed.
Will Ashcroft [8] – 10
32 possessions (including ten in the last quarter)! 10 clearances! 8 tackles! 575 metres gained!
Dusty Martin is considered the best performer on the Grandest Stage, but boy oh boy Will Ashcroft is coming hard for his crown, and if he continues at this rate he will surpass Dusty by the end of his career. Just read the above numbers again, they speak for themself.
Kai Lohmann [1] – 9.5
Like in the 2024 Grand Final Kai kicked the Lions first goal of the match before his head was split open a few minutes later and he had to leave the field for a while. When Kai returned to the field he seemed to be limping a bit, but the more banged up he looked the better he performed.
Kai was the Lions most threatening forward for most of the game and his in and under performance was elite. While 17 possessions and 2 goals reads as a good match the stats do not include the in and under work Lohmann did, constantly putting his body on the line to keep the ball in the Lions 50 metre arc. If I had to compare Lohmann to a player from years past it would be Phil ‘the Snake’ Baker as he performs his best on the big stage with a lot of showmanship, just like the Snake.
Jaspa Fletcher [3] – 10
Any of six different Lions players could have won the Norm Smith Medal, with Jaspa Fletcher being one of them. With 29 possessions including three clearances and a couple of tackles, Fletcher controlled the ball between the arcs to absolutely star in this Grand Final. Fletcher is another father/son player in the Lions outfit performing to the same lofty standards set by his father. Dad would be proud.
Sam Marshall [20] – 5 subbed out at halftime
Sam, in his first season, is another one of the Lions teenagers to earn a Premiership Medal. I noted at halftime he wasn’t the worst player on the ground with four possessions, but he was the most obvious player to be subbed out at halftime for Lachie Neale.
Oscar McInerney [46] – 5
Last year’s heartache story Oscar McInerney finally landed himself a much deserved Premiership Medal. In a five possession game that didn’t really reach any great heights, Oscar still played his part with a couple of important marks in the second half as well as winning his fair share of hit-outs when acting as the second fiddle ruckman to Darcy Fort.
Lachie Neale [9 – Sub] – 9.5 for a freakish second half – subbed in at halftime
It is extremely hard to grade any player who only plays two quarters in a game, but such was Lachie Neale’s influence and performance in the second half he deserves every accolade that comes his way.
While some doubted the wisdom of selecting a player of Neale’s class to sit on the pine for half a match, Chris Fagan’s decision was more than vindicated. Lachie Neale’s second half performance will go down in AFL folklore as one of the all time great coaching decisions by a Coach.
Geelong (Justin)
Oh boy, this is going to be depressing. I mean, in all seriousness, so many of these Cats players had their quietest, most sub-par games for the year, and now I have to go through the lot of them!
There’s a few Geelong boys who can hold their heads high *cough, Max Holmes, cough*, but outside of a very small group, it was a rough day at the office for many others.
I suppose we should just get into it. Sorry, Cats fans (I’m not really that sorry).
[14] Connor O’Sullivan – 5
Battled as hard as could be expected for a young key defender on the biggest stage (especially with his teammates not giving him much), but struggled to have an impact. A brilliant season nonetheless, and has plenty of excellent footy ahead of him.
[16] Sam De Koning – 3
Had a chance to kick the first goal of the game but sprayed a relatively easy set shot. Other than that, failed to impose himself and was kept quiet for the day.
[38] Jack Henry – 6
Battled hard all day in a defence that was under major duress for the entire second half. Had a decent battle with Logan Morris despite coming into the game nursing an ankle injury.
[42] Mark O’Connor – 7
Based solely on his role to stop Cam Rayner, O’Connor was one of few Cats who actually had some success on grand final day. The Brisbane game-breaker was restricted to 11 disposals, and O’Connor limited him to just three in the first half while the game was still in contention.
[39] Zach Guthrie – 4
Had one of his worst games for the season at the worst possible time. Guthrie was still able to collect 16 disposals across half back, but one nightmarish turnover will haunt him for a while when he failed to complete a simple kick across goal.
[17] Lawson Humphries – 5
Humphries’ stats actually weren’t half bad, finishing with 23 disposals, seven marks and three tackles to be among the Cats’ “statistical” best. That makes it a little hard to clip him here, but in reality, I thought he looked like a deer in the headlights in the big dance. Squandered his share of opportunities and lost a fair amount of contests.
[32] Gryan Miers – 6
Started well with seven disposals in the first term, but faded in and out of the game too often to have maximum impact. He had some moments early in the third term where he hit a few targets and looked more involved, but again, faded afterwards.
[9] Max Holmes – 9
The Cats’ best on the day, Holmes is the only Geelong player who can say he gave a full four-quarter effort. Ran hard up and down the field all day (as he is known to do), collecting 33 disposals and booting a goal. A massive performance considering he received next to no help from most of his teammates.
[28] Oliver Dempsey – 7
I know three of his four goals came in junk time late in the final term when the game was done, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that Dempsey was still very good when the scores were closer early in the game. He nailed the first goal of the day getting out the back as he always does, and his hard running along the wing never waivered.
[45] Brad Close – 3
Kicked a goal, but really had little impact outside of that lone highlight. Went unnoticed for much of the game, which makes sense given it is played in broad daylight and he is a vampire.
[7] Shaun Mannagh – 5
Sixteen disposals and a goal for the competition’s best young player (that joke will never get old). Mannagh’s game is pretty hard to stick a rating to – like most Cats players he had long stretches without an impact, but he did pop up for a moment every now and then. I’m going to sit on the fence and give him a 5, you know, just because he’s so young and all.
[18] Tyson Stengle – 2
Had a mare of a game. Going goalless is bad enough, but Stengle also failed to put any pressure on the Brisbane defenders as guys like Fletcher, Zorko, and Wilmot just waltzed out of their defensive half with ease.
[33] Shannon Neale – 2
Another very quiet game. Neale’s only goal came from a suspect free kick paid against Brandon Starcevich, and outside of that he was only capable of mustering four disposals for the match. I like Neale, and I know Cats fans like him too, but I do wonder how much of a long-term solution he is as a key forward. I suppose it’s fine as long he gets to play under Jezza’s wing.
[5] Jeremy Cameron – 3
I feel a bit guilty giving the superstar such a low rating considering he played most of the game with a broken arm, but in the end these ratings are about impact, and Cameron had little to none of it (obviously due to the broken arm).
I would like to spare a moment for that epic chase down tackle he laid though. Absolutely inspirational stuff, putting his body on the line for the team.
[35] Patrick Dangerfield – 2
Coming off a perfect 10 in last week’s preliminary final against the Hawks, Dangerfield’s grand final performance couldn’t have been more different. It was night and day for the superstar skipper, as he collected only 10 disposals and laid just two tackles. Brisbane limited his explosiveness, and he was unable to get involved in the game.
I suppose it’s forgivable for a 35-year-old to look his age on the big stage. Not sure why he was so bloody happy in the concession speech, though!
[46] Mark Blicavs – 5
Battled away in the ruck contest against Fort and Big O, and did manage to kick a goal at the start of the last term that gave his side a glimmer of hope. However, Blicavs dropped some pretty winnable marking contests, and failed to do much damage. Another fence-sitting five for me on this one.
[3] Bailey Smith – 4
Might sound harsh given he was the team’s second-leading disposal winner, but Smith just didn’t look ready for what the Lions were serving up to him today. The star recruit wilted on the big stage. I thought he lacked physicality, was often happy to give half-hearted tackling efforts, and overall was frustrated by his opponents to the point where he wasn’t able to have a say in the result.
Not sure what he was doing with Harris Andrews late in the game, but it wouldn’t be Baz without a moment on camera.
[30] Tom Atkins – 7
An admirable performance from an admirable player, Atkins finished the day with 20 disposals, six tackles, and an equal game-high 10 clearances. It’s usually his defensive stuff that jumps off the page, but Atkins showed plenty of offensive flair in this one, particularly with some creative handballs.
[1] Rhys Stanley – 2
The veteran big fella was a non-factor in this game. Subbed out in the fourth quarter having posted just six disposals and 13 hitouts. Disappointing way to go out if indeed this was his final AFL match.
[12] Jack Bowes – 7
One of Geelong’s best across the four quarters, Bowes was especially impressive when the Cats were in the game in the first half. He was able to win his share of ground balls and was often involved in scoring chains finishing with five score involvements, a goal assist, and a goal of his own to go with 16 disposals.
[34] Oisin Mullin – 3
Kicked a very nice goal in the first term, but that was about it for his day. Went on to collect a lowly four disposals for the remainder.
[13] Jhye Clark – 5
Not a bad game from Clark given the limited opportunities he has had in the senior team this year. Ended with 14 disposals from his 62% time on ground, and will be encouraged coming off pretty good showings in both the preliminary and grand finals as he heads into a big pre-season.
[19 – Sub] Jack Martin – 1
Had little time to make an impact being subbed on late, and collected just one disposal.
