In every game of the 2024 AFL Finals, the Mongrel team will be rating every player to contribute toward the Mongrel Player of the Finals.
here are the resukts of the Qualifying Final, pitting Geelong against Port Adelaide, courtesy of Matt Parnell and Max Ford.
Port Adelaide (Matt Parnell)
[34] Lachie Jones – 3
Not given an easy job and not particularly well supported, but also didn’t do a fantastic job as Port Adelaide’s only genuine small defender as Mannagh and Stengle wreaked havoc. Not a role he’s going to want to have to repeat.
[25] Brandon Zerk-Thatcher – 3
Brought the Bombers finals curse with him. Needed to perform better, but brought the concrete hands and couldn’t buy a mark all night. Couldn’t buy clean possession, either. Kept banging Geelong entries off the hands to no one in particular, and can’t say much good about his positioning either.
[14] Miles Bergman – 7
Clearly best on ground for Port, and the only real knock was that he wasn’t able to impact the game more. 10 intercept possessions, multiple contested marks inside defensive 50. The key position player Port were crying out for and hoped BZT would be for them, and it came at the cost of not having Bergman able to use the ball outside of defensive 50. Two Bergmans would’ve made this a different game.
[3] Ryan Burton – 5
The stat sheet suggests Ryan Burton had a hell of a game. Equal second for touches for his team, sure, kicked a goal, sure, but he’s also listed at CHB and his defensive unit got carved up. Even if you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt as a ball user, they had Bergman and Byrne-Jones to ostensibly play that role. Burton saw a lot of the ball but it’s not exactly clear what his plan was when he didn’t have it.
[21] Aliir Aliir – 5
Up until the end, when the game was gone, Aliir held Jeremy Cameron to a couple of audacious in-play goals. Good body work, 10 intercept possessions, did his job individually but the defence as a whole got smashed and that’s partly on his head.
[43] Logan Evans – 4
Logan Evans looked decent in the first half. Tenacious. Was in and around the contest and looked like he wanted to impede Geelong progress whenever he was around the ball in his own defensive 50, which is a great mindset from a midfielder coming off a rising star nomination. However, barely sighted in the second half when the game got pissed away.
[7] Jase Burgoyne – 2
Given an absolute bath going forward and back from Dempsey. Probably not helped by the defensive indecision behind him, but wasn’t used as an outlet, rarely got forward, and didn’t contribute meaningfully to the metres gained. Got a cheap goal late that doesn’t meaningfully impact the rating.
[16] Ollie Wines – 4
Led his team for touches but didn’t seem to have a major impact. He’s one of the players his teammates would be looking to in times of trouble and couldn’t seem to make himself or them lift.
[28] Willem Drew – 5
Arguably led the midfield. Shouldn’t have had to. Probably Port Adelaide’s best performing mid to the eye, seemed to want to urge the ball forward, but this isn’t where he’s best utilised.
[33] Darcy Byrne-Jones – 4
Not his best game and probably not his best use either. Similar to Bergman and Burton, theoretically used as a rebound outlet in this lineup, but when they got run over so hard and so early, there were bugger all opportunities for him to do this and contribute with ball in hand. Could’ve been swung forward when the game was still in the balance, but wasn’t, and as such has to be rated on his defensive performance as part of the leaky back sieve.
[27] Esava Ratugolea – 2
Bad to the point where you wonder what he offers. They gave up assets for him. One hockey assist, no shots on goal, no opportunities, no contested marks. Similar game to BZT.
[15] Willie Rioli – 6
Didn’t have much of a chance to be involved but did what he could with what he could will out of thin air. Kicked a goal, looked likely in all of his 8 touches, sure.
[19] Mitch Georgiades – 6
Similar to Rioli. Not a lot of service but had a better record taking the ball out of the air than most would’ve given the same opportunities. Kicked a goal. Sure.
[22] Charlie Dixon – 1
See the above points about Ratugolea, but worse. Did sweet FA. 3 touches, one behind, he can no longer offer any of the key forward stuff he used to and his team desperately required.
[1] Connor Rozee – 2
Led all comers in tackles, but when you need a Port Adelaide player to stand up for you, you almost expect it to be Connor Rozee. He didn’t do that at all. Largely anonymous for the better part of the game, popping up most when he kicked a goal with the game already lost. A decentish game for most, a bad game for him.
[24] Jordon Sweet – 4
*Shrug*. Did his job? Won the hitouts? Didn’t offer much else around the ground? Just a traditional ruckman playing a traditional ruckman game.
[18] Jason Horne-Francis – 6
Among the better of the Port Adelaide players, and looked like he wanted to drive them over the line. However, he could not, and ultimately did not.
[9] Zak Butters – 6
Poor bastard. Got injured but looked ok beforehand, a couple of assists, a couple of kicks to break the lines. Can’t give him more than a 6 because he only played a half, can’t give him less because he was genuinely this good.
[10] Travis Boak – 5
Saw a lot of the ball and delivered it forward a lot. Reasonably consistent, which is more than you can say for most, but died hard in the second half – much like the rest of the Power.
[44] Jackson Mead – 3
Man I had no strong opinions about him going into this game and he did nothing to really give me anything to think about. Won a free kick for holding the ball at one point? Could not pick him out of a lineup. Sorry Jackson.
[31] Francis Evans – 5
Honestly similar to Logan’s game. Laid a bunch of tackles, looked like he wanted it, ultimately didn’t have a massive outcome on the game. Largely unremarkable but for his tackling intensity.
[41] Jed McEntee – 5
There was a moment where it felt like McEntee was going to go goal for goal with Stengle. Kicked one, seemed like he was going to spark some goals for the team, missed another one shortly after that but looked likely. However, only ended with 6 touches for the night, so you be the judge.
[Sub] Quinton Narkle – n/a
Cannot in good faith give poor Sparkle a number.
Geelong (Max Ford)
[17] Lawson Humphries – 7
Would love to award him a higher rating, but unfortunately he did an Earhart-level disappearing job in the second half. His first half was absolutely sensational; he was completely unruffled whilst under immense pressure, he was weighting his kicks and handballs beautifully, he was even pulling out the ambidextrous Sam Mitchell party trick, with multiple right-foot kicks whilst facing diagonally rightward. Had some superbly executed spoils as a bit of a cherry on top. Where the bloody hell do they find these lads?
[38] Jack Henry – 7
Beaten twice by Georgiades in the first quarter (one leading mark and one outright contested), but worked his way into the game, with a series of clean gathers in defensive 50, important spoils and intercept marks. Became visibly more relaxed and confident as the game went on, likely revelling in his paid front-row seat to the new footy clinic in town.
[8] Jake Kolodjashnij – 5
Was caught HTB on his defensive 50 when the game was still in the balance, but of course Port failed to capitalise. Had some decent defensive moments, including a spoil on Ratugolea inside attacking 50 that led to a Bruhn goal, and a couple of nice marks. Doubt Cats fans felt overly safe when he had the ball though.
[22] Mitch Duncan – 6
Didn’t notice him a huge amount, but he did enough (19 disposals) to show that he still has a bit of fight and explosiveness in those old bones yet. The overlap running was commendable, and he hit some lovely fizzing passes too, albeit interspersed with some less aesthetically pleasing moments.
[46] Mark Blicavs – 7
Would’ve been a higher score but a bad miss and bad fumble inside attacking 50 when the game was still alive brought his rating down somewhat. After those early errors, he was, as usual, everywhere, filling the defensive 50 hole when required, applying pressure on the wing when required, spoiling when required, pretending to be a ruckman when required. A prototype handyman performance. Did you know he has an Olympian sister?
[39] Zach Guthrie – 7
One of the strangest 27 disposal games you’ll ever see. The only kick of his I can really remember was a sublimely weighted pass to Miers in the middle early on, sparking one of many sumptuous goal-scoring chains. Main standout of his game was his frequent choice to come off his man to intercept and cut off attacks at half back. The judgement was superb each time and resulted in 10 intercept possessions, even if it was assisted slightly by Port’s woeful efficiency going forward.
[9] Max Holmes – 9
Fantastic game. Looked switched on right from the start, using that breakneck pace to burst clear and deliver lace-out to a teammate time and time again. His signature move of running past and receiving the overlap handball to set off yet another attack never seemed to induce in his Power opponents an urge to prevent it. If anything, they were positively accommodating of his wishes. Had 140 more metres gained than the next best Cat and caused a ton of damage.
[30] Tom Atkins – 7
Had his snout in the stoppage trough all evening and held the fort gamely against blokes supposedly taller and quicker than him. Mopped up loose balls when the pressure was on in the first half with admirable skill and deftness. Provided the usual manic pressure going the other way too. If there’s a player in the league that gets by on heart, this is he.
[28] Oliver Dempsey – 7
Perhaps a touch generous, but he seemed to do the right thing at the right time in his wing-forward flank role almost without fail, and to me, that’s worth its weight in gold. On multiple occasions, tapped the ball while it was in mid-air to a passing teammate when taking possession would’ve meant a stoppage and a prevention of the attack. Showed great composure when placed under pressure, turning back the way he came in order to buy time for a teammate to either run past or present from further up-field. Had a nice little speccy too which eventually led to a score (a behind, naturally). 15 disposals and 0.1 does not do his game justice.
[18] Tyson Stengle – 9
By far the most dangerous-looking forward on the ground with four goals and three further score involvements. Was razor sharp when the ball hit the ground off the contest in his forward 50, zipping and soccering his (and his team’s) way to a grand day out. Absolutely humiliated Lachie Jones on a wing as well with a basketball-style strip and handball to a teammate for an eventual goal.
[33] Shannon Neale – 6
Ok game, with a strong display of contested marking. Not helping his cause are the facts that he missed a fairly easy shot when the winner was not yet decided, and that both of his goals came in junktime. Moved surprisingly swiftly for a big lug and was *have your bingo cards at the ready* structurally important.
[7] Shaun Mannagh – 10
Started off trying to be a bit too cute, but dialled it back a tad and in doing so generated a deluge of rewards, goodness and nourishment. Finished with three goals and a further three direct goal assists, but it was the innate footy IQ which was the most brilliant aspect of his game. His disposal placement, whether assisting a goal or simply passing in open play, was absolutely superb; teammates not having to break stride. For his goals, his sense of where the ball was going to go, either off a ruck contest or at the end of a scoring chain, was telepathic. He somehow never got tackled despite having the frame of a jelly baby. Oh yeah, and he finished with 23 touches.
[45] Brad Close – 8
Another rating which I acknowledge may be affected by factors not present in other players’ profiles, as I really like him for no discernible reason. His handballing inside 50 was as clever as always (especially for Mannagh’s first goal) and the way that he waits/waited when at half-forward for an option to present itself causes/caused me much glee. 11 score involvements (incl. two goal assists) would’ve looked even better as a statline if he hadn’t kicked for goal like a wayward Balkan on his third pint of Krambambula.
[5] Jeremy Cameron – 8
Potentially harsh rating, because the skills he showed for his first, second and fourth goals (particularly the first. Far out, what a goal) are beyond much of the AFL playing cohort, but his complete lack of interest in chasing his man or competing for the ball after it spilled towards an opponent rather than himself grated me. A match-winner, to be sure, but one who often thinks he’s above the team stuff.
[36] Oliver Henry – 5
Played as always with grandiosity, but generally it was an almost-day for him. Took a couple of nice marks but was definitely bested overall by Bergman, and it seemed to cause visible frustration, with a bit of umpire whinging and a dose of crap goalkicking to go with it. Still kicked the goal that put his team ahead for good and will not have lost an iota of confidence.
[1] Rhys Stanley – 6
Difficult game to quantify, as despite being smashed in the ruck by Sweet, Sweet himself had bugger all impact. Fought gamely as ever in a position he’s on record as not preferring. Had a nice sidestep around Horne-Francis for a chaos ball which led to the goal that essentially put the game to bed for good.
[35] Patrick Dangerfield – 7
Took a little bit to settle into the game, unlike most of his teammates, but once he did settle in, the impact was noticeable. He certainly didn’t do anything at half-intensity, whether it was blasting a 55m shot at goal into the member’s stand or diving on a ball in dispute and handballing in the one motion. Showed traces of the famous explosive pace, an impressive physical feat for a 34 year old, and had some scintillating kicks inside 50.
[34] Oisin Mullin – 3
Had a brilliant out-of-position spoil on JHF on the last line of defence but unfortunately JHF got the goal anyway. Showed elusiveness for a fair few of his nine touches, but didn’t actually do much with those disposals. Got worried out of one or two contests by more physical opponents as well.
[12] Jack Bowes – 6
Kicked a goal at a crucial point in the second term and snagged another in the last quarter once the away end was multiple mid-strengths deep. Generally looked a bit slow in midfield but was able to showcase his neat skills when afforded space.
[32] Gryan Miers – 9
Only had the six score involvements, but it felt like a hell of a lot more. The difficulty of the kicks he attempted with that psychotic kicking style of his was… substantial, and he was well and truly up to the task. Whenever pressure was put on him, he’d find an escape, with no better example than a ludicrous rushed finish from a tight angle (that somehow didn’t hit the right goal post) to cap off a sweeping transition move. Six tackles added a defensive edge not always seen in his games.
[4] Tanner Bruhn – 8
Great, gutsy game. Was up against it in the engine room, even with Butters and then Rozee suffering injuries, but proved himself to be fit for the task. His pressure was brilliant, especially on Horne-Francis when he was trying to drag his team back into it. From a bigger picture point of view, he meshed well into the wider Geelong defensive structure, often placing himself in a spot that forced the ball carrier to rush his decision. Add to that some beautiful, and borderline illegal, flick handballs, and smart, scything kicks to the advantage of teammates, and you have yourself a very good game indeed. Well and truly earned that goal in the third quarter.
[24] Jed Bews – 2
Was shocked to see his name on the team sheet and vowed to pay special attention to him purely due to the novelty of a non-injured player playing his fourth game for the year in a final, but I don’t think he ever actually received the message that he was playing. Utterly anonymous. Had one trademark dash with the ball, but the subsequent handball was crap and relied on brilliance from Dangerfield to absorb two tackles and find a free teammate whilst being spun.
[Sub – 2 Zach Tuohy] – 0
Could’ve gone for goal in the last but didn’t. Boooo
