In every game of the AFL Finals, the Mongrel team rate the best and worst on the ground to feed into The Mongrel Punt Player of the Finals Award.

Max Ford and Matt Oman have the results from the Lions’ win over the Giants.

GWS (Max Ford)

 

[27] Harry Himmelberg: 7

Got a lot of it, but didn’t always exert maximum impact with his touches, with a fair bit of relatively ineffectual kicking around the backline. Was also rushed on a few disposals, resulting in half-chances opening up for the Lions. Nevertheless, he sucked Rayner into giving away two frees in the Lions’ attacking 50 in the thrilling final term, and six tackles, including another important one on Rayner, rounded out a decent, if unspectacular, all-round performance.

 

[15] Sam Taylor: 5

Bipolar game. Was caught dawdling with the ball in space twice in the space of a few minutes in the first quarter, and seemed to be struggling to adapt to the frenetic finals pace. Thereafter, was very solid, with strong marking and spoils a feature of his game. Was (correctly) pinged for deliberate in the closing stages, resulting in Daniher pulling his team within a point, but the handball from Idun was more worthy of criticism than the tap. Unfortunately, there was no one else to blame when Daniher then outmarked him shortly after, and in what is already a famous moment, put his team in front for good.

 

[39] Connor Idun: 7

Given the unenviable task of quelling Cameron’s influence, and was his usual unflappable self, gathering ground balls with composure and flying into contests to impact with a timely fist or a strong mark. Don’t think I saw him lose a contest, but he will want that handball to Taylor back.

 

[6] Lachie Whitfield: 5

Put a pissweak tackle on Ashcroft in the third quarter, resulting in a goal to Lohmann. Was also beaten by a freakish Ah Chee mark in the second half. Offensively, had a similar impact to Himmelberg, with a few touches but not many that actually stood out. As always, didn’t stop running and providing an option, sometimes in situations where he probably shouldn’t have.

 

[44] Jack Buckley: 6
Was a bit fumbly in the early stages, but managed to settle the nerves. Had seven intercepts and spoiled very well all night, but a couple of defensive attempts left a bit to be desired, as he gave away a crucial blocking free against Lohmann in the third quarter and let a couple of oncoming Lions players slip past him at various times. Cannot doubt his endeavour.

 

[36] Harry Perryman: 5 

Started well, with composed kicks out of defence that allowed his team to launch forward attacks, along with some strong marking, but faded out of the game thereafter. Will probably be wondering how his involvement was so sporadic as the Lions came back.

 

[17] Finn Callaghan: 7

One of the busier GWS players for the evening. Disposal was generally superb all night. One kick on his non-preferred out in front of Cumming that resulted in a goal stood out particularly. Loved his handball placement and technique too, aside from one turnover that led to a Lions goal in the third. Probably didn’t do enough in his position as the Lions gained the momentum but he scrapes a 7, as extraction isn’t his job.

 

[12] Tom Green: 8

Far and away the best Giants midfielder on the ground. Gave a Herculean effort, essentially without any meaningful support, gathering 21 contested possessions and 10 clearances. Butchered the ball a bit at 45% efficiency but that doesn’t matter, as his reading of the ball off the stoppage meant that the other mob couldn’t get it. Scored a nice goal in the third to make it appear that his team was home. Perhaps could’ve cracked in defensively a little harder than his 4 tackles suggest, but the poor bloke was probably buggered from carrying the offensive load.

 

[22] Josh Kelly: 5

Was silky when he did get involved (one deft tap of a bouncing ball to Himmelberg was sumptuous) but those moments weren’t nearly frequent enough. Left Green to do too much, and ultimately will be disappointed with himself. 4 score involvements further suggests a below-par day.

 

[16] Brent Daniels: 6

Absolute rollercoaster of a game. Gave away two 50s (resulting in 1.1 for the Lions), neither of which I think he should be blamed for. For one, an opposition player was calling for it, and for the other, the umpire seemed to think that he had supersonic hearing. On the good side of things, his inside 50 kicks seemed to lock onto teammates, even in contested situations, and this led to four goal assists. Had a nice strip in midfield too that turned a dire-looking situation into an attacking opportunity in an instant. Ultimately, though, will be remembered for his final-quarter decision to take advantage from a free kick awarded to a teammate right in front of goal, where he tried to soccer the ball off the ground, and scored a behind. Contextually, that kills his rating.

 

[5] Aaron Cadman: 4

Started really well, leading up and marking with confidence despite Andrews’ close checking. His intent to tackle and apply pressure was on display all game, and that’s always a pleasure to see from a key forward. In the end though, did not do enough to lead towards the ball and did not hold onto contested marks that he probably should’ve.

 

[13] Isaac Cumming: 6

Funny game. Caught Wilmot holding the ball early on and then missed the resulting free from 15 out straight in front. His one-sidedness in handballing was a detriment to his team when he was unable to change the angles of a play under pressure the way his teammates did. Nevertheless, cracked in defensively, with seven further tackles, and didn’t do too much overtly wrong.

 

[2] Darcy Jones: 4

Had a terrific handball smother (one of my favourite footy acts) which led to the first goal of the final term for his team, putting them up by five goals. Other than that, his lack of size was the only standout. Got bullied off the ball again and again, in the air and on the ground, and though he tackled and hunted the ball with fierce intent for someone his size, he’s going to want to build up a lot more muscle before he can contribute in September.

 

[23] Jesse Hogan: 10

Really couldn’t have done anything else to get his team across the line. Completely destroyed a semi-fit Jack Payne with his positioning and strength. The hands were vice-like, marking everything that came their way (6 contested marks). The goalkicking was very good, with 5.1 his total for the day. Provided contests at half-back/on the wing when his team was exhausted and under the pump in both the third and fourth quarters, and in need of an outlet. Brilliant game and a brilliant season.

 

[4] Toby Greene: 7

Generally played a very good game, with some superb kicks inside 50, and three goals that only a few players in the league would be able to pull off. Used his body well in contests on multiple occasions, manoeuvring his backside into and shimmying away from his opponent. Was fortunate not to be punished to the maximum degree after a silly decision to try and volley the ball out of the air at half-back. Possibly the only other criticism is that he didn’t get involved around half-forward enough, but compared to his forward teammates sans Hogan, he was a shining light.

 

[32] Kieren Briggs: 6

Had a mountain of ruck taps, but to be honest could’ve made better use of that physical advantage. Executed one set play from a throw-in to perfection, resulting in a Peatling rove and snapped goal. Tackling intensity was beyond compare as usual, with six to his name. Kicked a nice goal in the third term too, after the Lions players decided they’d rather sit around and have a cook-up than apply any sort of defensive pressure to the big lumbering behemoth with the ball. Won’t enjoy the memory of McInerney pushing him under the ball at a throw-in about twenty minutes later and returning the favour.

 

[3] Stephen Coniglio: 1

Subbed off at QT due to a knock somewhere in the vicinity of the face. Only thing of note he did was a scrappy dribbled behind. His substitution created a hole in the midfield which his teammates were unable to fill.

 

[20] James Peatling: 6

Popped up in attacking chains time and time again, showing the value of knowing where the ball is going before it goes there. Scored two almost identical goals a few minutes apart in the first term using this attribute. Unfortunately, thereafter he faded a bit, and he deserves some blame for disappearing during the onslaught that occurred as the Lions pushed back in the third and fourth quarters. Six tackles doesn’t quite save him from being placed on the same level of most of his mates.

 

[8] Callan Ward: 8

Kept expecting him to show his age and he never did. Was everywhere, particularly in the second half, when many of his mates were starting to falter. Whether it was tackling, spoiling, extracting the ball out of a contest, or providing a handball receive option to a teammate under duress, Ward was there to assist. Baulked two for the Ash goal in the third quarter and took a sensational mark in defensive 50 in the last. Maybe could’ve had more than the three tackles, but he’s not a pure midfielder anymore so I reckon he gets an exemption.

 

[7] Lachie Ash: 3

Stinker, aside from a nice running goal in the third. 15 touches for an attacking defender is a below-par day, especially when his errant disposals stick out more in your mind than his good ones. Perfect example of why DE% can be a misleading stat.

 

[14] Toby Bedford: 6

Busiest 13 disposal game you’ll ever see. Had ten tackles and an intriguing h2h battle with Neale, where he seemed to split his time evenly between trying to stop Neale and trying to hurt him the other way. Always took the ball at speed, but the composure left a bit to be desired at times. Tried a few jinks and baulks but often found himself with insufficient field space to pull the move off. Lack of size stood out at midfield stoppages late on.

 

[25] Lachlan Keeffe: 1

Just a terrible football player, unfortunately, regardless of whatever ‘structure’ he brings. Had two set shots at goal that your perpetually drunk next-door neighbour could’ve executed more competently. Also had one handball that went straight to a Lions player despite having three teammates open. His one saving grace was a block he put on Andrews for Hogan to mark and kick his fifth.

 

[SUB: 33] Xavier O’Halloran: 4

Kicked a steadying goal towards the end of the third, but didn’t do too much outside of that. Ran hard, but often ran hard to where the ball wasn’t.

 

Brisbane (Matt Bryker-Oman)

 

[15] Dayne Zorko – 6

If you’re just looking at the stats, you’d give Zorko a higher rating than just 6. But especially in the first half, Zorko just wasn’t good. Undisciplined, made poor decisions, and turned the ball over too many times. Worked his way into the game in the second half, and was one of many reasons the Lions got back into the game.

 

[31] Harris Andrews – 5

Had Aaron Cadman for company, and I can’t understand why that match-up persisted as Payne was getting destroyed by Hogan. Had some good moments, but as a club captain, Andrews needed to show far more leadership behind the ball in getting the match-ups exactly right. If Brisbane had lost, Andrews’ rating would be lower for that reason alone.

 

[43] Noah Answerth – 6

Only 13 touches, but a strong defensive game with a game high 11 tackles. Honestly, I didn’t notice him too much, and that’s probably a good thing. No nonsense game from a no nonsense player.

 

[37] Brandon Starcevich – 6

Played basically the same game as the other Lions small defenders. Only nine touches, but seven tackles, and kept Toby Greene relatively quiet. Played his role perfectly.

 

[40] Jack Payne – 2

Gets an extra point for pushing through what was an obvious injury. But in reality, he simply shouldn’t have been out there. Looked like he couldn’t move at times, and was well beaten by Jesse Hogan. Finished with six touches and two marks, and had five goals kicked on him.

 

[35] Ryan Lester – 5

You never notice Ryan Lester, but he is one of Brisbane’s most valuable players behind the ball. 100% of his 11 disposals were effective, and he took five marks to go with it.

 

[4] Callum Ah Chee – 6

Played his role brilliantly, but let himself down in front of goal. Ran up and down the wing all night, and gathered 17 disposals, 11 score involvements, five inside 50’s and 439 metres gained. However, he loses points for only kicking one goal from four scoring shots, and only 52% of his disposals were effective.

 

[8] Will Ashcroft – 9

What an absolute jet this kid is. With Lachie Neale well held by Toby Bedford, the Lions needed another player to step up, and Will Ashcroft did just that, carrying his team on his back and dragging them out of the coffin. 27 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 466 metres gained, and nine clearances. Had he nailed his two shots at goal, he may have scored a perfect 10.

 

[6] Hugh McCluggage – 8

I always love the way McCluggage plays. He just oozes class. He’s Scott Pendlebury like in his movement, and he looks like he always has so much time. Finished with 24 disposals, 394 metres gained, five tackles, four marks, and some simply beautiful disposals inside 50.

 

[16] Cam Rayner – 1

Largely unsighted. Finished with just eight touches, of which only three were effective, didn’t trouble the scoreboard, and didn’t take a mark. Just couldn’t get into the game, in what was a very disappointing performance from someone who should be better than he is.

 

[3] Joe Daniher – 7

Rating should arguably be higher given he was the match winner in the final quarter. But in truth, we got a little bit of everything from Daniher tonight. Won the battle with Sam Taylor, kicked four vital goals, including that absurd kick from the boundary, but also made some blunders, as is standard with Daniher.

 

[7] Jarrod Berry – 8

Provided plenty of grunt around the ball and across the half forward line. Finished with an equal team high 27 disposals, 13 contested possessions, a game high 559 metres gained, six marks, five inside 50s and five score involvements. Has found the perfect role for himself, and is equally capable on the inside and outside of the ball.

 

[23] Charlie Cameron – 3

What is up with Charlie Cameron this year? Sure he kicked his usual couple of goals, but he just didn’t look his normal self, and in truth, he hasn’t for quite some time. Only had nine touches, and only four of those disposals were effective. Needs to find his best form quickly if the Lions are to go all the way.

 

[30] Eric Hipwood – 1

Poor game. Seven disposals, four ineffective, one tackle, three score involvements and just one goal. We’ve seen the best of Hipwood this year, but too often we see his worst, and that’s a big problem going forward.

 

[33] Zac Bailey – 4

Slightly below average game from a player that has shown far more. Went at 90% efficiency, but only gathered 11 disposals, took five marks but didn’t lay a tackle, and kicked a goal, but only took the ball 153 metres forward.

 

[46] Oscar McInerney – 7

Big battle with Kieran Briggs, and I find it hard to find a winner. 13 disposals, 39 hitouts, an important goal that kickstarted the comeback, and a couple of strong contested marks to get his team out of jail. Great game from a player that doesn’t get the credits he deserves often enough.

 

[5] Josh Dunkley – 7

Gathered 23 disposals and looked good all night, but I was surprised to see that he only went at 52% efficiency. Took five marks, had five score involvements and registered 378 metres gained. Fixed his disposal efficiency in the second half, which speaks to the Giants pressure in the first half.

 

[9] Lachie Neale – 6

Had his moments, but was beaten by Toby Bedford. Finished with 19 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven clearances, four tackles and four inside 50’s. Only went at 63% efficiency, but Chris Fagan would be happy that others in the midfield stepped up as the Lions made their comeback.

 

[1] Kai Lohmann – 5

Did his job as a small forward. Kicked two goals, including the first of the comeback, and all of his tackles were inside forward 50.

 

[28] Jaspa Fletcher – 5

Played better than he will be given credit for. All of his 13 disposals were effective, and got better as the game went on. Did look a little nervous on a few occasions, but attacked the ball hard and never gave an inch.

 

[13] Logan Morris – 1

Looked overawed by the occasion. In two and a half quarters, could only manage two handballs, and was rightly subbed out.

 

[44] Darcy Wilmot – 3

Not his best game. Only nine disposals, of which only five were effective, and made too many mistakes, even when he didn’t have the ball.

 

[SUB] Conor McKenna – 4

Played his role as the sub. Only had six kicks for the evening, but all were effective, and he had a staggering 268 metres gained as the Lions made their charge.