Match

Geelong Cats vs Sydney Swans

Commentary / 24 Sep 2022

Pre Game

00:00

After ranking third in the 2022 AFL Home and Away season for goals per inside 50 at 24.3 per cent, the Swans have been the premier team in the Finals Series in this category, scoring a goal from over 26 per cent of their forward 50 entries to lead all teams in the Finals.

Quarter 1

00:00

Q1 is now underway.

01:05

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

07:59

A scrappy start to the game with both teams struggle to maintain any prolonged possession. Sydney won four of the first five clearances, but Geelong have doubled the Swans 12-6 in contested possessions.

09:10

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

09:51

Tom Hawkins gets the goal after taking the ball out of the ruck to snap the first goal of the Grand Final. That was Hawkins 21st forward 50 clearance, giving him the outright lead among all players in this category for the 2022 season.

14:43

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

15:25

Both of Geelong's first two goals have been scored from shots at goal in general play. The Cats have scored just 43 per cent of their total score this season from general play, ranked fourth-lowest of any side in the AFL.

16:25

SCORE GOAL - Swans (Will Hayward)

16:36

Will Hayward gets one back for the Swans, after winning the ball back in the midfield. The Swans have outscored their opponents by over 17 points per game form possession chains between the 50 metre arc's, the largest margin of any side form this zone in 2022.

18:09

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Mark Blicavs)

19:22

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Isaac Smith)

21:38

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Isaac Smith)

22:02

Geelong have scored 31 points in a hot start to the game for the Cats. This has surpassed their season average for scores in first quarters (25.8) for which they led the league in 2022 with this figure.

25:46

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Gryan Miers)

26:49

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Brad Close)

26:57

Geelong get their sixth goal from their fourth mark inside 50 for the first term. Geelong average a league-high 15 marks per game inside their forward 50, but Sydney have not been easy to out-mark in their defence in 2022, conceding nine defensive 50 marks per game, ranked second in the AFL this year.

28:22

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)

29:38

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Zach Guthrie)

32:04

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)

32:31

Sydney would be seeing alarm bells ringing everywhere heading into the first break. They have given up their highest opposition score in a first term this season, and the 113-67 disposal count lead for Geelong is the fourth-highest quarter time disposal margin in any game this season.

Quarter 2

00:00

Q2 is now underway.

00:27

SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Lance Franklin)

04:29

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)

04:47

That goal for Tyson Stengle came from Geelong's 13th forward half intercept possession chain. By comparison, Sydney have recorded just four forward half intercept possessions for no scores.

06:04

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Gary Rohan)

06:58

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)

09:03

Sydney get their first goal of the second term from their first mark inside 50 for the match. Geelong recorded 19 inside 50 entries since the Swans last goal, whereas the Swans recorded just two.

12:59

Sydney recorded 16 handball-receives in the first quarter. They have already recorded 15 in the second term to demonstrate their improved run off the ball.

16:11

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

17:16

Tom Hawkins gets his third goal of the match to equal his best return in a Grand Final. He did so from his second one-on-one contest win of the match. Only Richmond's Tom Lynch (48) has more offensive one-on-one contest wins in 2022 than Hawkins (45).

19:07

SCORE GOAL - Swans (Callum Mills)

20:13

Both of the Swans' goals this term have come from defensive half intercept possession chains. The Swans have averaged 26.3 points per game from this source in 2022, ranked third in the AFL.

20:53

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)

23:02

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

24:55

SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)

26:04

SCORE GOAL - Swans (Isaac Heeney)

26:13

A goal for Isaac Heeney from just his third disposal of the match so far. When these two teams last met in Round 2, Heeney was best on ground with five goals, but he has been well held by his primary matchup Jake Kolodjashnij, who has recorded five disposals to Heeney's zero when they have been marked each other in the first half.

27:59

Swans Interchange - Sam Reid off due to an injury.

30:02

Sydney haven't recorded as many intercept possessions as Geelong in the first half of today's Grand Final (32-40), however their improved second term has helped them to outscore the Cats 4.0.24 to 3.4.22 from this source to halftime.

Quarter 3

00:00

Q3 is now underway.

00:46

Sam Reid (groin) has been replaced by medical substitute Braeden Campbell.

01:40

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Mitch Duncan)

03:42

Back-to-back defensive 50 errors from Tom McCartin have proved costly to start the third term, with Geelong converting them both into goals. Geelong have converted over 65 per cent of their possession chains to begin in their forward 50 into scores, a figure that leads the league in 2022 in this category.

05:25

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Isaac Smith)

09:08

SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)

11:53

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Cameron Guthrie)

12:11

Geelong have stretched the lead to a game-high 59 points in an incredibly efficient start to the third term. Four goals straight from five inside 50's, with three of those goals coming from set shots from intercept possessions.

13:46

Swans Interchange - James Rowbottom off due to an injury.

14:05

Cats Interchange - Jeremy Cameron off due to an injury.

17:22

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

17:43

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)

18:12

Swans Interchange - Justin McInerney off due to an injury.

20:54

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)

22:02

After dominating from the stoppages in the first half, the Cats have reverted back to their traditional game style by being ruthless in converting their intercept possessions into scores in the third term. They have outscored the Swans 5.1.31 to zero, their fourth best differential margin from this source in any quarter this season.

24:13

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Cameron Guthrie)

25:02

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Isaac Smith)

28:04

The job Jack Henry has done on Lance Franklin can not go unnoticed in today's match. He has held Franklin to just three disposals and one mark to basically erase him from the match, and allowed his teammates to rack up over 60 intercept possessions.

28:12

Patrick Dangerfield has stood up in the 'premiership quarter'. He has an equal game-high 10 disposals in the third term, to go with seven contested possessions, four score involvements, four inside 50's and three clearances.

28:43

Geelong's territorial dominance has just starved the Swans of any chance to get back into this match. Through the first half, Geelong spent 63 per cent of time elapsed in their forward half, but in the third term they went up a gear and spent 71 per cent of the term in their forward half.

Quarter 4

00:00

Q4 is now underway.

06:00

SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)

06:09

Sydney get the first goal of the final term after Chad Warner won the ball from a free kick. Warner has been among the best for the Swans on a down day, with 20 disposals from a team-high 13 contested possessions to go with five tackles and five possessions gains.

07:19

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)

10:10

With just over 10 minutes left of game-time in the final term of the 2022 season, Geelong have put in a very typical performance of defensive resilience to ice this game well before the final siren. They are set to further enhance their league-leading average of 67 points per game conceded at the end of today's match.

11:05

Cats Interchange - Cameron Guthrie off due to an injury.

11:24

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)

12:20

SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tyson Stengle)

12:56

SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)

13:36

Cam Guthrie has been replaced by the medical substitute Brandan Parfitt.

15:01

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Brandan Parfitt)

15:39

Brandan Parfitt gets a goal with his first touch in the Grand Final after replacing teammate Cam Guthrie as medical substitute. His goal was the Cats first goal of the match launched from their defensive 50 zone, from which they have averaged 16 points per game in 2022, the fourth-highest average score of any side from this zone.

16:22

SCORE GOAL - Swans (Paddy McCartin)

19:59

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Sam De Koning)

21:12

SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)

22:57

Despite breaking even at the centre bounce with 12 clearances each, the Swans have only converted seven of these into inside 50's and only two into goals, both in the final term. By comparison, all 12 of Geelong's centre clearances have moved into their forward 50 and been converted to 4.2.26 on the scoreboard.

24:21

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Joel Selwood)

24:24

A fitting reward for the soon-to-be premiership captain, Joel Selwood has capped an incredible performance from his side with a goal of his own. He passes Michael Tuck for the most finals appearances in VFL/AFL history with 40, and becomes the first four-time premiership player at Geelong.

26:04

SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)

29:15

A consolation goal for the Swans with less than a minute remaining in the match, and while Tom Papley has collected 20 disposals to be one of four Swans to pass this milestone in the match, that was his first goal of the match.

30:46

Isaac Smith has been awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the player adjudged best on ground in the 2022 Grand Final. Smith lead all players on the ground with 32 disposals, 772 metres gained and 14 score involvements, including 3.1.19 to his own name to be a just winner of this medal.