Swans let home final slip as Petracca, Fritsch spark Demons late
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Sydney has let an AFL home final slip from their grasp as their late-season winning streak was finally snapped by Melbourne, who prevailed by 21 points in a Sunday afternoon thriller at the SCG.
The Swans led by 17 points after a four-goal burst to open the third quarter – straight after Lance Franklin’s emotional farewell at half-time – and looked good value to go on with it, nail down sixth spot on the ladder and secure home-ground advantage for the first week of the finals.
Sydney’s Tom Hickey and Melbourne’s Max Gawn only have eyes for the Sherrin.Credit: Getty
But the Demons responded with a sizzling six-goal run of their own, sparked by Christian Petracca and Bayley Fritsch, while holding the Swans to just two behinds in the last quarter before eventually closing out a hard-fought 11.11 (77) to 7.14 (56) triumph.
It means the Swans will travel to Melbourne for an elimination final, most likely against St Kilda, in a fortnight’s time. Melbourne’s finals fate was already locked in before this match – a qualifying final against Collingwood at the MCG – but they will now go into it with renewed confidence after climbing off the canvas to notch their seventh win from eight games.
Fritsch starred with five goals, including two in the final minutes to seal the win for Melbourne, in his return after two months out with a foot fracture. He also shook off a fresh foot complaint while doing so.
There were other injury scares for coach Simon Goodwin, with Jake Melksham (knee) subbed out after kicking two first-half goals and Jake Bowey (shoulder) going off in pain after a collision with Will Hayward.
Hayden McLean celebrates a goal.Credit: Getty
His counterpart, Swans coach John Longmire, will be disappointed with how his team blew this opportunity and how his forward line again struggled to convert their chances.
Melbourne had shaded the first half, but the eight-point lead they took into the break evaporated within moments of the resumption of play as Sydney came out all guns blazing.
A spectacular soccered goal by Sam Wicks, a terrific set shot from the corner of the 50-metre arc by Hayden McLean, and a long, raking, left-footed strike by the brilliant Errol Gulden put them back in front, with all three goals coming inside the first five minutes of the third quarter. Chad Warner added one more to make it four in a row, and a game-high 17-point lead – but in typical fashion for the Swans this year, their inaccuracy left more points out there.
In fact, Warner’s goal was the last they’d kick for the match.
That left the door open for the Dees, and they didn’t need an invitation to walk through it. Two late goals from Christian Petracca and Kysaiah Pickett made it a four-point gap at three-quarter-time, and then Fritsch’s third goal gave them the ascendancy again – the sixth lead change.
From there, they wouldn’t be caught.
Retiring Swans great Lance Franklin farewells the SCG crowd, accompanied by wife Jesinta and children Tullulah and Rocky.Credit: Getty
In the end, the highlight for the Swans faithful came at half-time. That’s when Franklin emerged from the Sydney race for the final time, for one last goodbye. Unseen publicly since suffering the calf injury which ultimately ended his incredible career, he had tears in his eyes as he walked a lap of his old stomping ground, with wife Jesinta and kids Rocky and Tullulah in tow.
The soundtrack was Hero by the Foo Fighters – the same song that played here on that magical night last season when Franklin kicked his 1000th goal.
Almost every one of the 41,753 fans in attendance stayed in their seats to show their appreciation. For them and him, it was an important bit of closure. The good news is they at least have a finals campaign to look forward to. The bad news is they won’t be able to see their team play in Sydney again until 2024.
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