How We Got to This Point
Week one of the AFL finals took place last weekend with eight teams in play. In Friday’s games both Collingwood and Carlton staved off comeback attempts from their opponents to claim victory. To learn more about these games read last week’s article.
With their respective victories, the top seeded Magpies saw themselves through to the preliminary final while Carlton would still have to take care of business in a semi-final.
Saturday’s matchups did not have nearly the same level of drama as the previously mentioned matches due to their lopsided finishes.
In the second elimination final, the GWS Giants started strong against St. Kilda, holding a 33-15 lead after the first quarter. They never looked back taking the game 101-77 and booking their ticket to the semi-final.
The second qualifying final saw Brisbane and Port Adelaide clash. Brisbane won every quarter en route to a 123-75 blowout to see them through to the preliminary final.
Port Adelaide Vs. GWS Preview
Port Adelaide and GWS face off later today to determine who will claim the final spot in the preliminary finals.
Port Adelaide was the better team for most of the year finishing 3rd in the ladder while GWS finished 7th. However, GWS has been playing extremely high-quality football lately having won 10 of their last 12 matches.
Despite this form, betting sites still have Port Adelaide as the favourites likely due to their consistency all year and the fact that they have defeated GWS in their past four matchups.
The matchup should be fast-paced and high scoring considering the two teams tend to lean towards the ‘run and gun’ style of play.
After their goalkicking lacked polish against Brisbane expect Port Adelaide to be back closer to their best in this matchup with their season on the line. Look for GWS to try and control the pace of play from the midfield and send the ball forward as often as possible to test the Port Adelaide defense which has been affected by injuries.
Carlton Takes down Melbourne in Thriller
Melbourne and Carlton clashed yesterday in the first of two semi-finals. The game came down to the wire with Carlton snagging the victory with a score of 73-71.
The game was a back-and-forth affair throughout with both teams trading blows and no one able to pull away. Melbourne led 53-47 heading into the fourth quarter looking to avoid being ousted from the finals in straight sets for the second straight year.
With three minutes remaining and up four, Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver looked to have kicked a game-sealing goal but as it was reviewed it was deemed that inexplicably, Melbourne’s captain Max Gawn punched the ball before it went through for a goal.
Then with just a minute remaining, Carlton’s Blake Acres would take a mark and play on from the edge of the Melbourne square, kicking a goal to give Carlton a 73-71 lead and the eventual win.
Preliminary Finals Matchup Outlooks
Carlton, who are now into their first preliminary final since 2000, will face off with Brisbane at the Gabba in a week’s time. Brisbane have won their past four against the Blues and will be substantial favourites heading into matchday.
Top seeded Collingwood must await the winner of Port Adelaide and GWS to find out who their opponent will be. Collingwood is expected to be favoured in either matchup.
