The Fremantle Dockers will make their first ever Grand Final appearance next weekend after defeating Sydney 14.15 (99) to 11.8 (74) in front of a packed out Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.
The Dockers brought their trademark suffocating defence to spoil the retiring Jude Bolton’s final game, blowing an eight-point quarter time lead out to 39 points before the half on the back of a five goal to one-point second quarter.
Fremantle continued their domination, extending the lead to 54 points midway through the final term before easing up ahead of the next week’s most important game in club history.
Stars Nat Fyfe and David Mundy provided fantastic contributions, but it was the largest home crowd in Fremantle history, 43,299, that gave the Dockers the extra lift.
Led by Ryan Crowley, the Dockers did a masterful job on Sydney’s midfield group and limiting the production of Kieran Jack and Josh Kennedy.
Sydney came back in the final 10 minutes, kicking six of the final seven goals as the Dockers took a precautionary approach with some of their older players.
Veteran defenders Luke McPharlin and Michael Johnson looked to be struggling at times to get through the match and may have to prove their fitness ahead of next Saturday’s blockbuster.
Mundy and Paul Duffield led Fremantle with 29 disposals each while Fyfe chipped in 27 with two goals and six clearances. Michael Walters kicked four goals to lead the Docker attack while forwards Chris Mayne and Hayden Ballantyne combined for 21 tackles.
McVeigh notched 30 disposals for the Swans. Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich led a tribute to Bolton, playing his 325th game, sending the Sydney hero off the ground with a wall of honour.
"Right now it just feels like, to be absolutely honest, a normal game because you are exhausted and you're tired and we play all the time at Subiaco," Pavlich told ABC's Grandstand.
"So, it's a good thing right now but I'm sure as the week goes there will be a huge amount of build-up."
"The strength of this group for a long time is being able to stay in the mode and not get too far ahead of ourselves," he said.
"So hopefully we can do the same."
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