Semi-final player ratings: Lions star sets a stunning new record, dynamic Suns pair go missing

3 months ago 19

(7) Jarrod Berry: The tough winger doesn’t receive the same plaudits as others, but ran hard, impacted the game aerially at both ends, and was a strong contributor from go-to-whoa. 8/10

(8) Will Ashcroft: With Lachie Neale out, the Lions needed a big performance from last year’s Norm Smith medallist – and he delivered. Ashcroft dominated in the contest, spread magnificently with his hard running, and kicked two of Brisbane’s six goals in their match-winning second term. 9/10

(10) Levi Ashcroft: Looked nervous and rushed in his first final, and was again not prolific, but was better for the run. Put his body on the line for a great contested ball win early in the second term. 6/10

(13) Logan Morris: After being starved of opportunities last week, Morris wasted little time making his mark. He snapped a terrific goal falling to the ground in the first quarter, then added another in the second term while opposed to Mac Andrew. 7/10

(15) Dayne Zorko: The super-veteran underlined his status as one of Brisbane’s all-time greats with another superb performance down back, starting on rival Touk Miller. His willingness to attack through the corridor with his kicks helped create plenty of scoring opportunities. 8/10

(16) Cam Rayner: Rayner’s physicality was one of the highlights. Broke tackles for fun, and bounced through an 80-plus-metre goal in the second term after one such demonstration of his power and strength. 8.5/10

Cam Rayner shares a laugh with Lions coach Chris Fagan.

(20) Sam Marshall: Did not look out of place after being elevated into the starting squad before being subbed out in the last quarter. His clever angled kick to Logan Morris set up Brisbane’s opening goal. 5.5/10

(22) Ty Gallop: Playing in the injured Eric Hipwood’s absence, Gallop juggled a contested mark and bent back his set shot superbly for his maiden AFL goal in the third quarter. Promising performance. 6/10

(23) Charlie Cameron: Played one of his worst games last week, but it was obvious early in this one that he was chasing redemption. Kicked only three behinds, but was sprightly and set up a number of scoring opportunities. 7/10

(27) Darcy Gardiner: Started on Ben King, but was off him before quarter-time after the Suns’ spearhead monstered him aerially and kicked two early goals that could have been four. Rebounded to take 10 marks and do his bit. 6/10

Harris Andrews is leading the Lions solo in the absence of injured superstar Lachie Neale.

(31) Harris Andrews: The Lions love using Andrews as the third man in down back, but moved him onto Ben King after he dominated Darcy Gardiner early. Andrews shut King down thereafter while maintaining his intercepting prowess. 9/10

(32) Darcy Fort: Remained Brisbane’s No.1 ruckman despite Oscar McInerney’s return. Worked his way into the contest after Jarrod Witts dominated the taps early. 6/10

(33) Zac Bailey: Bailey’s versatility was on full display. He was at the first centre bounce and then kicked three majors, including one after dragging in a hanger on the goal line, in an excellent complementary performance. 7.5/10

(35) Ryan Lester: Fresh from signing another one-year extension, the ever-reliable veteran quietly did his job in a Brisbane backline that Gold Coast struggled to penetrate in the final three quarters. 6.5/10

(37) Brandon Starcevich: Like Lester, Starcevich was diligent defensively and helped keep Gold Coast’s dangerous medium-sized forwards quiet. 7/10

(44) Darcy Wilmot: Won a stack of the ball again, and his mindset was summed up in one second-term moment, where he aggressively attacked the Sherrin to force a turnover in the middle before finding Callum Ah Chee inside 50. 8/10

(46) Oscar McInerney: “The Big O” was back in the senior side, sharing the ruck duties with Darcy Fort and spending time forward. He battled manfully without making a major impact. 6/10

(38) Bruce Reville (substitute): Recalled for his 11th game of the season, Reville entered the contest in the last quarter and quickly had a shot at goal that he missed on the run. 3/10

Gold Coast

(1) Mac Andrew: The athletic defender held Logan Morris, the Lions’ No.1 marking forward, in check in the first half. With the Suns struggling to score, the ‘break glass’ moment came when he was sent forward in the third term, but he was unable to take a match-turning mark. 6.5/10

(2) John Noble: The former Magpie had a whopping 250 metres gained in the first term alone, but a botched kick-out straight to Will Ashcroft in the second cost a goal. He had another poor kick soon after, continued to work hard in defence on Kai Lohmann, and finished with a team-high 562m gained, but the Lions were too dominant through the midfield. 6.5/10

(3) Sam Flanders: The man linked to a trade with the Blues delivered a steadying goal in the second term after the Suns’ forward-half pressure paid off. Aside from that, while he found the ball, he was unable to help provide the midfield drive the Suns needed. 6/10

(5) Alex Davies: In his eighth game of the season, Davies is a clearance beast but did not have the same impact as he had against the Dockers. The Lions went to work on him, and he could not deliver the support teammates Rowell and Anderson required. The Suns need to hunt for greater midfield depth in the off-season. 6/10

(8) Brayden Fiorini: The under-rated wingman, in his 10th season with the Suns, fell into the same bracket as many of his teammates – had a few touches, did some nice things, ran hard when pushing back but, ultimately, had little impact. 6/10

(9) Ben Ainsworth: Began on the bench, and was another to have little influence through the evening. Ended a run of six-straight Lions goals in the final term, but it did not matter. 6/10

(11) Touk Miller: He and Dayne Zorko do not like each other, so it was great to see this pair line up on each other. But there were no theatrics on this night. The dashing former skipper had 12 touches to half-time, but only 176m to his credit. He missed a set shot in the third term his team desperately needed. He finished with 28 disposals, but the sharp-edged impact wasn’t there. 7/10

(14) Lachie Weller: The hard-at-it wingman had only five touches and 48m gained to his credit come half-time. Now in his eighth season with the club, the Suns needed more from him, but this was a night the visitors appeared tired after their long trip last weekend. 4/10

(15) Noah Anderson: A first-time All Australian, the Suns’ skipper delivered an early running goal, but poor positioning later meant opponent Will Ashcroft responded at a stoppage, the Suns badly beaten in this area by half-time. He finished with 28 disposals, including six clearances, but the midfield run sparking scoreboard impact did not eventuate. 7.5/10

(17) Daniel Rioli: The former Richmond premiership star provided his typical run and carry from half-back, but wasn’t always clean with the ball against a locked-in Lions defence. At times, it appeared as if he was attempting to do too much to drag his team back into the contest. 7/10

Suns bull Matt Rowell had a superb season.

(18) Matt Rowell: The first-time All-Australian had a fascinating battle with master tagger Josh Dunkley, the Lions’ tackling machine quelling Rowell’s clearance output, and probably winning this contest. Rowell provided a long goal from a free kick in the second term, and was in the thick of the action for most of the night with 23 disposals, but could not lead an uprising. 7.5/10

(19) Bailey Humphrey: The livewire creative forward broke the game open against Fremantle last weekend, but was barely seen in the first half against a Lions defence that set up well. Then he made a terrible call to opt for a set shot snap from directly in front of goal in the third term, only for the ball to drift wide. That mistake all but summed up his evening. 4/10

(20) Ethan Read: This was a night to forget for the man dubbed “the Unicorn”. Typically a strong overhead mark, the tall forward dropped one he should have taken 20m from goal in the first term. Had only two disposals to half-time, and two early in the third before he was subbed off by coach Damien Hardwick. 3/10

(22) Ben Long: Unlucky to not be named an All-Australian, the dynamic forward was a major disappointment in having his worst game of the season, held goalless and to only four disposals by the robust Brandon Starcevich. He wasted a chance for goal late in the first term, and had only two touches to the main break. 2/10

(25) Sam Collins: The two-time best and fairest winner was a rock in defence, and enjoyed a mismatch when on resting ruckman Oscar McInerney. However, when the Lions turned lethal, there was only so much he could do to quell the stampede. 7/10

(27) Wil Powell: The talented defender worked hard but was unable to deliver the run needed to hurt the Lions. As was the case for many of his teammates, this was a learning experience. 5/10

(28) Jarrod Witts: The veteran frontline ruckman worked hard in the ruck and had a dominant 45 hitouts, but they too often failed to lead to any great advantage. This was a night the Suns needed more marks around the ground, but this typically isn’t a strength of Witts. 6.5/10

Jarrod Witts (right) dominated the hitouts against Oscar McInerney (left) and Darcy Fort.

(32) Bodhi Uwland: The tough defensive utility with the surfer-boy looks had 10 touches to half-time and 19 for the game and did his best to generate run and carry. 6.5/10

(34) Ben King: The Suns’ leading goalkicker this season began superbly, but fizzled just as he threatened to dominate. He made the perfect start with a mark over Darcy Gardiner and conversion, and then became the greatest goal-kicker in Suns history with his second goal of the first term, prompting Harris Andrews to shift to him. From there, it was all over, for he could not find space to lead in. 6/10

(35) Connor Budarick: The young defender began on the bench, and soon was beaten in a marking contest by Jarrod Berry, who converted. He had little influence in the first half, and that continued after the main break. 3/10

(40) Joel Jeffrey: The Northern Territory product provided an early burst from half-back, his clever kick to King helping the star forward to his second goal. He had more than 200m gained from five disposals in the first term, and 419m for the game, but he was unable to really hurt the Lions. 6.5/10

(50) Jy Farrar: It was no surprise Harris Andrews was his initial opponent, as the Lions like to send their best defender to the opposition’s second-best key forward. In just his eighth game of the year, it wasn’t a great evening from the usually clever forward from remote WA. He hit the post with a relatively easy set shot to start the third term – the Lions adding salt to the wound by responding with a goal to stretch their lead to six goals. 3.5/10

(24) David Swallow (substitute): As was the case last week, the retiring veteran began as the sub – but this time there were no match-winning moments. He was injected midway through the third term and, while he struggled to find the ball, the foundation Sun enjoyed his final moments as a league footballer. 2/10

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