Source :- THE AGE NEWS
History was made as the AFL’s first wildcard final was decided after the final siren in front of more than 81,000 fans at the MCG.
It was the Bulldogs who advanced, while the Magpies and their retiring hero Steele Sidebottom were left heartbroken.
Our experts, Scott Spits (Bulldogs) and Steve Barrett (Magpies) rate every player’s performance from the first wildcard final – from the heroes to the villains.
Western Bulldogs
(3) Cody Weightman: In and out of the game. Had only two touches by quarter-time, and needed to do more. But then he lifted and had his moment. He made a blue in the final quarter but earned redemption not long after in the form of a goal that gave the Dogs the lead. 7/10
(4) Marcus Bontempelli: Dynamic for the Bulldogs and their best over the four quarters. He booted a massive goal in the second term, but also snagged a behind and one out on the full that quarter. We judge the Bulldogs skipper very harshly. He finished with 32 touches in a typically influential game. 8/10
(6) Cooper Hynes: Worked his way well into the game and was one of the Doggies’ main possession winners in the first half. He also had 270 metres gained by the main break. 7/10
(7) Rory Lobb: Started up forward and desperately needed to kick the Dogs’ first goal of the final term (the first for either team), but his set shot missed. Instead, Collingwood kicked one at the other end as the teams traded goals for the quarter. 6/10
(8) Matthew Kennedy: Showed his verstility across the match, both as a dangerous forward option and elsewhere across the ground. He had a team-high 17 touches by half-time and an equal team high 25 possessions (with Bontempelli) at the final break. His night ended cruelly due to a final-quarter concussion, and he’ll miss the club’s elimination final. 7.5/10
(9) Ryley Sanders: He was in the thick of the action early with six first-quarter touches. He delivered an excellent short pass to Arty Jones in the second quarter, but his teammate missed his subsequent shot on goal. 6.5/10
(14) Rhylee West: Went in and out of the game but, to be fair, he did his thing. Had 15 touches by the final break and finished with 21. Solid and dependable, he can hold his head high. 6.5/10
(18) James O’Donnell: Not an eye-catching game, but that’s his way. The key defender had just three touches by half-time. It was the small things that mattered most, however. Look back on an excellent defensive punch at the 17-minute mark of the third term as the Doggies wrestled momentum back. 5.5/10
(19) Connor Budarick: He had little impact – including no touches from 77 per cent game time in the first quarter. In the second term Budarick was extremely lucky not to give away a free kick for a push in the back on Nick Daicos. 3.5/10
(20) Ed Richards: Not quite at his best, he started the game in scintillating style with nine first-quarter touches (behind Collingwood’s Swadling and Daicos) to be one of the most influential on ground. His influence waned after that, but slotted a brilliant final-quarter check-side goal that kept Collingwood at bay. 7.5/10
(24) Buku Khamis: A defensive pillar for the Bulldogs, he gave his all at every contest. In one tough moment, Collingwood’s Charlie West could only smile after the Magpie soccered a goal through the Bulldog’s legs. Talk about unlucky. 7.5/10
(26) Josh Dolan: Showed enough composure when the whips were cracking to find Cody Weightman in space late in the game. Dolan’s teammate duly kicked the goal after 19 minutes to give them an eight-point lead. 5.5/10
(27) Joel Freijah: An impressive game and one of their best. Freijah stepped up and set the tone for the night by getting physical with Nick Daicos boundary-side early. He was very good across four quarters and finished with 27 touches. 8/10
(29) Lachlan Bramble: Fourth for the Bulldogs for metres gained and finished with 22 touches, he’s perhaps underrated and undersold. He helped the Bulldogs get over the line. 6.5/10
(31) Bailey Dale: Another Bulldog who showed his class. He built his way into the game and barely made an error. By half-time, Dale had 12 touches and plenty of metres gained. Showing his versatility, he applied a great defensive effort in the third term when the Magpies were coming. 7/10
(32) Arthur Jones: Had a massive moment in the final quarter as his brilliant snap put the Dogs back in front. With four goals for the game, Jones did his best to fire up the Bulldogs fans – particularly in the second term. An excellent small forward’s game. 8/10
(33) Aaron Naughton: Like Jones, Naughton also booted four. His aerial work constantly brought the ball to ground. He delivered with a vital second-quarter goal that gave the Bulldogs a 19-point lead. Furthermore, he made no mistake after a 50-metre penalty in the third stanza. 7/10
(34) Bailey Williams: With 17 touches and 387 meters gained, he played a strong game in a Bulldogs team that contributors right across the field. 6/10
(35) Luke Kennedy: He was serviceable with 11 touches. The “other” Kennedy was the big force for the winners. 5/10
(37) Michael Sellwood: He hardly stood out from deep in defence, but like his defensive offsider Khamis, it wasn’t about possessions won. 5.5/10
(42) Sam Davidson: Booted a goal in the third quarter that ended a Collingwood run. Had a huge moment late in the thrilling finish when he kicked towards goal and the ball went through for a behind. That choice gave Collingwood another chance to run the ball from end to end. There were other options for Davidson. 4.5/10
(43) Ryan Gardner: Almost just a trivia question or a footnote. Luke Beveridge only turned to him for the first time at the 13-minute of the third quarter. Gardner basically jumped out of his skin as he went to a ruck contest straight away. Given his such limited minutes, he has to be lowly rated. 2/10
(44) Tim English: He had an absorbing battle with Darcy Cameron. Coming back into the team for his first game since round 22, English’s role was telling. 7/10
Collingwood
(1) Patrick Lipinski: Made a fine return from injury, collecting 17 of his 24 touches in a dynamic first half against his old side. His play making and run on the outside helped fuel Collingwood’s fightback. 7/10
(2) Jordan De Goey: A strange old night for a noted big-game performer. A big second quarter through the middle was followed by donuts in the third, camped deep in attack. He kicked an important goal in the fourth, but was generally miles off his best. 4/10
(3) Isaac Quaynor: Provided his trademark combination of energetic run and intercepting smarts. His brave, long kick-in in the dying stages almost resulted in a last-ditch miracle. 6/10
(7) Josh Daicos: Flew under the radar – which can happen when No.35 is your brother – but impacted strongly with his play making behind the footy and underrated tackling. 7/10
(8) Lachie Schultz: Particularly active early but faded as the evening wore on. His grunt and endeavour can never be questioned, though, finishing with more tackles than kicks. 5/10
(9) Dan Houston: Never quite got going. Didn’t generate the metres-gained numbers that saw his prized signature secured in the first place and leaked too many goals. 3/10
(11) Dan McStay: His goal-kicking and powerful marking ensured Collingwood were never out of the hunt. He couldn’t have been much more efficient, booting 4.1 from his six kicks. 7/10
(14) Darcy Cameron: Eclipsed English in the ruck as the night wore on, particularly in the air – whether marking or contesting hit-outs. Another Magpie to kick a clutch goal during the comeback. 8/10
(16) Ed Allan: Tackled ferociously but his tag on Richards, effective early, was eventually dispensed with. Some sloppy ball use and an inability to generate at stoppage eventually saw him banished to the wing. 3/10
(17) Billy Frampton: As ever, he had a bit of everything – an inspirational chase down and some solid one-on-one wins were meshed with some heart-in-mouth moments. He ultimately lowered his colours to Naughton. 4/10
(22) Steele Sidebottom: A non-factor in his 375th and final game, but what a great champion he has been. 2/10
(25) Jack Crisp: Provided important run on the wing, while his brilliant long-range bomb on the run out of stoppage put Collingwood in front with five minutes to play. A warrior. 7/10
(28) Tim Membrey: Centimetres from glory. His goal at the 26-minute mark of the fourth quarter gave the Pies the lead, but he will be haunted by that after-the-siren miss, which he hung just to the right. 5/10
(29) Charlie West: Nutmegged Khamis with a stunning soccer goal in the opening quarter, but was otherwise blanketed by the Bulldogs backline. 2/10
(31) Beau McCreery: Thrown into the engine room to start the second half, a decision which launched Collingwood’s rally. He broke lines with his run and creativity, stalling the Dogs’ rampant midfield dominance. 7/10
(32) Sam Swadling: The 19-year-old is fast emerging into a star across half-back. He racked up a game-high 12 first-quarter disposals and finished with 32. When he tidies up his ball use, he’ll be something special. 8/10
(35) Nick Daicos: Brilliant, if not superhuman, but he sure sets the bar high. He booted two superb goals and spearheaded Collingwood’s third-quarter charge. Yet again, he enhanced his peerless reputation. 9/10
(36) Harvey Harrison: His numbers look modest, but his forward pressure helped keep the Magpies in the hunt when they probably shouldn’t have been. 5/10
(38) Jeremy Howe: Would love to have his time back when a crucial fumble with Jones bearing in resulted in Weightman’s late goal, followed by a turnover by foot without his boot. Those blemishes aside, he intercepted solidly. 5/10
(39) Will Hayes: Had just one touch at half-time and finished with five. He will be better for the run under the bright lights. 1/10
(41) Angus Anderson: If it isn’t your night, it can be your moment. The mature-age draftee was unsighted for three quarters before booting two goals in the fourth for the surging Pies. 4/10
(44) Ned Long: A mixed bag rotating on the ball. His tackling pressure was immense, his second-quarter volleyed goal against the grain was a beauty, but his kicking left a little bit to be desired. 7/10
(45) Roan Steele: Provided high-speed runs on the wing and didn’t stop tackling, but another Magpie who let himself down with inefficient ball use. 5/10
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