Round 9 VFL Geelong v Sydney
GEEL 12.18.90
SYD 10.16. 76
It was the match of the round in the VFL for Round 9 and it lived up to it’s hype but it was the Cats who got the points at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Swans by 14 points.
The Swans started the game the better side, kicking five first quarter goals with tall Hayden McLean putting his hand up for a senior return kicking three in the opening term.
Momentum swayed in the second quarter however with the Cats fighting back to kick 6.5 to the Swans 2.1, the home side having an 8-point lead at the main break.
From there it was an entertaining, fast-paced arm-wrestle as both sides looked to get an advantage.
Despite the high level of footy, there was some wayward kicking by both sides. The Swans created plenty of chances but were not able to convert in the third kicking 2.7, the two goals coming from some crafty snaps from Billy Cootee and Jevan Phillipou.
The Cats held a 4-point lead at the final break and took their momentum into the final quarter, kicking 3 goals to 1. Sydney had their chances, particularly in the final five minutes but were again wasteful in front of goal with six final quarter behinds.
Best for the Swans was Harry Cunningham who will be looking to get back into the senior side after a 29 disposal game. Meanwhile Joel Hamling shone across the park with 25 disposals, marking everything that came his way with a game high 17 marks and also hit the scoreboard too.
Hayden McLean led the goal scorers with three majors and Billy Cootee, Jed Longmire and Jevan Phillipou kicked two goals each.
In a close competition, the loss pushed the Swans down to 5th on the ladder (from 3rd) but only percentage keeps them out of the top four.
Their next game is against Richmond (19th) at Tramway Oval at 10am on Saturday May 30.
