They say games aren’t won on paper, but on the weekend, both semi finals came as close to it as possible.
Chris Scott and Leon Cameron put in some memorable performances over their playing careers spanning 471 games between them, but it was their performances from the coaching box on the weekend that has drawn much praise as the pairs respective sides advanced to preliminary finals next weekend.
Both Geelong and GWS were comprehensively beaten in week one of the finals, with serious questions being asked heading into the weekend’s do-or-die semi finals.
How can Geelong stop a side that's heading into this game with a 15-2 record in their past 17 games and beaten by just one side? Not to mention a side that has had their measure in recent times.
Can GWS overcome the loss of two of their most influential players?
Those questions were answered, squashed and tossed out as the Cats and Giants won by an emphatic 116 points combined.
Generally, two games - and finals in particular - that are over by halftime aren’t all that exciting to watch, and perhaps it was the case for these two games as well, but it was the masterstrokes performed during the week by the coaches that made these games immensely watchable - or unwatchable - depending on what kind of football you like.
The decision to start Patrick Dangerfield in the goal square would’ve been decided midweek by Geelong’s coaching staff and while Scott didn’t take all the credit for a move which was vindicated inside the first 10 minutes, the buck ultimately stops with him.
Coaches are the first to be criticised for a side's poor performance and deserve to be praised on the flip side of the coin.
It was a move that, like any other, wasn’t guaranteed to work and one that involved Geelong’s young midfield to step up in a big way but much like the previous week when dropping Daniel Menzel didn’t pay off for Geelong (one which Scott admitted), his high-risk, high-reward approach earned Scott his salary and then some on Friday night.
Dangerfield’s impact didn’t just come on the scoreboard either, even though his 4.3 return was game-changing and impressive.
Sydney’s Dane Rampe - a contender for the Swans’ best and fairest this season - went to Dangerfield, meaning he wasn’t able to patrol the defensive half at will when the ball came his way.
Over 37% of Rampe’s possessions in 2017 came via intercepting an opposition move forward and that strength of Sydney’s defence was immediately taken away from them with Scott’s impressive tactics.
The decision to send mobile big-man Mark Blicavs to Sydney superstar Josh Kennedy also paid dividends for the Cats as Blicavs’ shut down role gave the rest of Geelong’s midfield more room to move.
Blicavs laid a game-high 14 tackles on his way to limiting Kennedy’s influence to just 20 disposals and three clearances, numbers that were well down on his season averages. His profound impact on the contest meant Sydney’s other midfielders needed to do the heavy-lifting with (essentially) one less body, something that proved too much to overcome.
Unsurprisingly, Tom Lonergan’s late withdrawal meant Harry Taylor would have to wind back the clock somewhat and match up on megastar Lance Franklin in defence. It was a move that, structurally, didn’t hurt Geelong as much as they had both Rhys Stanley and Zac Smith to operate up forward (both of whom would finish with a goal apiece).
Halfway through the second term, Franklin had one disposal, Dangerfield had three goals and the damage was done. Franklin would finish goalless on a night where quite simply, nothing worked for the Swans.
Under 24 hours later for Sydney’s crosstown rivals, it was quite the opposite story.
Appropriately, GWS channelled their inner-Richmond, as their ‘small-ball’ forward line came up big when it mattered most to steamroll the Eagles.
Generally, when two of your biggest players (height-wise) in the side get injured, at least one will be replaced with someone of similar stature.
Not according to Leon Cameron, who resisted the urge to replace Shane Mumford with Dawson Simpson, bringing back veteran Steve Johnson and rookie Tim Taranto instead.
What it meant was the Giants would be able to enter their forward 50 more by hand as opposed to kicking it in long and allowing Jeremy McGovern to sit back and do his thing as one of the best intercept marks in the competition. McGovern still made his presence felt, as all good players do, but the Giants were able to limit his opportunities (along with Elliott Yeo) to play the game more on their terms.
After Harry Himmelberg’s impact on the game was muted when GWS’ running game took over, Jonathan Patton’s influence as the lone tall target was accentuated as he plucked 10 marks, had 23 disposals and kicked two goals on a night where usual forward line partner Rory Lobb was the Giants’ dominant ruckman.
Toby Greene made his coaches team selection look even better with an unstoppable performance, playing as big as one can for his 182cm frame.
Since stepping onto an AFL field, Greene has always been a fantastic mark for his size but it was his performance on Saturday night that showed everyone how dominant he can really be.
Greene reeled in eight marks - three contested - as he displayed his fabulous strength time and time again. He finished with three goals from 17 possessions in a performance that is sure to cause Damian Hardwick some headaches this week.
Greene and Johnson, who bagged six goals, were joined by Matt de Boer among others in a small forward line which we could see two of this Saturday afternoon. Cameron failed to guarantee Johnson his spot for this weekend’s preliminary final after much of Johnson’s scoreboard impact came when the game was all but over but it would be an extraordinary decision to drop the veteran after a strong comeback performance.
Games aren’t won on paper, something that we’re all well aware of, but the amount of work that goes on during the week on paper or on a whiteboard goes a long way to making sure the game is won on the ground.
Chris Scott and Leon Cameron undoubtedly used that extra bit of time and ink last week and reaped the rewards in the form of a grand final qualifier this Friday and Saturday night.
