2022 AFL Grand Final: Geelong Cats vs. Sydney Swans, everything you need to know
The race for the Grand Final is over but the AFL premiership is still to be won. Geelong take on Sydney. 1st v 3rd. Here’s what you need to know about the how the teams got to the final Saturday in September about to commence.
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CODE Sports has all the latest news you need to know in the lead up to Saturday and coverage of the Hawthorn racism review crisis that has engulfed that club. But here’s a summary all in one place for the first AFL Grand Final between Geelong and Sydney.
How we got here?
In order of ladder position, this was the top eight teams at the end of the regular season: Geelong, Melbourne, Sydney, Collingwood, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Richmond and Western Bulldogs.
Week one of the finals started with a bang, as Brisbane Lions clutched a thrilling elimination final against Richmond at the Gabba’, by just two points, in a final for the ages. They then overcame the defending premier Demons but the task was too tall against the Cats with the minor premiers showing their teeth thrashing Brisbane by 71 points.
Geelong had earned a week off with a one-goal win over Collingwood at the MCG. The remarkable Collingwood season ran another two weeks, including comfortably accounting for Fremantle before more than 90,000 at the ‘G.
But in another final for the ages, a preliminary final at that, Sydney repeated the feats of the 1996 Swans in the only other prelim at the SCG to book a Grand Final spot with a one-point thriller, ending Collingwood’s season in the most heartbreaking way.
All seemed lost for the Pies (not for the first time this season) trailing by five goals at half-time. The Swans had beaten Melbourne to get to that point and earn a week off.
In week one, eighth-placed Western Bulldogs were run down in the first week by their hosts Fremantle giving up a 41-point lead to lose the elimination final by 73-60.
The Dockers’ met the Magpie army next - both on the field and in the outer of the MCG - where the Pies were never headed all night. The game marking the end of a magnificent 376-game career for 37-year-old David Mundy as his Dockers went down by 20 points.
Now Geelong and Sydney meet for the first time in a Grand Final.
The who, what, where and when for Grand Final Day?
Saturday 23 September
Geelong Cats (1st) vs. Sydney Swans (3rd)
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The game starts at 2.30pm (AEST), 2.00pm (ACST) and 12pm (AWST).
Geelong Cats
B J.Kolodjashnij S.De Koning J.Bews
HB M.Duncan T.Stewart J.Henry
C M.Blicavs J.Selwood Z.Tuohy
HF B.Close J.Cameron I.Smith
F T.Stengle T.Hawkins G.Rohan
Followers R.Stanley P.Dangerfield C.Guthrie
Inter. Z.Guthrie G.Miers T.Atkins M.Holmes
Emer. B.Parfitt M.O’Connor S.Menegola J.Ceglar
Sydney Swans
B O.Florent T.McCartin D.Rampe
HB N.Blakey P.McCartin J.Lloyd
C C.Mills C.Warner J.McInerney
HF I.Heeney S.Reid W.Hayward
F T.Papley L.Franklin E.Gulden
Followers T.Hickey J.Rowbottom L.Parker
Inter. R.Fox D.Stephens R.Clarke H.McLean
Emer. B.Campbell H.Cunningham L.McDonald W.Gould
In: H.McLean
Out: L.McDonald (Omitted)
Latest team news here.
More details for the day here.
Latest important team news here.
Max Holmes is a brutal late omission but for the Cats but Sam Reid will play for the Swans.
Are there still tickets to the AFL Grand Final?
More information on AFL Grand Final tickets here.
Latest odds with CODE Bet
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Last time they met
It was a famous occasion the last time Geelong and Sydney met that will go down in AFL folklore. The game was stopped late in the final quarter after Lance Franklin kicked in his 1,000th goal, becoming the sixth man to do so, prompting fans to stream onto the ground and swamp Franklin in congratulations.
The Sydney Swans were leading by 38 points when the game was delayed by half an hour with less than six minutes remaining in the final term. Inaccuracy, hurting the Cats that night.
That was one of four losses this seasons for Geelong.
Final result:
Sydney 17.5.107 defeated Geelong 10.17.77 at the SCG.
How each team stacks up?
Geelong
Minor premiers, finished the season two wins clear of defending premiers Melbourne, have won their last 15 straight and, on form, are clear favourites to give 300-gamer Patrick Dangerfield his first premiership and 354-game champion Joel Selwood his fourth.
Geelong’s classic one goal win over Collingwood at the MCG earned them a week off.
The Cats replicated their last preliminary final result against the Lions in last weekend’s preliminary final, just increasing the margin on their win at Brisbane’s ‘Gabba ground in 2020 when they prevailed by 40 points.
But it completely turned around last year’s 83-point loss to eventual premiers Melbourne at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Geelong is chasing their first flag since 2011, which was in fact Chris Scott’s first and last as head coach.
Geelong last made the Grand Final against Richmond in 2020, amidst the chaos of COVID, losing that ‘Gabba Grand Final against Richmond 12.9.81 to their 7.8.50.
On the injury front, Max Holmes is yet to prove his fitness, but there is hope he will recover from a hamstring injury sustained in the preliminary final win. To the joy of fans, he ran laps at GMHBA Stadium on Monday.
Sydney
The win over Melbourne in week one earned them a first preliminary final at the SCG since 1996 when Tony Lockett kicked that point to send the Swans to their first Grand Final since arriving in Sydney. And the identical margin resulted was somewhat of an omen.
Unfortunately, for the Swans that’s where the good luck stops in terms of that correlation.
Sydney lost the 1996 Grand Final by 43 points overwhelmed by a North Melbourne side featuring the great Wayne Carey.
Outside Geelong, the Swans were the form team heading into finals. They won their last seven straight regular season games, Lance Franklin hitting form at the right time with 17 goals in his last six matches, but went goalless in the qualifying final against Melbourne.
After kicking his 1,000th goal earlier this season, Franklin now has 1,047 career goals including 52 this year.
Last won the flag in 2012 under current coach John Longmire, who joins Chris Scott in trying to break a decade or more long premiership drought. Longmire has taken the Swans to three Grand Finals, more than the man he took over from Paul Roos, but has lost two of the three in 2014 and 2016.
The latest of which the Western Bulldogs came from seventh on the ladder to break Swans’ hearts and a 62-year premiership drought.
Sydney look likely for some agonising news ahead of the Grand Final with much-loved figure Sam Reid still appears to be an outside chance, which would be a devastating result as well with the hugely popular Reid finally overcoming a horrid injury run that saw him play just 43 games in four seasons prior to last weekend against the Pies.
Past 5 matches
Geelong: win, win, win, win, win
The Cats are undefeated since late May.
Sydney: win, win, win, win, win
The Swans have won nine straight leading into Saturday.
Crowd capacities
MCG: 100,000
Where can I watch the AFL Grand Final?
The AFL Grand Final will be shown live and exclusive on the Seven Network. A full replay will be shown on Kayo following the end of the match.
Latest AFL news I need to know
For the latest AFL news and analysis, visit CODE Sports here.
DANIEL CHERNY speaks to Troy Bond on what it’s like to dropped for a grand final.
ROB FORSAITH explores the rise of Sydney’s shutdown specialist Ryan Clarke.
WILL SCHOFIELD writes about secrets of the Geelong Falcons footy factory.
PLUS breaking news as it come to hand regarding the Hawthorn racism review crisis.
CODE Sports’ AFL writers
CODE Sports’ Will Schofield, Daniel Cherny, Shannon Gill, Linda Pearce, Paul Amy, Rob Forsaith and Neil Cordy provide in depth analysis and insight across the AFL finals series.
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For extensive, searchable and time zone-accurate fixture information for all sports, go to Fixture Calendar.
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