Overview
- Fremantle beat the Sydney Swans by 12 points at the SCG on Friday after overturning a 28-point third-quarter deficit to secure the club’s second-ever Grand Final berth.
- Sydney named Justin McInerney to return from a long hamstring layoff and omitted out-of-contract forward Joel Amartey, while captain Callum Mills was ruled out with an ACL and veteran Harry Cunningham missed after a training calf injury.
- Five Swans players — Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice — remained sidelined by club-imposed season-ending suspensions that reshaped Sydney’s finals availability and selection choices.
- Logan McDonald kicked three goals for Sydney but Fremantle dominated the contest’s final quarter through strong clearance work and inside-50 pressure, with Shai Bolton’s move forward and key contributions from Errol Gulden and Luke Jackson pivotal to the comeback.
- Fremantle now advances to the Grand Final to face the winner of Hawthorn and Brisbane, while Sydney’s loss leaves immediate questions about squad depth, contract decisions such as Amartey’s free-agency future, and the club’s cultural repair work.