Fremantle couldn’t spoil Sydney’s season, but the Dockers would have been left to wonder what could’ve been after their 22-point defeat was marred by a goal-umpiring controversy.
The Swans went into the game needing victory to ensure their first finals berth in just their second season, a feat which Fremantle made as difficult as possible at Fremantle Oval on Sunday.
And the 5.10 (40) to 2.6 (18) win for Sydney might have gone the other way should small forward Makaela Tuhakaraina have been awarded a valuable goal in the third term.
Tuhakaraina looked to have snapped the Dockers’ third late in the penultimate term only for the goal to be denied when it hit the goal umpire with officials awarding a point.
The Swans would kick the final four goals of the game to run away with the crucial win to make the top eight for the first time in their short history.
Fremantle did their best to try to test the Swans’ nerves early with Gabby O’Sullivan kicking the opening goal of the game.
Sydney soon settled but were well held by the Dockers’ defence who led by All-Australian contender Emma O’Driscoll gave little space to their opposition.
All eyes were on Sydney star Chloe Molloy, who was finding the going tough because of a double-team by Maddie Scanlon and Roxy Roux.
Despite their best efforts, Molloy couldn’t be held for long and took advantage of a free kick from Scanlon to kick the Swans’ first on the stroke of the first break.
Molloy looked dangerous in the second term but dropped a pair of marks close to goal in the second quarter which she’d be left to rue.
The Dockers at the other end of the ground capitalised on a lapse from Sydney’s defence, with Airlie Runnalls finding space out the back to kick the only goal of the term.
Fremantle had all the momentum in the third term, but the denied Tuhakaraina proved costly, with Rebecca Privitelli rubbing salt into the wounds moments later to give the Swans the lead.
The home side weren’t disheartened and kept pushing under the hot WA sun, but they were their own worst enemies.
Star Kiara Bowers (21 disposals, seven clearances and 18 tackles) was back to her best, while Dana East (24 disposals and eight clearances) continued to improve as they found a way to get on top at the clearances.
Captain Hayley Miller missed a certain goal when her kick went wayward despite running unmarked towards goal after getting out of the back of the pack.
Brooke Lochland didn’t make the same mistake, beating Scanlon one-on-one at the top of the 50m arc, before bursting away and snapping truly on her left to seal their first finals berth.
Fremantle then turned it over from a kick which resulted in another Molloy goal as the Swans began to celebrate a strong season.
SCOREBOARD
SYDNEY 1.4, 1.5, 2.7, 5.10 (40)
FREMANTLE 1.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6 (18)
Goals – SYDNEY: C Molloy 2 B Lochland M Ham R Privitelli. FREMANTLE: G O’Sullivan A Runnalls.
Best – SYDNEY: L Gardiner C Molloy R Privitelli B Tarrant T Kennedy A Whelan. FREMANTLE: E O’Driscoll K Bowers D East P Seth A Stannett L Pugh.
Umpires: M Adams C Gibson S Morgan M Scott. Crowd: TBC at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.