AFL Finals Showdown
Fremantle and Sydney Set for High-Stakes AFL Preliminary Final Clash
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Key Points
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Sydney bring substantial recent finals experience into the preliminary final, having reached two preliminary finals and appeared in seven of the past 10 finals series.
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In the teams’ Round 18 meeting, Fremantle restricted Sydney to its second-lowest handball total of the season and used its own handball game to help produce 15 goals, including 10 after half-time.
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Supercars had required full-time drivers to start enduro races in 2024, but the unpopular rule lasted only one season before co-drivers were again permitted to take the start.
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Lowndes and Bayley Hall finished 12th at The Bend in Team 18’s wildcard entry; Lowndes said he completed about 80 laps before handing the car to Hall as the circuit changed from wet to dry.
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Stinear’s appointment made him the first AFLW coach to be poached by another club and only the third coach to lead more than one AFLW club; under his system, Geelong averages 7.8 goal assists per game in 2026, second in the league behind North Melbourne.
Fremantle has booked a grand final berth for only the second time in 32 years after pulling off their biggest three-quarter-time turnaround ever. The Dockers defeated Sydney by 12 points in a preliminary final thriller, Midwest Times reported, setting up a match for the flag.
The ruck duel between Luke Jackson and Brodie Grundy looms as crucial. Control of the handball game will also decide the outcome. Fremantle showed in Round 18 they can restrict Sydney's handballs and turn that into offensive firepower — 15 goals including 10 after half-time.
Sydney's Recent Finals Experience Counts for Little
Sydney arrives with solid pedigree. The Swans reached two preliminary finals recently and made seven of the past 10 finals series. But experience did not save them from Fremantle's second-half blitz. The Dockers' ability to suffocate Sydney's handball attack — holding them to their second-lowest total of the season — proved the difference in Round 18.
Fremantle's Handball Game Unlocked the Victory
The Dockers built their win on clean, precise ball movement. By controlling handballs better than Sydney and using their own game to create scoring chances, Fremantle posted 10 goals after half-time. That offensive explosion showed their game plan works when executed under pressure.
Supercars' Co-Driver Rule Change After One Messy Season
Supercars ditched a rule that required full-time drivers to start enduro races. The policy lasted just one season before co-drivers earned the right to open races again. Craig Lowndes, a veteran, said wet conditions at The Bend proved the rule was wrong. Lowndes ran about 80 laps before handing the car to Bayley Hall at Team 18 as the track dried out.
Lowndes and Hall finished 12th in their wildcard entry. The co-driver's performance in tricky wet weather showed that full-time drivers should not be forced to start, Lowndes argued. The rule change signals the series listened to driver feedback.
Geelong's AFLW Rise Under Mick Stinear's System
Geelong's women's team is surging thanks to Mick Stinear's appointment as coach. Stinear became the first AFLW coach poached by another club and only the third to lead more than one AFLW team. His focus on goal assists and shared forward play has worked fast. The Cats now average 7.8 goal assists per game in 2026, second only to North Melbourne across the league.
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