For the third weekend of the finals, we’re taking a look at three players from each team who’ll need to make a difference if their club is to progress.
Will Hoskin-Elliott managed to prove he is not only in the best 22 for Collingwood, but a key player for them, as he performed admirably in the qualifying final against Melbourne. He is a utility that showed his wares as he finished the game with 20 disposals and surprisingly eight intercept possessions; Hoskin Elliott was forced to play in defence at times and relished the role, even though he has played most of his career on the wing and pinch hitting up forward. He will have a tough job against a GWS team that’s in great form, but should be up for the challenge.
Brayden Maynard and Jack Viney fight. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Brayden Maynard is a player that would’ve been pleased to have the week off after winning the qualifying final against Melbourne as the media coverage surrounding him was relentless. The game will be played between the ears as the match up he could get against GWS is Toby Greene in the preliminary final. There’s no disputing that GWS have a plethora of quality small forwards so Maynard may have to change match ups throughout the game.
Nick Daicos was sorely missed in the qualifying final, as Collingwood had three less scoring shots than Melbourne, so they were lucky to win the game. The traits Daicos brings to the team can’t be measured; his youthful exuberance and will to win can’t be measured in stats. It’s difficult to see who will curtail his influence on the game given his explosive speed and quick thinking. The player who will probably get the job of curtailing him is Callan Ward when Daicos plays in the midfield, which is something he will have to work through.
Harry McKay. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Lachie Whitfield has been a revelation for GWS in the first two finals; he has the equal most disposals of any player in the finals (64) along with Tom Green. Whitfield seems to be hitting form at the right time of the season. In the semi-final against Port Adelaide he had the most disposals of any player on the field with 33 disposals at 87.9 per cent efficiency to go with seven score involvements and nine intercept possessions. It will be intriguing if Collingwood choose to curtail him in the preliminary final or let him run around and dictate the balance of play.
Stephen Coniglio proved his worth to GWS when they took on Port Adelaide in the semi-final; he had 13 score involvements and five intercept possessions to go with two goals and was probably the best player on the field. There’s no doubt that Collingwood will consider tagging him, which could mean Tom Green has free reign to do as he pleases.
Brent Daniels may well be the beneficiary of the homework that Collingwood need to do on Toby Greene. When GWS took on Port Adelaide in the semi-final Brent Daniels had ten score involvements. He has averaged 6.32 score involvements per game and has played a role in GWS reaching the preliminary final.
Jaspa Fletcher looms as a key player for Brisbane when they take on Carlton with Brisbane finding it tough to fill the void of Will Ashcroft. In the qualifying final when they took on Port Adelaide, Fletcher proved he should be a permanent part of the Brisbane team as he kicked three goals and had seven score involvements. There’s no doubt he should be desperate to prove this display wasn’t an aberration when Brisbane take on Carlton.
Harris Andrews needs to play out of his skin if Brisbane are to win, given Jack Payne has an ankle injury and may not take his place in the Brisbane team. It will make it interesting to see how he copes against a Carlton forward line full of talent. There’s no disputing it will be tough for Andrews up against Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Tom De Koning at times, who can expose the heavy reliance that Brisbane has on him.
Joe Daniher is a player whose goalkicking can be erratic and impacts the team; he has kicked 56 goals and 35 behinds, which is the third most behinds of any player in the AFL. When he kicks accurately, the Brisbane team can feed off the energy that Daniher provides, which was there for all to see in the qualifying final when he kicked five goals and arguably the match winner for Brisbane. The preliminary final will be tough for Daniher as he will probably be up against Jacob Weitering. If Daniher kicks inaccurately, it could be fatal for Brisbane.
Joe Daniher. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Harry McKay needs to put the demons of his goal kicking errors to one side to take the pressure off Charlie Curnow. There’s no argument that the good form Tom De Koning should take the pressure off McKay. The main role that McKay should play in the preliminary final is providing another target against Brisbane and bring the ball to ground. If he can hit the scoreboard then that’s the icing on the cake.
Patrick Cripps hasn’t had his best season, but was pivotal in winning the semi-final against Melbourne; he finished the game with the most clearances of any player on the field, to go with seven score involvements and six tackles. It’s difficult to see Brisbane tagging Cripps as Sam Walsh has arguably been the best player in Carltons’ last two games. Even if they do choose to tag Cripps, Carlton have depth in their midfield, with Adam Cerra and George Hewett capable of playing that role.
Nic Newman should play a key role as he is a defender that doesn’t seem to have any flaws. In the semi-final against Melbourne he had five score involvements, nine intercept possessions and four tackles to go with the most metres gained of any player of the field with 631. The key role of curtailing Charlie Cameron will most probably be the match up that Newman has in the preliminary final against Brisbane. It may be that he spends time curtailing the influence of Zac Bailey and Lincoln McCarthy at times.
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