Sydney books home preliminary final after 53-point win over Brisbane

Sydney booked a home preliminary final with a commanding 53-point win over Brisbane in the second qualifying final of the 2026 Toyota AFL Finals Series, beating the Lions 21.15 (141) to 13.10 (88) on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The result was striking not just for the margin, but for the circumstances. Sydney entered the match without five senior players suspended by the club for the rest of the season — Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice — and then lost captain Callum Mills to a knee injury early in the game.

Even so, the Swans controlled the contest from the outset and led at every change. They were up 6.6 to 2.4 at quarter-time, extended that to 10.8 to 5.8 by halftime and pulled away further in the third quarter to lead 16.13 to 9.9.

Sydney’s forward line overwhelmed Brisbane. Logan McDonald kicked six goals, while Tom Papley and Charlie Curnow added five each in a clinical and relentless attacking display. McLean finished with three goals, with Joel Roberts and Errol Gulden kicking one apiece.

Papley was influential beyond his own finishing, setting up four more goals as Sydney repeatedly turned pressure and clean ball movement into scores. Gulden drove the game from midfield and across half-forward, finishing with 34 disposals, eight clearances, one goal and 915 meters gained.

Brisbane never got close enough to seriously threaten after quarter-time. Oscar Allen was the Lions’ main scorer with four goals, while Logan Morris and Eric Hipwood kicked two each, but Sydney’s pace, spread and efficiency kept the visitors chasing the game all night.

The Swans’ depleted lineup had been a central talking point heading into the finals after the club suspended five players in August over what it described as serious breaches of club standards following an incident in Melbourne. The disciplinary action was reported as separate from an ongoing Victoria Police investigation, and public reporting at that stage said no charges had been laid. Announcing the sanctions on Aug. 19, Sydney CEO Matthew Pavlich said: “We are deeply embarrassed and ashamed by the poor choices of five of our players.”

On the field, though, Sydney produced one of its most emphatic performances of the season against a Brisbane side that had been among the competition’s top teams. The Swans’ ability to absorb Mills’ early exit and still dominate the clearances, territory and scoreboard underscored the scale of the result.

Under the AFL finals system, a qualifying-final winner advances directly to a preliminary final and receives a week off. Sydney now waits to learn whether it will host Fremantle or Geelong in that match. Brisbane, despite the loss, remains alive and will host a semifinal next week against Adelaide or the Western Bulldogs.

For a Sydney side under heavy scrutiny and missing key senior talent, the immediate reward is substantial: one more home final, a week to recover, and a place one win from the Grand Final.