WAFLW finals: Swan Districts embrace villain role as they beat Subiaco by two points to earn grand final berth

Swan Districts are heading to their first WAFLW grand final since 2021 ready to play the villains as they plot to spoil a third Tigers’ premiership in four seasons. The Black Ducks already played spoilers on Sunday, ending Subiaco’s hopes of a first grand final since 2020 after a blistering first term on the road helped them hold on to a nail-biting two-point victory at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. Asked whether his side would relish a “party poopers” tag ahead of the decider, Swans coach Jason Burton’s answer was emphatic. “Absolutely,” he told The West Australian after the 6.4 (40) to 6.2 (38) preliminary final triumph. “Right from the start of the pre-season we said we were good enough to be top two. Now we’ve proved that but we’re not done. “And to come up against a team that has had a lot of success, part of it is (spoiling their party), and when is it our turn? So, we’ve got to make it our turn and we’ll turn up with that attitude. “We haven’t beaten Claremont this year and they’re in their fourth grand final in a row, so they know how to handle that and we’ve got to make sure we can handle that. “But the momentum we’ve got from the last six weeks is what we’re going to take in and use to give a red-hot crack.” Burton also reflected on the club’s fierce WAFLW history and said he was proud the group had returned the Swans to where they feel they ought to be. “The club has had success in women’s footy, especially if you go back a few years, and we’ve had players come out of us that are playing in the AFLW, so we want to return to that,” he said. “It’s this group’s chance to prove they’re just as good as anyone who’s been at the club before. “We had the close win last week and we told ourselves we’re every chance to go all the way. And that’s what we were looking for (against the Lions), to jump them a bit.” Jump them they did. Swan Districts went fast and direct to have four goals on the board before the Lions could find their footing in the preliminary final. AFLW prospect Carys D’Addario, who starred with 28 disposals, opened the goal scoring with a snap from 35 before power forward Emily McGuire showed she would be an imposing presence. She kicked her first after winning a holding-the-ball free kick and a second just moments later when she incredibly wobbled one off the outside of her boot while facing the wrong direction, the ball bouncing three times on the line before trickling over. Layla Quinn-Schofield finally got the home side on the board, but their attempts to slow the game down saw them pinned in their defensive half. A switch to kick-and-run play did the trick, Olivia Wolmarans giving the Lions hope with the first major of the second half. It was the only goal of the third term as nerves infected the play. The tension went up a notch for the Swans as the Lions reduced the margin to eight points early in the final term. The visitors responded with physicality, every Lion earning the ball through gritted teeth. Summer Ajduck booted the Swans’ first goal since the start of the second quarter to return the margin to double digits, but with two and a half minutes to play, only two points separated the sides. Swans won the next clearance and killed time with marks before turning a spill into repeat contests to run out the clock and claim a huge road win. SCOREBOARD SWAN DISTRICTS 4.2 5.3 5.4 6.4 (40) SUBIACO 0.1 2.2 3.2 6.2 (38) GOALS – SWAN DISTRICTS: E McGuire 2 C D’Addario K King E Humphries S Adjuk. SUBIACO: O Wolmarans 2 L Quinn-Schofield J Schell A Schmidt R Hobbs. BEST – SWAN DISTRICTS: C D’Addario S Adjuk E McGuire. SUBIACO: L Quinn-Schofield K Petrevski P Sheppard O Wolmarans. INJURIES – SWAN DISTRICTS: S Yarran (back). SUBIACO: Nil. UMPIRES: A Cooper C Giglia-Smith O Hunt-Stapleton. CROWD: TBC at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.