What they got right and wrong: The wins and woes for each side in the Semi-Finals

What did your club get right and what did your club get wrong on the weekend?

We had two matches and four teams compete across the weekend, with both Semi-Finals going down to the absolute wire!

See our assessments below:

What they got right

Forwards impacting late

The Brisbane Lions shocked the nation after an electrifying victory over the Giants, with Joe Daniher being the match-winner late.

The key forward booted two goals in the final minutes to steal the result and a spot in the Preliminary Finals. His ability to persevere and dominate against star opponent Sam Taylor during the fourth quarter was a sensational watch.

Alongside small forwards Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann, the Lions' forwards line was unstoppable late as they kicked the last six goals of the game.

Their hot streak was pivotal in driving the momentum needed to maintain their lead as they waited for the final siren to sound.

Clearly strong contenders heading into the Preliminary Finals, the Lions have proven that they can overcome any challenge, particularly from an offensive point of view.

What they got wrong

Slow start

The Lions would've been thumped if it wasn't for their hot streak late in the game, falling 44 points behind at one stage.

Their performance leading up to the final term didn't look like a team that deserved a spot in a Prelim ... thankfully, that changed.

It was a tough challenge chasing the Giants' big lead, with key players including Dayne Zorko, Eric Hipwood and Lachie Neale unable to win in critical moments as they faced tough matchups.

Whilst they prevailed and fought back to secure the win, their goal streak in the fourth shouldn’t have come as late as it did.

Olivia Harrison

What they got right

Defensive roles were effective

Toby Bedford shut down Lachie Neale, restricting him to just three score involvements.

Harry Himmelberg made Cam Rayner invisible, while James Peatling kept Dayne Zorko mostly on a leash outside of his two goals.

Zorko finished with 25 disposals, but nearly a dozen of those were kick outs.

The Giants came in with a plan to restrict Brisbane’s match-winners, and they mostly did that.

Unfortunately for them, Joe Daniher, Will Ashcroft, Jarrod Berry, Hugh McCluggage and Callum Ah Chee among others stood up.

What they got wrong

The Giants went into their shells

Look, you’d think a 44-point lead late in third quarter should be safe and playing a more defensive style knowing you don’t really need to take as many risks should be fine – but it wasn’t!

GWS shredded Brisbane through ball movement and efficiency inside 50 for three quarters, but took their foot off the gas to chip it around and play conservative down the line football.

Momentum cascaded against them early in the final term, with the Lions pouring on six goals and opening them up off half back.

Couple that with two extraordinary moments from Joe Daniher and some elite finishing by Dayne Zorko and Jaspa Fletcher and you get your comeback.

Nic Negrepontis

What they got right 

Breaking even in the middle

On paper, Hawthorn’s biggest worry heading into last Friday’s Semi-Final would have been their midfield up against Port Adelaide’s.

With Will Day out of the side, the Hawks went in on-ball with Jai Newcombe, James Worpel and Conor Nash as their main trio, while the Power had all of Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis, Willem Drew, Ollie Wines and Zak Butters to throw at them.

While they were mismatched in that region, the Hawks only lost the clearance count 42-40, which allowed them to remain in the game and give themselves every chance in a game that could have gone either way.

Newcombe (31 disposals, six clearances) also continued his fine form and proved that he’s a real September specialist.

Perhaps if Day was available, that would have been the difference for the Hawks to not only break even on ball, but win the battle, and ultimately win the game.

Most sides get trounced on ball by this Power unit, so that’s something Sam Mitchell can hang his hat on.

What they got wrong

Holding field position

In the Elimination Final win over the Western Bulldogs, the Hawks were able to control field position, winning the inside 50 count 39-59.

That not only gave their forwards more chances, but helped protect their main weakness down back.

On Friday against Port, that was probably their Achilles heel, with the Power winning the inside 50 battle 51-42.

One knock on the Hawks despite their brilliant form in the back end of 2024 has been their inability to slow opposition scoring once they get it inside 50 to give their forwards a chance.

That was something Port Adelaide were able to do too easily at the Adelaide Oval, and it ultimately led to them kicking a winning score.

Lachlan Geleit

What they got right

Finding a way

Nobody gave the Power even a slither of hope entering their contest with the Hawks.

Off the back of an 84-point smashing, with one All-Australian suspended and the other playing through significant rib pain and one of the worst finals records in recent history, playing against the competition’s most dangerous and in form sides, Port Adelaide had no right to come away as winners.

Everything went right, from the midfield stepping up, to Jase Burgoyne playing the best game in his career.

Young Logan Evans comfortably stepped into Dan Houston’s role to provide much needed run off the back-flank, as every gamble seemed to pay off for Ken Hinkley.

Dubbed the best win in the club’s history, the Power charge into a Preliminary Final with a head full of steam.

After such a strong performance, it’s hard to put a ceiling on what Port Adelaide can achieve over the remaining two weeks of September.

What they got wrong

Attention for the wrong reasons

Whether you agree with it or not, Ken Hinkley’s post-match behaviour has attracted all the media attention for all the wrong reasons.

Port Adelaide’s win was nothing short of superb, and yet the headlines are dominated by Ken, the fine, and the fallout of the coach's post-game antics.

Taking the attention away from such a great night in the club’s history for a needless dig is Port Adelaide’s only negative, whether the dig was warranted, harmless or unnecessary.

Jaiden Scibberas