Finals Week 2, 2025 – Men’s & Women’s Premier Division Preview
Written by Michael Shillito
We’re into September. Spring is in the air, and the footy is red-hot. Just four teams remain in each of our Premier Division competitions. This week the first spot in the Grand Final is up for grabs; while by the time the sun sets on Sunday we’ll lose another team and only three teams will be left standing.
In both Men’s and Women’s, it will be Manly and North Shore playing off for the first Grand Final berth. The Wolves had last week off in both comps, while the Bombers have the momentum of a win last week. The loser will get another crack at making the Grand Final; but both clubs would rather get it done this week.
Then on Sunday it’s sudden death; and UNSW-ES are in both games. The Bulldogs went down in the Men’s, but get another shot when they take on a South-West Sydney team on a high after beating Sydney Uni last week. While the Bulldogs Women ended East Coast’s premiership defence last week and will take on a Sydney Uni team looking to bounce back after being well held by North Shore last week.
Don’t forget that if you’re heading out to the finals, you’ll need a ticket. Get onto the Eventbrite page and get that sorted. [link – https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/afl-sydney-31150442335 ] Make sure you select the correct date and venue.
Also note that it is against regulations to bring alcohol to any AFL Sydney finals venue, and dogs are not permitted at Blacktown. Take the pooch for a walk before you head out to the finals.
And now it’s time for footy. Destiny awaits!!
MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
Major Semi-Final
Manly-Warringah Wolves v North Shore Bombers
Blacktown International Sportspark, Saturday 2:40pm
Manly – 1st. Played 18, Won 17, Lost 1, 208.25%. Streak – W4
North Shore – Qualifying Final – North Shore 9.13 (67) def UNSW-ES 5.1 (31)
Winner – Goes straight through to Grand Final on Saturday 20th September
Loser – Will play Preliminary Final v Winner Minor Semi-Final
The local rivals from the North. The Battle of the Spit Bridge. The Wolves and the Bombers. They met in last year’s Grand Final, and one of them will be first into this year’s decider. And while the loser will get another shot at making the big dance when they play next week’s Preliminary Final, both teams would rather save themselves that extra game and the angst that goes with it and get the job done right here, right now. And even if you’re far from Blacktown on Saturday, you can catch all the action as it unfolds on Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/5723 ]
As minor premiers, Manly had last week off, a chance to get over any little niggles and be at peak fitness for the finals. Their last hit-out, a fortnight ago, was a comfortable 74-point win on a very heavy Picken Oval against the bottom side Inner West. Cameron Manuel landed four goals; while Oliver Rojo, Cooper McClennan and Louis Jans were prominent performers. The Wolves have no shortage of gun players around the ground, they’re fresh, fit and ready go to. And if they can manage to get into the Grand Final with only one finals game, they’ll have the fresh legs to do some serious damage when the competition decider comes around.
North Shore won through to this game with a 36-point win over UNSW-ES in last week’s Qualifying Final. After the Bulldogs got within a kick in the opening minutes of the second term, it was an arm-wrestle with neither team scoring for 20 minutes. Eventually the Bombers broke the deadlock and got on top in the second half to comfortably make their way through; with Fraser Thurlow, Ethan Grace and Matt Wilson playing key roles for the Bombers. As the defending premiers, they’ve been here before; they know what needs to be done to progress to the Grand Final; and they’re ready to carry that out.
These teams have split their meetings so far in 2025. In round 2 at Weldon Oval, the Wolves took control to record a 66-point win. But the tables were turned in round 14 when they met at Gore Hill, with the Bombers recording a 64-point victory. Both teams with big wins at home; but now we’re on neutral territory and the stakes are higher. It’s probable this will be much closer. The Wolves are fresh, the Bombers had a solid hit-out last week. There’ll be no problem finding motivation to go out and do something extraordinary this time. They’ve been easily the two best sides all season, and this game has what it takes to go down to the wire.
Minor Semi-Final
UNSW-ES Bulldogs v South-West Sydney Blues
Blacktown International Sportspark, Sunday 2:40pm
UNSW-ES – Qualifying Final – UNSW-ES 5.1 (31) lost to North Shore 9.13 (67)
South-West Sydney – Elimination Final – South-West Sydney 11.10 (76) def Sydney Uni 5.13 (43)
Winner – Will play Preliminary Final v Loser Major Semi-Final
Loser – Eliminated
The Bulldogs from the East, the Blues from the South-West. By the time the sun sets on Sunday, one of these teams will be just one game away from the Grand Final, while the other will be putting their guernseys into mothballs and preparing for the end-of-season trip. When it comes to sudden-death finals, the stakes are high and you’ll need to be at your best to survive. There is no better place to watch the action unfold than Blacktown Sportspark; but if you can’t get there, the next best thing is to see it live on Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/5725 ]
A fortnight before the finals, UNSW-ES had upset North Shore at Blacktown. But there was to be no repeat in last Saturday’s Qualifying Final. There was only a kick in it through the second quarter to half time; but the Bulldogs were unable to match it with the Bombers in the premiership quarter. Will Foster, Jake Brown and Jasper Hardy battled gamely for the Bulldogs; but the beauty of finishing top three is that the loss wasn’t season ending and they get another crack this week. But now it’s sudden death and there’s no tomorrow; they need to leave nothing in the tank and go for broke now.
Last week was a touch of history as South-West Sydney played their first final; an Elimination Final against Sydney Uni. The Blues stayed with the Students in the first half, trailing by three points at the long break. But the game was broken open in the third term as the Blues added five unanswered goals to set up a match-winning lead. Nick Dunshea kicked five goals in a best-on-ground performance; while Kain Flynn-Duncombe and Bailey Stewart were superb for the Blues. Not intimidated by the occasion, getting the job done; Premier Division’s newest franchise showed they have what it takes to go deep into the finals.
The Bulldogs won both clashes between these teams during the regular season. A 74-point win at Henson Park in round 2 was followed by a 36-point victory in tricky conditions at Rosedale in round 14. The Bulldogs have a strong midfield and a potent forward line, and they’ll be hard to beat. But they can’t assume they’ll have everything going their way. The Blues have shown themselves more than capable of troubling the top sides; and have pulled off some massive wins in their two-year Premier Division existence. They’ve shown themselves capable of rising to the big occasions, finals held no fears for them last week; and they’re in form and ready. This could go down to the wire, and the Blues can’t be written off.
WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
Major Semi-Final
Manly-Warringah Wolves v North Shore Bombers
Blacktown International Sportspark, Saturday 12:40pm
Manly – 1st. Played 15, Won 13, Lost 2, 422.09%. Streak – W3
North Shore – Qualifying Final – North Shore 7.6 (48) def Sydney Uni 1.2 (8)
Winner – Goes straight through to Grand Final on Saturday 20th September
Loser – Will play Preliminary Final v Winner Minor Semi-Final
Both Manly and North Shore have had outstanding seasons to date. And they’ve made it to within one game of the Grand Final. One of these teams will book themselves a spot in the big dance in a fortnight’s time. The other will have to go through the sudden-death Preliminary Final to get there. It’s always a keenly-fought local derby; but this time the stakes are higher than ever. It’s a game not to be missed; and even if you can’t get to Blacktown, you don’t have to. Tune your device into Streamer and catch all the action as it happens. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/5722 ]
For Manly, it’s been a long time since they’ve kicked a ball in anger. Having the bye in the last round of the regular season, and then the week off for being minor premiers; you have to go back to round 17 for the last time the Wolves have taken the field. That was a clash against Sydney Uni at Weldon Oval, when the Wolves got off to a flying start which was enough to set up a 23-point win; with Kenya Fahey, Andrea Roditis and Hannah Woolf featuring prominently. One week’s rest till now would be a good thing, two weeks off leaves them at risk of being under-done. But they’ve trained hard to maintain the momentum and they’re keen and ready for action.
North Shore got here by comfortably getting the job done against Sydney Uni in last week’s Qualifying Final. The Bombers burst out of the blocks with three early goals, and then held the Students to a solitary goal for the afternoon. Kiera Yerbury, Charli Tidemann and Zoe Hurrell were superb for the Bombers; they looked like a team on a mission, and they’re in form and will be hard to stop. If the Bombers apply the same defensive pressure this week, the Wolves will have to lift and do something special to get themselves going.
The Wolves have only dropped two games during the regular season; but those two games were their meetings against North Shore. The Bombers won by 32 points at Weldon Oval in round 2; and then in round 14 got up by a point in a thriller at Gore Hill. With local rivals locking horns, a spot in the Grand Final on the line, and both sides displaying plenty of talent who have come a long way in 2025; another close contest looks likely this time. To go straight into the competition decider without the angst of having to play the Preliminary Final is a big reward; and with both teams in solid form, this should be a cracker.
Minor Semi-Final
Sydney University Students v UNSW-ES Bulldogs
Blacktown International Sportspark, Sunday 12:40pm
Sydney Uni – Qualifying Final – Sydney Uni 1.2 (8) lost to North Shore 7.6 (48)
UNSW-ES – Elimination Final – UNSW-ES 5.7 (37) def East Coast 3.1 (19)
Wonner – Will play Preliminary Final v Loser Major Semi-Final
Loser – Eliminated
There’s always plenty of passion and pride at stake when these two University clubs clash. Sydney Uni and Uni NSW is one of our city’s biggest sporting rivalries; and when it’s a knockout semi-final, you know that neither team will be willing to give an inch. The fate of their season is riding on it. One of these teams will depart empty-handed and their hopes and dreams of premiership glory will be all over. Both teams will do everything in their power to ensure it’s not them. For those who can’t get to Blacktown, and for the Sydney Uni and UNSW-ES diaspora around the globe, don’t miss a moment of the action by getting onto Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/5724 ]
Sydney Uni find themselves in the sudden death zone after they went down to North Shore in last week’s Qualifying Final. The Students were unable to put sufficient scoreboard pressure on to worry the Bombers, and other than a brief period during the second quarter in which they scored their goal, the Students never looked a threat. Ash Dribbus, Daisy George and Amanda Farrugia battled hard; but it wasn’t Sydney Uni’s day. Now, against an in-form opponent on a long winning streak, the challenge is to avoid a straight sets finals exit. It’s time to throw caution to the wind and get a winning score on the board.
The Bulldogs were in good form in the lead-up to the finals, winning their last five games of the regular season. And in the Elimination Final, up against defending champions East Coast, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to six in a row with an 18-point win. The decisive move came in the second quarter, a run of three unanswered goals setting up a lead the Eagles never looked like making up. Amaia Wain, Shelby Koh and Sera Kaukiono played key roles for the Bulldogs. In form and confident, racking up the wins every week; all they have to do is keep doing what they’re doing. But with each week of the finals, the pressure builds further.
Thankfully the weather will be decent this time and there’s no doubt about the game going ahead. The first meeting between these teams was washed out and rescheduled to a Friday night before the June long weekend, with both teams reporting numerous unavailabilities; and resulted in a 32-point win to Sydney Uni at the No 1 Oval. The second game in round 16 was cancelled and never played. Now we’re in good weather on a ground in good shape, at full strength, and the stakes are high. There’s nothing wrong with the conditions; and there’s no excuses this time. The scoreboard is everything, the winner lives, and the loser dies. The reward will go to the team that stands and delivers when the game is there to be won. Nothing else matters.
