AFLW superstar Chloe Molloy has once again lifted Sydney to victory, with the Swans defeating the Western Bulldogs by 29 points in an elimination final.
League-leading goalkicker Molloy pulled off a surprise cameo down back to help the Swans claim a 7.4 (46) to 2.5 (17) win at a wet and windy Henson Park on Sunday.
Sydney will next play Geelong in an away semi-final in their second AFLW finals campaign. The Bulldogs' season is over.
Molloy's leadership in a wet-weather scrap proved the difference for the Swans, with the former co-skipper finishing with one goal, 12 intercepts, and 14 contested possessions as a swingwoman.
First-year Swans coach Colin O'Riordan wasn't surprised at Molloy's seamless transition into the backline, given the 27-year-old started her AFLW career as a defender.
"She reads the game so well," O'Riordan said.
"At the end of the day, the coaching staff made the call, but she's the one who has to actually execute it. She's done it really well.
"They're ecstatic with the win, but they're also straight away starting to focus on next week.
"We're content, but we're never happy."
Tanya Kennedy was just as crucial for the Swans, locking down Bulldogs co-captain and gun midfielder Isabelle Pritchard while managing to slot a goal.
Pritchard, on return from a knee injury, was kept to just 14 disposals and three clearances as Kennedy laid 17 tackles.
Fellow Bulldogs midfielder Ellie Blackburn, also returning after being rested in last week's loss to the Cats, led the visitors with 29 touches and a goal.
Returning to finals after finishing 12th last season, Bulldogs coach Tam Hyett urged her side to remember the pain for next season.
"It was a really disappointing way to finish the season, but we can't let what happened today take away from the progress and the season we've had," Hyett said.
"I have no doubt that this is a pretty ambitious group, so they'll use that to good measure in the off-season and come back bigger and better."
Swans captain Lucy McEvoy needed just 20 seconds to score the opener with a long bomb from outside the 50-metre arc thanks to the strong breeze.
A rushed behind gave the Bulldogs their sole score of the first quarter, as the hosts made the most of conditions to fire off their four unanswered goals and build a 24-point lead.
It was the Bulldogs' turn to use the breeze in the second quarter and Blackburn did just that by finally nailing the visitors' first goal in the opening minute.
Sydney were held scoreless, but the Bulldogs could only manage one more point, with Molloy helping limit the damage with five contested possessions and four intercepts as a defender.
Molloy's stint in defence forced Bulldogs coach Hyett to bring defender Vaomua Laloifi into the forward line, and the pair's battle continued well into the second half.
Sunday's final turned into a slog after torrential rain came in the third quarter, with the Swans doing just enough to maintain a 25-point lead en route to victory in front of 4325 dedicated fans.
Australian Associated Press
