After enjoying a successful and memorable home ground swansong, Sydney Swans stalwart Jude Bolton says all the pressure will be on Fremantle in next Saturday’s AFL preliminary final.
A veteran of 25 finals games, 33-year-old Bolton helped the Swans overcome the first quarter injuries to gun forward Kurt Tippett and young midfielder Tommy Mitchell.
He produced arguably the defining moment of the game, with a momentum-changing goal on the first quarter siren, which gave the under pressure Swans a six-point buffer.
They never relinquished the lead and a 24-point win set up next week’s clash with the Dockers at Patersons Stadium, where the defending premiers will start as underdogs.
“It was a really good win by the guys, we’ve just got to regroup now and make sure we freshen up and get ready for Perth,” Bolton told AAP.
“We love travelling over there and the pressure is all on Fremantle in that sense, so its all good.
“We’re going to get ourselves ready for the challenge. Anything can happen in preliminary finals.”
Sydney have won their last four games at Patersons Stadium, though their three most recent fixtures at that venue were against West Coast, with their last against the Dockers back in 2010.
Their only encounter this season ended in a draw a the SCG, where Fremantle came back from a 27-point last quarter deficit.
A loss on Saturday would signal the end of Bolton’s 15-season career, in what shapes as his 325th game.
That would leave him just six appearances behind all-time leader and injured teammate Adam Goodes.
Midfielder turned forward Bolton swelled his season career-best haul of goals to 28, following the last-gasp first quarter effort against the Magpies
“It (the siren) must have went as it went through,” Bolton said.