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Lyon & Watson’s underrated individual performances from Finals Week 1
SEN • September 9th, 2025 12:13 pm
Garry Lyon and Tim Watson have highlighted some underrated performances from week one of the 2025 finals series that were deserving of a shoutout.
The duo went through all four week one finals games on SEN Breakfast, where they picked out two players from each of the winning teams who played crucial roles in those victories.
“There’s always scope for a little bit of lateral thinking here,” Lyon said.
“These players may have been spoken about, but these players may have snuck under the radar a little bit and deserve to be mentioned.”
SEN listeners also called and texted in during the discussion to shout out players they also felt were deserving of a tip of the hat.
Adelaide 55 v 79 Collingwood
Steele Sidebottom
3 goals, 15 disposals, 6 score involvements.
“Kicking those goals early in the third quarter just separated the game for me,” Lyon said.
“Darcy (Moore) has been given great credit, Nick (Daicos) for his ball use and everything else… but Steele Sidebottom for me was just cool, calm and took the opportunity when they needed it and they were off and running.”
Ned Long
23 disposals, 9 tackles, 5 clearances
“I thought his third quarter was fantastic, Ned Long,” Watson said.
“He’d been struggling a little bit in recent times, but he was so important… he showed some power and speed that I wasn’t aware I actually had.
“He took responsibility for Jordan Dawson, too.”
Geelong 112 v 74 Brisbane
Tom Atkins
1 goal, 17 disposals, 10 tackles, 8 inside 50s
“I think everybody talks about everyone in this side apart from Tom Atkins,” Watson said.
“Just watch him play, he’s made for this last month of football. He’s as hard as a cat’s head. He’ll be the bloke that stands up and confronts anything that needs to be confronted.”
Mark Blicavs
1 goal, 20 disposals, 9 score involvements, 6 clearances, 26 hitouts
“They lose their ruckman, Stanley is out. No problem. We’ll play Mark Blicavs in the ruck,” Lyon said.
“Someone has text in - Is he the most versatile player? I think he is the most versatile player the game has ever seen.”
GWS 88 v 107 Hawthorn
Jack Ginnivan
3 goals, 17 disposals, 6 score involvements
“The whole Jack Ginnivan thing to me, he’s better than just a good player, Jack. He’s a very, very good player,” Watson said.
“He was massive for them.”
Jack Scrimshaw
13 disposals, 7 marks, 6 rebound 50s
“The back half was just superb with Barrass, Battle, Sicily and Hardwick,” Lyon said.
“But I just thought Scrimshaw was so clutch. Sam Mitchell famously gave him a couple of bakes. He’s come back much more competitive and resilient.”
Fremantle 79 v 80 Gold Coast
Wil Powell
18 disposals, 5 marks, 4 rebound 50s
“He was very good, in those one-on-one contests, his ability to be able to halve so many of those was huge,
“He plays with great heart too.”
Bodhi Uwland
13 disposals, 4 rebound 50s, 3 marks
“I couldn’t get over how great that Bodhi Uwland mark was,” Lyon said.
“I know you can isolate back to lots of things, but with Bodhi Uwland in a contested marking situation, at that stage of the game, it’s life and death.
“He threw himself into it, marked it as clean as a whistle and kicked it back the other way to ice the game.”
