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| FINALS WEEK 1 MATCHES (Michael Shillito’s tips in bold – Season to Date 114/176) Friday 5th September 2nd Qualifying Final - Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs (7:40pm, MCG) Saturday 6th September 1st Elimination Final - Adelaide v Collingwood (3:10pm, AAMI Stadium) 2nd Elimination Final - Sydney v Kangaroos (7:10pm, ANZ Stadium) Sunday 7th September 1st Qualifying Final - Geelong v St Kilda (2:10pm, MCG) All times shown are Sydney time. |
|
Geelong matched the record of the all-conquering Essendon side of 2000, the Cats winning their 21st
game of the home & away season when they demolished West Coast by 99 points at Skilled Stadium.
After an even first quarter, the Cats blew the game away in the second term with an 8 goals to 2 quarter
and continued the romp in the second half, kicking 12 goals to 4. So dominant were the Cats that they
accumulated more than double the number of possessions than their outclassed opponents.
Steven Johnson kicked 6 for the Cats in a best-on-ground performance, while Tom Longeran kicked 4,
Brad Ottens beat Dean Cox in the ruck and Jimmy Bartel was collecting possessions at will. In a
disappointing day for the Eagles, Mark LeCras and Ben McKinley each kicked 2.
The result consolidates Geelong's position on top of the ladder, sending a message to their opponents
that they will again be the team to beat during the 2008 finals. For West Coast, a disastrous season
comes to an end with the club in second last position, the worst finish in their history.
Geelong 4.3 12.9 18.12 24.20 (164)
West Coast 4.3 6.3 9.5 10.5 (65)
Goals : Geelong - S.Johnson 6, Lonergan 4, Mooney 2, Prismall 2, Stokes 2, G.Ablett, Byrnes, Gamble,
Hunt, Ottens, Taylor, Varcoe, Enright. West Coast - LeCras 2, McKinley 2, Embley, Fletcher, Hansen,
McNamara, Priddis, A.Selwood.
Best : Geelong - S.Johnson, Ottens, Bartel, Selwood, Ling, Taylor, Corey, Lonergan, G.Ablett. West Coast -
Glass, Lynch, Cox, Butler, A.Selwood, Priddis
Injuries : Geelong - Mackie (general soreness) replaced in selected side by Byrnes. West Coast - Nil.
Reports : Geelong - Stokes for striking Fletcher in the third quarter.
Umpires - Stewart, Armstrong, Jeffrey.
Crowd - 21,752 at Skilled Stadium.
Adelaide moved into 4th place with a hard-fought 9-point win over the Western Bulldogs on a wet Saturday
night at AAMI Stadium. The match was a low-scoring slog, but the closeness of the scores all night kept
the interest up. Scores were level at the last change, but Jason Porplyzia soon put the home side in front
after a scramble on the goal line was soccered through. A mark and goal to Kurt Tippett extended the
margin. But the Bulldogs weren't beaten yet, goals to Scott Welsh and Ryan Griffen cutting the margin back
to 2 points before Tyson Edwards' 3rd goal gave the Crows a match-winning buffer. The result puts
Adelaide in 4th place, while despite this loss the Bulldogs were already locked in 3rd place and will play
off against Hawthorn next week for direct entry to the preliminary final.
Adelaide 3.1 4.10 7.12 10.16 (76)
Western Bulldogs 4.3 5.8 7.12 9.13 (67)
Goals : Adelaide - Edwards 3, Van Berlo 2, Porplyzia 2, Thompson, Stevens, Tippett. Bulldogs - Harbrow,
Higgins, Giansiracusa, Gilbee, Eagleton, Murphy, Akermanis, Welsh, Griffen.
Best : Adelaide - Van Berlo, Edwards, Doughty, Thompson, Symes, Maric, Stevens, McLeod. Bulldogs -
Cross, Giansiracusa, Eagleton, Gilbee, Akermanis.
Injuries : Adelaide - Nil. Bulldogs - Johnson (cut head) .
Reports : Bulldogs - Lake for high contact on Stevens.
Umpires - Vozzo, Meredith, McInerney.
Crowd - 37,545 at AAMI Stadium.
With Hawthorn having already wrapped up second place on the ladder, and with Carlton out of the finals
race, the interest heading into the Saturday night match at the Dome was in the key forwards. Lance
Franklin went into the match with 98 goals for the season and Brendan Fevola on 92.
Buddy Franklin's milestone took just 25 minutes to come, as the big Hawk twice marked and goaled. The
crowd invaded the arena for the traditional 100 goal celebration and play was delayed for 10 minutes. The
Hawks were looking dominant, and as the game continued they would extend their lead in every quarter to
round out a convincing 78-point win..
Fevola was held goal-less in the first half and it looked like his quest for the ton was over. But 3 goals in
the third term revived his hopes, and by the time he was paid a free at the 25-minute mark of the final term
and goaled, he had brought up his 99th goal with still a few minutes left on the clock. The Blues continued
to press, and Fevola twice could have been paid a free within kicking rance, but the umpires' whistles
remained unblown; with Hawthorn's defence tightening to deny the Carlton spearhead his milestone.
Hawthorn 6.4 10.7 16.13 24.15 (159)
Carlton 2.3 4.5 8.6 12.9 (81)
Goals : Hawthorn - Roughead 5, Franklin 4, Williams 3, Brown 3, Osborne 3, Rioli, Lewis, Hodge,
Campbell, Sewell, Bateman. Carlton - Fevola 7, Gibbs 2, Cloke, Judd, Russell.
Best : Hawthorn - Hodge, Mitchell, Lewis, Sewell, Birchall, Brown, Roughead. Carlton - Judd, Murphy,
Gibbs, Fevola, Thornton, Walker, Bentick.
Injuries : Hawthorn - Stokes (gastro) replaced in selected side by Ellis, Williams (hip). Carlton - Scotland
(hip), Carrazzo (knee) replaced in selected side by Austin.
Reports : Hawthorn - Bateman for wrestling Stevens in the third quarter. Carlton - Stevens for wrestling
Bateman in the thid quarter.
Umpires - Kennedy, Stevic, McLaren.
Crowd - 49,057 at Telstra Dome.
Sydney's form had been less than convincing going into their round 22 match against Brisbane Lions at
the SCG, winning just 2 of their previous 8 games; but the Swans' 61-point win signalled a welcome return
to form and ensured the Swans would qualify for a home final next week.
Without Michael O'Loughlin, Ryan O'Keefa and Adam Goodes, the Swans found a way to lift and produce
some of the football they had shown earlier on the season, with a coherent running game, tight defence
and sufficient attacking options to post a competitive score. Jarred Moore and Patrick Veszpremi each
kicked 4 for the Swans, while defenders Lewis Roberts-Thompson and Nick Malceski were among their
best. For Brisbane, a season that was looking promising half-way through the season again sees them
fail to qualify for the finals, but with a platform to build some future success. The Swans live to fight another
day.
Sydney 3.3 7.8 12.9 17.12 (114)
Brisbane 1.6 3.9 5.13 6.17 (53)
Goals : Sydney - Moore 4, Veszpremi 4, Jack 2, McVeigh 2, Everitt, Malceski, Bird, Richards, Hall. Brisbane
- Bradshaw 2, Selwood, Clouston, Henderson, Charman.
Best : Sydney - Moore, Roberts-Thomson, Malceski, McVeigh, Barry, Veszpremi, Richards. Brisbane -
Dalziell, Black, Brennan, Merrett, Power.
Injuries : Sydney - O’Keefe (flu) replaced in selected side by Veszpremi. Brisbane - Nil.
Reports : Sydney - J Bolton for rough conduct on Proud in the fourth quarter.
Umpires - McBurney, James, Chamberlain
Crowd - 24,076 at SCG.
After early disappointments, Richmond have finished the 2008 season with a wet sail, their 3-match
winning streak in the final 3 rounds creating real hope that their long-suffering fans will finally see some
success next season. Leaving the best until last, the Tigers were far too good for Melbourne, cruising to a
comfortable 80-point win.
The Tigers took control in the second quarter, with 6 goals to 1 tilting the match firmly in their favour. Going
on with the job in the second half, the Tigers scored 8 goals to 3 turn the game into a one-sided affair.
Brett Deledio kicked 4 and Joel Bowden 3, while Shane Tuck and Chris Newman were among the Tigers'
best. Although the Tigers miss out on finals action, finishing in 9th position, hopes are high that they could
finally break through next year. The match concluded a dismal season for Melbourne, with the Demons
taking out the wooden spoon, in financial trouble and racked by internal turmoil.
Richmond 2.5 8.9 12.10 18.13 (121)
Melbourne 2.1 3.1 4.4 6.5 (41)
Goals : Richmond - Deledio 4, Bowden 3, Jackson 2, Riewoldt 2, Connors, Foley, McMahon, Morton,
Tivendale, Tuck, White. Melbourne - White 2, Green, Holland, Sylvia, Whelan.
Best : Richmond - Bowden, Tuck, Newman, Deledio, Foley, McGuane, Johnson, McMahon. Melbourne -
Yze, Whelan, Bruce, Warnock, Garland.
Injuries : Richmond - Connors replaced Pattison in selected side. Melbourne - Sylvia (ankle), Petterd
(hamstring).
Reports : Richmond - Morton for wrestling Miller in the second quarter. Melbourne - Miller for wrestling
Morton in the second quarter.
Umpires - Margetts, Ryan, Ellis.
Crowd - 37,046 at MCG.
St Kilda went into their match against Essendon knowing it was mathematically possible to go ahead of
Adelaide into 4th spot and the double change; but the more the Saints dominated a dismal Essendon in
the final home & away match for 2008 the more the mathematical chance became a genuine possibility. In
the end, the Saints' 21 goals to 5 win, thrashing the Bombers by 108 points, was just enough to get the
Saints to edge out the Crows and qualify for the double-chance.
Stephen Milne kicked 7 for the Saints and Nick Riewoldt 4, but it was a solid team effort against minimal
resistance that saw the Saints clearly superior in all facets of the game. As the calculators went into
overdrive during the last quarter, every score calculating the difference in percentage between St Kilda and
Adelaide, the Saints put in their best quarter with 7 unanswered goals which was enough to get them
ahead.
With the win, St Kilda qualify for the double-chance and a meeting with Geelong. Adelaide find themselves
in sudden-death territory, with a match against Collingwood at AAMI Stadium next week and needing a win
to keep their 2008 season going.
St Kilda 5.5 8.12 14.15 21.21 (147)
Essendon 2.3 2.6 5.8 5.9 (39)
Goals : St Kilda - Milne 7, Riewoldt 4, Gram 3, Schneider 2, Eddy, Gardiner, Goddard, King, Montagna.
Essendon - Johnson, Lloyd, Magin, Ryder, Watson
Best : St Kilda - Milne, Gram, Riewoldt, Goddard, Koschitzke, Hayes, Fisher. Essendon - Ramanauskas,
Peverill, Lonergan, Watson.
Injuries : St Kilda - Dempster (knee), Schneider (cork), Riewoldt (knee). Essendon - Lloyd (hamstring).
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Nicholls, Head, Keating.
Crowd - 46,161 at Telstra Dome.
game of the home & away season when they demolished West Coast by 99 points at Skilled Stadium.
After an even first quarter, the Cats blew the game away in the second term with an 8 goals to 2 quarter
and continued the romp in the second half, kicking 12 goals to 4. So dominant were the Cats that they
accumulated more than double the number of possessions than their outclassed opponents.
Steven Johnson kicked 6 for the Cats in a best-on-ground performance, while Tom Longeran kicked 4,
Brad Ottens beat Dean Cox in the ruck and Jimmy Bartel was collecting possessions at will. In a
disappointing day for the Eagles, Mark LeCras and Ben McKinley each kicked 2.
The result consolidates Geelong's position on top of the ladder, sending a message to their opponents
that they will again be the team to beat during the 2008 finals. For West Coast, a disastrous season
comes to an end with the club in second last position, the worst finish in their history.
Geelong 4.3 12.9 18.12 24.20 (164)
West Coast 4.3 6.3 9.5 10.5 (65)
Goals : Geelong - S.Johnson 6, Lonergan 4, Mooney 2, Prismall 2, Stokes 2, G.Ablett, Byrnes, Gamble,
Hunt, Ottens, Taylor, Varcoe, Enright. West Coast - LeCras 2, McKinley 2, Embley, Fletcher, Hansen,
McNamara, Priddis, A.Selwood.
Best : Geelong - S.Johnson, Ottens, Bartel, Selwood, Ling, Taylor, Corey, Lonergan, G.Ablett. West Coast -
Glass, Lynch, Cox, Butler, A.Selwood, Priddis
Injuries : Geelong - Mackie (general soreness) replaced in selected side by Byrnes. West Coast - Nil.
Reports : Geelong - Stokes for striking Fletcher in the third quarter.
Umpires - Stewart, Armstrong, Jeffrey.
Crowd - 21,752 at Skilled Stadium.
Adelaide moved into 4th place with a hard-fought 9-point win over the Western Bulldogs on a wet Saturday
night at AAMI Stadium. The match was a low-scoring slog, but the closeness of the scores all night kept
the interest up. Scores were level at the last change, but Jason Porplyzia soon put the home side in front
after a scramble on the goal line was soccered through. A mark and goal to Kurt Tippett extended the
margin. But the Bulldogs weren't beaten yet, goals to Scott Welsh and Ryan Griffen cutting the margin back
to 2 points before Tyson Edwards' 3rd goal gave the Crows a match-winning buffer. The result puts
Adelaide in 4th place, while despite this loss the Bulldogs were already locked in 3rd place and will play
off against Hawthorn next week for direct entry to the preliminary final.
Adelaide 3.1 4.10 7.12 10.16 (76)
Western Bulldogs 4.3 5.8 7.12 9.13 (67)
Goals : Adelaide - Edwards 3, Van Berlo 2, Porplyzia 2, Thompson, Stevens, Tippett. Bulldogs - Harbrow,
Higgins, Giansiracusa, Gilbee, Eagleton, Murphy, Akermanis, Welsh, Griffen.
Best : Adelaide - Van Berlo, Edwards, Doughty, Thompson, Symes, Maric, Stevens, McLeod. Bulldogs -
Cross, Giansiracusa, Eagleton, Gilbee, Akermanis.
Injuries : Adelaide - Nil. Bulldogs - Johnson (cut head) .
Reports : Bulldogs - Lake for high contact on Stevens.
Umpires - Vozzo, Meredith, McInerney.
Crowd - 37,545 at AAMI Stadium.
With Hawthorn having already wrapped up second place on the ladder, and with Carlton out of the finals
race, the interest heading into the Saturday night match at the Dome was in the key forwards. Lance
Franklin went into the match with 98 goals for the season and Brendan Fevola on 92.
Buddy Franklin's milestone took just 25 minutes to come, as the big Hawk twice marked and goaled. The
crowd invaded the arena for the traditional 100 goal celebration and play was delayed for 10 minutes. The
Hawks were looking dominant, and as the game continued they would extend their lead in every quarter to
round out a convincing 78-point win..
Fevola was held goal-less in the first half and it looked like his quest for the ton was over. But 3 goals in
the third term revived his hopes, and by the time he was paid a free at the 25-minute mark of the final term
and goaled, he had brought up his 99th goal with still a few minutes left on the clock. The Blues continued
to press, and Fevola twice could have been paid a free within kicking rance, but the umpires' whistles
remained unblown; with Hawthorn's defence tightening to deny the Carlton spearhead his milestone.
Hawthorn 6.4 10.7 16.13 24.15 (159)
Carlton 2.3 4.5 8.6 12.9 (81)
Goals : Hawthorn - Roughead 5, Franklin 4, Williams 3, Brown 3, Osborne 3, Rioli, Lewis, Hodge,
Campbell, Sewell, Bateman. Carlton - Fevola 7, Gibbs 2, Cloke, Judd, Russell.
Best : Hawthorn - Hodge, Mitchell, Lewis, Sewell, Birchall, Brown, Roughead. Carlton - Judd, Murphy,
Gibbs, Fevola, Thornton, Walker, Bentick.
Injuries : Hawthorn - Stokes (gastro) replaced in selected side by Ellis, Williams (hip). Carlton - Scotland
(hip), Carrazzo (knee) replaced in selected side by Austin.
Reports : Hawthorn - Bateman for wrestling Stevens in the third quarter. Carlton - Stevens for wrestling
Bateman in the thid quarter.
Umpires - Kennedy, Stevic, McLaren.
Crowd - 49,057 at Telstra Dome.
Sydney's form had been less than convincing going into their round 22 match against Brisbane Lions at
the SCG, winning just 2 of their previous 8 games; but the Swans' 61-point win signalled a welcome return
to form and ensured the Swans would qualify for a home final next week.
Without Michael O'Loughlin, Ryan O'Keefa and Adam Goodes, the Swans found a way to lift and produce
some of the football they had shown earlier on the season, with a coherent running game, tight defence
and sufficient attacking options to post a competitive score. Jarred Moore and Patrick Veszpremi each
kicked 4 for the Swans, while defenders Lewis Roberts-Thompson and Nick Malceski were among their
best. For Brisbane, a season that was looking promising half-way through the season again sees them
fail to qualify for the finals, but with a platform to build some future success. The Swans live to fight another
day.
Sydney 3.3 7.8 12.9 17.12 (114)
Brisbane 1.6 3.9 5.13 6.17 (53)
Goals : Sydney - Moore 4, Veszpremi 4, Jack 2, McVeigh 2, Everitt, Malceski, Bird, Richards, Hall. Brisbane
- Bradshaw 2, Selwood, Clouston, Henderson, Charman.
Best : Sydney - Moore, Roberts-Thomson, Malceski, McVeigh, Barry, Veszpremi, Richards. Brisbane -
Dalziell, Black, Brennan, Merrett, Power.
Injuries : Sydney - O’Keefe (flu) replaced in selected side by Veszpremi. Brisbane - Nil.
Reports : Sydney - J Bolton for rough conduct on Proud in the fourth quarter.
Umpires - McBurney, James, Chamberlain
Crowd - 24,076 at SCG.
After early disappointments, Richmond have finished the 2008 season with a wet sail, their 3-match
winning streak in the final 3 rounds creating real hope that their long-suffering fans will finally see some
success next season. Leaving the best until last, the Tigers were far too good for Melbourne, cruising to a
comfortable 80-point win.
The Tigers took control in the second quarter, with 6 goals to 1 tilting the match firmly in their favour. Going
on with the job in the second half, the Tigers scored 8 goals to 3 turn the game into a one-sided affair.
Brett Deledio kicked 4 and Joel Bowden 3, while Shane Tuck and Chris Newman were among the Tigers'
best. Although the Tigers miss out on finals action, finishing in 9th position, hopes are high that they could
finally break through next year. The match concluded a dismal season for Melbourne, with the Demons
taking out the wooden spoon, in financial trouble and racked by internal turmoil.
Richmond 2.5 8.9 12.10 18.13 (121)
Melbourne 2.1 3.1 4.4 6.5 (41)
Goals : Richmond - Deledio 4, Bowden 3, Jackson 2, Riewoldt 2, Connors, Foley, McMahon, Morton,
Tivendale, Tuck, White. Melbourne - White 2, Green, Holland, Sylvia, Whelan.
Best : Richmond - Bowden, Tuck, Newman, Deledio, Foley, McGuane, Johnson, McMahon. Melbourne -
Yze, Whelan, Bruce, Warnock, Garland.
Injuries : Richmond - Connors replaced Pattison in selected side. Melbourne - Sylvia (ankle), Petterd
(hamstring).
Reports : Richmond - Morton for wrestling Miller in the second quarter. Melbourne - Miller for wrestling
Morton in the second quarter.
Umpires - Margetts, Ryan, Ellis.
Crowd - 37,046 at MCG.
St Kilda went into their match against Essendon knowing it was mathematically possible to go ahead of
Adelaide into 4th spot and the double change; but the more the Saints dominated a dismal Essendon in
the final home & away match for 2008 the more the mathematical chance became a genuine possibility. In
the end, the Saints' 21 goals to 5 win, thrashing the Bombers by 108 points, was just enough to get the
Saints to edge out the Crows and qualify for the double-chance.
Stephen Milne kicked 7 for the Saints and Nick Riewoldt 4, but it was a solid team effort against minimal
resistance that saw the Saints clearly superior in all facets of the game. As the calculators went into
overdrive during the last quarter, every score calculating the difference in percentage between St Kilda and
Adelaide, the Saints put in their best quarter with 7 unanswered goals which was enough to get them
ahead.
With the win, St Kilda qualify for the double-chance and a meeting with Geelong. Adelaide find themselves
in sudden-death territory, with a match against Collingwood at AAMI Stadium next week and needing a win
to keep their 2008 season going.
St Kilda 5.5 8.12 14.15 21.21 (147)
Essendon 2.3 2.6 5.8 5.9 (39)
Goals : St Kilda - Milne 7, Riewoldt 4, Gram 3, Schneider 2, Eddy, Gardiner, Goddard, King, Montagna.
Essendon - Johnson, Lloyd, Magin, Ryder, Watson
Best : St Kilda - Milne, Gram, Riewoldt, Goddard, Koschitzke, Hayes, Fisher. Essendon - Ramanauskas,
Peverill, Lonergan, Watson.
Injuries : St Kilda - Dempster (knee), Schneider (cork), Riewoldt (knee). Essendon - Lloyd (hamstring).
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Nicholls, Head, Keating.
Crowd - 46,161 at Telstra Dome.
No finals football for Fremantle this year, but the Dockers at least finished 2008 on a good note with a 24-point win
over Collingwood at Subiaco. After John Anthony kicked the opening goal of the game for Collingwood, a 5-goal
burst by the Dockers opened up what would turn out to be a match-winning break; one that Collingwood never
looked like recovering from.
Jeff Farmer, in what is likely to be his last game, kicked 3 goals; the out-of-contract forward putting in a claim for a
new deal with a solid performance. Kepler Bradley also kicked 3 for the Dockers, while Rhys Palmer and Byron
Schammer were among their best. In a disappointing night for Collingwood, Leon Davis tried hard all night but too
few of his team-mates made a meaningful contribution.
The result ensures Fremantle will at least finish 2008 in a positive frame of mind; and for local pride ensured they
would finish ahead of arch-rivals West Coast. But for Collingwood the loss costs them any chance of qualifying for
the top 4, and with the possibility of having to travel interstate for a sudden-death final.
Fremantle 5.0 7.1 9.7 12.8 (80)
Collingwood 1.4 4.5 6.6 8.8 (56)
Goals : Fremantle - Farmer 3, Bradley 3, Duffield, Carr, Palmer, Headland, Schammer, Campbell. Collingwood -
Cloke 2, Anthony 2, Clarke, Fraser, Davis, Goldsack.
Best : Fremantle - Palmer, Schammer, McPharlin, Bradley, Farmer, Browne, Drum. Collingwood - Davis,
Pendlebury, Cox, Fraser, Prestigiacomo.
Injuries : Fremantle - Nil. Collingwood - Nil.
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Donlon, Rosebury, Ryan.
Crowd - 35,106 at Subiaco Oval.
North Melbourne, looking comfortable for a top-4 position just 2 weeks ago, now find themselves having to go
through sudden-death finals after the Kangaroos, at home against non-finallists Port Adelaide, were thrashed by
76 points.
The Kangaroos led by 5 points at the first change; but the Power, playing with a passion and intensity so often
missing during a disappointing season, banged through 20 goals to 6 over the remainder of the game to run out
convincing winners. David Rodan kicked 5 and Daniel Motlop 3 for Port, while the Burgoyne brothers were
sensational, accumulating a glut of possession. After their record loss in last year's grand final, Port have had a
season to forget in 2008, and although finishing the season on a high, the result poses the question of why they
couldn't have played like that all season. For the Kangaroos, a sudden-death final next week awaits
Port Adelaide 3.4 10.5 18.8 23.10 (148)
Kangaroos 4.3 7.4 9.10 10.12 (72)
Goals : Port Adelaide - Rodan 5, D Motlop 3, Gray 3, Thurstans 3, Cassisi 2, Logan, S Burgoyne, Pearce, Lade, P
Burgoyne, Stewart, M Motlop. Kangaroos - Hale 4, Grant 2, Jones, Campbell, Harding, Pratt.
Best : Port Adelaide - P Burgoyne, Rodan, S Burgoyne, K Cornes, Brogan, Pearce, Logan. Kangaroos - Hale,
Petrie, Rawlings, Harvey.
Injuries : Port Adelaide - Boak (ill) replaced in selected side by Lonie. Kangaroos - Harding (knee), Wells (ankle).
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Farmer, Schmitt, Mollison.
Crowd - 22,144 at MCG.
over Collingwood at Subiaco. After John Anthony kicked the opening goal of the game for Collingwood, a 5-goal
burst by the Dockers opened up what would turn out to be a match-winning break; one that Collingwood never
looked like recovering from.
Jeff Farmer, in what is likely to be his last game, kicked 3 goals; the out-of-contract forward putting in a claim for a
new deal with a solid performance. Kepler Bradley also kicked 3 for the Dockers, while Rhys Palmer and Byron
Schammer were among their best. In a disappointing night for Collingwood, Leon Davis tried hard all night but too
few of his team-mates made a meaningful contribution.
The result ensures Fremantle will at least finish 2008 in a positive frame of mind; and for local pride ensured they
would finish ahead of arch-rivals West Coast. But for Collingwood the loss costs them any chance of qualifying for
the top 4, and with the possibility of having to travel interstate for a sudden-death final.
Fremantle 5.0 7.1 9.7 12.8 (80)
Collingwood 1.4 4.5 6.6 8.8 (56)
Goals : Fremantle - Farmer 3, Bradley 3, Duffield, Carr, Palmer, Headland, Schammer, Campbell. Collingwood -
Cloke 2, Anthony 2, Clarke, Fraser, Davis, Goldsack.
Best : Fremantle - Palmer, Schammer, McPharlin, Bradley, Farmer, Browne, Drum. Collingwood - Davis,
Pendlebury, Cox, Fraser, Prestigiacomo.
Injuries : Fremantle - Nil. Collingwood - Nil.
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Donlon, Rosebury, Ryan.
Crowd - 35,106 at Subiaco Oval.
North Melbourne, looking comfortable for a top-4 position just 2 weeks ago, now find themselves having to go
through sudden-death finals after the Kangaroos, at home against non-finallists Port Adelaide, were thrashed by
76 points.
The Kangaroos led by 5 points at the first change; but the Power, playing with a passion and intensity so often
missing during a disappointing season, banged through 20 goals to 6 over the remainder of the game to run out
convincing winners. David Rodan kicked 5 and Daniel Motlop 3 for Port, while the Burgoyne brothers were
sensational, accumulating a glut of possession. After their record loss in last year's grand final, Port have had a
season to forget in 2008, and although finishing the season on a high, the result poses the question of why they
couldn't have played like that all season. For the Kangaroos, a sudden-death final next week awaits
Port Adelaide 3.4 10.5 18.8 23.10 (148)
Kangaroos 4.3 7.4 9.10 10.12 (72)
Goals : Port Adelaide - Rodan 5, D Motlop 3, Gray 3, Thurstans 3, Cassisi 2, Logan, S Burgoyne, Pearce, Lade, P
Burgoyne, Stewart, M Motlop. Kangaroos - Hale 4, Grant 2, Jones, Campbell, Harding, Pratt.
Best : Port Adelaide - P Burgoyne, Rodan, S Burgoyne, K Cornes, Brogan, Pearce, Logan. Kangaroos - Hale,
Petrie, Rawlings, Harvey.
Injuries : Port Adelaide - Boak (ill) replaced in selected side by Lonie. Kangaroos - Harding (knee), Wells (ankle).
Reports - Nil. Umpires - Farmer, Schmitt, Mollison.
Crowd - 22,144 at MCG.
