After a dismal opening few months of the season, Adelaide new suddenly find themselves back in finals
contention, on the back of a 4-game winning streak. The latest Crow success came on Friday night at AAMI
Stadium, when the Crows pulled off a major boilover to claim the scalp of ladder leaders Geelong.
The start of the game was delayed when Geelong doctor Geoff Allen had a heart attack while watching the pre-
match warm-up. Allen was given CPR on the field before being taken to hospital in an ambulance, but was given
the all-clear to return home to Geelong later in the weekend.
But when the game did get under way, it was the Cats who started the stronger, kicking the first three goals within
the opening 10 minutes. But that was their total return for the quarter as the Adelaide defence tightened, and the
Crows fought back with two goals late in the quarter to cut the margin to 4 points at the first change. And the
second quarter was dour, defensive football as neither side was prepared to concede any space to their
opponents.
Much of the third quarter went along similar lines, but Taylor Walker stepped up with two goals in time-on to give
the Crows the lead by 9 points at the last change. And with the first two goals of the final quarter, the Crows
surged 21 points ahead, their enthusiastic home crowd in voice as an upset was scented.
The Cats attempted to fight back, to take the initiative back and regain their winning ways. But at the critical
moment, their goal-kicking radar deserted them, and crucial missed opportunities would cost them dearly. The
Cats kicked 2.6 for the quarter, as the Crows hung on to take the points.
Taylor Walker’s 4 goals were pivotal to the Adelaide cause, as were Bernie Vince’s 32 possessions and Simon
Goodwin’s 29 were also of importance. For the Cats, Joel Selwood accumulated 35 and Harry Taylor 31. But it
was the Crows who took the game, and amazingly find themselves now only one win out of the top 8.
Adelaide 2.3 4.3 8.8 11.8 (74)
Geelong 3.1 5.3 7.3 9.9 (63)
Goals : Adelaide – T Walker 4, R Henderson 2, R Sloane 2, P Dangerfield, K Tippett, N van Berlo.
Geelong – C Mooney 2, M Stokes 2, G Ablett, S Byrnes, P Chapman, B Ottens, T Varcoe.
Best : Adelaide – B Vince, S Goodwin, N Van Berlo, G Johncock, S Thompson, S Stevens. Geelong
– H Taylor, J Selwood, P Chapman, J Kelly, A Mackie, M Scarlett.
Injuries: Adelaide – Nil. Geelong – Nil.
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Wenn, Pannell, McInerney.
Crowd - 41,195 at AAMI Stadium.
Collingwood took advantage of Geelong’s defeat to move to the top of the ladder, and did it in style. The Magpies
ended St Kilda’s 7-game winning streak with a comprehensive 48-point win over the Saints in front of a
blockbuster crowd of 81,386 at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies got off to a flying start, dominating from the start with relentless pressure to deny the Saints any
easy possessions. The Magpies led by 18 points at the first change, and by half time the lead had been extended
to 26 points.
The Saints attempted to get back into the contest in the third term, and were getting more use of the ball than they
had managed during the first half. But a combination of Collingwood’s miserly defence and some wasteful
finishing by the Saints were telling, with the Saints failing to make anything of their chances to finish with 1.6 for
the quarter; and although the Magpies achieved only four scoring shots for the term, all of them were goals to
stretch the margin to 38 points. From there the game was safe, and another four goals in the final term saw the
final margin blow out to 48 points.
contention, on the back of a 4-game winning streak. The latest Crow success came on Friday night at AAMI
Stadium, when the Crows pulled off a major boilover to claim the scalp of ladder leaders Geelong.
The start of the game was delayed when Geelong doctor Geoff Allen had a heart attack while watching the pre-
match warm-up. Allen was given CPR on the field before being taken to hospital in an ambulance, but was given
the all-clear to return home to Geelong later in the weekend.
But when the game did get under way, it was the Cats who started the stronger, kicking the first three goals within
the opening 10 minutes. But that was their total return for the quarter as the Adelaide defence tightened, and the
Crows fought back with two goals late in the quarter to cut the margin to 4 points at the first change. And the
second quarter was dour, defensive football as neither side was prepared to concede any space to their
opponents.
Much of the third quarter went along similar lines, but Taylor Walker stepped up with two goals in time-on to give
the Crows the lead by 9 points at the last change. And with the first two goals of the final quarter, the Crows
surged 21 points ahead, their enthusiastic home crowd in voice as an upset was scented.
The Cats attempted to fight back, to take the initiative back and regain their winning ways. But at the critical
moment, their goal-kicking radar deserted them, and crucial missed opportunities would cost them dearly. The
Cats kicked 2.6 for the quarter, as the Crows hung on to take the points.
Taylor Walker’s 4 goals were pivotal to the Adelaide cause, as were Bernie Vince’s 32 possessions and Simon
Goodwin’s 29 were also of importance. For the Cats, Joel Selwood accumulated 35 and Harry Taylor 31. But it
was the Crows who took the game, and amazingly find themselves now only one win out of the top 8.
Adelaide 2.3 4.3 8.8 11.8 (74)
Geelong 3.1 5.3 7.3 9.9 (63)
Goals : Adelaide – T Walker 4, R Henderson 2, R Sloane 2, P Dangerfield, K Tippett, N van Berlo.
Geelong – C Mooney 2, M Stokes 2, G Ablett, S Byrnes, P Chapman, B Ottens, T Varcoe.
Best : Adelaide – B Vince, S Goodwin, N Van Berlo, G Johncock, S Thompson, S Stevens. Geelong
– H Taylor, J Selwood, P Chapman, J Kelly, A Mackie, M Scarlett.
Injuries: Adelaide – Nil. Geelong – Nil.
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Wenn, Pannell, McInerney.
Crowd - 41,195 at AAMI Stadium.
Collingwood took advantage of Geelong’s defeat to move to the top of the ladder, and did it in style. The Magpies
ended St Kilda’s 7-game winning streak with a comprehensive 48-point win over the Saints in front of a
blockbuster crowd of 81,386 at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies got off to a flying start, dominating from the start with relentless pressure to deny the Saints any
easy possessions. The Magpies led by 18 points at the first change, and by half time the lead had been extended
to 26 points.
The Saints attempted to get back into the contest in the third term, and were getting more use of the ball than they
had managed during the first half. But a combination of Collingwood’s miserly defence and some wasteful
finishing by the Saints were telling, with the Saints failing to make anything of their chances to finish with 1.6 for
the quarter; and although the Magpies achieved only four scoring shots for the term, all of them were goals to
stretch the margin to 38 points. From there the game was safe, and another four goals in the final term saw the
final margin blow out to 48 points.
Once again Dane Swan was in superb touch, and finished with 36 possessions for the game in another
best-on-ground performance. Alan Didak with 33 touches and Scott Pendlebury with 27 were also
prominent performers. For the Saints, Sam Fisher and Leigh Montagna accumulated over 30
possessions.
The result sees the Magpies move to top spot on the table, in form with a 4-game winning streak. But the
Saints were disappointed with the afternoon’s achievement, with only six goals being scored for the game,
their chance of extending their winning streak and taking the ladder leadership gone begging.
Collingwood 4.4 7.7 11.7 15.10 (100)
St Kilda 1.4 3.5 4.11 6.16 (52)
Goals : Collingwood – B Macaffer 3, L Brown 3, H Shaw 2, D Beams 2, L Ball, L Davis, C
Dawes, S Sidebottom, D Swan. St Kilda – J Steven 2, J Geary, J Koschitzke, S Milne, N
Riewoldt.
Best : Collingwood – D Swan, S Pendlebury, D Thomas, A Didak, S Wellingham, L Ball. St
Kilda – S Fisher, L Montagna, L Hayes, C Jones, S Gilbert, B Goddard.
Injuries : Collingwood – Nil. St Kilda – Nil.
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Vozzo, McBurney, Chamberlain.
Crowd - 81,386 at the MCG.
Hawthorn consolidated their position in the top 8, giving themselves four points and a handy percentage
boost, when the Hawks thrashed a lamentable Brisbane outfit by 75 points in Tasmania on Saturday
afternoon.
Even with the Hawks being without Lance Franklin, the Hawks had goalscoring options aplenty. From the
opening minute, when Jarryd Roughead marked and goaled, the Hawks were in complete dominance.
Jordan Lewis put in three goals in the opening quarter, and with 10 scoring shots to 1 it was one-way
traffic from the beginning as the Hawks raced to a 39-point lead at the first change.
Lions’ coach Michael Voss revved up his troops during his quarter time address, and for a short period the
Lions lifted. With the first three goals of the quarter, the Lions looked to be on the road to restoring some
respectability; but they were unable to score again for the quarter as the Hawks began to re-assert
themselves. Jordan Lewis, after his opening quarter heroics up forward, moved to the midfield where he
combined with Luke Hodge to accumulate a glut of possessions and ensure the Hawks would continue to
lock the Lions out of the contest.
The margin was 36 points at half time, and the Hawks were looking good. They looked even better in the
third term, with a return of 7.6 to 2.0 to wrap up a convincing win. The Lions were accurate, with all their
scoring shots in the first three quarters being goals, but with only 6 scoring shots to the Hawks’ 28 for
those three quarters they were never a chance to get into the contest.
The final margin was 75 points. Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis each kicked four goals, while the
Hawks had ball-winners all around the ground. Brad Sewell and Luke Hodge tallied an imposing 39
possessions, while Sam Mitchell got 35; but it was hard to find a single Hawthorn player who lowered their
colours on a day when the Hawks were magnificent and Brisbane were very ordinary, playing without spirit
and seemingly showing little interest in lifting to the contest.
Hawthorn 7.3 9.6 16.12 17.16 (118)
Brisbane 1.0 4.0 6.0 7.1 (43)
Goals : Hawthorn – J Roughead 4, J Lewis 4, M Osborne 3, X Ellis 3, C Young 3, C Brown, C
Rioli, W Skipper, C Peterson. Brisbane – J Brown 3, L Power, A Buchanan, B Staker, B
Fevola.
Best : Hawthorn – J Lewis, L Hodge, B Sewell, W Skipper, S Burgoyne, X Ellis. Brisbane – J
Brennan, L Power, M Rischitelli, M Leuenberger, T Rockliff, D Rich.
Injuries : Hawthorn – Nil. Brisbane – Nil.
Crowd - 16,690 at Aurora Stadium.
Bottom side West Coast ended their 7-game losing streak when, inspired by a 12-goal
performance by Mark LeCras, the Eagles were 32 points too good for a dis-spirited
Essendon at Docklands on Saturday night.
The first quarter was evenly contested, but the Eagles broke away from the Bombers in the
second term. The Bombers had as much of the ball, and as many inside 50s, as the Eagles.
But the Bombers struggled to find a consistent match-winner up forward, and the Eagles
were able to take the ball back out of trouble. It was a different story at the other end,
where Mark LeCras single-handedly turned the game. Creating chances out of thin air and
converting them all, Le Cras landed seven goals in the first half as the Eagles broke away
to a 14-point lead.
Into the premiership quarter, and again it was LeCras who was the difference between the
two sides. LeCras kicked a further three goals, bringing his total to 10 for the game. It was
part of a 6 goals to 2 third term for the Eagles, putting the game firmly beyond the
Bombers’ reach. It was four goals apiece in the last quarter, and the Bombers won the final
term, but by then the damage was done and it was a comfortable win for the Eagles.
LeCras finished with 12 goals, the greatest ever individual return at Docklands; and
equalled Peter Sumich’s club record. It was a convincing performance, a one-man
demolition job, and one that boosted the West Coast morale after a long losing run.
Although the Eagles are still at the bottom of the ladder, they find themselves only one
game behind Essendon and some other struggling teams; and may yet escape the
dreaded wooden spoon.
West Coast 4.5 10.9 16.11 20.12 (132)
Essendon 4.2 8.7 10.11 14.16 (100)
Goals : West Coast – M LeCras 12, A Hams 3, A Embley, J Kennedy, N Naitanui, M Priddis, A
Strijk. Essendon – B Stanton 3, T Colyer 2, S Lonergan 2, A Davey, S Gumbleton, B Howlett,
A Monfries, J Neagle, P Ryder, D Zaharakis.
Best : West Coast – M LeCras, J Kennedy, M Priddis, D Cox, A Hams, A Selwood. Essendon
– B Stanton, J Winderlich, T Colyer, B Howlett, J Watson, K Riemers.
Injuries : West Coast – Nil. Essendon – Nil.
Reports : West Coast – E Mackenzie for rough conduct against J Neagle in the second
quarter.
Umpires - McLaren, Schmitt, Hay.
Crowd - 26,991 at Etihad Stadium.
The Western Bulldogs stuck another knife into the already broken heart of Port Adelaide
when the Bulldogs condemned Port to their 9th loss on the trot with a 36-point win in
Darwin on Saturday night.
On a warm and humid night, the Bulldogs made the early front-running and led by 16
points at the first change before the Power fought back in the second term to cut the
margin to 4 points at the long break. The Bulldogs were without injured goalkicking ace
Barry Hall, and at times struggled to find scoring options; but the goals were spread
around with all six of their first half goals being kicked by different goalkickers.
But the floodgates opened in the third term, and the Bulldogs took control. It wasn’t high
scoring, with the energy-sapping warm and sticky conditions making the ball slippery; but
Port were unable to produce any drive at all after half time. The Power could only manage
a solitary goal in the second half, as with every Bulldogs goal the game drifted to an
inevitable result. The Power heads dropped, their spirits showing defeat long before the
final siren sounded. It had been a season of despair for the Power, new coach Matthew
Primus unable to turn their flagging fortunes around in his first match since taking over the
reigns from Mark Williams.
The Bulldogs had winners all round the ground. Matthew Boyd was leading possession
winner with 35 touches of the footy; but Daniel Cross, Jarrod Harbrow and Ryan Hargrave
were also prominent with over 30 possessions. Kane Cornes with 30 touches played a lone
hand for Port, but it was a comfortable win for the Bulldogs and one that keeps them in
contention for a top-4 finish.
Western Bulldogs 5.1 6.6 10.9 12.11 (83)
Port Adelaide 2.3 6.2 7.2 7.5 (47)
Goals : Bulldogs – J Grant 2, M Boyd 2, A Everitt, C Ward, D Giansiracusa, B Johnson, R
Griffen, N Eagleton, A Cooney, S Higgins. Port Adelaide – J Schulz 2, K Cornes 2, J
Westhoff, B Ebert, J Davenport.
Best : Bulldogs – D Cross, M Boyd, B Lake, R Hargrave, N Eagleton, L Gilbee. Port Adelaide
– K Cornes, D Cassisi, D Pearce, T Chaplin, M Banner, P Stewart.
Injuries : Bulldogs – J Roughead (gastro) replaced in selected side by B Moles. Port
Adelaide – M Thomas (corked left leg) replaced in selected side by J Carr, S Salopek
(shoulder), D Brogan (cut head).
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Nicholls, Armstrong, Jeffery.
Crowd - 10,108 at TIO Stadium.
Sydney have an imposing record against Carlton over the last decade, and the Swans
again had the wood on the Blues when they got the early jump and went on to complete a
39-point win at Docklands on Sunday afternoon.
With the first five goals of the game, the Swans were never headed and the pro-Carlton
crowd were soon stunned into silence. With 9 scoring shots to 1 in the first term, the
Swans led by 27 points at quarter time; and going on with the job in the second quarter
the Sydney lead was out to 47 points. By then the game was safe, and although Carlton
won the second half the margin was far too great for the Blues to have any hope of
catching up.
Adam Goodes was at his best, with 28 possessions and 10 marks while moving around
between the half forward and half back line; while Shane Mumford dominated the rucks
with 33 hit-outs.
The result was Carlton’s 4th loss from their last 5 games, only the Blues’ strong percentage
keeping them in the top 8 instead of North Melbourne. But the Swans remain in contention
for a top 4 finish after a game that maintained the Swans’ run of recent success against
Carlton. Only once since Paul Roos took over as Sydney coach in 2002 have the Swans lost
to the Blues.
Sydney 6.3 10.6 14.9 16.11 (107)
Carlton 1.0 3.1 8.3 10.8 (68)
Goals : Sydney – R Shaw 3, J Bolton 2, B McGlynn 2, J McVeigh 2, J Moore 2, J White 2, A
Goodes, B Meredith, K Jack. Carlton - Hampson 2, Betts, Garlett, Judd, Scotland, Simpson,
Waite, Yarran, Murphy.
Best : Sydney – A Goodes, K Jack, J Bolton, S Mumford, R O’Keefe, H Grundy. Carlton – B
Gibbs, M Murphy, C Judd, J Russell, H Scotland, J Waite.
Injuries : Sydney - N Smith (hamstring), L Roberts-Thomson (hamstring), replaced in
selected side by J White. Carlton - K Lucas (hamstring).
Reports : Carlton - A Walker for forceful front on contact on B McGlynn during the fourth
quarter.
Umpires - Donlon, Findlay, Ryan.
Crowd - 31,915 at Docklands.
North Melbourne kept themselves in reach of the top 8, only percentage keeping them out,
after the Kangaroos ended Richmond’s 4-game winning streak with a 50-point victory at
the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers had gone into the match with plenty of confidence, but in wet and slippery
weather the Kangaroos handled the conditions better, showing more commitment in the
packs and willingness to work for the hard ball. A low-scoring opening term saw the
Kangaroos lead by 5 points at the first change. But early in the second term, a hit by Trent
Cotchin on Sam Wright saw Wright forced from the field. Cotchin was reported, but the
Kangaroos kept their heads, resisting the urge to retaliate and instead being galvanised
into action with the football. The next 10 minutes produced four goals for the Kangaroos,
building a buffer that never looked like being threatened.
The Kangaroos led by 14 points at the long break, and the premiership quarter settled the
issue as it was one-way traffic. The Tigers were held to just a single point for the quarter,
the Kangaroo defence magnificently rising to the occasion to starve the Tigers of
goalscoring opportunities. At the other end, North would score five goals for the quarter,
extending their advantage to 46 points at the last change; and from there it was merely a
matter of playing out time for the final siren.
Andrew Swallow was the top possession-getter for the Kangaroos with 31, while Leigh
Adams also was in the thick of the action with 28 disposals. Ruck combination Todd
Goldstein and Hamish McIntosh were also in fine touch, giving the Kangaroo midfield first
use of the football. Daniel Connors with 31 touches for the Tigers worked hard, but the
Kangaroos had the answers for any challenges the Tigers could throw at them and only
percentage keeps the young North side out of the top 8.
North Melbourne 2.4 6.9 11.12 15.13 (103)
Richmond 1.5 4.7 4.8 7.11 (53)
Goals : North Melbourne – L Adams 3, M Campbell 2, L Hansen 2, M Firrito, B Harvey, T
Goldstein, A Swallow, D Wells, D Pratt, G Urquhart, B Warren. Richmond – J Riewoldt 3, J
King, A Collins, L McGuane, R Nahas.
Best : North Melbourne – L Adams, A Swallow, B Harvey, D Wells, N Grima, G Urquhart.
Richmond – D Connors, S Tuck, B Deledio, B Cousins, D Martin, J King.
Injuries : North Melbourne – S Wright (ribs), R Tarrant (thumb). Richmond – W Thursfield
(concussion).
Reports : Richmond – T Cotchin for charging S Wright during the second quarter.
Umpires - Stevic, Meredith, Mollison.
Crowd - 42,723 at the MCG.
Fremantle maintained their top-4 position when the Dockers got off to a flying start and
then hung on against a fast-finishing Melbourne to win by 11 points at Subiaco Oval on
Sunday evening.
The Dockers dominated proceedings early, and helped along by an inspired midfield and by
some silly free kicks given away by the Demons, raced away to a 31-point lead at quarter
time. And with Hayden Ballantyne scoring three goals in the second term, the margin had
been extended to 39 points at the long break.
But the third quarter was barely recognisable after the first half. It was the Demons who
emerged from the rooms full of running, full of confidence and getting the bulk of
possession. Working hard in every contest, the Demons sparked into action, with a run of 6
goals to 1 for the quarter and suddenly by the last change the margin had been cut to 8
points and the game was very much still in the balance.
The last quarter was tight and tough, as the Demons searched desperately for the goal
that would get them within a kick; but the Dockers had the defensive pressure to hold the
Demons out. It took 18 minutes before a goal was scored, and it came to Hayden
Ballantyne to put the result beyond doubt. Although the Demons managed a late goal, it
wasn’t enough for them to complete the comeback; and the Demons would rue the poor
play in the first half that made the Fremantle lead just too much to come back from.
Fremantle 6.3 9.8 10.10 11.16 (82)
Melbourne 1.2 3.5 9.8 10.11 (71)
Goals : Fremantle – H Ballantyne 4, D Mundy 2, P Hasleby, P Duffield, N Fyfe, R Palmer, R
Crowley. Melbourne – J Bennell 2, L Jurrah 2, A Davey 2, L Johnson, C Sylvia, N Jones, B
Green.
Best : Fremantle – P Duffield, R Palmer, D Mundy, A Sandilands, A McPhee, M Pavlich.
Melbourne – C Sylvia, A Davey, T Scully, B Green, J Macdonald, C Garland.
Injuries : Fremantle – K Bradley (knee), D Roberton (ankle). Melbourne – B Moloney
(corked thigh).
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Margetts, Rosebury, Dalgleish.
Crowd - 32,816 at Subiaco Oval.
best-on-ground performance. Alan Didak with 33 touches and Scott Pendlebury with 27 were also
prominent performers. For the Saints, Sam Fisher and Leigh Montagna accumulated over 30
possessions.
The result sees the Magpies move to top spot on the table, in form with a 4-game winning streak. But the
Saints were disappointed with the afternoon’s achievement, with only six goals being scored for the game,
their chance of extending their winning streak and taking the ladder leadership gone begging.
Collingwood 4.4 7.7 11.7 15.10 (100)
St Kilda 1.4 3.5 4.11 6.16 (52)
Goals : Collingwood – B Macaffer 3, L Brown 3, H Shaw 2, D Beams 2, L Ball, L Davis, C
Dawes, S Sidebottom, D Swan. St Kilda – J Steven 2, J Geary, J Koschitzke, S Milne, N
Riewoldt.
Best : Collingwood – D Swan, S Pendlebury, D Thomas, A Didak, S Wellingham, L Ball. St
Kilda – S Fisher, L Montagna, L Hayes, C Jones, S Gilbert, B Goddard.
Injuries : Collingwood – Nil. St Kilda – Nil.
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Vozzo, McBurney, Chamberlain.
Crowd - 81,386 at the MCG.
Hawthorn consolidated their position in the top 8, giving themselves four points and a handy percentage
boost, when the Hawks thrashed a lamentable Brisbane outfit by 75 points in Tasmania on Saturday
afternoon.
Even with the Hawks being without Lance Franklin, the Hawks had goalscoring options aplenty. From the
opening minute, when Jarryd Roughead marked and goaled, the Hawks were in complete dominance.
Jordan Lewis put in three goals in the opening quarter, and with 10 scoring shots to 1 it was one-way
traffic from the beginning as the Hawks raced to a 39-point lead at the first change.
Lions’ coach Michael Voss revved up his troops during his quarter time address, and for a short period the
Lions lifted. With the first three goals of the quarter, the Lions looked to be on the road to restoring some
respectability; but they were unable to score again for the quarter as the Hawks began to re-assert
themselves. Jordan Lewis, after his opening quarter heroics up forward, moved to the midfield where he
combined with Luke Hodge to accumulate a glut of possessions and ensure the Hawks would continue to
lock the Lions out of the contest.
The margin was 36 points at half time, and the Hawks were looking good. They looked even better in the
third term, with a return of 7.6 to 2.0 to wrap up a convincing win. The Lions were accurate, with all their
scoring shots in the first three quarters being goals, but with only 6 scoring shots to the Hawks’ 28 for
those three quarters they were never a chance to get into the contest.
The final margin was 75 points. Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis each kicked four goals, while the
Hawks had ball-winners all around the ground. Brad Sewell and Luke Hodge tallied an imposing 39
possessions, while Sam Mitchell got 35; but it was hard to find a single Hawthorn player who lowered their
colours on a day when the Hawks were magnificent and Brisbane were very ordinary, playing without spirit
and seemingly showing little interest in lifting to the contest.
Hawthorn 7.3 9.6 16.12 17.16 (118)
Brisbane 1.0 4.0 6.0 7.1 (43)
Goals : Hawthorn – J Roughead 4, J Lewis 4, M Osborne 3, X Ellis 3, C Young 3, C Brown, C
Rioli, W Skipper, C Peterson. Brisbane – J Brown 3, L Power, A Buchanan, B Staker, B
Fevola.
Best : Hawthorn – J Lewis, L Hodge, B Sewell, W Skipper, S Burgoyne, X Ellis. Brisbane – J
Brennan, L Power, M Rischitelli, M Leuenberger, T Rockliff, D Rich.
Injuries : Hawthorn – Nil. Brisbane – Nil.
Crowd - 16,690 at Aurora Stadium.
Bottom side West Coast ended their 7-game losing streak when, inspired by a 12-goal
performance by Mark LeCras, the Eagles were 32 points too good for a dis-spirited
Essendon at Docklands on Saturday night.
The first quarter was evenly contested, but the Eagles broke away from the Bombers in the
second term. The Bombers had as much of the ball, and as many inside 50s, as the Eagles.
But the Bombers struggled to find a consistent match-winner up forward, and the Eagles
were able to take the ball back out of trouble. It was a different story at the other end,
where Mark LeCras single-handedly turned the game. Creating chances out of thin air and
converting them all, Le Cras landed seven goals in the first half as the Eagles broke away
to a 14-point lead.
Into the premiership quarter, and again it was LeCras who was the difference between the
two sides. LeCras kicked a further three goals, bringing his total to 10 for the game. It was
part of a 6 goals to 2 third term for the Eagles, putting the game firmly beyond the
Bombers’ reach. It was four goals apiece in the last quarter, and the Bombers won the final
term, but by then the damage was done and it was a comfortable win for the Eagles.
LeCras finished with 12 goals, the greatest ever individual return at Docklands; and
equalled Peter Sumich’s club record. It was a convincing performance, a one-man
demolition job, and one that boosted the West Coast morale after a long losing run.
Although the Eagles are still at the bottom of the ladder, they find themselves only one
game behind Essendon and some other struggling teams; and may yet escape the
dreaded wooden spoon.
West Coast 4.5 10.9 16.11 20.12 (132)
Essendon 4.2 8.7 10.11 14.16 (100)
Goals : West Coast – M LeCras 12, A Hams 3, A Embley, J Kennedy, N Naitanui, M Priddis, A
Strijk. Essendon – B Stanton 3, T Colyer 2, S Lonergan 2, A Davey, S Gumbleton, B Howlett,
A Monfries, J Neagle, P Ryder, D Zaharakis.
Best : West Coast – M LeCras, J Kennedy, M Priddis, D Cox, A Hams, A Selwood. Essendon
– B Stanton, J Winderlich, T Colyer, B Howlett, J Watson, K Riemers.
Injuries : West Coast – Nil. Essendon – Nil.
Reports : West Coast – E Mackenzie for rough conduct against J Neagle in the second
quarter.
Umpires - McLaren, Schmitt, Hay.
Crowd - 26,991 at Etihad Stadium.
The Western Bulldogs stuck another knife into the already broken heart of Port Adelaide
when the Bulldogs condemned Port to their 9th loss on the trot with a 36-point win in
Darwin on Saturday night.
On a warm and humid night, the Bulldogs made the early front-running and led by 16
points at the first change before the Power fought back in the second term to cut the
margin to 4 points at the long break. The Bulldogs were without injured goalkicking ace
Barry Hall, and at times struggled to find scoring options; but the goals were spread
around with all six of their first half goals being kicked by different goalkickers.
But the floodgates opened in the third term, and the Bulldogs took control. It wasn’t high
scoring, with the energy-sapping warm and sticky conditions making the ball slippery; but
Port were unable to produce any drive at all after half time. The Power could only manage
a solitary goal in the second half, as with every Bulldogs goal the game drifted to an
inevitable result. The Power heads dropped, their spirits showing defeat long before the
final siren sounded. It had been a season of despair for the Power, new coach Matthew
Primus unable to turn their flagging fortunes around in his first match since taking over the
reigns from Mark Williams.
The Bulldogs had winners all round the ground. Matthew Boyd was leading possession
winner with 35 touches of the footy; but Daniel Cross, Jarrod Harbrow and Ryan Hargrave
were also prominent with over 30 possessions. Kane Cornes with 30 touches played a lone
hand for Port, but it was a comfortable win for the Bulldogs and one that keeps them in
contention for a top-4 finish.
Western Bulldogs 5.1 6.6 10.9 12.11 (83)
Port Adelaide 2.3 6.2 7.2 7.5 (47)
Goals : Bulldogs – J Grant 2, M Boyd 2, A Everitt, C Ward, D Giansiracusa, B Johnson, R
Griffen, N Eagleton, A Cooney, S Higgins. Port Adelaide – J Schulz 2, K Cornes 2, J
Westhoff, B Ebert, J Davenport.
Best : Bulldogs – D Cross, M Boyd, B Lake, R Hargrave, N Eagleton, L Gilbee. Port Adelaide
– K Cornes, D Cassisi, D Pearce, T Chaplin, M Banner, P Stewart.
Injuries : Bulldogs – J Roughead (gastro) replaced in selected side by B Moles. Port
Adelaide – M Thomas (corked left leg) replaced in selected side by J Carr, S Salopek
(shoulder), D Brogan (cut head).
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Nicholls, Armstrong, Jeffery.
Crowd - 10,108 at TIO Stadium.
Sydney have an imposing record against Carlton over the last decade, and the Swans
again had the wood on the Blues when they got the early jump and went on to complete a
39-point win at Docklands on Sunday afternoon.
With the first five goals of the game, the Swans were never headed and the pro-Carlton
crowd were soon stunned into silence. With 9 scoring shots to 1 in the first term, the
Swans led by 27 points at quarter time; and going on with the job in the second quarter
the Sydney lead was out to 47 points. By then the game was safe, and although Carlton
won the second half the margin was far too great for the Blues to have any hope of
catching up.
Adam Goodes was at his best, with 28 possessions and 10 marks while moving around
between the half forward and half back line; while Shane Mumford dominated the rucks
with 33 hit-outs.
The result was Carlton’s 4th loss from their last 5 games, only the Blues’ strong percentage
keeping them in the top 8 instead of North Melbourne. But the Swans remain in contention
for a top 4 finish after a game that maintained the Swans’ run of recent success against
Carlton. Only once since Paul Roos took over as Sydney coach in 2002 have the Swans lost
to the Blues.
Sydney 6.3 10.6 14.9 16.11 (107)
Carlton 1.0 3.1 8.3 10.8 (68)
Goals : Sydney – R Shaw 3, J Bolton 2, B McGlynn 2, J McVeigh 2, J Moore 2, J White 2, A
Goodes, B Meredith, K Jack. Carlton - Hampson 2, Betts, Garlett, Judd, Scotland, Simpson,
Waite, Yarran, Murphy.
Best : Sydney – A Goodes, K Jack, J Bolton, S Mumford, R O’Keefe, H Grundy. Carlton – B
Gibbs, M Murphy, C Judd, J Russell, H Scotland, J Waite.
Injuries : Sydney - N Smith (hamstring), L Roberts-Thomson (hamstring), replaced in
selected side by J White. Carlton - K Lucas (hamstring).
Reports : Carlton - A Walker for forceful front on contact on B McGlynn during the fourth
quarter.
Umpires - Donlon, Findlay, Ryan.
Crowd - 31,915 at Docklands.
North Melbourne kept themselves in reach of the top 8, only percentage keeping them out,
after the Kangaroos ended Richmond’s 4-game winning streak with a 50-point victory at
the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers had gone into the match with plenty of confidence, but in wet and slippery
weather the Kangaroos handled the conditions better, showing more commitment in the
packs and willingness to work for the hard ball. A low-scoring opening term saw the
Kangaroos lead by 5 points at the first change. But early in the second term, a hit by Trent
Cotchin on Sam Wright saw Wright forced from the field. Cotchin was reported, but the
Kangaroos kept their heads, resisting the urge to retaliate and instead being galvanised
into action with the football. The next 10 minutes produced four goals for the Kangaroos,
building a buffer that never looked like being threatened.
The Kangaroos led by 14 points at the long break, and the premiership quarter settled the
issue as it was one-way traffic. The Tigers were held to just a single point for the quarter,
the Kangaroo defence magnificently rising to the occasion to starve the Tigers of
goalscoring opportunities. At the other end, North would score five goals for the quarter,
extending their advantage to 46 points at the last change; and from there it was merely a
matter of playing out time for the final siren.
Andrew Swallow was the top possession-getter for the Kangaroos with 31, while Leigh
Adams also was in the thick of the action with 28 disposals. Ruck combination Todd
Goldstein and Hamish McIntosh were also in fine touch, giving the Kangaroo midfield first
use of the football. Daniel Connors with 31 touches for the Tigers worked hard, but the
Kangaroos had the answers for any challenges the Tigers could throw at them and only
percentage keeps the young North side out of the top 8.
North Melbourne 2.4 6.9 11.12 15.13 (103)
Richmond 1.5 4.7 4.8 7.11 (53)
Goals : North Melbourne – L Adams 3, M Campbell 2, L Hansen 2, M Firrito, B Harvey, T
Goldstein, A Swallow, D Wells, D Pratt, G Urquhart, B Warren. Richmond – J Riewoldt 3, J
King, A Collins, L McGuane, R Nahas.
Best : North Melbourne – L Adams, A Swallow, B Harvey, D Wells, N Grima, G Urquhart.
Richmond – D Connors, S Tuck, B Deledio, B Cousins, D Martin, J King.
Injuries : North Melbourne – S Wright (ribs), R Tarrant (thumb). Richmond – W Thursfield
(concussion).
Reports : Richmond – T Cotchin for charging S Wright during the second quarter.
Umpires - Stevic, Meredith, Mollison.
Crowd - 42,723 at the MCG.
Fremantle maintained their top-4 position when the Dockers got off to a flying start and
then hung on against a fast-finishing Melbourne to win by 11 points at Subiaco Oval on
Sunday evening.
The Dockers dominated proceedings early, and helped along by an inspired midfield and by
some silly free kicks given away by the Demons, raced away to a 31-point lead at quarter
time. And with Hayden Ballantyne scoring three goals in the second term, the margin had
been extended to 39 points at the long break.
But the third quarter was barely recognisable after the first half. It was the Demons who
emerged from the rooms full of running, full of confidence and getting the bulk of
possession. Working hard in every contest, the Demons sparked into action, with a run of 6
goals to 1 for the quarter and suddenly by the last change the margin had been cut to 8
points and the game was very much still in the balance.
The last quarter was tight and tough, as the Demons searched desperately for the goal
that would get them within a kick; but the Dockers had the defensive pressure to hold the
Demons out. It took 18 minutes before a goal was scored, and it came to Hayden
Ballantyne to put the result beyond doubt. Although the Demons managed a late goal, it
wasn’t enough for them to complete the comeback; and the Demons would rue the poor
play in the first half that made the Fremantle lead just too much to come back from.
Fremantle 6.3 9.8 10.10 11.16 (82)
Melbourne 1.2 3.5 9.8 10.11 (71)
Goals : Fremantle – H Ballantyne 4, D Mundy 2, P Hasleby, P Duffield, N Fyfe, R Palmer, R
Crowley. Melbourne – J Bennell 2, L Jurrah 2, A Davey 2, L Johnson, C Sylvia, N Jones, B
Green.
Best : Fremantle – P Duffield, R Palmer, D Mundy, A Sandilands, A McPhee, M Pavlich.
Melbourne – C Sylvia, A Davey, T Scully, B Green, J Macdonald, C Garland.
Injuries : Fremantle – K Bradley (knee), D Roberton (ankle). Melbourne – B Moloney
(corked thigh).
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Margetts, Rosebury, Dalgleish.
Crowd - 32,816 at Subiaco Oval.
|
HARBOURSPORT PLAYER OF THE YEAR :
Adelaide v Geelong – B Vince (Adel) 7, H Taylor (Geel) 7, J Selwood (Geel) 4, S Goodwin (Adel) 3, N Van Berlo (Adel) 2, P Chapman (Geel)
2, G Johncock (Adel) 1.
Collingwood v St Kilda – D Swan (Coll) 8, S Fisher (St K) 7, S Pendlebury (Coll) 5, L Montagna (St K) 5, D Thomas (Coll) 4, A Didak (Coll) 3,
L Hayes (St K) 2.
Hawthorn v Brisbane – J Lewis (Haw) 10, L Hodge (Haw) 7, B Sewell (Haw) 5, W Skipper (Haw) 3, Brennan (Bris) 2, S Burgoyne (Haw) 2,
L Power (Bris) 1.
Essendon v West Coast - M LeCras (WCE) 12, B Stanton (Ess) 5, J Kennedy (WCE) 5, M Priddis (WCE) 4, J Winderlich (Ess) 3, T Colyer
(Ess) 1, D Cox (WCE) 1.
Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide – D Cross (WBul) 9, K Cornes (Port) 8, M Boyd (WBul) 7, B Lake (WBul) 6, D Cassisi (Port) 2, R
Hargrave (WBul) 2, D Pearce (Port) 1.
Carlton v Sydney – A Goodes (Syd) 6, B Gibbs (Carl) 5, K Jack (Syd) 5, J Bolton (Syd) 4, M Murphy (Carl) 3, S Mumford (Syd) 2, C Judd
(Carl) 1.
Richmond v North Melbourne – L Adams (NthM) 8, A Swallow (NthM) 6, D Connors (Rich) 5, B Harvey (NthM) 3, S Tuck (Rich) 3, D Wells
(NthM) 2, B Deledio (Rich) 1.
Fremantle v Melbourne – P Duffield (Freo) 5, C Sylvia (Melb) 3, R Palmer (Freo) 3, A Davey (Melb) 2, D Mundy (Freo) 2, T Scully (Melb) 1, A
Sandilands (Freo) 1.
Adelaide v Geelong – B Vince (Adel) 7, H Taylor (Geel) 7, J Selwood (Geel) 4, S Goodwin (Adel) 3, N Van Berlo (Adel) 2, P Chapman (Geel)
2, G Johncock (Adel) 1.
Collingwood v St Kilda – D Swan (Coll) 8, S Fisher (St K) 7, S Pendlebury (Coll) 5, L Montagna (St K) 5, D Thomas (Coll) 4, A Didak (Coll) 3,
L Hayes (St K) 2.
Hawthorn v Brisbane – J Lewis (Haw) 10, L Hodge (Haw) 7, B Sewell (Haw) 5, W Skipper (Haw) 3, Brennan (Bris) 2, S Burgoyne (Haw) 2,
L Power (Bris) 1.
Essendon v West Coast - M LeCras (WCE) 12, B Stanton (Ess) 5, J Kennedy (WCE) 5, M Priddis (WCE) 4, J Winderlich (Ess) 3, T Colyer
(Ess) 1, D Cox (WCE) 1.
Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide – D Cross (WBul) 9, K Cornes (Port) 8, M Boyd (WBul) 7, B Lake (WBul) 6, D Cassisi (Port) 2, R
Hargrave (WBul) 2, D Pearce (Port) 1.
Carlton v Sydney – A Goodes (Syd) 6, B Gibbs (Carl) 5, K Jack (Syd) 5, J Bolton (Syd) 4, M Murphy (Carl) 3, S Mumford (Syd) 2, C Judd
(Carl) 1.
Richmond v North Melbourne – L Adams (NthM) 8, A Swallow (NthM) 6, D Connors (Rich) 5, B Harvey (NthM) 3, S Tuck (Rich) 3, D Wells
(NthM) 2, B Deledio (Rich) 1.
Fremantle v Melbourne – P Duffield (Freo) 5, C Sylvia (Melb) 3, R Palmer (Freo) 3, A Davey (Melb) 2, D Mundy (Freo) 2, T Scully (Melb) 1, A
Sandilands (Freo) 1.
LEADING GOALKICKERS :
61 - Jack Riewoldt (Rich)
54 - Barry Hall (WBul)
50 - Mark LeCras (WCE)
47 - Brendan Fevola (Carl)
44 - Matthew Pavlich (Freo)
38 - Jonathan Brown (Bris)
38 - Stephen Milne (St K)
37 - Josh Kennedy (WCE)
37 - Brad Green (Melb)
36 - Kurt Tippett (Adel)
36 - Steven Johnson (Geel)
36 - James Podsiadly (Geel)
36 - Jarryd Roughead (Haw)
61 - Jack Riewoldt (Rich)
54 - Barry Hall (WBul)
50 - Mark LeCras (WCE)
47 - Brendan Fevola (Carl)
44 - Matthew Pavlich (Freo)
38 - Jonathan Brown (Bris)
38 - Stephen Milne (St K)
37 - Josh Kennedy (WCE)
37 - Brad Green (Melb)
36 - Kurt Tippett (Adel)
36 - Steven Johnson (Geel)
36 - James Podsiadly (Geel)
36 - Jarryd Roughead (Haw)
| WEEK 17 FIXTURES Michael Shillito's tips in bold (84.5/128 to Date) Friday 23rd July St Kilda v Hawthorn (7:40pm, Docklands) Saturday 24th July Collingwood v Richmond (2:10pm, MCG) Geelong v Brisbane (2:10pm, Skilled Stadium) North Melbourne v Essendon (7:10pm, Docklands) West Coast v Carlton (7:40pm, Subiaco Oval) Sunday 25th July Western Bulldogs v Fremantle (1:10pm, Docklands) Melbourne v Sydney (2:10pm, MCG) Port Adelaide v Adelaide (4:40pm, AAMI Stadium) |
| HARBOURSPORT PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Standings Dane Swan (Coll) - 102 Leigh Montagna (St K) - 69 Luke Hodge (Haw) - 64 Paul Chapman (Geel) - 59 Gary Ablett (Geel) - 59 Matthew Boyd (WBul) - 58 Michael Barlow (Freo) - 57 James Bartel (Geel) - 48 Nick Dal Santo (St K) - 47 Brent Harvey (NthM) - 46 Scott Pendlebury (Coll) - 44 Brian Lake (WBul) - 44 |
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