[AFL-Review] Round 17

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St Kilda 14.3.87 Drew with Hawthorn 13.9.87
This was a titanic struggle and a great game of football almost ruined by two umpiring technicalities regarding interchange and runners. Another draw for the season providing little joy for tipsters. Buddy kicked 5 lazy goals for the Hawks while Kozy, Milne and Schneider all kicked 3 for the Saints. One wonders how much better a player Franklin would be if he just cut out the crap on the field at times. He gave away 200 metres in penalties and these were basically for stupidity. Still, after a cuddle from the coach he seemed to have got the message. There has been a bit of flak against Koszitsche over the past few weeks and when he kicked 3 goals in the first quarter it looked like he would answer the critics in the best possible way. But after the first quarter he was not as effective. Hayes and Goddard were good for the Saints and Hodge and Franklin seemed the best for Hawthorn. Watching a match a few weeks ago I thought Del Santo had his nose broken and it looked like he had it broken again during this game. Ditto Brown for the Hawks and added to a smashed lip on Gardiner the saying that the game was full of blood and guts seemed to hold true this night.
 
Collingwood 19.13.127 Defeated Richmond 6.9.45
The match went to script and showed us the difference between the top side and the almost bottom side. The Pies had a 7 goal lead at half time and continued on from there. Collingwood controlled the game and at times tended to be a bit cute but they could afford it. Dane Swan collected 37 possessions again as a stand out and he was ably supported by Didak, Pendlebury and Johnson playing his 200th. Cousins and Tuck collected over 20 touches each for the Tigers but it was difficult to see just how effective they were. Leon Davis got back into some sort of goal kicking mood with 4 but the Pies would be a better team with a proper full forward and one they would be prepared to stick with. Maybe when Cloke returns to the team next week their forward thrusts might yield better results. The Tigers have a long way to go so maybe by 2015 we might see them closer to a final appearance.
 
Geelong 19.13.127 Defeated Brisbane 9.10.64
Again the difference between the good sides and the rest is a chasm and perhaps the AFL should look at a mercy rule when a team is 10 goals down. Especially if the game is in Geelong because then spectators can hit that highway and be home at a reasonable time grabbing a bite of fish and chips on the way home. Ablett kicked 5 for the Cats and with Varcoe and Johnson who both booted 4 each that was enough to beat the Lions anyway. Jonathan Brown's 4 goals in that team total is a significant contribution. Selwood had 41 possessions for Geelong and rumour has it that he will win the club best and fairest ahead of Gary Ablett who was seen mouthing the words to the Gold Coast Sun's club song when resting on the bench in preparation for next season!
 
Essendon 18.14.122 Defeated North Melbourne 18.11.119
The fickle finger of fate pointed at North in this match during which they suffered some unexpected player changes due to injury. The heat came off the Essendon coach but results like these continue to frustrate knowledgeable tipsters. North lost Wells just before the game forcing them to get David Hale to get changed and be available even though Hale had already played a game for the VFL team that day!!?? This is AFL we are talking about here but North was forced to resort to school yard football tactics to field a full side? Neither backline functioned effectively in this game with both teams kicking 18 goals apiece. This was a disastrous result for tipsters.
 
Carlton 15.19.109 Defeated West Coast 11.17.83
How can a team allow a 52 point turnaround in a half of football when they have been dominating the first two quarters? Carlton must have been suffering jet lag up to half time after which they played a totally different game to win reasonably easily. The 12 goal hero, LeCras, from last week managed just 3 goals this week but it was the effective blanketing of the West Coast's Priddis by Ellard that probably made most of the difference. Betts and Garlett kicked 3 each for the Blues which was a turnaround from the previous two weeks during which they kicked none. Murphy and Simpson as well as Judd played well for Carlton while Rosa and Strijk, before he was carried off the field injured, were the main contributors for West Coast who would be pretty disappointed with that second half fade out. The Blues play Collingwood next week and the Eagles might have a chance against a fading Fremantle.
 
Western Bulldogs 24.14.158 Defeated Fremantle 12.4.76
One would think that the departure of Akermanis had a positive effect on the Bulldogs who kicked a season high score to obliterate top 4 pretenders Fremantle. The game was virtually over by the end of the first quarter but definitely by half time. Pav kicked 4 for the Dockers in a dirty day and Hall did likewise for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have ensured the top 4 will be the same as last year but Fremantle will need to be careful they don't drop their bundle completely. They will play finals but the intensity of the early season they showed has gone partly due to the loss of Barlow from the on ball group. It looks like the Western Bulldogs are ramping up as season finals approach so their timing is good.
 
Melbourne 22.10.142 Defeated Sydney 10.9.69
Notorious for slow starts the Demons came out and won this game in the 1st quarter. Those among you who have a reasonable explanation for such unpredictable form reversals please step forward. Melbourne played exceptionally well and it looked like the Swans had other things on their mind, maybe what to buy their departing coach Roos as a going away present at the end of the year. I reckon a tape of the 2005 grand final would be an okay prezzie. Green dominated up forward for the Demons kicking 5 goals and Goodes was the standout for the Swans kicking 4. Melbourne had a lot of good players on the day and with that scoreline it's obvious the whole team played well.
 
Port Adelaide 13.10.88 Defeated  Adelaide 9.15.69
Well what can you say? A totally ridiculous result based on what the end prize was for the Crows, to say nothing about the recent form of both teams. It is understood that not even Port supporters saw this one coming!! Had the Crows won this game they would have been knocking on the door of the 8 after a great few weeks of form, especially beating Geelong last week. Yep, they beat the Cats last week and maybe that's the reason they were flat today. But all they had to do was turn up and try a bit and they would have accounted for Port. Pearce, Cassissi and Cornes dominated for Port with Westhoff booting 4 for the Power. At time of writing no stats were available for the Crows. Maybe they turned their computers off at half time in disgust when it was obvious the bird had flown. Carlton, North and Swans can breathe a little easier after this surprise defeat of Adelaide.
 
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