AFL Review Round 9
Geelong 15.12.102 defeated Carlton 14.16.100
As predicted there was really nothing in this game and had Warnock kicked truly the result would have gone Carlton's way. Geelong survived another close one. That's two in a row. When players have the outcome of a game in their hands with almost the last kick it's hard to blame them for the loss of the game. The Blues had almost double the inside 50's to Geelong in the final quarter and could not post a winning score. That's footy. Selwood continues his stellar step up for the Cats after the loss of Ablett and the usual good players for Carlton like Murphy, Simpson and Gibbs were prominent.
St Kilda 16.10.106 defeated Melbourne 13.8.86
The Saints finally got themselves a win and maybe this is the start of a more positive half of the season for them. However, the game was tight as expected and it wasn't until late in the match that Melbourne really lost. Lee Montagna was welcomed back into the Saints fold with an almost best on ground performance and Reiwoldt and Milne kicked 3 each for St Kilda. It's a bit difficult for tipsters to find logic in results that see Adelaide defeat the Saints, Melbourne thrash Adelaide and then St Kilda beats Melbourne. Too hard.
Fremantle 21.16.142 defeated Port Adelaide 14.6.90
Well if you're going to get a tip wrong you might as well be 12 goals out and do it in style. So much for going by gut feelings. Another dismal underestimation of Fremantle. Port sucks. Gray and Schultz kicked 3 goals each for Port and Kepler Bradley continues to be a very useful utility for the Dockers kicking 3 goals as well as his efforts around the ground. Port coach Primus was critical of his players saying they just weren't up to AFL standard – harsh. Support for the Power must also be a worry because only about 17,000 turned up to watch the game and even at their worst Fremantle was able to draw a reasonable crowd. There will be some pain before gain for Port. Freo will make the finals especially when they start getting some of their first line players back from injury.
Brisbane 10.13.73 defeated North Melbourne
Who said that one man doesn't make a difference to a team? Brown has come back to the Lions and kicked 4 goals. It took most of the game but the Lions finally put their nose in front in the last quarter and held on to win. Brown kicked those goals in the second half when the game needed to be won. I can't see either of these teams playing finals this season.
Richmond 16.9.105 defeated Essendon 13.11.89
It was a big crowd and a big game with the Tigers putting in a winning 3rd quarter during which they kicked 7 goals to 3 by the Bombers in front of an 80,000 plus crowd. Essendon just could not make up that deficit in the last quarter. It certainly notched up a defining win for the young Richmond side and provided enough promise to make the supporters expect a finals appearance this year. The Bombers were not disgraced. Listening to the game the lead changed a numerous number of times and not until late in the 3rd stanza did the Tigers give themselves a bit of breathing space. Cotchin continues his fine form for Richmond and young Heppel is certainly a star in the making for the Bombers showing fine skills in his first year. Look out next year when Essendon and Richmond players have another year of games under their belts.
Collingwood 20.15.135 defeated Adelaide 14.8.92
Adelaide snatched defeat from victory. Basically the Pies reversed a 30 point deficit and kicked an avalanche of goals in the second half. Collingwood kicked 11 goals in the last quarter and won by 43 points. Lopsided final score considering the Pies didn't wrest back the lead until halfway through the final quarter!! It was a different Pies side that came out after half time and kicked 7 goals to 4 but that was just a mild harbinger for what was to come in the last quarter. Thomas was irresistible for Collingwood, particularly in that second half and it looks like Krakouer has taken the mark of the year going by the comments made on the radio. Players that were down for the Magpies in the first half certainly came to life in the second. The young Adelaide side really deserved to win if a game can be decided in three and half quarters. Thompson was a standout for the Crows and they have a new young player in Sloane whose skill and composure belied his experience. Malthouse got it right in his after match comment this time: Footy is a bizarre game when a team can kick just 2 goals in a half then 18 goals in the second half. Yup.
Hawthorn 15.16.106defeated Sydney 8.12.60
That's a very good win to the Hawks as their victories at that ground have been few and far between. The loss puts the Swans back amongst the ruck and the win for Hawthorn gets them further into the top 8. The next few games should see some firming of ladder positions for the top 6. This was Dreamtime weekend and indigenous players throughout the AFL provided some magic none more match winning than Buddy's 6 goals against the Swans. On top of the goals he had 28 possessions and took 9 marks. Shiels, Birchall and Hodge were also prominent for the Hawks. Maintaining the indigenous theme Goodes was the best for Sydney.
West Coast 26.19.175 defeated Western Bulldogs 8.4.52
Oops! I missed listening to the game and that scoreline is unbelievable. 10 goals the Eagles kicked in the last quarter to no score at all by the Bulldogs!! A 123 point victory? Tipsters might have picked West Coast….. but the margin? Kennedy kicked 10 goals for the Eagles and he was joined for best on ground honours by Shuey and LeCras. Let's face it, when you win by 123 points most, if not all, of the team has played pretty well. Last week the Bulldogs kicked about 19 goals but this week could manage just 8. The Western Bulldogs have major problems and the West Coast Eagles are on the up.
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