See ya’ later, guys! Tom Hawkins and the Cats are two games clear on top of the ladder. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
What a smorgasbord of sport.
We’ve had the Cricket World Cup, UEFA Champions League final, Giro d’Italia and French Open tennis, plus the build-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and State of Origin rugby league.
The international sporting calendar doesn’t often get much bigger or better than that in the short space of a week.
And amid it all, on the domestic scene, a round of AFL footy that provided as many talking points as any other this season.
The score review system failed us again and is under the blowtorch (again), meanwhile, we might just have started sorting out some of the proverbial men from boys.
Three genuine flag fancies flexed their considerable muscle, with Geelong, Greater Western Sydney and West Coast all boosting their standings in the top four.
The Eagles and Giants gave their respective percentages significant shots in the arm with big wins at home.
But fellow contenders Richmond and Collingwood stumbled to shock losses that could have huge ramifications come September as the top sides jostle for position on the finals starting grid.
Geelong, in particular, is sitting pretty – two games clear on top of the ladder after its comfortable win over Sydney at home.
Tom Hawkins was back among the goals (he kicked four) as Patrick Dangerfield fired on return from injury in the absence of suspended star Gary Ablett.
But the Cats will face more scrutiny from match review officer Michael Christian (following the Ablett sagas) after spearhead Hawkins collected young Swans defender Jordan Dawson high with a late hit during the final quarter.
If suspended, Hawkins would miss Friday night’s MCG blockbuster against Richmond, which will be eager to atone for a surprise defeat to North Melbourne that saw it relinquish a spot in the top four.
The Rhyce Shaw era started with a bang as the Kangaroos replicated the caretaker coach’s self-proclaimed high-energy approach in a stunning upset.
Few saw it coming, but the signs are positive for Shaw and his side after an extraordinary week that saw Brad Scott move aside after almost a decade at the helm.
Conversely, the Tigers are struggling with personnel issues and are yet to truly stamp their authority on the season.
We’ve seen glimpses of 2017-style form this season, but only glimpses.
Brisbane appears finals-bound after a seventh win – this time a gritty comeback against Hawthorn – capped off a brilliant first half of the season for the AFL’s most improved side.
The tally is already two more wins than they managed across the entire 2018 campaign.
The Lions coughed up the first five goals in an inaccurate start, but stormed back into the contest after the first change in a win that will long be remembered for Cam Rayner’s “Jackie Chan” effort on the goal line during the final term.
And while Chris Fagan’s side is flying, it’s a different story for Melbourne, which is having a horror year that went from bad to worse when it coughed up a third-quarter lead of more than five goals in a heartbreaking defeat to Adelaide.
Sam Weideman and Max Gawn both missed kickable set shots at goal in the dying stages of the two-point loss.
The Dees’ 2019 season is all but over just eight months after their drought-breaking finals appearance last year.
It was just as tight at the MCG earlier on Saturday, when Fremantle pinched a see-sawing contest courtesy of Michael Walters’ ice-cool match-winner (more on that later).
It was the Dockers’ first win over the Magpies at the MCG since 2006 in a performance that saw them show off their defensive organization and grit despite the loss of key backman Alex Pearce to injury.
It wasn’t pretty – but isn’t that just how Ross Lyon likes it?
The fallout was heavy after a botched review of a third-quarter ‘goal’ to Walters that was clearly touched off the boot by former teammate Chris Mayne.
Pies coach Nathan Buckley later conceded his side wasn’t deserving of victory regardless of the blunder.
Collingwood fumbled and bumbled its way to a loss that will no doubt be the subject a stern review come Monday before attention turns to the traditional Queen’s Birthday clash against Melbourne.
West Coast continued on its merry way and is building nicely in its premiership defence following a shaky start.
The Eagles are extremely well placed to have another crack at a flag, boasting an 8-3 record after their 61-point hammering of the Western Bulldogs.
Six of their final 10 games are in Perth. Look out.
GWS remains the only side to have beaten Geelong this season and continued to impress with a big win over Gold Coast at Giants Stadium.
Recently re-signed midfielder Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio – who the Giants hope will follow Kelly’s lead and put pen to paper soon – were in fine touch as Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron added another bag of five goals to his growing tally.
But a crowd of just 7581 to watch the two expansion sides do battle must be cause for some concern at league headquarters.
The crowd was almost as small in Shanghai, where the official figure was 9412 at an apparently “sold-out” Jiangwan Stadium as Port Adelaide smacked St Kilda.
The gruesome side note was St Kilda captain Jarryn Geary sustaining a broken leg in his first match back after emergency surgery to relieve the compartment syndrome in his right thigh.
And then there was Carlton, which produced its lowest score of the season in a 41-point belting from Essendon in a match where the loser was always going to be the headline.
Patrick Cripps was shut out of the game by youngster Dylan Clarke and the battling Blues crumbled.
STOCKS RISING: MICHAEL WALTERS
Two weeks, two match-winning shots at goal. After making the post a winner against Brisbane, Walters marked and split the middle in the final minute of Fremantle’s surprise win over Collingwood. Already a very good player, Walters is becoming a genuine star of the competition and should be in the All-Australian conversation at the halfway point of the season.
STOCKS FALLING: CARLTON
Just when you thought Carlton’s stocks couldn’t get any lower, the pressure gauge was turned right up on Brendon Bolton after another dismal showing from his team. The Blues managed just four goals in a sixth successive defeat that left them anchored to the bottom of the ladder. If there’s light at the end of this tunnel, it seems to be a long way down the track.
