Eddie Betts and Jack Newnes ride home Newnes’ match-winning goal for Carlton against Fremantle. Photo: AFL MEDIA
AFL fans have been accustomed to witnessing drama and controversy unfold on and off the field throughout this bizarre 2020 season, so why would Round 12 have been any different?
Inside the traditional football setting, it was mayhem as Carlton upset Fremantle, Aaron Naughton and Tom Hawkins bagged six goals apiece, ladder leader Port Adelaide got thumped, Melbourne trounced injury-ravaged Collingwood, and Chris Fagan delivered an almighty spray.
Away from the bright lights, a Sydney teenager with only four games under his belt became the latest club representative to breach strict COVID-19 protocols and put the season in jeopardy.
Elijah Taylor not only broke AFL rules, but deliberately disobeyed Western Australia’s quarantine protocols as well when his partner visited the Swans’ Perth hub without authorisation.
Sydney was fined $50,000 – with half suspended – but the full extent of the fallout is yet to unfold amid a WA Police investigation.
The incident made the Swans the 12th club to breach official AFL “return to play” protocols since they were put in place to help keep the competition running.
It was torrential rain on an otherwise sunny week for Sydney, who upset GWS last Thursday night in the first New South Wales derby played outside the Harbour City.
The Giants’ “hopeless” performance (per skipper Stephen Coniglio) unfolded under lights at Perth’s Optus Stadium, which two days later played host to one of the most dramatic finishes in living memory.
There were about 20 seconds left on the clock when Fremantle’s Matt Taberner was pinged for deliberate on the wing after tapping the ball out of bounds instead of kicking it forward into space.
You’ve likely seen the rest on replay multiple times by now.
Andrew Brayshaw collided with Sam Docherty after the Blues veteran booted the ball forward, Carlton received a free kick downfield, awarded to Jack Newnes and, after eventually getting a photographer to move out of his way, the former St Kilda player kicked the most remarkable goal of the season to instantly paint himself an old, dark, navy blue hero.
The kick was tougher than Robbie Gray’s to sink Carlton in round seven, and arguably sits second on the all-time list behind Malcolm Blight’s 1976 ball-burster (also against the Blues) for after-the-siren difficulty level.
Expect the AFL to tick off all the umpiring decisions when it goes through the standard umpires review on Monday morning, except for one crucial aspect: the wrong man took the decisive kick.
Michael Gibbons should have taken the kick instead of Newnes. Fremantle fans might feel robbed, but their team managed just two goals after leading by 19 points at quarter-time on its home deck.
But Newnes wasn’t the only hero in round 12.
Tom Hawkins went all “alpha forward” on Port Adelaide as the Cats made an emphatic statement of intent in the premiership race with a 10-goal win at Metricon Stadium.
The “Tomahawk” kicked six of them and outscored the Power on his own – just as he did to Fremantle last month.
He treated opponents with contempt and dined out on service from a star-studded midfield led by Patrick Dangerfield, Cam Guthrie and Sam Menegola (just the one ‘n’ in Menegola, by the way, broadcasters requiring clarity).
Naughton’s career-best haul on Sunday matched Hawkins’ half-dozen, and led the Western Bulldogs to a thumping win over Adelaide, which is now 0-12 for the season.
Melbourne’s 56-point smashing of Collingwood came despite Max Gawn missing with a knee injury and featured Angus Brayshaw celebrating a goal with a golf swing.
St Kilda teammates Ben Long and Hunter Clark riled Dermott Brereton with an “insulting” handshake salute during the Saints’ comfortable win over Essendon (apparently that’s news these days) and Josh Kennedy opted for regulation high-fives as he slotted three majors in the Eagles’ easy victory over Hawthorn.
But Brisbane players were in no mood to pump up their achievements after squeezing past lowly North Melbourne in a flat performance that made coach Fagan’s blood boil in an old-school half-time spray that was caught on camera. To Fagan’s relief, only the vision was broadcast, and not the audio.
After all that, round 12 still isn’t over.
The so-called “Festival of Football” that has dragged out like a Big Bash League season finally draws to a close on Monday night when Richmond takes on Gold Coast at the Gabba.
Keep an eye on any Tigers that are silly enough to commit an act deemed worthy of a 50-metre penalty.
A new team rule dictates offenders will be charged with changing captain Trent Cotchin’s baby boy Parker’s nappy while they’re all based in the club’s Queensland hub.
Such is 2020.
