Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines wheels on to his left foot ahead of Gold Coast’s Touk Miller on Sunday. Photo: AFL MEDIA
MELBOURNE 16.21 (117) defeated BRISBANE 7.11 (53)
It was an emphatic statement from the reigning premier and the damage, significant as it was, could have been much worse. Brisbane coach Chris Fagan admitted as much post-match, with his side comprehensively outplayed after the opening few minutes. Tough midfielder Jack Viney (34 disposals) was stand-in captain with Max Gawn out injured and produced a brilliant display as Clayton Oliver (35) and Christian Petracca (31) got to work. They comprehensively outplayed Brisbane’s midfield as James Harmes put the clamps on Lachie Neale. Steven May was shaky at times with ball in hand – two poor disposals led directly to Brisbane goals – on return from concussion protocols and a club-imposed suspension. But he kept Joe Daniher relatively quiet and allowed Jake Lever to play his intercepting role to perfection. Bayley Fritsch kicked three goals and Luke Jackson was involved in an entertaining ruck duel with Oscar McInerney, while Hugh McCluggage worked tirelessly for the Lions.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 19.11 (125) defeated HAWTHORN 12.11 (83)
Tom Liberatore was outstanding in helping turn the tide after the Bulldogs had trailed by 26 points midway through the second quarter. The tough midfielder’s work around the contest got the ball going the right way for Luke Beveridge and the Dogs kicked the next 13 goals to run away with a comfortable win. Aaron Naughton and Rhylee West kicked three goals each, with the latter producing one of the best games of his career, while Jack Macrae, Josh Dunkley and Marcus Bontempelli helped give the Dogs the upper hand in the middle. James Sicily cut a frustrated figure for the Hawks, involved in several scuffles throughout the night. He was even fined $1000 for misconduct after ripping off Naughton’s headband. The two sides kicked seven goals apiece in a free-flowing final term but the result was already beyond doubt at that stage. Mitch Lewis finished with four goals and Luke Breust three for the Hawks.
WEST COAST 16.11 (107) defeated ESSENDON 14.13 (97)
At long last Eagles fans had cause for celebration as they waved their jackets in the face of an old rival. West Coast’s club-record losing streak came to an end as veteran spearhead Josh Kennedy wound back the clock with five goals. Willie Rioli and Jamie Cripps added three each, while Jack Redden and Luke Shuey did well around the ball and Elliot Yeo had an influence in his new defensive role. The Bombers had more inside-50s (58-42) and clearances (37-30) but couldn’t make that ascendancy count on the scoreboard. Peter Wright (4.4) and Jake Stringer (3.0) threatened in attack and Essendon led by 22 points during the first quarter before being run over in the second. The Eagles kicked six goals to two in that term and the lead changed hands four times in the third before the home side skipped clear.
CARLTON 12.9 (81) defeated FREMANTLE 7.8 (50)
The Blues’ statement was every bit as strong as Melbourne’s in a dominant performance under the roof that coach Michael Voss branded a “signature win”. Fremantle kicked the first three goals but it was all Carlton from there as the Dockers’ key defenders tried in vain to resist the home side’s frequent attacking raids. The dam wall eventually broke and a five-goals-to-one second term gave the Blues the upper hand. Charlie Curnow kicked four goals and Alex Pearce did well to limit Harry McKay to two, while Sam Walsh (40 disposals) was best afield. Patrick Cripps (22 disposals), George Hewett (27) and Zac Fisher (29) were also influential for Carlton as Will Brodie and Andrew Brayshaw fought hard against the tide for Fremantle. Nat Fyfe’s dirty day got worse when he attracted MRO scrutiny for making contact with an umpire, though the incident was eventually ticked off.
GEELONG 13.11 (89) defeated RICHMOND 13.8 (86)
This contender for “game of the season” had just about everything, including controversy and a thrilling finish. Regular defender Jack Henry had the final say with a strong mark and goal deep in attack to put the exclamation mark on a thrilling final quarter. The Cats won despite letting a 35-point lead slip earlier in the game, which no doubt brought back memories of the 2019 preliminary final and 2020 grand final defeats to Richmond. Jeremy Cameron and Tyson Stengle booted three goals each for Geelong, matched by Tigers duo Tom Lynch and Shai Bolton. But the big talking point was Tom Stewart’s high bump that felled Dion Prestia, leaving the Richmond star dazed before he was substituted out of the match. Stewart was jeered by Tigers fans for the rest of the night and Chris Scott said his star defender later conceded, “I’ve just made a horrible error and I feel terrible about it.” The incident has been sent to the tribunal.
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SYDNEY 12.11 (83) defeated ST KILDA 4.8 (32)
A strong response from Sydney, but St Kilda’s insipid display was the talking point as it slipped out of the top eight this round and lost six percentage points in the process. The Saints had just two goals on the board until popping through a couple of consolation goals in the final quarter. Jake Lloyd (39 disposals), Nick Blakey (31), Oliver Florent (27) and Callum Mills (24) ran riot for the Swans and Isaac Heeney continued his brilliant season with three goals, assisted in attack by Tom Papley and Ryan Clarke (two each). Clarke limited Jack Sinclair’s influence in a defensive role as he made his first on-field appearance of the season, having been an unused substitute twice. Saints skipper Jack Steele had 27 disposals on return from a shoulder injury but coach Brett Ratten wasn’t happy with his side’s midfield, highlighting their poor ball use as a key reason for the loss.
NORTH MELBOURNE 8.10 (58) lost to ADELAIDE 17.13 (115)
Jackson Archer’s debut gave the Kangaroos a feel-good story during the build-up, but things gradually turned sour in Hobart. Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker kicked six goals and his protege Darcy Fogarty added four as the Crows dined out on a wounded opponent. Rory Laird was outstanding – 34 disposals, 11 clearances and 11 tackles – as Ben Keays (30 possessions), Jordan Dawson (29) racked up touches at will. Clearances and contested possession were fairly even but the cleaner Crows enjoyed a 59-43 advantage in inside-50s. Aaron Hall (38 disposals) was typically busy for North and Jy Simpkin (28) and Hugh Greenwood (25) tried, but the “home” side had few clear winners. Archer – the son of North legend Glenn Archer – finished with 15 disposals and showed some encouraging signs. The result extended the last-placed Kangaroos’ losing streak to a dozen matches with an average losing margin of 59.3 points in that time.
COLLINGWOOD 11.22 (88) defeated GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 12.5 (77)
The game looked headed for a straightforward Collingwood victory after three-and-a-half quarters of grinding, wet-weather football. But four goals to GWS in a 10-minute burst late in the final term saw the visitors threaten a boilover. A 37-point deficit at three-quarter time was suddenly just 10 points as Jesse Hogan (four goals), Josh Kelly (26 disposals) and Stephen Coniglio (31) tried to lift the Giants. It wasn’t to be as the Pies put the squeeze on, claiming a fifth-straight win to maintain course towards a finals berth. Steele Sidebottom (26 disposals), Taylor Adams (24) and ruckman Darcy Cameron – the latter fresh off signing a new three-year deal – were influential for the Pies. Cameron, Jamie Elliott, Brody Mihocek and Oliver Henry kicked two goals each for Collingwood. There was controversy in the final term when Darcy Moore was pinged for a deliberate rushed behind, leaving Magpies defenders scratching their heads.
PORT ADELAIDE 13.15 (93) defeated GOLD COAST 13.13 (91)
It took them until the dying seconds of the match to confirm it, but Ken Hinkley’s Power kept their finals flame flickering with a thrilling two-point win. The Suns’ final forward thrust led to a throw-in deep in the pocket with 11 seconds left on the clock and Port’s desperate defence won out at the stoppage, clearing the ball to safety. The crucial victory came on the back of another four goals from vastly improved tall Todd Marshall and big roles from Ollie Wines, Dan Houston, Riley Bonner and Karl Amon. Co-captains Touk Miller (30 disposals, nine clearances) and Jarrod Witts (20, eight) were inspirational for the Suns, who had a sniff when Nick Holman put them within a kick with plenty of time left to win it. Mabior Chol and Izak Rankine both kicked three goals for Gold Coast.
