Carlton’s Jack Silvagni checksides a miraculous goal from a tight angle against the Giants. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
COLLINGWOOD 7.9 (51) lost to WESTERN BULLDOGS 14.15 (99)
Former Collingwood fan-favourite Adam Treloar produced one of his best outings in Bulldog colours to help Luke Beveridge’s side post a convincing win over the hot-and-cold Pies. Treloar kicked three goals from 36 disposals as best afield and has a perfect 2-0 record against his old club since being forced out at the end of 2020. He was far from a lone hand as Tom Liberatore, Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae starred in a dominant midfield and Aaron Naughton, Josh Dunkley and debutant Buku Khamis matched Treloar’s scoreboard impact with three goals apiece. The Bulldogs dominated the disposal count (437-323), clearances (43-27) and inside-50s (68-46), and had eight of the top nine possession winners on the ground. Young Collingwood forward Ollie Henry showed some glimpses of his potential but was wayward in front of goal with 0.3. Jack Crisp (24 disposals, two goals) was a solid contributor for the Magpies but namesake Jack Madgen (shoulder) didn’t see out the game.
HAWTHORN 14.10 (94) lost to RICHMOND 17.15 (117)
Dustin Martin kicked three goals in his second game back from personal leave, including a ridiculous left-foot snap under pressure, as Richmond resisted a late Hawks fightback. In-form spearhead Tom Lynch kicked four goals in an entertaining battle with James Sicily and Shai Bolton regularly brought the Tiger Army to its feet in another superb display. The Tigers have now won three consecutive games for the first time since a run of five straight straddling 2020-21 and are starting to click into gear, with premiership stars Dion Prestia and Nick Vlastuin the latest to return to action. There were 21 flag winners in Damien Hardwick’s side against the Hawks. Noah Balta’s hamstring injury was somewhat offset by the impressive debut of Bigoa Nyuon, who was picked as a replacement for Josh Gibcus (virus protocols) in defence ahead of experienced recruit Robbie Tarrant. Hawthorn lost veteran Jack Gunston to an ankle injury in the hard-fought encounter as Mitch Lewis and Luke Breust kicked three goals each.
NORTH MELBOURNE 6.10 (46) lost to PORT ADELAIDE 17.13 (115)
Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines shone with 32 disposals, nine clearances and two goals as Power key forwards Mitch Georgiades (three goals), Todd Marshall (three) and Jeremy Finlayson (two) cashed in on their side’s midfield dominance. Port got off to a hot start with six first-quarter goals to one and put an exclamation mark on the performance with seven final-quarter goals. They also claimed 22 marks inside 50m to set up a raft of scoring opportunities. Connor Rozee (27 disposals, seven clearances), Zak Butters (25, seven) and Sam Powell-Pepper (23, six) were more-than-capable sidekicks for Wines. For North, it was a case of a bad season getting worse. Cameron Zurhaar kicked three goals and Luke Davies-Uniacke (25 disposals and seven clearances) impressed, but there was little for Kangaroo fans to celebrate. North has now won just once (and had one draw) in its last seven trips to its second home in Hobart, in a tough run dating back to the start of last season.
ST KILDA 13.12 (90) defeated GEELONG 11.41 (80)
Paddy Ryder made sure his father’s visit from Western Australia wasn’t in vain as he produced a performance to remember, lifting the Saints over the line in a thriller at Marvel Stadium. Ryder teed up teammates with artistic tap-work and booted three goals, including the first of the night and two in a crucial final-quarter contribution. Brad Crouch, Jack Sinclair and Jade Gresham were all outstanding and Callum Wilkie shut down Jeremy Cameron as the Saints’ seven-goal blitz during the third quarter tipped the scales their way. Chris Scott delivered an old-fashioned rocket at three-quarter time to give Geelong a rev-up and Tom Hawkins kicked two goals to trim the margin to three points early in the final term. But Ryder stood tallest when it mattered most as St Kilda boosted its premiership credentials with a gritty win over a top-eight rival. Jack Higgins’ concussion and a shoulder injury to captain Jack Steele took some of the gloss off the win.
SYDNEY 14.21 (105) defeated ESSENDON 6.11 (47)
On another horror night, when it conceded a triple-figure score for the fourth time in nine rounds this season, perhaps the most damning statistic for Essendon was the tackle count. It was 56-30 Sydney’s way, yet again highlighting the Bombers’ poor work rate without the ball in hand. On ABC radio, former Swan Ryan O’Keefe said he had seen more tackling and defensive pressure in AFLX. It was an exaggeration, but you get where O’Keefe was going as the spotlight intensifies on Bomber coach Ben Rutten and his underperforming side. Only once this season has the competition’s leakiest defence restricted an opponent to less than 90 points. Callum Mills starred with 29 disposals, 13 tackles and seven clearances for Sydney as Chad Warner (32 touches) and Tom Papley (21, two goals) helped put the Bombers to the sword. Lance Franklin tormented Essendon yet again but was a little wayward with 2.4 to his name.
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ADELAIDE 8.11 (59) lost to BRISBANE 16. (102)
The Crows actually led this one at half-time, and by as much as 15 points not long before the main break. But the second half belonged to the visitors as former Adelaide goal-sneak Charlie Cameron tore his old side apart with four goals. Zac Bailey booted three as Dayne Zorko (26 disposals, two goals), Lachie Neale (36, one) and Jarryd Lyons (24, one) ran riot. Cam Rayner continued to provide a spark, and while Eric Hipwood (11 disposals) did not kick a goal on return from a long-term knee injury, the fact he got through unscathed was cause for optimism for the Lions. Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks swung the axe after two poor performances – he made seven changes to his side – but didn’t get the response he was after. Shane McAdam kicked three goals for the Crows and Rory Laird had 33 disposals but they had few winners on the night. Brisbane kicked 9.3 to 2.6 after half-time.
GOLD COAST 10.9 (69) defeated FREMANTLE 4.9 (33)
If wins over Carlton and Sydney didn’t do it – never mind the competitive display against Melbourne – then perhaps this latest upset will make people take notice of Gold Coast. Mabior Chol (four goals) and Touk Miller (34 disposals, 10 clearances) shone as Sam Collins stood firm in a stingy defence and Jarrod Witts was prominent in the ruck. But it was the Suns’ superior work rate and efficiency that stood out most as they rolled another top-four contender. Gold Coast dominated clearances (46-30) and contested possessions (174-157) in a slippery slugfest. Izak Rankine provided a spark, with Miller and Matt Rowell tough around the contest. The Dockers won inside-50s by a long way (64-36) but were unable to find reliable scoring avenues once there, going goalless through the entire second and third quarters. Chol even had more goals on the board than Fremantle for most of the final term. Dockers midfielder Will Brodie had 27 disposals and eight clearances against his old side but didn’t get the last laugh.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 11.9 (75) lost to CARLTON 15.15 (105)
GWS fell short in its attempt to send departing coach Leon Cameron off on a winning note. The Blues pulled away in the final quarter as AFL boss Gillon McLachlan knocked back a beer or two in the stands. Carlton’s midfield machine of Patrick Cripps, George Hewett, Sam Walsh and Matthew Kennedy got to work as Josh Kelly and Tom Green battled against the tide for the home side. Jack Silvagni evaded two defenders to kick a goal-of-the-round contender and teammate Jesse Motlop steered through his first goal on debut, but it was Sam Docherty’s final-quarter sealer that really got the navy blue fans going. One sour note for Carlton was defender Zac Williams going down with a suspected achilles injury. The Giants found themselves 27 points in arrears after a slow start but drew level by half-time to set up a competitive second half.
WEST COAST 5.8 (38) lost to MELBOURNE 16.16 (112)
A venue that was once the scene of one of Melbourne’s greatest humiliations (the 2018 preliminary final, if you’d forgotten) has become a happy hunting ground for the Demons in recent times. On Sunday, they returned to Optus Stadium for the first time since last year’s grand final with a lot less riding on the result than there was in September. But they were nonetheless ruthless in the first half, putting an undermanned West Coast to the sword with seven goals to one to build a commanding lead by the main break. Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Jack Viney did well in the engine room at the feet of Max Gawn and Luke Jackson, who dominated their ruck battle with inexperienced Eagles duo Bailey Williams and Callum Jamieson. Tom McDonald, Ben Brown, Kysaiah Pickett, Bayley Fritsch and Petracca all kicked multiple goals in the easy victory. The Eagles are certain to lose Liam Ryan to suspension after his bump collected Jake Bowey high. Melbourne’s Kade Chandler is also in trouble over the tackle that left Luke Foley with a sore head in the dying stages.
