| * |
Collingwood continued its great
start to the season when they defeated the Western Bulldogs by 34 points on a cold Friday
night in front of a bumper crowd of 67,920 at the MCG. The Magpies attack was on fire
again with a dozen goals shared by ANTHONY ROCCA, CHRIS TARRANT and LEON DAVIS. After a
promising beginning the Bulldogs slumped to their fourth loss of the past five games.
Both sides delivered an entertaining opening with 11 goals without a miss in the
opening quarter with exception performances by Scott West and Nathan
Eagleton who collected 15 possessions each. However, the luckless Bulldogs,
already short of key positional players watched emotionally when its key forward Robert
Murphy was stretchered after his left knee buckled 20 minutes into the second
quarter following a tangle with the strong legs.of Rocca. Murphy will miss the rest of the
season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
Chloe Saltau in her review for The Age noted:
After Murphy went down, and with Daniel Giansiracusa already off the
ground with a hamstring injury, the Bulldogs' struggled to contain the Magpies' charge. Brian
Harris was constantly hassled by Rocca, who pounced on a fumble which was in
front of goal, and Davis first put through a left-foot snap and then benefited when Harris
scooped the ball out of bounds and was penalised for it.
The Bulldogs though were not done yet. For a while Collingwood dominated the early part of
the third quarter, as Rocca continued to loom large across half-forward, the Bulldogs
found something towards the end of it and kicked the last four goals of the term to trail
by only 10 points. The fight was led by a couple of veterans – West at his prolific
best in the middle (a whopping 40 touches for the night), and Chris Grant up
forward. The Magpies, doing without late withdrawals Simon Prestigiacomo
and Shane Wakelin, relied on James Clement, Ryan
Lonie and Nick Maxwell in defence.
After Eagleton swept in from a wing for his third, and Wayde Skipper and Jordan
McMahon narrowed the deficit and shouted at their teammates to keep going.
Maxwell reached around Grant's chest, nudged his back and gave away a free kick –
Grant kicked the third of his four goals after the siren, and the Bulldogs went to the
huddle with hope.
The hope was all but snuffed out by Dane Swan. With two quick goals, one
from a free kick, he gave Collingwood some breathing space, and then he steamed up the
ground, bouncing as he went, to present Rocca with his fifth goal. When Alan Didak
slotted through his third for the night at the 16-minute mark, the Magpies were 31 points
up and had sealed their seventh win for the season. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 1 |
| Collingwood v Western
Bulldogs |
Friday (n), May 26, 2006
MCG, 7.40pm AEST, crowd: 67,920
Conditions: Slippery from dew
Weather: 13C, cold night, frost on the way |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| COL |
5.0-30 |
12.5-77 (20) |
16.6-102 (10) |
21.13-139 (34) |
| WB |
6.0-36 (6) |
9.3-57 |
14.8-92 |
16.9-105 |
Goals: Collingwood:
Anthony Rocca 5.1, Chris Tarrant 4, Leon Davis 3, Alan Didak 3, Dane Swan 3, Scott Burns,
Josh Fraser, Paul Licuria.
West.B'dogs: Chris Grant 4, Nathan Eagleton 3, Rohan Smith 2, Ryan Hargrave, Brad
Johnson, Jordan McMahon, Ryan Murphy, Matthew Robbins, Wayde Skipper, Peter Street.
Best: Collingwood: Dane Swan, Anthony Rocca, Chris Tarrant, Paul Licuria, Shane
O'Bree, Heath Shaw, Alan Didak.
West.B'dogs: Scott West, Nathan Eagleton, Jordan McMahon, Chris Grant, Adam Cooney,
Lindsay Gilbee.
Umpires: Mathew James, Scott McLaren, Justin Schmitt.
Reports:
l
Chris Tarrant (Col) was cited with a Level Two striking offence against Dale
Morris (WB) during the third quarter. An early plea would result in a one-match
suspension. Tarrant accepted guilt and the one-match suspension.
l Brian Harris (WB) was cited with a Level One striking offence against Anthony
Rocca (Col) during the fourth quarter. Harris accepted guilt with an early plea
and a reprimand. |
Leading up to Saturday's match
at Kardinia Park – Geelong were $1.30, Richmond $3.30 and the Tigers hadn't won down
by Corio Bay since 1990. A near capacity 23,386 attended and watched Richmond win by 20
points and Geelong plummet to 12th place on the ladder – the Tigers proved the
doubters wrong and forced a serious crisis in Catland.
Sportal noted both sides played a free-flowing game with Troy
Simmonds, Chris Hyde and Kayne Pettifer all
slotting multiple goals for Richmond, along with Andrew Krakouer who
snared two in the last as the Tigers held out the fast finishing Cats. Jimmy
Bartel had 29 possessions, Gary Ablett (25) and
Shannon Byrnes kept the Cats in the game with little support from their
team mates, found the going too much at the death.
Paul Gough observed for Sportal ... once again
the Cats were let down by the forward line as the disappointed Geelong crowd booed their
players off at the end of the game. The Cats were forced to rely on their small players to
kick their goals with Ablett, who was a constant danger after only passing a late fitness
test to play, booting two goals. But it was an indictment on the Cats' misfiring forward
line that their leading goalkicker for the day was midfielder Jarad Rooke,
who has made his name in league football as a tagger, with three goals.
Unfortunately the Cats again left too little to too few with Matthew Scarlett
magnificent at full-back on Matthew Richardson, who kicked a wasteful 1.4
and one out of bounds, while Bartel, Byrnes and Cameron Ling never
stopped trying. However, while the Cats only had about half a dozen contributors, the
much-improved Tigers never stopped working for each other and showed great character to
run away with the game in the final term after the Cats threatened to take control of the
game late in the third term.
In the first three terms the Tigers began each quarter better only for Geelong to finish
the quarter stronger but Richmond looked vulnerable when their 16-point lead at the
18-minute mark of the third term was turned into a three-point lead by the Cats at the
last change.
However, when Richmond again started the final quarter the stronger through goals to
Pettifer and two from Krakouer, the Cats just could not summon up another comeback as they
wasted chance after chance in front of goal.
Fittingly it was Simmonds, who dominated the ruck all day, who sealed the game when he
palmed the ball superbly to Chris Hyde from a ball-up at the 25-minute mark with Hyde
running into an open goal to ensure the Tigers' first win over Geelong at any venue since
2000. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 2 |
| Geelong v Richmond |
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Kardinia Park, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 23,386
Conditions: Good
Weather: 14C, cloudy, sunny breaks |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| GEE |
5.3-33 (6) |
8.7-55 (4) |
12.9-81 (3) |
12.18-90 |
| RCH |
4.3-27 |
8.3-51 |
12.6-78 |
17.8-110 (20) |
Goals: Richmond:
Chris Hyde 4, Kayne Pettifer 3, Troy Simmonds 3, Andrew Krakouer 2, Richard Tambling,
Patrick Bowden, Mark Coughlan, Greg Tivendale. Geelong: Jarad Rooke 3, Jimmy Bartel
2, Gary Ablett 2, Brad Ottens, Andrew Mackie, Joel Corey, Shannon Byrnes, Steve Johnson.
Best: Richmond: Troy Simmonds, Mark Coughlan, Kayne Pettifer, Chris Hyde, Richard
Tambling, Joel Bowden. Geelong: Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Matthew Scarlett, Jarad
Rooke, Shannon Byrnes, Cameron Ling.
Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Adam Davis, Ray Chamberlain. |
Adelaide
returned to the winning list on Saturday afternoon in sunny conditions at Football Park to
a crowd of 41,157. The Crows in spite of another sluggish second quarter overwhelmed
Carlton by 64 points and retained second place on the ladder.
Alan Shiell for Sportal reported: Stung by the shock
loss to the Tigers the previous week, the Crows started with a flurry and set up the
victory with a seven goals to one first quarter. Adelaide were challenged by the Blues in
the second term but responded after the long break with the sparkling form that has them
rated as one of the premiership favourites.
The Crows over-used the ball in the second term – usually a problem quarter for them
– and paid the penalty when some of their 53 handpasses (to Carlton's 22) came
unstuck, just as the Blues had turned the ball over too often, mainly in defence, in the
first quarter.
Ashley Porter noted in The Age: Nothing can
hide the fact that Carlton was trounced again, but don't expect to hear its president, Graham
Smorgon, echo the sentiments of his Hawthorn counterpart Jeff Kennett
about not trying. There were encouraging passages of play between some of those
not-so-pretty moments. Simply, Carlton had a dip – which is all that can be asked
– and was beaten by a far better side.
Adelaide's early dominance saw a return of flair, such as a spectacular flying mark by Brett
Burton over Barnaby French, and welcomed the dash and class of
the mercurial Andrew McLeod, who had 34 disposals. However, at times it
tried to do too much. It was the leadership of Mark Ricciuto and Simon
Goodwin (32 disposals) that steered the Crows back on track, and the impact was
reflected on the scoreboard.
After kicking three goals at full-forward, Ricciuto went
into the middle late in the third term, and it was an ominous sign that the Adelaide
captain is ready to resume his usual role on the ball. Goodwin was again brilliant, and
rivalled Burton for the mark of the round when he climbed over Cory McGrath,
and goaled from 50 metres.
Trent Hentschel was impressive deep in the
forward lines for Adelaide, while Scott Stevens probably played his best
game, both in defence and attack, rewarding coach Neil Craig for the
faith he has shown in him. Adelaide was strong throughout, but again it was its defence
that stood tall, especially through Nathan Bassett and Graham
Johncock, both of whom had a remarkable 29 attacking disposals from the last line
of defence.
Matthew Lappin has had his share of
criticism, but he produced a great effort and was Carlton's best. He worked hard for three
goals, and presented himself at every contest. Brendan Fevola (two goals)
had an absorbing battle with Ben Rutten, while Lance Whitnall
was at times a thorn in the Crows' forward lines. Carlton deserves points for trying, but
it could not expect to get close with just two goals in the second half. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 3 |
| Adelaide v Carlton |
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Football Park, 3.10pm AEST, crowd: 41,157
Conditions: Good
Weather: 17C, lengthy sunny breaks, light cloud |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| ADE |
7.5-47 (40) |
10.6-66 (21) |
16.12-108 (57) |
18.16-124 (64) |
| CAR |
1.1-7 |
7.3-45 |
8.3-51 |
9.6-60 |
Goals: Adelaide:
Mark Ricciuto 3, Trent Hentschel 3, Brett Burton 2, Scott Thompson 2, Ken McGregor 2,
Michael Doughty, Graham Johncock, Brent Reilly, Scott Stevens, Matthew Bode, Simon
Goodwin. Carlton: Matthew Lappin 3, Brendan Fevola 2, Marc Murphy, Lance Whitnall,
Anthony Koutoufides, Kade Simpson.
Best: Adelaide: Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin, Graham Johncock, Nathan Bassett,
Scott Thompson, Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten. Carlton: Heath Scotland, Marc Murphy,
Matthew Lappin, Ian Prendergast, Simon Wiggins, Adam Bentick.
Umpires: Hayden Kennedy, Damien Sully, Stefan Grun. |
Port Adelaide unbearably spoiled
the party for KEVIN SHEEDY's 600th match as Essendon coach when they landed a 10-goal
thrashing at Docklands on Saturday night – it was Port's third win and the Bombers'
eighth-straight defeat, anchoring them to bottom place and facing their first wooden spoon
since 1933.
Sportal noted: Essendon was slow to start with Port kicking
seven goals to three in the first quarter but ultimately it was the 11 goals to five in
the second half that assured the Power the win. Port had more contributors, which was
reflected in the 13 goalkickers the side boasted.
Martin Boulton reviewed the match for The Age: Danyle
Pearce gathered 10 possessions for Port in the opening term. One of his early
efforts saw Warren Tredrea backing into a pack to take a courageous mark.
His quick chip-kick to big Brendon Lade closer to goal resulted in the
Power's first major score. Not to be outdone, teammate Shaun Burgoyne
went for a burst on the opposite wing, unloaded from outside 50 and Essendon players could
only look on as the ball bounced through for Port's second goal.Essendon kept working forward despite Port's early dominance through
the midfield and Adam McPhee's snap across his body found Brent Stanton
who goaled from a set shot. When James Ezard took on two Bombers at
half-forward and lost, Essendon quickly went into attack and Kepler Bradley's
goal on the run reduced the margin to just 13 points.
Port was dominating the centre clearances through ruckman
Lade and Dean Brogan, back for his first game since Port won its last
match in round four. Bombers' ruckman Jason Laycock battled hard, but
newly appointed skipper David Hille was moved into the centre in the
second quarter after starting up forward. After 10 goals in the first quarter, the first
major score of the second quarter took more than 13 minutes to come, as each team grimly
defended. The Bombers bounced back in the second quarter. Jason Winderlich
showed plenty of dash and hit the gas and delivered to Scott Lucas, who
goaled from a set-shot outside 50.
The third term was all Port, with Brett Ebert
stamping his authority on the game, Pearce working back into the match after going missing
in the second quarter and the Bombers' early run and hardness at the footy starting to run
out.
Dean Solomon, who managed to sneak into
the side after escaping a one-match ban at the tribunal, did some strong work early, but
even his best efforts failed to shake the Power. After spending time on the bench, Tredrea
resurfaced in the third quarter to boot three goals and lead his team to a demolition job
on Essendon. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 4 |
| Essendon v Port Adelaide |
Saturday (n), May 27, 2006
Docklands, 7.10pm AEST, Roof closed, crowd: 29,232
Conditions: Good
Weather: 12C, cool |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| ESS |
3.6-24 |
4.9-33 |
6.11-47 |
9.15-69 |
| PA |
7.1-43 (19) |
9.5-59 (26) |
15.9-99 (47) |
20.9-129 (60) |
Goals: Port:
Warren Tredrea 4, Damon White 3, Brett Ebert 2, Stuart Dew 2, Brendon Lade, Shaun
Burgoyne, Michael Wilson, Adam Thomson, Nathan Lonie, Toby Thurstans, Dean Brogan, Danyle
Pearce, Troy Chaplin. Essendon: Scott Lucas 3, Brent Stanton, Kepler Bradley, Jobe
Watson, Adam McPhee, Mark McVeigh, Mark Bolton.
Best: Port: Brendon Lade, Steven Salopek, Shaun Burgoyne, Danyle Pearce, Kane
Cornes, Brad Symes, Dean Brogan. Essendon: Mark McVeigh, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Jobe
Watson, Andrew Welsh, Scott Lucas.
Umpires: Brett Allen, Scott Jeffery, Troy Pannell.
Reports:
l
Nathan Lovett-Murray (Ess) was cited with a Level Two offence for engaging in
rough conduct against Port Adelaide's Damon White during the fourth
quarter. The MRP offered a reprimand for the offence on an early plea. Lovett-Murray
accepted guilt and the reprimand.
l Mark McVeigh (Ess) was cited for misconduct in that he behaved in a
threatening manner towards umpire Scott Jeffrey during the third quarter.
A first offence for misconduct is a $3200 fine. An early plea reduces the penalty to a
$2400 fine. McVeigh accepted guilt and the $2400 fine. |
Sydney produced a polished
performance on Saturday night at the MCG to claim its fifth-straight win and cruise home
with a 65-point victory over an error-prone Hawthorn. The Swans never soared to great
heights, but were not required to as the Hawks squandered opportunities in front of goal
and failed to hit enough targets in general field play.
The victory marked the first time Sydney had won five consecutive matches of 93 games
under coach Paul Roos. The Swans were in charge from the start, kicking
the first six goals of the match to establish a buffer that was never seriously
threatened.
Matt Burgan observed for Sportal: Sydney had a
number of standout performers. Adam Goodes continued his red-hot form,
notching up 28 disposals and 16 marks, while the still vastly-underrated Nic
Fosdike shone after starting on the bench. He amassed 24 touches. Up forward, Nick
Davis (four goals), Barry Hall (four), Michael
O'Loughlin (three) and Ryan O'Keefe (two) were prominent, while Tadhg
Kennelly was a fine player off half-back.
Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis achieved a personal best in accumulating 30
disposals, while Ben Kane impressed with 21 touches. Ruckman Peter
Everitt had 34 hit outs – the most for the match.
By quarter-time, Sydney had five goals to its name and a 29-point lead. In contrast,
Hawthorn could show just three behinds. For the third consecutive match, it was held
goalless in a quarter.
Despite Sydney's conviction in the first quarter, it was hit by injury early on.
Impressive youngster Nick Malceski was out of the match by the
nine-minute mark due to an injured left hamstring, while the almost-indestructible Jared
Crouch battled neck and shoulder problems. Skipper Brett Kirk
also copped a gash to the head, but battled on. O'Loughlin rubbed further salt into
Hawthorn's wounds when he kicked Sydney's sixth in a row – and his second – in
the first minute of the second term, giving his side a 35-point buffer.
To Hawthorn's credit, it outscored Sydney in the second term, with three goals to two, yet
it still trailed by 21 points at half-time. Again, the Swans had their injury concerns as
captain Hall copped one in the stomach and later in the shoulder in another contest.
Although a comeback was not out of the question for the Hawks, their hopes were dented
after the long break, when the Swans piled on seven goals to three in the third quarter.
Sydney led by 40 points heading into the final term.
The last quarter started with a Brent Guerra crunch on Sydney's Lewis
Roberts-Thomson which resulted in the Swan leaving the field, but it was the
Hawks that were battered further in the final term as Sydney added five goals to one. When
Sydney's run of wins began in round five, they were 12th on the ladder. The five-straight
has them within striking distance of the frontrunners and looking increasingly solid. They
are stable too, with minimal injury concerns. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 5 |
| Hawthorn v Sydney |
Saturday (n), May 27, 2006
MCG, 7.10pm AEST, crowd: 28,766
Conditions: Slippery from dew
Weather: 12C, cool – rain in Q4 |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| HAW |
0.3-3 |
3.6-24 |
6.11-47 |
7.12-54 |
| SYD |
5.2-32 (29) |
7.3-45 (21) |
14.3-87 (40) |
19.5-119 (65) |
Goals: Sydney:
Nick Davis 4, Barry Hall 4, Michael O'Loughlin 3, Ryan O'Keefe 2, Amon Buchanan, Jude
Bolton, Nic Fosdike, Brett Kirk, Paul Williams, Adam Schneider. Hawthorn: Mark
Williams 2, Shane Crawford, Ben Dixon, Trent Croad, Jarryd Roughead, Brent Guerra.
Best: Sydney: Adam Goodes, Nic Fosdike, Ryan O'Keefe, Nick Davis, Tadhg Kennelly,
Michael O'Loughlin, Barry Hall. Hawthorn: Jordan Lewis, Ben Kane, Rick Ladson,
Peter Everitt, Brad Sewell.
Umpires: Matthew Head, Martin Ellis, Shaun Ryan.
Report:
l Brent Guerra (Haw) was cited with a Level Four striking
offence against Sydney's Lewis Roberts-Thomson during the fourth quarter.
Based on his previous record the MRP has imposed a three-match suspension. Guerra accepted
guilt and the three-match suspension. |
From bottom side on the ladder
three weeks ago, the Brisbane Lions thumped through their third successive win of the
season with a 68-point blitz of Fremantle at the Gabba on a mainly sunny Sunday afternoon.
The Lions climbed to 10th place and are showing healthy signs with many of the 18 players
the club has blooded in the past 30 games taking leading roles.
Chief architect of the victory was Brisbane forward Jonathan Brown who
kicked 7.3 in a bold, bruising exhibition of strength with his 13 marks and 22
possessions. He has kicked 22 goals in the last three appearances and continues to press
his claims as a premier forward. The impact of the 24-year-old forward from Warrnambool is
measured in more than just goals.
Andrew Stafford noted in The Age: Had Daniel
Bradshaw kicked straighter (3.4) it would have been an ugly spectacle. Yet as
good as Brown was, better things were happening further up the field. Justin
Sherman provided the early excitement for the Lions. Seemingly compelled to run
and carry every time he takes possession, he was the most dynamic player in the first
half, racking up possessions at will and gaining hundreds of metres for the Lions. Michael
Rischitelli, last week's Rising Star nominee, was not as prolific, but his
contribution again was vital. Matthew Moody is another young player to
have established himself, while agile defender Jason Roe has added
flexibility and rebound to the Lions' back line.
Fremantle won the clearances, despite another dominant ruck performance from Jamie
Charman – the best form of his 81-game career – but was unable to put
any scoreboard pressure on the Lions, who bounded away to a 37-point lead midway through
the first quarter. Brisbane led by 39 at the long break and 45 at three-quarter time. The
last term was a blow-out with the Lions piling on seven goals as the Dockers wilted to
their sixth defeat at the Gabba.
Fremantle was well served by wide-roaming centre half-forward Matthew Pavlich who
kicked two goals, and Peter Bell, Heath Black, Shaun
McManus and Brett Peake in the midfield, but the dominance of
Brisbane was of a much greater class. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 6 |
| Brisbane Lions v Fremantle |
Sunday, May 28, 2006
BCG (Gabba), 1.10pm AEST, crowd: 29,999
Conditions: Good
Weather: 22C, cloudy, early sunshine |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| BRI |
7.3-45 (31) |
10.11-71 (39) |
14.13-97 (45) |
21.15-141 (68) |
| FRE |
2.2-14 |
4.8-32 |
7.10-52 |
10.13-73 |
Goals: Brisbane:
Jonathan Brown 7.3, Daniel Bradshaw 3, Simon Black 2, Ashley McGrath 2, Michael Voss,
Justin Sherman, Anthony Corrie, Jared Brennan, Jason Akermanis, Michael Rischitelli,
Matthew Moody.
Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich 2, Justin Longmuir 2, Paul Medhurst 2, Heath Black 2,
Paul Hasleby, Graham Polak.
Best: Brisbane: Jonathan Brown, Jamie Charman, Matthew Moody, Tim Notting, Justin
Sherman, Simon Black, Jason Akermanis.
Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich, Peter Bell, Heath Black, Shaun McManus, Brett Peake.
Umpires: Matthew Nicholls, Kieron Nicholls, Shane McInerney. |
St Kilda turned in a workmanlike
performance to beat the Kangaroos by 17 points at Docklands on Sunday afternoon – the
Kangas are suffering their worst start to a season since 1990 and kicked just two goals in
two quarters, one each in the first, one in the third, which ultimately cost them the
game.
Jason Phelan reported the match for Sportal: The result
sees the Saints with a 3-1 record for the month of May and a 5-4 record overall, while the
Kangaroos have now won just one match out of their last eight and find themselves mired in
the bottom four.
St Kilda received excellent service around the ball from skipper Luke Ball
and record games holder Robert Harvey who finished with 28 and 27 touches
respectively, while the backline was a strength once again with Mark McGough
(20 possessions), Sam Fisher (21 disposals) and Leigh Fisher
(25 touches) all among the best.
Glenn Archer was an inspiration for the Roos with 26 possessions and 12
marks accompanying his usual ferocious attack on the ball, with Shannon Grant
prolific through the middle with 26 touches, 11 marks and two goals.
St Kilda looked very polished and moved the ball with greater fluency, but the Kangaroos
were also their own worst enemy as they kicked badly in front of goal, wasting some
gilt-edged opportunities to keep pace with the Saints.
Jake Niall summarised in The Age: At half-time,
with the match precariously placed, one wondered how – or, indeed, if – the
Saints would find a way to beat Glenn Archer and the flood. Coach Grant
Thomas later said the flood represented a mental obstacle to players. In Thommo's
view, he who hesitates is doomed when facing a deluge.They did find a passage to goal often enough to win, but it wasn't pretty. If the
Saints have been one of the more attractive teams to watch for the past three years, they
borrowed a few pages from Terry Wallace's flood-busting playbook and won
ugly.
As basketball has taught us, there are two basic methods to
overcome a zone defence. One is the fast break – a lightening raid to the other end
before space is filled. Option two is the patient half-court game, when the team with the
ball throws the ball around the perimeter – going backwards and sideways – until
it penetrates the arc.
Sadly, when the Saints prevailed, we saw more of the
latter. And as they got better, the game became progressively worse. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 7 |
| St Kilda v Kangaroos |
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Docklands, 2.10pm AEST, Roof closed; crowd: 30,904
Conditions: Good
Weather: 15C, prospect of showers |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| STK |
4.4-28 (19) |
6.7-43 (5) |
8.11-59 (15) |
10.14-74 (17) |
| KAN |
1.3-9 |
5.8-38 |
6.8-44 |
8.9-57 |
Goals: St
Kilda: Nick Dal Santo 2, Fraser Gehrig 2, Nick Riewoldt 2, Luke Ball, Robert Harvey,
Mark McGough, Troy Schwarze. Kangaroos: Shannon Grant 2, Troy Makepeace 2, Kasey
Green, Corey Jones, Hamish McIntosh, Nathan Thompson.
Best: St Kilda: Luke Ball, Robert Harvey, Nick Dal Santo, Brendon Goddard, Leigh
Fisher, Sam Fisher. Kangaroos: Glenn Archer, Daniel Pratt, Shannon Grant, Brady
Rawlings, Daniel Harris, Jess Sinclair.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Matt Stevic, Craig Hendrie.
Reports:
l Fraser Gehrig (StK) reported by umpire Michael Vozzo for
striking Hamish McIntosh (Kan) during the second quarter. The MRP
ruled Gehrig's action was not a striking action, and there was no further action taken.
l Lenny Hayes (StK) was cited with a Level Two striking offence against Adam
Simpson (Kangaroos) during the first quarter. Based on his prior record the MRP
offered Hayes a one-match suspension. Hayes accepted guilt and a one-match suspension. |
The curse of Subiaco continued
on Sunday afternoon as Melbourne performed admirably but flew back to the east, far from
demoralised, but nevertheless as 22-point losers to West Coast. The game was a great
battle all day, but the Eagles showed at its home fortress they can outlast the sturdiest
of challenges.
Mark Duffield for The West Australian reported:
For 3½ quarters, a plucky Melbourne put fresh bruises on the ones West Coast still had
smarting from last week against Essendon. For the same, the Demons forced West Coast's
midfield to run kilometres their legs would have preferred not to run. But when the
Demons' fuel tank hit empty 15 minutes from home, the Eagles kept going, easing clear for
a 22-point win.
Directed by the relentless running of Daniel Kerr, who capped his 23
possessions with two goals to be the decisive influence on the match, the Eagles can claim
they lasted longer, even if Melbourne can also claim it at times played just as well.Typical of the stickability was former skipper Ben Cousins.
Already sore from a big hit last week from Essendon's Dean Solomon, he absorbed a couple
of first-quarter blows but still finished the match with seven last-quarter touches. The
performances of Cousins, Kerr, Andrew Embley and others meant the loss of
champion Chris Judd halfway through the final quarter with a suspected
torn hamstring didn't matter.
Encouragingly for the Eagles, in a match where their
midfield was good but not dominant, their defence stood up. Russell Robertson
kicked four goals but David Neitz and Aaron Davey were
well held. The Demons were best served by midfielders Brock McLean, Brad
Green, Cameron Bruce and James McDonald, and
Robertson in attack.
The first quarter was a tale of missed opportunity for both
teams. The Demons dominated the first 15 minutes, with Robertson on top deep in attack,
but they managed just 3.3 out of it all, with Robertson kicking two. Then it was the
Eagles' turn to be wasteful. They had a mortgage on the ball in the last 15 minutes but
kicked only 2.8 to trail at quarter-time.
The key difference between the two teams to half-time was
in the clearances. Freed of the Essendon tactic of coming off the line to sit West Coast
midfielders on their backside at every centre bounce, the Eagles' midfielders settled
nicely into their work and got the ball going their way from stoppages 23 times to 13
before the main break. Nevertheless, if the first half was mainly about getting a toehold
in the game, Melbourne achieved its aim as it was within five points of the lead at the
main break.
If the first half had been one of opportunities missed, the
third was about opportunities taken, several of them under the most difficult of
circumstances.
The last quarter was one of sheer survival, and critically
it was the home team that came through. At the end, the Eagles had simply outlasted the
best challenges the Demons midfield could hurl at them. |
| 2006
— ROUND 9 — GAME 8 |
| West Coast v Melbourne |
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Subiaco Oval, 4.40pm AEST, crowd: 41,032
Conditions: Very good
Weather: 21C, fine, turning to dark clouds; lights on for Q3 and Q4 |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| WCE |
2.8-20 |
5.11-41 (5) |
9.15-69 (1) |
13.19-97 (22) |
| MEL |
3.4-22 (2) |
5.6-36 |
10.8-68 |
11.9-75 |
Goals: West
Coast: Daniel Kerr 2, Ashley Hansen 2, Brent Staker 2, Beau Waters, Mark Nicoski,
Chris Judd, Dean Cox, Quinten Lynch, Andrew Embley, Daniel Chick. Melbourne:
Robertson 4, Bartram 2, Dunn, Johnstone, Pickett, Green, Bruce.
Best: West Coast: Daniel Kerr, Chris Judd, Ben Cousins, Mark Nicoski, Darren Glass,
Dean Cox, Jaymie Graham. Melbourne: Travis Johnstone, Brock McLean, Russell
Robertson, Cameron Bruce, Brad Green, Byron Pickett.
Umpires: Simon Meredith, Derek Woodcock, Darren Goldspink.
Report:
l
Brad Miller (Mel) was cited with a Level Four striking offence against Ashley
Hansen (WC) before the start of play. With an early plea to the MRP, Miller can
accept a two-game suspension. Miller accepted guilt and the two-match suspension. |
|
|
