| * |
Collingwood led Hawthorn for all
of the game on Friday night at the MCG and never looked in doubt – as a showpiece
game, it was a disaster. Leading by 56 points at half-time, the Magpies made heavy weather
of much of the second half. The Hawks, always spirited but playing an error-strewn game,
actually won the second half.
Andrew Wu reported for Sportal: The Pies led by
as much as 11 goals midway through the third term before the Hawks minimised the carnage.
While Campbell Brown, Luke Hodge and Sam
Mitchell could hold their heads high, Hawthorn had very few other contributors,
while Collingwood had no shortage of winners around the ground.
Shown no respect early by Joel Smith, Alan Didak had a
night out with 25 touches and three goals, while Leon Davis impressed
with 24 possessions and Travis Cloke, manned up by Jarryd
Roughead early, underlined his tremendous potential with 12 marks and two goals.
Zac Dawson was again given the job on Anthony Rocca but
after conceding three goals in the first half was relieved by Robert Campbell
and moved on to Travis Cloke.
Missing Mark Williams who was a late withdrawal, the Hawks lacked a
target in their forward line and were not helped by the absence of Trent Croad
in the second half. Croad was concussed in a clash with Magpie Ben Johnson
in the second quarter but played out the term. He became unwell during half-time and was
later transferred to Epworth Hospital for overnight observation.
Collingwood skipper Nathan Buckley, playing his 250th match for the club,
was super, while Heath Shaw continued his vastly-underrated season. With
the victory came the pain when late in the last quarter the Pies lost the exciting Leon
Davis who sustained a severe left ankle injury, including a fractured fibula, when trying
to tackle Hawthorn's Clinton Young. Davis had surgery on Saturday to
stabilise the fracture and is unlikely to play again this year. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 1 |
| Collingwood v Hawthorn |
Friday (n), July 28, 2006
MCG, 7.40pm AEST, crowd: 54,306
Conditions: Generally good, a little dew
Weather: 12C, cold, crisp night |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| COL |
5.4-34 (33) |
11.9-75 (56) |
13.14-92 (54) |
16.17-113 (45) |
| HAW |
0.1-1 |
3.1-19 |
6.2-38 |
11.2-68 |
Goals: Collingwood:
Anthony Rocca 4, Alan Didak 3, Nathan Buckley 2, Travis Cloke 2, Heath Shaw 2, Tarkyn
Lockyer, Shane O'Bree, Chris Tarrant.
Hawthorn: John Barker 2, Shane Crawford 2, Lance Franklin 2, Grant Birchall,
Campbell Brown, Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Jarryd Roughead.
Best: Collingwood: Travis Cloke, Jason Cloke, Alan Didak, Nathan Buckley, Heath
Shaw, James Clement, Ben Johnson. Hawthorn: Campbell Brown, Sam Mitchell, Luke
Hodge, Shane Crawford.
Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Stefan Grun, Scott Jeffrey. |
St Kilda enjoyed their fifth
successive win when they took advantage of an injury-riddled Richmond under overcast skies
on Saturday afternoon at the MCG. The whopping margin of 103 points is the
seventh-straight time the Saints have beaten the Tigers – by an average of 10 goals.
The Saints established a new record for accuracy in a game kicking 16 successive goals
without a behind across quarters 2-3-4 and overall registered 23.1 in a span of the match.
St Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig was in rare form and kicked 10.1 for
the day – the highest tally of any player this season, and matching his personal-best
from 2004-R20.
Rod Nicholson reviewed proceedings for the Sunday Herald Sun:
The reason for the onslaught were double edged: the Saints played crisp and direct
football, and the Tigers were cruelled by injuries and are a shadow of the team that
threatened finals footy a month ago.
The writing was on the wall when Jason Gram, playing on a half-back flank
dashed forward in the opening term for three goals from five shots. When Gehrig took
control in the second term, kicking five goals, any suggestion of a contest was over with
the margin already 47 points. Leigh Montagna was outstanding with 34
disposals and three goals. He had great support from Luke Ball (29
disposals).
Nick Riewoldt was a handful and he was one of the players who made life
so easy for Gehrig, who was rarely challenged on the lead or standing his ground in the
goalsquare.
The good news for Richmond was the continued improvement of Matthew Richardson,
who has a broken finger and sorely needs quality time on the field. He kicked four goals
and showed signs of the benefits of match time. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 2 |
| St Kilda v Richmond |
Saturday, July 29, 2006
MCG, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 43,250
Conditions: Good, following morning rain
Weather: 15C, overcast |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| STK |
5.5-35 (21) |
14.6-90 (47) |
23.6-144 (87) |
27.12-174 (103) |
| RCH |
2.2-14 |
6.7-43 |
8.9-57 |
10.11-71 |
Goals: St
Kilda: Fraser Gehrig 10.1, Jason Gram 4, Leigh Montagna 3, Brendon Goddard 2, Nick
Riewoldt 2, Nick Dal Santo, Cain Ackland, Stephen Milne, Brett Voss, Aaron Fiora, Robert
Harvey. Richmond: Matthew Richardson 4, Jay Schulz 2, Greg Tivendale 2, Kane
Johnson, Richard Tambling.
Best: St Kilda: Fraser Gehrig, Jason Gram, Leigh Montagna, Luke Ball, Stephen
Powell, Brendon Goddard, Sam Fisher, Robert Harvey, Brett Voss. Richmond: Andrew
Raines, Kane Johnson, Mark Chaffey, Matthew Richardson, Brett Deledio.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Brett Rosebury, Brett Allen.
Reports:
l
Greg Stafford (Rch) was charged with a Level Three rough conduct offence against Brendan
Goddard (StK) during the second quarter. The MRP offered Stafford a two-match
suspension with an early plea. Richmond sought adjudication of the Tribunal. The Tribunal
cleared Stafford of the charge.
l Steven Baker (StK) was charged with a Level Four offence for attempting
to strike Greg Stafford (Rch) during the second quarter. The MRP offered
Baker a one-game suspension with an early plea, based on prior suspensions of four matches
within the last three years. St Kilda sought adjudication of the Tribunal. The Tribunal
found Baker guilty of attempting to strike and suspended him for two matches. St Kilda
appealed. The AFL Appeals Board on Thursday upheld the original ruling.
l Andrew Raines (Rch) was charged with a Level Two tripping offence
against Aaron Fiora (StK) during the third quarter. The MRP offered
Raines a reprimand and points towards his record with an early plea. Richmond sought
adjudication of the Tribunal. Successful argument reduced Raines' action from intentional
to reckless. The reprimand was recorded.
l Troy Simmonds (Rch) was charged with a Level Three
offence for striking Nick Riewoldt (StK) during the fourth quarter. The
MRP offered a one-match suspension with an early plea. The player accepted guilt and the
one-match suspension. |
West Coast entered Saturday
afternoon's contest at Subiaco with serious questions surrounding their form and
premiership ambitions after losing three of their past five matches. Adelaide went to
Perth in white-hot form and an embarrassing range of plaudits on their structure.
As Mark Duffield commented in The Age: So much
for form. The Eagles went onto the ground and tipped premiership favourite Adelaide onto
its backside to bring the battle for the minor premiership and flag favouritism back to
life. It was effectively achieved in 15 minutes of first-quarter brilliance, during which Chris
Judd and former skipper Ben Cousins ripped the Crows to shreds
around the stoppages, while the normally composed Crows defence was reduced to a confused
rabble.
Courtney Walsh observed for The Australian: The
Eagles' fast movement of the ball, particularly through handball, never allowed Adelaide
to settle into the rhythm that has allowed them to dominate the tempo of matches, and the
competition, this year, Midfield standouts Michael Braun, Cousins, Daniel
Kerr and Rowan Jones all had more than 20 handballs each, with
the Eagles playing on at every opportunity early in the game when they scooted to a
33-point lead at quarter-time.
The lightning movement curtailed the Crows' tactic of getting men behind the ball to help
out the defence when the opposition is in control. As a result, Adelaide's previously
miserly defence, which had restricted rivals to an average of 64 points a game, conceded a
whopping 101 point more at Subiaco.
The result was put beyond doubt in a one-sided third term, as the home side piled on
nine-goals-to-four to take a commanding lead into the final change. Kerr was an
inspiration in the quarter, collecting 12 possessions and booting two goals, whilst
setting-up countless others.
The final quarter represented party-time for the Eagle, who added seven-goals-to-four to
run away with the fantastic win which could prove the catalyst for a successful finish to
the season. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 3 |
| West Coast v Adelaide |
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Subiaco Oval, 4.10pm AEST, crowd: 40,380
Conditions: Good
Weather: 18C, sunny |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| WCE |
6.3-39 (33) |
10.4-64 (34) |
19.6-120 (66) |
26.9-165 (82) |
| ADE |
1.0-6 |
4.6-30 |
8.6-54 |
12.11-83 |
Goals: West
Coast: Quinten Lynch 4, Chris Judd 3, Steven Armstrong 3, Ashley Hansen 3, Ashley
Sampi 2, Daniel Kerr 2, Ben Cousins 2, Brent Staker 2, Sam Butler, Michael Braun, Mark
Seaby, Mitch Morton, Tyson Stenglein. Adelaide: Brett Burton 3, Mark Ricciuto 2,
Simon Goodwin, Tyson Edwards, Scott Thompson, Trent Hentschel, Ken McGregor, Martin
Mattner, Brent Reilly.
Best: West Coast: Daniel Kerr, Ben Cousins, Michael Braun, Darren Glass, Daniel
Chick, Sam Butler, Ashley Hansen, Quinten Lynch. Adelaide: Scott Thompson, Tyson
Edwards, Brett Burton, Scott Stevens.
Umpires: Hayden Kennedy, Ray Chamberlain, Stuart Wenn. |
Essendon's longest drought
finally ended on Saturday night with a victory over the Brisbane Lions at Docklands. In a
tight, hard-fought encounter where there were 22 lead changes, the Bombers had only their
second win for the year, prevailing over the Lions by 37 points and moved off the bottom
of the ladder for the first time in 11 weeks.
Sportal recorded that after missing three matches with a calf
injury, James Hird was back in a big way. The Essendon icon booted four
goals playing up forward all night. He finished with 27 touches – the most by any
player on the night – in a super display.
For the second successive week Scott Lucas had a day out –
particularly in the final term when he booted four goals – finishing with seven
majors (a personal-best) – big man Kepler Bradley also achieved his
best individual record with four goals.
The ruck duel featuring acting Essendon captain David Hille and Lion Jamie
Charman was a beauty. Hille led from the front all night and played one of his
bests matches since taking on the leadership mantle, finishing with three goals.
And Charman, who continues to push for an All-Australian berth, was also on song until he
appeared to dislocate his shoulder in the final term, putting a dampener on what was an
otherwise fine performance.
Daniel Bradshaw shone with six majors to be the Lions' leading
goalkickers, while Rhan Hooper played the best match of his brief career.
His opportunistic play and his ability to back himself in a number of situations resulted
in four goals.
When the game was there to be won in the last quarter, it was the Bombers who were
hungrier, booting eight goals to three. The Lions simply had no answer. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 4 |
| Essendon v Brisbane |
Saturday (n), July 29,
2006
Docklands, 7.10pm AEST, Roof: closed, crowd: 32,761
Conditions: Good
Weather: 12C, shower activity |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| ESS |
5.4-34 |
10.6-66 |
17.7-109 (8) |
25.10-160 (37) |
| BRI |
6.3-39 (5) |
10.8-68 (2) |
15.11-101 |
18.15-123 |
Goals: Essendon:
Scott Lucas 7.2, Kepler Bradley 4, James Hird 4, David Hille 3, Mark McVeigh 2, Ricky
Dyson 2, Adam McPhee, Jason Johnson, Brent Stanton. Brisbane: Daniel Bradshaw 6.1,
Rhan Hooper 4, Josh Drummond 2, Ben Fixter, Matthew Moody, Simon Black, Cheynee Stiller,
Justin Sherman, Michael Rischitelli.
Best: Essendon: James Hird, Scott Lucas, Kepler Bradley, Jason Johnson, David
Hille, Dustin Fletcher. Brisbane: Simon Black, Rhan Hooper, Daniel Bradshaw, Jamie
Charman, Michael Voss, Jason Roe.
Umpires: Dean Margetts, Scott McLaren, Michael Avon. |
A young and inexperienced Port
Adelaide side created difficulties for Sydney in damp and cold conditions on Saturday
night at Football Park. The Swans in front of a poor turn-out of 23,183 had to call on
much of its skill and know-how to drive home a 27-point win.
Alan Shiell for Sportal reported: The Swans led
by 15 points at quarter-time, 26 at half-time and 31 at three-quarter time before
clinching their 10th win of the season. Sydney had enough of the play to be further in
front but Barry Hall kicked 2.3 in the first quarter and the Swans scored
seven successive behinds (two of them rushed) in the second term before two goals in two
minutes from Ryan O'Keefe.
Port was competitive enough with its attack on the ball and opponents but made too many
ball-handling and decision-making errors against the slicker, more direct Swans, who used
their possession-style game regularly and also slipped into their forward lines with
stunning speed and effect at times.
Sydney thrived on the run and distribution of Adam Goodes, Brett
Kirk, Amon Buchanan, Paul Bevan and Tadhg
Kennelly, while Darren Jolly worked hard in the ruck and kicked
two goals, and Hall (3.3), O'Keefe (2.0) and Michael O'Loughlin (0.4)
always looked more threatening than Port's forward set-up, which missed Warren
Tredrea's imposing presence.
Midfielders Danyle Pearce and Kane Cornes were the
Power's most influential performers, Chad Cornes did some good work on
the ball, elusive left-footer Brett Ebert was lively in attack, but was
let down by his kicking, and Brad Symes was a composed defender again.
Overall, though, Port players could not get enough of the ball to make a difference. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 5 |
| Port Adelaide v Sydney |
Saturday (n), July 29,
2006
Football Park, 7.40pm AEST, crowd: 23,183
Conditions: Wet and slippery
Weather: 12C, rain from half-time |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| PA |
3.0-18 |
4.3-27 |
5.7-37 |
7.8-50 |
| SYD |
5.3-33 (15) |
7.11-53 (26) |
9.14-68 (31) |
10.17-77 (27) |
Goals: Sydney:
Barry Hall 3, Ryan O'Keefe 2, Darren Jolly 2, Jarrad McVeigh, Amon Buchanan, Adam
Schneider. Port: Toby Thurstans 2, Damon White 2, Stuart Dew, Adam Thomson, Josh
Mahoney.
Best: Sydney: Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Amon Buchanan, Ryan O'Keefe, Paul Bevan,
Darren Jolly, Barry Hall. Port: Danyle Pearce, Kane Cornes, Brett Ebert, Brad
Symes, Chad Cornes, Josh Mahoney.
Umpires: Jason Quigley, Dean Meredith, Shane McInerney. |
The Kangaroos ended their
six-season love-affair with Canberra with a convincing 30-point win over a disappointing
Geelong in sunny conditions before a small crowd of 9,561 on Sunday afternoon at Manuka
Oval. The Kangas always looked winners.
Sportal noted nothing went right for Geelong from the outset,
with the Kangas scoring the first four goals, while ace playmakers Gary Ablett
and Cameron Ling were forced to the interchange in the opening 10 minutes
– Ablett suffered a damaged AC joint in his right shoulder after a strong bump from Jess
Sinclair and Ling was left dazed after hitting his head on the hard centre-wicket
area following a collision with David Hale.
And the Cats' opening-quarter woes continued when forward Cameron Mooney,
who kicked their first two goals, was reported for a late, come-from-behind collision with
Daniel Pratt.
Given the must-win importance of the match, it was a surprisingly limp effort by the Cats,
who lacked intensity and made too many mistakes, including some loose kicking for goal in
the windy conditions.
Scott Gullan for the Herald Sun noted: The fact
Geelong lost to the Kangaroos with its season on the line is hard enough to swallow –
this was purely and simply a pitiful display. An inexplicable, soulless performance by a
team that needed to win to keep its finals chances alive.
At best you could find only a handful of Cats that contributed. Brad Ottens tried
hard at full-forward, while Josh Hunt was excellent in defence. Corey
Enright had 22 touches and limited Daniel Wells' output, while Jimmy
Bartel was the best of the midfielders.
Statistics revealed: the Roos had 33 more disposals, 30 more marks and 345 running bounces
between the arcs. Of Brent Harvey's 27 disposals, 24 were between the
arcs ... Drew Petrie had a match-high 14 contested possessions, including
two contested marks and 11 contests ball gets at ground level ... Corey Jones' 36
disposals was a career high and included 29 effective – his 14 marks were all
uncontested. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 6 |
| Kangaroos v Geelong |
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Manuka Oval, 1.10pm AEST, crowd: 9,561
Conditions: Good
Weather: 12C, sunny |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| KAN |
6.1-37 (23) |
9.3-57 (33) |
11.9-75 (38) |
13.12-90 (30) |
| GEE |
2.2-14 |
3.6-24 |
5.7-37 |
8.12-60 |
Goals: Kangaroos:
Nathan Thompson 4, Brady Rawlings 2, Shannon Grant 2, Andrew Swallow, Hamish McIntosh,
Shannon Watt, Brent Harvey, Callum Urch. Geelong: Brad Ottens 3, Cameron Mooney 2,
Corey Enright, Josh Hunt, Andrew Mackie.
Best: Kangaroos: Corey Jones, Jess Sinclair, Brent Harvey, Shannon Grant, Drew
Petrie, Nathan Thompson, Andrew Swallow. Geelong: Jimmy Bartel, David Johnson,
Corey Enright, Andrew Mackie, Josh Hunt, Paul Chapman, David Wojcinski.
Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, Derek Woodcock, Darren Goldspink.
REPORT:
Cameron Mooney (Gee) was booked on match day by umpire Darren
Goldspink for charging Daniel Pratt (Kan) during the first
quarter. The MRP cited Mooney with a Level Two charging offence. Mooney was offered a
one-match suspension based on prior suspensions of three matches within the last three
years. The player accepted guilt and the one-match suspension. |
Fremantle moved closer to
securing a place in the finals when they beat bottom side Carlton under the open roof at
Docklands on Sunday afternoon. The Dockers held a 45-point lead at three-quarter time but
fell asleep in the final quarter, outscored one goals to six by the Blues.
Lyall Johnson summarised the day in The Age: Fremantle
was at best creditable for three quarters. The standout period was 20 minutes early in the
third quarter when Ryan Murphy kicked three goals. The game was,
seemingly, sealed by three-quarter-time.When the
Dockers had the chance to show they were true contenders come finals time, they were found
wanting by a long way. Among many notable bloopers in the last term, Paul Medhurst
worked hard to win the ball but then slammed his pass into an opponent in front of him. A
minute earlier, Peter Bell had surged into goal and grubbed his effort
out of bounds.
No need to mention Troy Cook failing to
make the distance from 45 metres out, or Roger Hayden giving away a
stupid 50-metre penalty as the Blues were threatening. Andrew Walker
obliged with the Blues' fifth on the trot to bring the margin back to 18 points. Matthew
Pavlich and Farmer both missed shots on goal, Farmer twice.
That's not to say Fremantle didn't deserve to win – it
did. Carlton controlled the first four minutes of the match and, despite being unable to
convert its dominance to scores, looked capable of an upset. But the Blues were never
really in the contest.
Fremantle's class was seldom far beneath its unpredictable
facade. When the Dockers went forward, it occasionally surfaced, and they looked dangerous
running forward in numbers towards Pavlich, Luke Webster, Ryan Crowley and Murphy, who
responded with sure kicking.
What got Fremantle through the game was its speed through the midfield and strength at
both ends of the ground. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 7 |
| Carlton v Fremantle |
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Docklands, 2.10pm AEST, Roof: open, crowd: 17,518
Conditions: Good
Weather: 14C, overcast |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| CAR |
1.4-10 |
5.6-36 |
7.10-52 |
13.11-89 |
| FRE |
3.6-24 (14) |
8.10-58 (22) |
14.13-97 (45) |
15.17-107 (18) |
Goals: Fremantle:
Ryan Murphy 5.0, Matthew Pavlich 2, Jeff Farmer 2, Luke Webster, Matthew Carr, Troy Cook,
Ryan Crowley, Aaron Sandilands, Peter Bell. Carlton: Brendan Fevola 5.0, Anthony
Koutoufides 2, Andrew Walker, Jordan Russell, Kade Simpson, Lance Whitnall, Jarrad Waite,
Simon Wiggins.
Best: Fremantle: Ryan Murphy, David Mundy, Peter Bell, Matthew Pavlich, Luke
McPharlin, Michael Johnson, Aaron Sandilands, Ryan Crowley. Carlton: Andrew Walker,
Kade Simpson, Brendan Fevola, Anthony Koutoufides, Heath Scotland, Adam Bentick.
Umpires: Justin Schmitt, Chris Kamolins, Kieron Nicholls.
Reports:
Byron Schammer (Fre) and Andrew Walker (Car) were each charged
with first offences of wrestling. Both players accepted guilt and the $900 fine imposed by
the MRP. |
Melbourne maintained their
third-place ranking with a comfortable 51-point victory over the Western Bulldogs at the
MCG on Sunday. The Dees notched up their 10th consecutive win at the G and made it 12 from
the last 14 starts. Yet the win may come at a cost with two major play-makers BYRON
PICKETT and AARON DAVEY both succumbing to hamstring injuries.
Melbourne gave club great Adem Yze a day to remember – the
silky-skilled Demon played his 250th match (and 218th in a row) – Yze booted five
goals – two of which were absolute gems, in a best-on-ground display.
Matt Burgan for Sportal observed: The battle
between two of the most consistent performers – Cameron Bruce on Brad
Johnson – was a great match-up. Although Johnson never gave up Bruce took
the honours.
Melbourne defenders Daniel Ward, Matthew Whelan and Nathan
Carroll were super, while midfielders James McDonald and Brock
McLean continued their great seasons. First-gamer Nathan Jones
won the ball 17 times in an impressive display.
For the Bulldogs, the vastly-underrated Daniel Cross was again terrific.
Not only did he accumulate 32 possessions and take 14 marks, he also chipped in with two
goals. Dale Morris also did a fine job on Melbourne forward Russell
Robertson, while young guns Adam Cooney and Ryan Griffen
were among their side's best. Club great Chris Grant also notched up a
significant milestone – equalling the club's record for the most Bulldogs matches
(329) with Doug Hawkins. |
| 2006
— ROUND 17 — GAME 8 |
| Melbourne v Western
Bulldogs |
Sunday, July 30, 2006
MCG, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 36,466
Conditions: Good
Weather: 14C, overcast |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| MEL |
5.2-32 |
9.5-59 (16) |
13.9-87 (33) |
18.11-119 (51) |
| WB |
6.3-39 (7) |
6.7-43 |
7.12-54 |
9.14-58 |
Goals: Melbourne:
Adem Yze 5.2, David Neitz 3, Aaron Davey 2, Brock McLean 2, Russell Robertson 2, Ben
Holland, Simon Godfrey, Matthew Bate, Clint Bartram. West.B'dogs: Daniel Cross 2,
Farren Ray, Chris Grant, Rohan Smith, Brad Johnson, Matthew Robbins, Nathan Eagleton, Will
Minson.
Best: Melbourne: Cameron Bruce, Adem Yze, Simon Godfrey, Daniel Ward, Brock McLean,
Mathew Whelan, David Neitz, Nathan Carroll. West.B'dogs: Daniel Cross, Dale Morris,
Matthew Boyd, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney.
Umpires: Mathew James, Matthew Head, Martin Ellis. |
|
|
