| * |
The Western Bulldogs withstood a spirited revival before unleashing a
powerful seven-goal burst in the final term to be runaway winners by 32
points in fine and clear Friday night conditions at the MCG.
Samantha Lane ominously observed in The Age that
Richmond remains winless and faces a treacherous four weeks ahead
against reigning premier West Coast then Geelong before consecutive
trips to Adelaide to face Port and the Crows.
Adam Cooper noted for the AFL website – It was a good night
for the two Bulldog stars struck down by knee injuries last year, as
Luke Darcy booted four goals in the first half and Robert Murphy
ran amok in the last quarter to finish with four majors. The
multi-skilled Adam Cooney began the night rebounding with aplomb
from half-back before giving a clinic in the forward line in the last
quarter, to also finish with four majors.
Andrew Wu observed for Sportal: Allowed to play
their trademark run and carry game, the Dogs kicked five of the first
six goals and, apart from a brief flurry by Richmond either side of
three-quarter time, outclassed the Tigers. Richmond's lack of polish
hurt. In contrast, the Bulldogs were clinical when in control of play.
Scott West, despite missing his partner in crime under the packs
in Daniel Cross, was given too much latitude by Nathan Foley
while Lindsay Gilbee and
Jordan McMahon also cut the Tigers to shreds.
Richmond coach Terry Wallace said there was no need to panic
after four losses, but conceded his side was beaten by a better team. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME
1 |
|
Richmond v Western Bulldogs |
Friday (n),
April 20, 2007
MCG, 7.40pm AEST,
crowd: 36,821
Conditions: Good
Weather: 21C, fine and clear |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
|
RCH |
4.2-26 |
5.5-35 |
8.13-61 |
14.16-100 |
|
WB |
6.4-40 (14) |
10.8-68 (33) |
12.11-83 (22) |
20.12-132 (32) |
Goals:
West.B'dogs:
Adam Cooney 4,
Luke Darcy 4,
Robert Murphy 4,
Shaun Higgins 2,
Matthew Robbins 2,
Matthew Boyd,
Daniel Giansiracusa,
Ryan Hargrave,
Brad Johnson.
Richmond: Chris
Hyde 3, Graham Polak 3,
Matthew Richardson 3,
Jay Schulz 2, Patrick
Bowden, Greg Tivendale,
Shane Tuck.
Best: West.B'dogs:
Scott West,
Matthew Boyd, Lindsay
Gilbee, Jordan McMahon,
Luke Darcy,
Robert Murphy.
Richmond: Shane Tuck, Joel
Bowden, Matthew
Richardson, Nathan Foley,
Chris Hyde.
Umpires:
Michael Vozzo,
Dean Margetts,
Ray Chamberlain
Reports:
l
Robert Murphy (WB) by
umpire Dean Margetts
for head high contact with Andrew
Raines (Rch) during
the second quarter. This charge was
withdrawn.
l
Jake
King (Rch) and Scott
West (WB) by emergency umpire
Scott McLaren for wrestling each other in the
last quarter. The MRP offered both
players an early plea of a $900 fine. Both players
admitted guilt and accepted the MRP penalty.
l
Nathan
Eagleton (WB) was cited for attempting to trip
Brett Deledio (Rch) during Q1. The MRP offered
Eagleton a reprimand on an early plea and 45 demerit
points. The player admitted guilt and accepted the MRP
penalty. |
Rain began tumbling at the MCG half-an-hour before the game and never
let up until the final term. A surprising 35,355 turned out to see four
quarters of hard, grinding footy by both sides with Port Adelaide
getting home by 18 points. Collingwood controlled the scoreboard for
three quarters and led at each break.
Port defied the elements to boot the final five goals of the match and
turn a 15-point deficit into their third win of the season. Chad
Cornes was outstanding in chopping off Magpie attacks and was then
shifted forward to deliver the defining moment when he laid a desperate
tackle on Ben Johnson in the middle of the ground. The ball was
pushed forward to Warren Tredrea, who flicked a quick handball to
Josh Mahoney. His goal stretched Port's lead to seven points but
it was enough to turn the game in Port's favour and it finished off with
two more goals.
Angus Morgan for Sportal assessed Michael Wilson
with a body and game built for the wet capped off an outstanding effort
for Port with two vital goals. Team-mate Shaun Burgoyne was all
class and the Cornes brothers gathered their usual welter of
possessions.
Rhyce Shaw dominated in defence for Collingwood, and while the
likes of Tarkyn Lockyer, Johnson and Scott Burns had their
moments, Shaw lacked the depth of support to get the Pies over the line.
For most of the game there was never much more than a kick in it and, in
the slippery conditions, old-fashioned contested footy was the first and
last option for all players. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 2 |
|
Collingwood v Port Adelaide |
Saturday,
April 21,
2007
MCG, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 35,355
Conditions: Wet and slippery; lights on for entire
match
Weather: 16C, persistent rain |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| COL |
3.5-23 (2) |
7.9-51 (2) |
9.10-64 (1) |
9.12-66 |
| PA |
3.3-21 |
7.7-49 |
9.9-63 |
12.12-84 (18) |
Goals:
Port Adelaide:
Brett Ebert 3, Michael Wilson 2, Shaun
Burgoyne 2, Josh Mahoney 2, White,
C.Cornes, Rodan. Collingwood:
Anthony Rocca 2, Dane
Swan 2, Scott Pendlebury 2,
Leon Davis, Ben
Johnson, Nick Maxwell.
Best: Port Adelaide: Shaun
Burgoyne, Michael Wilson, Chad
Cornes, Kane Cornes.
Collingwood: Rhyce
Shaw, Scott Pendlebury,
Ben Johnson, Shannon
Cox, Scott Burns.
Umpires: Brett
Allen, Stefan Grun,
Matthew Head. |
The resurgence of Essendon continued on Saturday afternoon under the
closed roof at Docklands to a bumper crowd of 47,605 when they were
31-point victors over St Kilda. The Dons trailed by eight point at the
first change, but kicked six goals to two in the second term to
establish control, before pulling away for their third victory of the
year. Conditions to start were wet due to the late closure of the roof
before the match after considerable rain had fallen.
Jason Phelan observed for Sportal: The victory
means the Bombers have now equalled last year's tally of three wins
after just four rounds with the spirit shown by their players in sealing
the win in the second half making the woes of 2006 seem a distant
memory.
Sam Lienert reported for the AFL website – Without key defenders
Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton through injury and forward
Fraser Gehrig from suspension, they were still able to forge a
small early lead, thanks to their dominance in the midfield, in the
first quarter, with evergreen Robert Harvey, racking up touches
in typical fashion, while Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo
were also in good touch.
Once the Bombers began to tip the balance in the middle of the ground in
the second quarter, due largely to the ball-winning efforts of Damien
Peverill and Brent Stanton, their firepower enabled them to
pull away from the Saints. Aaron Davey laid six tackles for the
match which inspired his team and from only 12 possessions he was close
to his best-on-ground teammate Peverill.
The Bombers finished the game with 11 goalkickers, compared to four for
the Saints, with Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne between
them scoring seven of their team's nine majors.
After sitting out two matches with concussion, St Kilda co-captain
Luke Ball returned wearing a helmet, which he will persist with in
the short term, to protect the scar on his head. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 3 |
|
St Kilda v Essendon |
Saturday,
April 21,
2007
Docklands, 2.10pm AEST,
Roof: closed; crowd: 47,605
Conditions: Slippery from earlier rain
Weather: 16C, rain outside |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| STK |
2.4-16 (8) |
4.6-30 |
7.9-51 |
9.14-68 |
| ESS |
1.2-8 |
7.3-45 (15) |
11.8-74 (23) |
15.9-99 (31) |
Goals:
Essendon: Matthew Lloyd 3,
Scott Lucas 3, Andrew
Lovett, Angus Monfries,
Brent Stanton, Damien
Peverill, Dustin Fletcher,
Patrick Ryder, Alwyn
Davey, Henry Slattery,
Jayson Laycock. St Kilda: Nick
Riewoldt 4, Stephen Milne 3,
Robert Harvey, Jason
Blake.
Best: Essendon:
Brent Stanton, Dustin Fletcher,
Matthew Lloyd, Damien
Peverill, Jobe Watson,
Patrick Ryder, Mark
McVeigh, Alwyn Davey. St Kilda:
Nick Riewoldt, Robert
Harvey, Lenny Hayes,
Stephen Milne, Brendon Goddard,
Jason Gram.
Umpires: Hayden
Kennedy, Matthew Nicholls,
Scott Jeffery.
Report:
Mark McVeigh (Ess) was cited by MRP for making an obscene gesture to
a spectator during the match. An early plea will draw a fine of $900,
avoiding the full $1200 penalty for the indiscretion. The player
admitted guilt and accepted the MRP penalty. |
Maybe the Kangaroos will put their first win of the season down to "home
ground advantage" as they beat Brisbane on Saturday night at Carrara
Oval, where the Kangas have 10 "home" games over the next three years.
It was a gritty, well-deserved win by 24 points.
Andrew Stafford reported the game for The Age: It
was an upset built on a towering effort in the ruck and around the
ground by Hamish McIntosh and the desperation of Glenn Archer,
whose ferocious tackling in the Kangaroos' five-goal last quarter was
critical in keeping the Lions at bay.
Leigh Brown kicked three for the 'Roos including two in the last
that finally broke the contest open, while at the other end, Jonathan
Brown looked like Matthew Richardson on a bad day, kicking an
uncharacteristic five behinds to accompany his one goal for the night.
Justin Chadwick noted for Sportal: Archer thrived
in the slippery conditions on the way to 21 telling possessions, while
Adam Simpson (26 touches), Brady Rawlings (24) and
Daniel Pratt (20) also received plenty of the ball. McIntosh stood
tall in the ruck in the absence of David Hale with 20 disposals,
18 hit-outs and a goal.
For the Lions, Tim Notting picked up 29 touches and kicked a goal
in a stellar performance, while Simon Black (25 touches and two
goals) and Luke Power (23 disposals) battled valiantly, after
injury-prone midfielder Nigel Lappin again became a late
withdrawal. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 4 |
|
Kangaroos v Brisbane Lions |
Saturday (n),
April 21,
2007
Carrara Oval, 7.15pm AEST,
crowd: 11,133
Conditions: Slippery, dewy surface
Weather: 21C, storms forecast, rain in Q3 |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| KAN |
5.4-34 (22) |
6.6-42 (3) |
7.13-55 (6) |
12.15-87 (24) |
| BRI |
1.6-12 |
5.9-39 |
6.13-49 |
8.15-63 |
Goals:
Kangaroos: Leigh Brown 3,
Daniel Wells 2, Hamish
McIntosh, Lindsay Thomas,
Corey Jones, Daniel
Harris, Drew Petrie, Brent
Harvey, Jess Sinclair.
Brisbane: Simon Black 2,
Ashley McGrath 2, Leigh
Brown, Scott Harding,
Chris L Johnson, Tim
Notting.
Best: Kangaroos:
Hamish McIntosh, Glenn Archer,
Daniel Wells, Adam
Simpson, Brady Rawlings,
Leigh Brown, Daniel Pratt.
Brisbane: Tim Notting,
Simon Black, Richard
Hadley, Luke Power.
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Chris
Kamolins, Kieron Nicholls. |
Sydney suffered another routine Football Park thrashing on Saturday
night in front of 43,752 of the Adelaide faithful – the scorebook shows
a modest 17 point margin but the dominance of the Crows was much wider.
Hurting the Swans were goalless first and last quarters. The Age
noted – to have three more scoring shots and to lose by 17 points was an
indication of Adelaide's pressure, rather than Sydney's bad play.
Ashley Porter recorded: Half a game doesn't make a whole season,
but Adelaide's ability to shut down Sydney and leave it struggling to
kick a goal was a strong indication of bigger things to come. To kick
6.5 and hold Sydney to 1.6 to half-time – even allowing for its woeful
kicking for goal – was outstanding, and, ultimately, the key factor to
this absorbing contest.
Alan Shiell reported for Sportal: Inspired by the
classy, sweeping defence of Andrew McLeod, the Crows led by 16
points at quarter-time, 29 at half-time and 14 at three-quarter time.
Adelaide has now won eight of its last nine matches (the past four in
succession) against Sydney, and leads 18-9 overall, including 9-4 in
Adelaide, where the Swans haven't won over the Crows since 2001.
Sydney's only win against Adelaide since then was at the SCG in 2004.
Both teams flooded heavily and tried to catch each other out on the
rebound, and the Crows' more accurate delivery and tidier kicking for
goal were crucial winning factors in a super-quick, hard-running,
fierce-tackling contest. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 5 |
|
Adelaide v Sydney |
Saturday (n),
April 21,
2007
Football Park, 7.40pm AEST, crowd:
43,752
Conditions: Good
Weather: 17C, fine |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| ADE |
3.2-20 (16) |
6.5-41 (29) |
8.6-54 (14) |
9.7-61 (17) |
| SYD |
0.4-4 |
1.6-12 |
5.10-40 |
5.14-44 |
Goals:
Adelaide: Brett Burton 3,
Scott Welsh 2, Nathan
Bock, Jason Porplyzia,
Tyson Edwards, Ian
Perrie. Sydney:
Darren Jolly 2, Michael O'Loughlin 2,
Barry Hall.
Best: Adelaide:
Andrew McLeod, Ben Rutten,
Brent Reilly, Scott
Thompson, Brett Burton,
Michael Doughty. Sydney:
Ryan O'Keefe, Tadhg
Kennelly, Amon Buchanan, Jude
Bolton, Nick Malceski,
Brett Kirk.
Umpires: Chris
Dolan, Brett Rosebury,
Shane McInerney. |
Hawthorn extended its winning record at York Park to 9 out of 13 matches
with a thrilling four-point win over Geelong in a wind-affected
encounter on an otherwise fine Sunday afternoon in Launceston which was
a mild 19C.
Phil Edwards recorded in The Examiner: Despite
windy condition which affected disposal and accuracy in front of goal, a
vocal 17,120 was treated to an enthralling contest. Hawthorn trailed for
most of the day with the Cats leading by three goals at quarter time, a
point at half-time and four at three-quarter time. But the Hawks
maintained their composure in a tense and frenetic final quarter when
goals to Shane Crawford and Xavier Ellis helped them grab
a narrow three-point lead. They held despite a determined Geelong surge
late in the final term.
Geelong full-back Matthew Scarlett performed well on Hawks'
full-forward Mark Williams but Williams was still able to chip in
with three important goals to be the Hawks' only multiple goalkicker.
James Kell, Mathew Stokes and Gary Ablett kicked two
each for the Cats.
Hawthorn defenders Stephen Gilham, Danny Jacobs, Luke
Hodge and Campbell Brown shut down forward sensation Tom
Hawkins who had a dismal day with only four touches, while
Cameron Mooney and Nathan Ablett were held goalless.
Midfielder Jimmy Bartel had 35 possessions with Cameron Ling
and Darren Milburn also among the Cats' best. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 6 |
|
Hawthorn v Geelong |
Sunday,
April 22, 2007
York Park, 1.10pm AEST, crowd:
17,120
Conditions: Very good
Weather: 19C, fine, blustery wind |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| HAW |
0.3-3 |
4.7-31 |
8.9-57 |
10.16-76 (4) |
| GEE |
3.3-21 (18) |
4.8-32 (1) |
8.13-61 (4) |
9.18-72 |
Goals:
Hawthorn: Mark Williams 3,
Tim Boyle, Lance
Franklin, Xavier Ellis,
Shane Crawford, Brent Guerra,
Clinton Young, Simon
Taylor. Geelong: Gary
Ablett 2, Mathew Stokes 2,
James Kelly 2, Cameron Ling,
Darren Milburn, David
Wojcinski.
BEST: Hawthorn: Luke Hodge,
Shane Crawford, Jordan
Lewis, Brent Guerra,
Grant Birchall, Danny Jacobs,
Lance Franklin.
Geelong: Jimmy Bartel,
Cameron Ling, Gary Ablett,
James Kelly, Darren
Milburn, Andrew Mackie,
Corey Enright.
Umpires: Simon
Meredith, Stuart Wenn,
Shaun Ryan.
Report:
Josh Hunt (Gee) reported for charging
Shane Crawford (Haw) during the third
quarter. This charge was withdrawn. |
If you believe things couldn't get worse, think of Melbourne – they were
one of the Victorian sides expected to be a front-runner for this year's
premiership. The Demons remain winless and bottom of the ladder after
Fremantle scored their first win of the season with a convincing
45-point victory on Sunday afternoon at the MCG when showers kept the
crowd to the lowest total at headquarters since 16,371 watched Carlton
and Port play in 2005-R19.
Melbourne's injury list got even longer when they lost Daniel Bell
to concussion and young midfielder Nathan Jones to an ankle
injury early in the match. It became even worse with Matthew Whelan
(hamstring) and Paul Wheatley (shoulder) added before game's
end.
After the controversy at the Tribunal during the week, Des Headland
played one of his best games for Fremantle collecting 29 possessions and
three goals. But it was skipper Matthew Pavlich who spearheaded
the Dockers' win, kicking six goals, including four in the third
quarter.
The Dockers ran hot to lead by 32 points at half-time and added a
further 11 goals in the second half following 10 in the first. Freo
finished off the Demons once and for all in a ferocious seven-goal third
term and were able to maintain their advantage until the final siren.
Brad Miller and Lynden Dunn collected a trio of goals for
Melbourne, with Adem Yze turning in 38 possessions and one goal
in a fine return to form in which he may have kicked goal of the year
from the boundary moments before the half-time siren. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 7 |
|
Melbourne v Fremantle |
Sunday,
April 22, 2007
MCG, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 16,654
Conditions: Slippery
Weather: 19C, showers |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| MEL |
3.5-23 |
4.9-33 |
9.11-65 |
13.14-92 |
| FRE |
5.2-32 (9) |
10.5-65 (32) |
17.8-110 (45) |
21.11-137 (45) |
Goals:
Fremantle:
Matthew Pavlich 6.2,
Des Headland 3, Luke
Webster 3, Aaron Sandilands 2, Chris
Tarrant 2, Adam Campbell, Josh
Carr, Ryan Crowley, Daniel
Gilmore, Shaun McManus.
Melbourne: Lynden Dunn 3, Brad
Miller 3, Aaron Davey 2, Matthew
Bate, Mark Jamar, James
McDonald, Byron Pickett, Adem
Yze.
Best: Fremantle: Matthew
Pavlich, Des Headland, Paul
Hasleby, Josh Carr, Shaun
McManus, Aaron Sandilands.
Melbourne: Adem Yze, James
McDonald, Brad Green, Nathan
D Brown, Aaron Davey, Cameron
Bruce.
Umpires: Luke Farmer, Martin
Ellis, Michael Avon. |
West Coast remain undefeated leaders after a thorough shellacking of
Carlton by 10 goals on Sunday afternoon at Subiaco Oval. With lights
ablaze the match began in a torrential downpour which continued for much
of the opening quarter making it difficult to see the ball. The rain
eased off in the second term and much of the second half was played in
sunshine.
The 2006 premiers thrived in the wet and slippery conditions, tackling
in packs and applying fierce pressure. Jay Clark noted in the
Herald Sun – So dominant was West Coast all over the ground
that every Eagle had double-digit possessions.
The Eagles 469 disposals was the highest count on record and included 12
players with more than 20 disposals – the most since Collingwood in
Round 8 last year. Chris Judd had seven opponents, and his
greatest success was on Adam Bentick, against whom he picked up
nine touches in 10 minutes. He also had nine on Marc Murphy and
seven on Jordan Russell in 22 and 16 minutes respectively. Of
Judd's 35 disposals, five were in passages of play that resulted in
Eagle goals.
As usual, Judd and Daniel Kerr were masters of the midfield,
combining for 63 possessions, eight clearances and 13 hard ball gets,
but were matched by Rowan Jones, Brett Jones and Ash
Hansen's bag of four goals.
Tim Clarke reported for the AFL website that no one could argue
with David Wirrpanda as best-on-ground, whose four goals were
allied with some freakish skills in the wet conditions. For Carlton,
Matthew Lappin and Heath Scotland enjoyed decent days – in
contrast to Brendan Fevola who ended with a consolation goal and
was booked for a cheeky high elbow on Tyson Stenglein in the
second quarter. Later in the week, Fevola received a lucky reprimand
from the MRP. |
| 2007
— ROUND 4 — GAME 8 |
|
West Coast v Carlton |
Sunday,
April 22, 2007
Subiaco Oval, 4.40pm
AEST, crowd: 41,016
Conditions: Wet – lights on from start
Weather: 22C, Rain to start; Q1 thunder and
lightning, then cleared |
| |
1/4
time |
1/2
time |
3/4
time |
Final |
| WCE |
5.2-32 (24) |
6.8-44 (26) |
9.11-65 (36) |
14.16-100 (61) |
| CAR |
1.2-8 |
2.6-18 |
3.11-29 |
4.15-39 |
Goals:
West Coast: David
Wirrpanda 4, Ashley Hansen 4,
Daniel Kerr 2, Dean
Cox, Shannon Hurn, Steven
Armstrong, Beau Waters.
Carlton: Brad Fisher,
Matthew Lappin, Heath
Scotland, Brendan Fevola.
Best: West Coast:
Chris Judd, Daniel
Kerr, David Wirrpanda,
Dean Cox, Ashley
Hansen, Brett Jones,
Michael Braun, Darren Glass.
Carlton: Setanta O'hAilpin,
Matthew Lappin, Heath
Scotland, Kade Simpson.
Umpires: Stephen
McBurney, Damien Sully,
Troy Pannell.
Reports:
l
Brendan
Fevola (Car) reported by umpire Stephen McBurney for striking
Tyson Stenglein (WC)
during Q2.
The
MRP offered Fevola a reprimand on an early plea and 90 demerit points.
The player admitted guilt and accepted the MRP penalty.
l
Lance Whitnall was
cited for tripping Matt Rosa (WCE) during Q1. In light of his
existing good record the MRP offered Whitnall a reprimand and 70.31
demerit points. The player admitted guilt and accepted the MRP penalty. |
|
|
