| * |
After a injury-hit
start to his 10th season, Melbourne coach Neale Daniher departed
the scene on Friday night in front of a near capacity crowd of 47,552 at
Docklands when a last gasp goal to Scott Lucas ensured a
heatbreaking end to Daniher's reign and gave Essendon a thrilling
two-point victory.
Andrew Wu reported for Sportal: In one of the most
dramatic and emotional finishes of 2007, Melbourne, having earlier
overcome a 37-point quarter-time deficit, squandered a 17-point
advantage with less than five minutes remaining.
The Demons were set for victory when Aaron Davey goaled at the
21-minute mark but Alwyn Davey replied moments later before Lucas
booted the final two goals of the game, the winner coming with just six
seconds left on the clock.That
Andrew Lovett's snap moments earlier was disallowed only served to
exacerbate the misery for the Demons, who let their departing coach lead
them off the field after waving goodbye to the heartbroken Melbourne
faithful.
In an effort which has symbolised
Melbourne's nightmare season, the Demons were woeful early, showed
tremendous fight through the middle but fell excruciatingly short of
giving Daniher the victorious send off he deserved after 10 years at the
helm.
Roger Vaughan noted for the AFL website: Veteran James Hird
was best for Essendon and Melbourne midfielder James McDonald
was best-afield with a game-high 26 possessions. McDonald was one of the
few Melbourne players to start well and was pivotal as his side worked
its way back into the match.
Melbourne captain David Neitz was clearly not fit (with both a
knee and a finger injury) and probably would not have returned had it
not been such a big occasion, but he led brilliantly with three goals.
Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd kicked four goals, and his second,
scored in the opening term, made him the 10th player in VFL-AFL history
to reach the 800-goal milestone. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME
1 |
|
Essendon v Melbourne |
Friday (n),
June 29, 2007
Docklands, 7.40pm AEST, Roof: closed, crowd: 47,552
Conditions: Fair to good
Weather: 11C outside; showers |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
|
ESS |
8.3-51 (37) |
12.5-77 (19) |
14.8-92 |
19.11-125 (2) |
|
COL |
2.2-14 |
9.4-58 |
16.9-105 (13) |
18.15-123 |
Goals:
Essendon: Scott Lucas
5.1, Matthew Lloyd 4.1, Alwyn Davey 2, Jason Laycock 2,
Andrew Lovett 2, Mark McVeigh 2, James Hird, Adam
McPhee. Melbourne: David Neitz 3, Russell
Robertson 3, Aaron Davey 2, Ricky Petterd 2, Colin
Sylvia 2, Matthew Bate, Cameron Bruce, Simon Godfrey,
Travis Johnstone, Michael Newton, Daniel Ward.
Best: Essendon: James Hird, Jason Laycock, Scott
Lucas, Matthew Lloyd, Jobe Watson, Dustin Fletcher. Melbourne: James McDonald, Cameron Bruce, Matthew
Bate, Nathan Jones, David Neitz, Colin Sylvia.
Umpires: Dean Margetts, Stefan Grun, Shaun Ryan. |
By half-time at
Kardinia Park on Saturday, Geelong with a 41-point lead had set up their
8th successive win of the year and were thrashing Sydney, grand
finalists of the past two seasons. The Cats consolidated their position
during a string of seven unanswered goals in the pouring rain of the
second term when the Swans were not only held goalless but were clueless
to find any answer their only two goals in the first half came in the
first 10 minutes of the match.
The fact that the Swans rediscovered their form in the second half and
surged to come within 11 points of the home side in the last quarter
emphasised the resilience of the Cats.
Jennifer Witham for the AFL website noted the Cats were almost left
without a bench after a testing, and damp, opening half, Jimmy Bartel, Jared Rooke, Troy Selwood and Cameron Ling
were either off or carrying injuries. Ultimately, it was this courage
coupled with tremendous team strength that saw the Cats expose the Swans,
who were without Barry Hall (groin), as well as hold them off
when they became more attacking in the second half.
The Cats took a 42-point lead into the second half, and with the rain
clouds now rolling away, the Swans began to get on top in the middle.
Ryan O'Keefe became their target up
forward, and while the small forward had been held admirably by
Andrew Mackie for much of the afternoon, he kicked two goals in the
third term that helped the Swans narrow the difference to 29 points.
The visitors piled on six unanswered
goals across the third and fourth quarters and were soon within 11
points, but Gary Ablett and Steve Johnson posted
back-to-back goals that gave the Cats breathing space and a hold to top
spot on the ladder for a third week. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 2 |
| Geelong v Sydney |
Saturday,
June 30, 2007
Kardinia Park, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 23,040
Conditions: Fair, following substantial rain during week
Weather: 12C, heavy rain in Q2; clear for last
half mainly in sunshine |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| GEE |
5.1-31 (18) |
9.4-58 (41) |
11.8-74 (36) |
13.9-87
(18) |
| SYD |
2.1-13 |
2.5-17 |
5.8-38 |
10.9-69 |
Goals: Geelong:
Cameron Mooney 4, Steve Johnson 3, Gary Ablett 2, Nathan Ablett, Travis
Varcoe, Paul Chapman, Joel Corey. Sydney: Ryan O'Keefe 2, Tim
Schmidt 2, Nick Davis, Luke Vogels, Luke Ablett, Nic Fosdike, Darren
Jolly, Michael O'Loughlin.
Best: Geelong: Gary Ablett, Corey Enright, Joel Corey, Cameron
Mooney, Andrew Mackie, Steve Johnson. Sydney: Nic Malceski, Brett
Kirk, Adam Goodes, Luke Ablett, Ryan O'Keefe.
Umpires: Scott McLaren, Ray Chamberlain, Simon Meredith. |
The return of Jeff
Farmer sparked Fremantle to their biggest win of the season when
they crushed Carlton in fair conditions on Saturday afternoon at Subiaco
Oval after morning showers. Four goals for Farmer steered the Dockers to
a record total and winning margin over the Blues, who have lost their
past two games by a combined total of 177 points.
Returning after an enforced absence of 12 weeks Farmer was suspended
six premiership matches for eye-gouging Kangaroo player Daniel Pratt
in a pre-season game in early March then later suspended by the club for
a further six weeks after he was found guilty of assaulting a security
guard at Northbridge on April 28. However all was forgiven after little
more than 10 minutes of the game.
Des Headland (five goals), Matthew Pavlich (four goals, 14
marks) and Peter Bell (four goals) reaped the benefits of
Farmer's presence as the Dockers booted 14 goals to three in the second
and third quarters to run away with the win.
Justin Chadwick summarised the game for Sportal: Any hope
of Carlton pulling off an unlikely win was snuffed out in the third term
as the Dockers pile on eight goals to two to seal the result.
Farmer's goal late in the term was the highlight of the match. After
receiving a handball from Shaun McManus, Farmer shook of two
tackles, stumbled to the ground, picked himself up and kicked truly with
the outside of his right boot.
Carlton's captain-in-waiting Jarrad Waite in the final term but
it was little consolation, with the Dockers cruising to their
biggest-ever win over Carlton with a nine-goal final term.
Brendan Fevola provided a nightmare display for the Blues in his
137th match. Just three minutes had expired before he gave away
successive 50 metre penalties, costing his side a goal. He was dragged
for the indiscretion and spent a lot of time with childlike scowling and
pouting toward the coaches box. On Monday the club suspended him for
seven days. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 3 |
| Fremantle v
Carlton |
Saturday,
June 30, 2007
Subiaco Oval, 4.10pm AEST, crowd: 36,307
Conditions: Fair to good
Weather: 16C, after morning showers |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| FRE |
4.3-27 |
10.7-67 (25) |
18.8-116 (57) |
27.11-173
(77) |
| CAR |
5.4-34 (7) |
6.6-42 |
8.11-59 |
13.18-96 |
Goals: Fremantle: Des Headland 5.2, Matthew Pavlich 4,
Jeff Farmer 4, Peter Bell 4, Scott Thornton 2, Steven Dodd, Dean
Solomon, Matthew Carr, Antoni Grover, David Mundy, Shane Parker, Ryan
Murphy, Heath Black. Carlton: Jarrad Waite 5.1, Ross Young 2,
Brendan Fevola, Adam Bentick, Setanta OhAilpin, Matthew Lappin, Adam
Hartlett, Brad Fisher.
Best: Fremantle: Jeff Farmer, Matthew Pavlich, Des Headland,
Antoni Grover, Luke McPharlin, Steven Dodd, Peter Bell. Carlton:
Andrew Carrazzo, Kade Simpson, Jarrad Waite, Ross Young, Adam Bentick,
Heath Scotland.
Umpires: McBurney, Avon, Fila. |
Port Adelaide held off
the fast-finishing Brisbane to win by seven points at the Gabba on
Saturday in front of a bare 22,124, the smallest AFL turn-out to watch
the Lions for several seasons.
In a continuation of the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, the Lions
came from 40 points behind early in the last quarter to level the scores
in time-on.
Andrew Stafford reported for The Age: Jonathan Brown's
fourth goal meant that the Lions had come back to level the scores in
time-on, but Brett Ebert was awarded a 50-metre penalty in the
teeth of goals from the next centre-square contest to end the Lions'
rally. For the Power, though, it was a game that should never have
escaped its grasp.It had been
inspired by a brilliant performance from Daniel Motlop, with the
unpredictable forward returning from a broken collarbone to kick six
goals. He kicked them from everywhere and at times appeared to be
playing on another field entirely.
But after Motlop's sixth goal early in
the last quarter had given his side what should have been an
unassailable advantage, the Lions kicked the next seven to nearly steal
the game. Motlop was aided by the efforts of Peter and Shaun
Burgoyne, the indefatigable Chad Cornes and Danyle Pearce,
who set the Power alight in the first half.
For the Lions, it was becoming an all too
familiar tale, with their chronic inaccuracy in front of goal earlier in
the game coming back to haunt them. While the Lions' leadership core of
Nigel Lappin, Jed Adcock, a returned Luke Power and
Brown nearly pulled their team over the line, there was an overall lack
of evenness in the Lions' effort. Until their barnstorming last quarter,
the only portion of the game in which the Lions held sway was in the
opening term.
The Herald Sun noted on Monday: Port coach Mark Williams
fired a bouncer at the Gabba Trust for having a cricket square on the
ground during the AFL season and roping it off during training sessions
24 hours before a match. "Everyone can train on our ground (Football
Park) and I expect the same right to train all over the ground (at the
Gabba). It's an absolute joke and it's been going on for 10 years,"
Williams said. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 4 |
| Brisbane v Port
Adelaide |
Saturday
(n),
June 30, 2007
BCG (Gabba), 7.15pm AEST,
crowd: 22,124
Conditions: Good though dewy
Weather: 16C, fine and clear |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| BRI |
3.4-22 (7) |
5.10-40 |
8.15-63 |
15.15-105 |
| PA |
2.3-15 |
9.5-59 (19) |
14.7-91 (28) |
17.10-112
(7) |
Goals: Port: Daniel Motlop 6.1, Justin Westhoff 3, David
Rodan 2, Danyle Pearce, Shaun Burgoyne, Robert Gray, Nathan Lonie, Chad
Cornes, Brett Ebert. Brisbane: Jonathan Brown 4, Tim
Notting 3, Jared Brennan 2, Jamie Charman 2, Josh Drummond 2, Michael
Rischitelli, Colm Begley.
Best: Port: Daniel Motlop, Chad Cornes, Kane Cornes, Peter
Burgoyne, Danyle Pearce, David Rodan, Darryl Wakelin, Shaun Burgoyne.
Brisbane: Nigel Lappin, Luke Power, Tim Notting, Joel Macdonald,
Jamie Charman, Daniel Merrett, Troy Selwood.
Umpires: Damien Sully, Matthew Head, Darren Goldspink. |
With a sudden last
quarter burst of five goals, St Kilda effectively snuffed out Richmond
in a close, entertaining encounter on Saturday night under the closed
roof at Docklands Stadium.
Lyall Johnson in his summary in The Age said: It's not
unfair to suggest the impression many had (at three-quarter time) that
is was more likely going to be Richmond's game, with the question of
whether the Saints could match the Tigers' run after their trip to
Subiaco. Somehow, the Tigers had seemed to have had the better of the
Saints; they had outrun, out-bodied and out-thought St Kilda, but
tellingly, they hadn't out-scored it. But within a minute-and-a-half of
the opening bounce in the last quarter, Stephen Milne and
Leigh Montagna had slammed on two goals and the margin had extended
to 16 points.
Yet as had been the case all night, the side that was behind kept coming
and as if on cue, Richmond's gutsy midfielder Nathan Foley raced
through the centre of the ground yet again, bounced and fired through a
long-range goal from 50 metres. It wasn't his first such effort, either;
in the first term, he staked his claim for goal of the year when he
grabbed the ball on the defensive side of the centre circle, sped past
all comers, bounced twice and drove the ball home from outside 50.
Like the entire match, the last quarter
ebbed and flowed, the young Tigers never giving up but the Saints always
doing enough to have their measure.
The Herald Sun on Monday noted: Montagna had a game-high 35
disposals, making it three games in succession he has had more than 30
touches. In an explosive final term that inspired the Saints' breakaway,
he had no less than 15 possessions. Montagna, 12 years and 297 games
Robert Harvey's junior watched on as the near-36 year-old picked up
a lazy 28 disposals, and 6 marks in his 351st League game. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 5 |
| St Kilda v
Richmond |
Saturday
(n),
June 30, 2007
Docklands, 7.15pm AEST, Roof: closed, crowd: 38,689
Conditions: Fair to good
Weather: 10C outside, 15C inside |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| STK |
5.1-31 () |
8.7-55 |
11.13-79 (4) |
17.15-117
(17) |
| RCH |
5.1-31 () |
9.5-59 (4) |
11.9-75 |
15.10-100 |
Goals: St Kilda: Fraser Gehrig 5.3, Nick Riewoldt 4,
Jason Gram 2, Brett Voss, Sam Gilbert, Lenny Hayes, Aaron Fiora, Stephen
Milne, Leigh Montagna. Richmond: Kayne Pettifer 4, Matthew
Richardson 3, Nathan G Brown 3, Nathan Foley 2, Shane Edwards, Greg
Tivendale, Daniel Jackson.
Best: St Kilda: Leigh Montagna, Robert Harvey, Fraser Gehrig,
Nick Riewoldt, Jason Gram, Lenny Hayes. Richmond: Joel Bowden,
Nathan Foley, Kayne Pettifer, Matthew Richardson, Shane Tuck, Nathan G
Brown, Chris Newman.
Umpires: Brett Allen, Chris Kamolins, Derek Woodcock
Report:
Kayne Pettifer
(Rch) for striking Leigh Fisher (St Kilda) in Q1 by umpire
Martin Ellis. |
West Coast
maintained its recent supremacy over Adelaide with a decisive 21-point
win in a desperately-fought, low-scoring struggle at Football Park on a sunny
Sunday afternoon it was the Eagles' fifth-straight win over the Crows.
Ashley Porter reported for The Age: The Crows may be
masters at shutting a game down when the opposition moves out of
defence, but when the Eagles reversed the pressure all over the ground,
it was Adelaide that folded. This again presents a daunting thought for
West Coast's challenges that the Eagles posses Adelaide's defensive
qualities, and also have the imposing forwards who are fed by an
exceptional midfield, even without Chris Judd and Ben Cousins.
Alan Shiell summarised for Sportal: Dean Cox gave
West Coast a start in ruck and was prominent in field play, and
Daniel Kerr, Chad Fletcher and Matt Priddis were
lively midfielders and so was Andrew Embley in a successful
return from a knee injury.Chad
Jones, Mark Seaby and Mark LeCras kicked three goals
each while Quinten Lynch (one) played usefully at centre
half-forward and, significantly, dragged Ben Rutten away from
full-back and Adam Hunter, Beau Waters and Brett
Jones were standouts in West Coast's bustling defence.
Andrew McLeod shone on a half-back
flank again for Adelaide but was limping with a strapped thigh
immediately after the match. Graham Johncock and Jason Torney
also were mean backmen for the Crows, and Nathan van Berlo,
Scott Thompson and Tyson Edwards were busy midfielders
without being as effective as their West Coast counterparts. The Crows
turned the ball over too often through surprisingly poor disposal skills
and, unlike the Eagles, struggled to find a dependable forward.
West Coast produced a four-goal surge early in the second quarter to
take a 16-point lead before Adelaide hit back with goals from Ken
McGregor and van Berlo.
The Eagles' slick forward work coincided
with the departure of Adelaide defender Nathan Bassett, who
limped off early in the second term with an injured left ankle that was
put in an ice pack. Bassett was on crutches as he returned from the
change room to sit on the interchange bench for the rest of the match. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 6 |
| Adelaide v West
Coast |
Sunday,
July 1, 2007
Football Park, 1.10pm AEST, crowd:
Conditions: Good
Weather: 15C, fine, clear and sunny after morning showers |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| ADE |
4.3-27 (6) |
6.6-42 |
8.10-58 |
10.14-74 |
| WCE |
3.3-21 |
7.7-49 97) |
11.10-76 (18) |
14.11-95
(21) |
Goals: West Coast: Chad Jones 3, Mark Seaby 3, Mark
LeCras 3, Andrew Embley 2, Shannon Hurn, Chad Fletcher, Quinten Lynch.
Adelaide: Nathan Bock 2, Ken McGregor 2, Scott Stevens 2, Ben
Hudson, Jason Torney, Brent Reilly, Nathan van Berlo.
Best: West Coast: Daniel Kerr, Dean Cox, Chad Fletcher, Adam
Hunter, Andrew Embley, Beau Waters, Matt Priddis. Adelaide:
Andrew McLeod, Graham Johncock, Nathan van Berlo, Jason Torney, Scott
Thompson, Tyson Edwards.
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Hayden Kennedy, Mathew James (injured
calf) replaced in Q3 by Matt Stevic. |
A stunning six-goal
first quarter from Drew Petrie set up the Kangaroos' win over the
Western Bulldogs in cold, cloudy and sometimes drizzle on Sunday
afternoon at the MCG where 39,433 turned out to celebrate the 300th
match of the Shinboner of the Century, Glenn Archer.
The Kangaroos were never seriously threatened after they kicked six
goals in the opening 15 minutes of the match, five of them by Petrie,
while he set up Corey Jones for the other one with a handball.
The Kangas were clear winners in the middle of the ground early, with
Hamish McIntosh performing superbly in the ruck and the likes of
Daniel Harris, Adam Simpson and Brent Harvey moving it
forward.
Lyall Johnson in his review for The Age noted: Time and
again the Kangas created space to allow teammates to hit them with the
type of long kicks the side is becoming known for. As a result, their
movement of the ball inside 50 was decisive, while the Bulldogs
laboured, not helped by Archer's positioning as a loose man across
half-back for much of the game.
After half-time the Bulldogs rallied and looked a chance of dragging
themselves back into the game. But opportunities count for little when
you can't capitalise with scoreboard pressure, Chris Grant in
particular in his first game back missing two easy set shots from close
range that badly hurt their momentum.
To the Bulldogs' credit, they fought out the last term to outscore the
Kangas by nine points, but it was a hollow victory. Indeed, no sooner
had the Dogs looked like challenging in the last when Harvey shut the
door then bolted it, with a magnificent kick on the run from a tight
angle then minutes later with a running banana kick. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 7 |
| Kangaroos v
Western Bulldogs |
Sunday,
July 1, 2007
MCG, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 39,433
Conditions: Mostly good
Weather: 14C, cold and cloudy; drizzle in Q1, light on from Q2 |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| KAN |
8.2-50 (22) |
12.5-77 (34) |
15.6-96 (35) |
17.9-111
(26) |
| WB |
4.4-28 |
6.7-43 |
8.13-61 |
11.19-85 |
Goals: Kangaroos: Drew Petrie 7.0, Brent Harvey 2, Corey
Jones 2, Scott McMahon 2, Leigh Brown, Brady Rawlings, Jess Sinclair,
Daniel Wells. West.B'dogs: Daniel Giansiracusa 3, Brad Johnson 3,
Lindsay Gilbee, Chris Grant, Mitch Hahn, Higgins, Farren Ray.
Best: Kangaroos: Drew Petrie, Adam Simpson, Brady Rawlings, Corey
Jones, Brent Harvey, Hamish McIntosh, Kasey Green. West. B'dogs:
Matthew Boyd, Daniel Giansiracusa, Brad Johnson, Adam Cooney.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Luke Farmer, Stuart Wenn. |
In a battle of two
sides sure to figure prominently come September, Hawthorn proved on
Sunday night in front of a near-capacity 50,248 at Docklands it has the
temperament and character to go with its undoubted skill and talent as
it narrowly overcame a gallant Collingwood side to win and remain in
second place on the ladder.
Paul Gough for Sportal observed: With centre-half-forward
Anthony Rocca suspended and gifted skipper Nathan Buckley
still sidelined, it was a threadbare Magpies' line-up that took on the
AFL's most improved team this season. But in the end it was only the
Hawks' ability to mark the ball inside their forward 50 that proved the
difference in one of the best matches of the season.
For long periods the young Hawks, who have not played in the finals
since 2001, struggled in the intense atmosphere. But when it came time
to stand up and be counted, the Hawks showed character by the truckload.
Bruce Matthews noted in the Herald Sun: The lead swapped
seven times in the first half, scores were deadlocked four times in the
third quarter and Collingwood just kept coming to nearly pinch it near
the end. When Dale Thomas marked a quick kick from Dane Swan
in the goalsquare 17 minutes into the last term, its was the Magpies'
third goal in five minutes to propel them back into the lead.
Amid the excitement, a controversial boundary line incident conspired to
haunt Collingwood and tilt this wildly fluctuating contest back
Hawthorn's way. The ball appeared to have cross the line on the dockside
wing and two Magpies hesitated, clearly expecting a throw-in. But Hawk
onballer Sam Mitchell correctly played to the whistle that didn't
come, trapped the loose ball on the white line and fed it out even as
Collingwood players on the bench protested in vain.
Hawthorn surged forward and Michael Osborne, playing a negating
role up forward to stop Heath Shaw rebounds, marked and goaled to
regain the lead. Enter Jarryd Roughead, whose long reach and sure
hands latched onto a long bomb from Joel Smith with two minutes
left. While it became the Buddy and Jarryd show in the last quarter, the
Hawks will give thanks to the contribution from Tim Boyle, the
third marking forward who could only watch from the interchange bench
after ripping his left hamstring in the last minute before three-quarter
time.
Considering Collingwood had to confront the height, bulk and goalkicking
power of Franklin, Roughead and Boyle without four of its best six
defenders, it was a magnificent performance. |
|
2007 ROUND 13 GAME 8 |
| Collingwood v
Hawthorn |
Sunday
(n),
July 1, 2007
Docklands, 5.10pm AEST, Roof:
closed, crowd: 50,248
Conditions: Fair surface slippery from dew
Weather: 15C inside; 12C outside cloudy, showers |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| COL |
3.5-23 |
6.9-45 |
9.12-66 |
12.15-87 |
| HAW |
4.2-26 (3) |
7.4-46 (1) |
11.5-71 (5) |
15.5-95
(8) |
Goals: Hawthorn: Lance Franklin 4, Jarryd Roughead 3,
Tim Boyle 2, Michael Osborne 2, Shane Crawford 2, Rick Ladson, Clinton
Young. Collingwood: Martin Clarke 3, Paul Medhurst 2, Alan Didak
2, Dale Thomas 2, Ben Reid, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis.
Best: Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young, Lance Franklin, Ben
McGlynn, Shane Crawford, Campbell Brown, Michael Osborne.
Collingwood: Heath Shaw, Dane Swan, Leon Davis, Martin Clarke,
Tarkyn Lockyer, Scott Pendlebury.
Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Scott Jeffery, Shane McInerney. |
|
|
