| * |
The Western Bulldogs
lost its place in the top eight when it was outclassed by West Coast on
Friday night at Docklands Stadium. The Eagles dismantled the Dogs in a
similar manner to which Geelong did seven days before at the same venue,
setting up a match-winning margin by half-time before storming away in
the final quarter.
Sam Lienert reported for the AFL webpage: With Daniel Kerr
in devastating touch, the Eagle controlled the game from the outset,
skipping to a 44-point lead by the long break The final quarter turned
into party time for West Coast against a dispirited opposition as they
booted nine of the first 10 goals to lead by 100 points at one stage.
Andrew Wu noted for Sportal: Despite missing ball-winners
Scott West, a late withdrawal, and Daniel Cross, the
Bulldogs – who had few winners, if any – matched the Eagles in the
clinches but were cruelly found wanting nearly everywhere else.
Kerr was a clear best-on-ground, cutting a
swathe through the midfield with a combination of relentless running and
precise skills, while Ben Cousins, in his first game in Melbourne
since last year's grand final, again performed like a man who had not
missed four months of football. Tellingly, the cheers for Cousins
drowned out the jeers by the end of the game when he capped off a superb
match with a goal in the last term.
Not for the first time in Rodney
Eade's reign at Whitten Oval, the Bulldogs paid dearly for the
absence of a big focal point across half-forward. That, combined with an
inability to play their run-and-carry style of game, resulted in the
Bulldogs, who at their best are one of the most aesthetically pleasing
teams in the competition, dishing up one of the most unattractive
performances of the year.
Desperate to avoid a torrent of Eagles'
goals, the Bulldogs resorted to chipping the ball sideways and backwards
in the third quarter, much to the displeasure of even their own
supporters.
The loss, while not only shaving 4.5
points off their percentage, saw the Bulldogs exit the eight this round,
and on this showing, it is unlikely they will break back into it. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME
1 |
|
Western Bulldogs v West Coast |
Friday (n),
July 27, 2007
Docklands, 7.40pm AEST, Roof:
closed, crowd:
30,900
Conditions: Fair to good;
slippery patches
Weather: 13C, rain activity |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| WB |
2.5-17 |
4.7-31 |
6.12-48 |
9.17-71 |
| WCE |
4.4-28 (11) |
11.9-75 (44) |
15.11-101 (53) |
24.14-158 (87) |
Goals:
West Coast: Quinten
Lynch 5.1, Brent Staker 4, Mark LeCras 3, Andrew Embley
2, Ashley Hansen 2, Chris Judd 2, Ben Cousins, Adam
Hunter, Shannon Hurn, Daniel Kerr, Priddis, Mark Seaby.
West.B'dogs: Stephen Tiller 2, Jason Akermanis,
Nathan Eagleton, Daniel Giansiracusa, Ryan Hargrave,
Farren Ray, Wayde Skipper, Cameron Wight.
Best: West Coast: Daniel Kerr, Ben Cousins, Brent
Staker, Michael Braun, Quinten Lynch, Dean Cox.
West.B'dogs: Ryan Hargrave, Andrejs Everitt, Wayde
Skipper, Dale Morris.
Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Derek Woodcock, Scott
Jeffery. |
St Kilda held off
Carlton's determined last ditch surge to win by 10 points under the open
roof at Docklands Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The win, the Saints'
ninth in a row stretching back to 2001, brought them level on 36 points
with Sydney, Essendon and the Bulldogs with five rounds of the season
remaining.
The match was Brett Ratten's first game as caretaker coach after
Denis Pagan was terminated on Monday and they fought out an
honourable defeat. As events later unfolded it was also the 278th and
final appearance for Carlton of former captain Anthony Koutoufides
who announced his retirement in the following days.
St Kilda centre half-forward Nick Riewoldt was best afield
with four goals, 23 possessions and 11 marks, while Fraser Gehrig
capped his 250th game with six goals, including the sealer.
For the Blues, Brendan Fevola finished with five goals and
Andrew Carrazzo gathered a career-high 38 possessions. Carlton
played with spirit but struggled to contain the Saints' stars. While the
Blues challenged the Saints through the middle of the game, until the
last term they were never able to build enough momentum.
Saints onballers Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo were again
outstanding and Sam Fisher was solid in defence. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 2 |
|
Carlton v St Kilda |
Saturday,
July 28, 2007
Docklands, 2.10pm AEST, Roof: open, crowd: 32,327
Conditions: Fair to good
Weather: 15C, mainly overcast, showers forecast |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| CAR |
6.1-37 (3) |
7.3-45 |
9.7-61 |
15.11-101 |
| STK |
5.4-34 |
10.7-67 (22) |
14.12-96 (35) |
16.15-111
(10) |
Goals: St Kilda:
Fraser Gehrig 6.1, Nick Riewoldt 4, Stephen Milne 2, Nick Dal Santo,
Shane Birss, Steven Baker, Jason Blake. Carlton: Brendan Fevola
5.2, Brad Fisher 3, Setanta O'hAilpin 2, Cain Ackland, Paul Bower,
Matthew Lappin, Jordan Bannister, Jason Saddington.
Best: St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo, Fraser Gehrig,
Steven Baker, Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert. Carlton: Brad Fisher,
Andrew Carrazzo, Matthew Lappin, Ryan Jackson, Marc Murphy, Brendan
Fevola.
Umpires: Dean Meredith, Matthew Nicholls, Martin Ellis. |
Geelong stretched
its winning run to 12 games and almost certainly consigned Fremantle to
this year's scrap heap with a comprehensive 68-point win at Subiaco Oval
on Saturday afternoon in windy and slippery conditions after
considerable rain in the morning.
Tim Clarke reported for the AFL webpage: Fremantle's caretaker
coach Mark Harvey was given a reality check by the Cats who
dominated proceedings from start to finish. Cats playmaker Gary
Ablett (31 possessions) continued his tilt for a Brownlow Medal with
another virtuoso display and Mathew Stokes notched a career-high
five goals.
Cameron Mooney's powerful presence set up the platform for their
12th in a row, Cameron Ling brilliantly nullified Peter Bell
and Steve Johnson (26 possessions, 14 marks, two goals) continued
his revelatory season.
Justin Chadwick noted for Sportal: For the Dockers,
Matthew Pavlich made the most of his limited opportunities with four
goals, while defender Luke McPharlin (24 touches, 13 marks) was
busy across half-back. Jeff Farmer was restricted to just nine
possessions and a late goal after his controversial fortnight in the
headlines.
The Dockers made their one and only serious charge of the match early in
the third term, closing the margin to 19 points courtesy of goals to
Chris Tarrant and David Mundy. However, Tarrant's miss of the
run from 35m midway through the quarter – which would have reduced the
gap to 16 points – spelt out the end for the Dockers.
The wayward shot woke Geelong from its slumber, with a goal to Ling
followed by two goals to Stokes blowing the lead back out to 33 points
at the final change.
And any hope of a Fremantle comeback was ruthlessly shot down by the
Cats in the last quarter, with Geelong piling on eight goals to two to
secure its biggest ever win over the Dockers. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 3 |
| Fremantle v
Geelong |
Saturday,
July 28, 2007
Football Park, 4.10pm AEST, crowd: 36,741
Conditions: Fair to good; lights on in Q4
Weather: 18C, morning showers, gusty W-N/W winds |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| FRE |
1.3-9 |
4.5-29 |
8.9-57 |
10.12-72 |
| GEE |
6.4-40 (31) |
8.11-59 (30) |
12.18-90 (33) |
20.20-140
(68) |
Goals: Geelong: Mathew Stokes 5.0, Cameron Mooney 2,
James Kelly 2, Steve Johnson 2, Darren Milburn, Shannon Byrnes, Corey
Enright, Cameron Ling, Josh Hunt, Nathan Ablett, David Wojcinski, Gary
Ablett, Tom Harley. Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich 4, Des Headland 2,
Chris Tarrant, David Mundy, Roger Hayden, Jeff Farmer.
Best: Geelong: Gary Ablett, Mathew Stokes, Steve Johnson, Brad
Ottens, Cameron Ling, Joel Corey, Tom Harley, Cameron Mooney.
Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich, Luke McPharlin, Matthew Carr, Daniel
Gilmore, Dean Solomon.
Umpires: Dean Margetts, Scott McLaren, Michael Avon. |
Brisbane continued
their pursuit of September action with a monumental hammering of
Collingwood on Saturday night at the MCG. The 93-point margin was
Brisbane's biggest ever against Collingwood – the Pies hardly looked the
pre-game favourites they were touted as, nor a team striving for
top-four honours.
The victory continued a terrific run of good form by the Lions, which
started with their upset of West Coast at Subiaco in round 14 which
revived their finals chances. Since then, they have thrashed Melbourne
by 44, mauled Carlton by 117 before the 93 point shellacking of the
Magpies.
Lyall Johnson reported for The Age: Simon Black was
brilliant in the midfield, as was Jed Adcock, who contributed 28
disposals and four goals. Rhan Hooper, with three goals, put on
the type of magical display through the middle that had the Lions so
keen to keep him when he tried to leave the club in the pre-season.
Last week, Brown was the start of the forward line, but on Saturday
night, even with his three goals, he had to play second fiddle to
Jared Brennan, who finally lived up to the hype that has surrounded
his young career.
Brennan worked hard, leading up and back, marked well, kicked straight –
though he finished with 7.5 – and capped the night with a trademark
one-handed overhead grab before slotting his seventh.
The Pies had the sort of monumentally horrendous match most sides
experience only one every few years. They did not have winner anywhere
on the MCG and, what was worse, seemed incapable of competing with
Brisbane on any of the basic measures such as tackling, hardness,
running or work-rate.
Shane O'Bree tried hard, as did Dane Swan and Heath
Shaw, but so insignificant was their impact that the only impression
they made was on the stats sheet. There were a number who had terrible
nights, but the standouts were Anthony Rocca, Leon Davis,
Josh Fraser and Travis Cloke.
Brisbane ended the night with the last six majors – a fitting finish. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 4 |
| Collingwood v
Brisbane Lions |
Saturday
(n),
July 28, 2007
MCG, 7.10pm AEST,
crowd: 45,096
Conditions: Fair, dewy
Weather: 11C, shower activity, clearing |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| COL |
1.3-9 |
3.7-25 |
5.12-42 |
7.14-56 |
| BRI |
7.6-48 (39) |
11.13-79 (54) |
16.15-111
(69) |
22.17-149
(93) |
Goals: Brisbane: Jared Brennan 7.5, Jed Adcock 4,
Jonathan Brown 3, Rhan Hooper 3, Jamie Charman 2, Simon Black, Jason
Roe, Michael Rischitelli. Collingwood: Nick Maxwell 4, Travis
Cloke, Anthony Rocca, Heath Shaw.
Best: Brisbane: Jared Brennan, Simon Black, Jonathan Brown, Jed
Adcock, Rhan Hooper, Luke Power, Nigel Lappin, Cheynee Stiller.
Collingwood: Heath Shaw, Shane O'Bree, Dane Swan, Ryan Lonie, Nick
Maxwell.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Brett Rosebury, Stefan Grun. |
Sydney remained on
track for a top-four finish with a regulation 11-goal defeat of the
bottom side Richmond on Saturday night in the dewy conditions of the SCG
to a near-capacity 23,199 fans. The 66-point margin was the Swans'
biggest win of the season, surpassing the 62-point win over Carlton a
fortnight ago.
Tom Wald noted with enthusiasm on the AFL webpage that Sydney co-captain
Barry Hall was revving up for the business end with a menacing six
goals, while goalsneak Nick Davis kicked four in what were
season-best hauls from both. The most telling sign that Hall was back to
his bustling best was in the second term when he shook off three
attempted tackles by two defenders before curling home his fourth goal.
Jordon Chong reported for Sportal: The margin was just 16
points at half-time as Richmond showed tremendous tenacity to stay with
Sydney, which threatened to cut loose at any stage but was held in
check. However, it was a different story the other side of the long
break.
The teams went goal for goal until the 15-minute mark, which is where
the Tigers' resistance ended and their already overworked defence could
no longer hold out the rampaging Swans. The Swans kicked four goals in
six minutes to lead by 40 points and have the four premiership points in
safe keeping with a quarter to play.
Sydney's midfield, through Brownlow
Medallist Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton,
moved the ball forward with great precision and speed. And the home
side's forwards worked tirelessly to pressure the visitors into mistakes
and forced a number of turnovers which resulted in goals.
Apart from Nathan Brown's three
goals for the Tigers, the Sydney defence also had a good match. Tough
defender Craig Bolton was supreme all night on Richmond spearhead
Matthew Richardson, keeping the big man goalless and restricting
him to just five marks and 13 possessions. After kicking three goals
last week, Tigers youngster Jack Riewoldt found things a lot
harder against Tadhg Kennelly, managing just one goal.
There were a couple of highlights for the
bottom-of-the-ladder Tigers – Brown was lively and looked like he was
approaching somewhere near his best, Will Thursfield kept the
dangerous Michael O'Loughlin quiet and Daniel Connors
looked promising on debut after a shaky start. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 5 |
| Sydney v Richmond |
Saturday
(n),
July 28, 2007
SCG, 7.10pm AEST, crowd: about 23,199
Conditions: Fair, dewy
Weather: 13C, fine day |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| SYD |
4.3-27 (7) |
9.5-59 (16) |
16.7-103 (40) |
21.12-138
(66) |
| RCH |
3.2-20 |
6.7-43 |
9.9-63 |
10.12-72 |
Goals: Sydney: Barry Hall 6.1, Nick Davis 4, Adam
Schneider 3, Peter Everitt 2, Ryan O'Keefe 2, Paul Bevan, Jude Bolton,
Darren Jolly, Tim Schmidt. Richmond: Nathan G Brown 3, Cleve
Hughes 2, Shane Edwards, Andrew Krakouer, Kelvin Moore, Kayne Pettifer,
Jack Riewoldt.
Best: Sydney: Adam Goodes, Craig Bolton, Nick Davis, Ryan
O'Keefe, Barry Hall, Jarrad McVeigh, Brett Kirk. Richmond: Nathan
G Brown, Andrew Raines, Shane Edwards, Will Thursfield, Chris Newman.
Umpires: Ray Chamberlain, Matthew Head, Craig Hendrie.
Report:
Kane Johnson (Rch) was cited for making contact with umpire Ray Chamberlain during the first quarter.
Johnson accepted guilt and a $2400 fine. |
With all that was
at stake the Sunday afternoon clash in near-perfect conditions at York
Park was a bit of a fizzer as the Kangaroos tightened their hold on
second place on the ladder. They cruised to a six-goal win over
third-placed Hawthorn in front of a near-full house of 19,114 at
Launceston where both sides got the wrong sort of send-off at half-time
when only eight goals had been scored.
Kanga forward Corey Jones was hero of the day with a career-high
seven goals as the fairytale continued to a fifth successive win. The
signs were ominous for Hawthorn from the outset, with key forward
Lance Franklin and influential midfielder Sam Mitchell
withdrawing before the bounce of the ball. The loss of the star pair
proved significant as the Hawk forward line struggled for fluency and
the Kanga midfield took charge.
Justin Chadwick reviewed proceedings for Sportal: Brent
Harvey (30 possessions), Jess Sinclair (29), Daniel Harris
(27) and Shannon Grant (25) ran rampant through the middle as
Jones let loose in attack courtesy of the spoon-fed delivery. Ruckman
Hamish McIntosh (26 possessions) provided excellent support around
the ground while Daniel Pratt and Michael Firrito were
rock solid in defence.Lyall
Johnson observed in his report for The Age: Both sides
littered the ground with mistakes, forced and unforced. The Hawks,
however, made more and the worst of them and the Kangaroos were better
able to capitalise on the gifts presented.
By the time the final siren mercifully put an end to things, the Kangas
were easy 37-point winners, the margin flattering for the Hawks who
managed to claw back three junk goals in time-on in the final term after
training by 48. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 6 |
| Hawthorn v
Kangaroos |
Sunday,
July 29, 2007
York Park, 1.10pm AEST, crowd: 19,114
Conditions: Good
Weather: 11C, cool and sunny |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| HAW |
1.2-8 |
3.6-24 |
4.11-35 |
10.11-71 |
| KAN |
2.5-17 (9) |
8.7-55 (31) |
11.10-76 (41) |
16.12-108
(37) |
Goals: Kangaroos: Corey Jones 7.4, Djaran Whyman 2,
Eddie Sansbury 2, Drew Petrie 2, Hamish McIntosh, Brent Harvey, Aaron
Edwards. Hawthorn: Trent Croad 2, Beau Dowler 2, Luke Hodge, Ben
Dixon, Ben McGlynn, Clinton Young, Jarryd Roughead, Richard Vandenberg.
Best: Kangaroos: Corey Jones, Brent Harvey, Daniel Harris, Hamish
McIntosh, Brady Rawlings, Daniel Pratt, Jesse Smith, Michael Firrito.
Hawthorn: Luke Hodge, Grant Birchall, Jordan Lewis, Shane Crawford,
Chance Bateman.
Umpires: Shane McInerney, Shaun Ryan, Kieron Nicholls.
Report:
Jordan Lewis (Haw) reported by umpire Kieron Nicholls for striking
Daniel Harris (Kan) during the second quarter. |
It was noted that
Essendon ended one of the most emotional weeks in its history with a
rousing and hard-fought 12-point win over Adelaide under the open roof
of Docklands Stadium on a mostly fine Sunday afternoon. Roger Vaughan
of AAP wrote: four days after announcing Kevin Sheedy's 27-year
coaching tenure will end this year, the Bombers returned to the top
eight.
The 12-point result left Essendon placed eighth with a 9-8 record, while
the Crows are now struggling on eight wins and nine losses and still
have yet to beat the Bombers in Melbourne in spite of 11 attempts.
Mark Robinson observed in the Herald Sun: The final score
was achieved on the back of five goals from captain Matthew Lloyd
– four in the first quarter – and dominant performances from ruckman
David Hille and midfielders Mark McVeigh, Damien Peverill
and Jobe Watson.
It wasn't a startling game despite the high scores. Both teams struggled
to find targets at differing times of the game, while some of Adelaide's
kicking for goal was atrocious.
Sheedy praised the younger players for the efforts in the tight final
quarter, although it was veterans Mark Johnson (two goals) and
McVeigh who stood up. Brett Stanton collected eight touches.
Michael Gleeson summarised in The Age: After holding a
two-goal lead at three-quarter time, ruckman Hille was surprisingly left
on the bench for 20 minutes. Having been a commanding figure throughout
the match it was a curious decision that suggested injury or discipline.
Sheedy admitted later that it had been a coaching oversight – and a
slight on his assistants for not drawing it to his attention.
Fortunately, Jason Laycock had filled the rucking breach well.
The game remained there for Adelaide to claim midway through the quarter
when Simon Goodwin levelled the scores but two quick goals to Jason
Winderlich and Ricky Dyson offered some breathing space
before Mark Johnson's two snapped goals, interspersed between
Brett Burton replies, provided the final margin. Sheedy's coaching
career is not yet over and neither is Essendon's season. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 7 |
| Essendon v
Adelaide |
Sunday,
July 29, 2007
Docklands, 2.10pm AEST, Roof: open, crowd: 35,010
Conditions: Fair to good
Weather: 13C, overcast, mostly sunshine |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| ESS |
6.2-38 (5) |
10.4-64 (–) |
14.6-90 (11) |
18.9-117
(12) |
| ADE |
5.3-33 |
10.4-64 (–) |
12.7-79 |
16.9-105 |
Goals: Essendon: Matthew Lloyd 5.1, Mark Johnson 3, Mark
McVeigh 2, Andrew Welsh 2, Jobe Watson, Adam Ramanauskas, Damien
Peverill, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Jason Winderlich, Ricky Dyson.
Adelaide: Ken McGregor 4, Brett Burton 4, Scott Welsh 3, Tyson
Edwards, Jason Torney, Ivan Maric, Simon Goodwin, Nick Gill.
Best: Essendon: Jobe Watson, David Hille, Mark McVeigh,
Damien Peverill, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Brent Stanton. Adelaide:
Tyson Edwards, Nathan Bock, Scott Thompson, Simon Goodwin, Andrew
McLeod, Ken McGregor.
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Brett Allen, Stuart Wenn. |
Port Adelaide
pummelled Melbourne by a record 89-point-margin on Sunday night at
Football Park in fair conditions following substantial rain at West
Lakes. The win lifted Port to third place on the ladder and was a worthy
celebration of Peter Burgoyne's 200th match for the Power.
Daniel Brettig reviewed the match for the Herald Sun: Port
kicked eight first-term goals to effectively wrap up the contest inside
a quarter. It then finished off Melbourne in merciless fashion with a
14-goal second half.
Brownlow fancy Chad Cornes and small forward Brett Ebert
(both six goals) put on powerful displays up forward, while Shaun
Burgoyne (four) and David Rodan (three) also helped torment
the Demons' defence.
Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan were dominant in the ruck,
and Kane Cornes, veteran Michael Wilson and Domenic
Cassisi provided steel to block Melbourne's forward supply.
On a night where many of Melbourne's 22 did not resemble players so much
as witches for the Power to weave around, Brad Green and
Nathan Brown showed fight.
In summary Ashley Porter noted for The Age: One of the
many feature's of Port's win was its determination to the very end, as
depicted so well by Justin Westhoff, who fearlessly threw himself
at the ball, won possession and fed Travis Boak, who found Shaun
Burgoyne – another goal. It shower the hunger is there.
Melbourne has not beaten Port in Adelaide since round eight, 200, and
this dismal record did not look like changing at any stage. It was
Port's biggest win against Melbourne, surpassing the 73-point result in
round 19 in 2004 – Port's premiership year. A warning? Probably a
coincidence. but interesting numbers. |
|
2007 — ROUND 17 — GAME 8 |
| Port Adelaide v
Melbourne |
Sunday
(n),
July 29, 2007
Football Park, 4.40pm AEST, crowd: 23,485
Conditions: Fair, following overnight rain
Weather: 15C, overcast; lights on in Q2 |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| PA |
8.3-51 (36) |
11.6-72 (30) |
19.10-124
(75) |
25.13-163
(89) |
| MEL |
2.3-15 |
6.6-42 |
7.7-49 |
11.8-74 |
Goals: Port: Chad Cornes 6.2, Brett Ebert 6.1, Shaun
Burgoyne 4, David Rodan 3, Daniel Motlop 2, Troy Chaplin, Brendon Lade,
Kade Cornes, Justin Westhoff. Melbourne: Brad Green 2, Russell
Robertson 2, Matthew Bate 2, Michael Newton 2, Cameron Bruce, David
Neitz, Ben Holland.
Best: Port: Chad Cornes, Peter Burgoyne, Domenic Cassisi, Kane
Cornes, Brendon Lade, Brett Ebert, Michael Wilson, Shaun Burgoyne,
Nathan Lonie. Melbourne: Brad Green, Nathan D Brown, Nathan
Jones, James McDonald.
Umpires: Hayden Kennedy, Damien Sully, Gary Fila.
Reports:
l
Toby Thurstans (PA) was cited for striking James McDonald (Mel) during
the third quarter. Thurstans accepted guilt and a reprimand with 70.31
points towards his future record.
l
Michael Newton (Mel) by umpire Hayden
Kennedy for striking Peter Burgoyne (PA) during the final term.
Following assessment of the incident the charge was withdrawn. |
|
|
