| * |
St Kilda jumped the
Eagles in the opening term and it was a three-quarter battle as West
Coast gradually overhauled the deficit to come out narrow winners by
eight points under the closed roof at Docklands on Friday night. It was
a critical result for the Saints who are now half-a-game outside the top
eight in 9th place.
Andrew Wu reported for Sportal: The Saints left the Eagles
floundering early, tackling with purpose and cut the normally brilliant
Eagles midfield to shreds. While the Saints led by 28 points at
quarter-time, their return of 5.5 was perhaps one or two goals below
what their dominance of general play deserved.
Chip Le Grand noted in The Australian: But no sooner had
the first, provisional obituaries been penned on West Coast's season,
something stirred within this team. Dean Cox seemed to grow six
inches during the half-time break and fed enough ball to his midfield
for a Friday night feast. Ben Cousins gorged on his offerings and
started running with that upright gait of his, every pass a work of
precision.
Quinten Lynch, in arguably his best performance away from Subiaco
Oval, made a mug of Matt Maguire and the forward line his own. He
ventured from deep in the goal square to high on the wing. And
astonishingly, he did not miss from in front of goal.
Michael Gleeson summarised in The Age: The Saints looked
spent in the final term when Ashley Hansen booted his third goal
to push the Eagles to a 17-point lead. But goals to Fraser Gehrig
and Justin Koschitzke got the Saints back into the match. A silly
50m penalty against Maguire for unnecessarily tackling Rowan Jones
after a mark allowed the Eagles to return to the lead to nine points and
establish some comfort.
Moments later it returned to the three-point margin when Nick
Riewoldt kicked his fourth and when Koschitzke marked and goaled the
margin was two points. With 22 seconds left in the game, the centre
break was crucial. The Eagles won it and proved there was enough time
for another goal when Mark LeCras kicked his third for the night.
Not all credit can be ascribed to Cox for Matt Priddis had a
superb outing with 36 possessions. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME
1 |
|
St Kilda v West Coast |
Friday (n),
August 24, 2007
Docklands, 7.40pm AEST, Roof: closed, crowd: 38,183
Conditions: Good
Weather: 16C outside, fine |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| STK |
5.5-35 (28) |
9.8-62 (22) |
10.9-69 |
14.14-98 |
| WCE |
1.1-7 |
6.4-40 |
11.9-75 (6) |
15.10-106 (8) |
Goals:
West Coast:
Quinten Lynch 5.0, David Wirrpanda 3, Mark LeCras 3,
Rowan Jones 2, Chad Fletcher, Matt Priddis Ashley
Hansen. St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt 4,
Justin Koschitzke 3, Fraser Gehrig 2, Xavier Clarke,
Leigh Fisher, Brett Voss, Luke Ball, Aaron Fiora.
Best: West Coast: Matt Priddis, Quinten
Lynch, Darren Glass, Ben Cousins, Dean Cox, David
Wirrpanda. St Kilda: Lenny Hayes, Nick
Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo, Sam Fisher, Raphael Clarke.
Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Brett Allen,
Shane McInerney.
Report:
Chris Judd (WCE) was cited for making negligent
contact with field umpire Shane McInerney in the
first quarter. Judd admitted guilt and accepted the MRP
fine of $2400. |
The Kangaroos
emphatically ended their run of three successive defeats when they
handed 15th-placed Carlton a 12-goal thrashing in fine and sunny
conditions at Docklands on Saturday afternoon – it was the 10th-straight
defeat for the Blues. The Kangas boasted 14 goalkickers and kicked 15
goals to seven after half time.
The Shinboner of the Century, Glenn Archer, played his
club-record 307th game surpassing Wayne Schimmelbusch.
Angus Morgan noted for Sportal: The Kangaroos increased
their lead at every change but made the victory safe with an eight-goal
third quarter en route to the club's highest score for the season.
After four brave efforts under new coach
Brett Ratten, a blowout for the Blues was almost inevitable. Adam
Bentick (36 disposals) and Andrew Carrazzo (28) got plenty of
the ball while Lance Whitnall, who was off-target early and whose
kicking lacked penetration, proved a valuable target up forward
nonetheless.
The Kangaroos settled into a rhythm in the second half, however
with Brent Harvey gathering a team-high 28 touches while Eddie
Sansbury was close to best-afield with 21 possessions and three
goals.
Hamish McIntosh gave his onballers first use at the stoppages
while Drew Petrie was a powerful presence up forward, finishing
with four goals including three straight in the final term.
The AFL webpage observed: Both sides suffered late withdrawals, with the
Kangaroos losing Jesse Smith to an ankle injury and Matt
Campbell with a virus. Ed Lower and Scott McMahon came
into the team. The Blues were missing Matthew Lappin and Ryan
Houlihan, replacing them with Josh Kennedy and Shaun Grigg
and going into the match with one of the most inexperienced teams in its
long history. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 2 |
|
Carlton v Kangaroos |
Saturday,
August 25, 2007
Docklands, 2.10pm AEST, Roof: open, crowd: 29,334
Conditions: Good
Weather: 22C, fine and sunny |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| CAR |
2.2-14 |
4.9-33 |
8.11-59 |
11.13-79 |
| KAN |
3.8-26 (12) |
9.11-65 (32) |
17.14-116 |
24.17-161
(82) |
Goals: Kangaroos:
Aaron Edwards 4, Drew Petrie 4, Eddie Sansbury 3, Shannon Grant 2,
Andrew Swallow 2, David Hale, Corey Jones, Brady Rawlings, Brent Harvey,
Daniel Wells, Adam Simpson, Leigh Brown, Scott McMahon, Ed Lower.
Carlton: Jarrad Waite 3, Ryan Jackson 2, Lance Whitnall 2, Setanta
O'hAilpin, Bryce Gibbs, Josh Kennedy, Cain Ackland.
Best: Kangaroos: Brent Harvey, Eddie Sansbury, Daniel Wells, Drew
Petrie, Aaron Edwards, Brady Rawlings. Carlton: Adam Bentick,
Andrew Carrazzo, Lance Whitnall, Jarrad Waite.
Umpires: Ray Chamberlain, Michael Avon, Gary Fila. |
Fremantle did its best
to resurrect some hope for its long-suffering supporters with a
comprehensive romp over lowly Melbourne on Saturday afternoon at Subiaco
Oval – which was a little slippery from morning showers. The Dockers
blew the game apart with nine unanswered goals from the end of the first
quarter into time-on of the second stanza, turning a 12-point deficit
into a 42-point lead.
Justin Chadwick in summary for Sportal noted: Although the
victory brings Freo back to within four points of the top eight, its
inferior percentage means finals action will allude the club. Troy
Cook, who will play his 150th for Fremantle next week and earn life
membership at the club, and Shane Parker (who is also retiring)
walked a lap of honour after the match to the delight of the fans.
Peter Bell continued his stunning run of form with a sensational
31-possession, one-goal afternoon, while David Mundy, Dean
Solomon and Daniel Gilmore provided excellent support.
Luke McPharlin (five goals) and Jeff Farmer were a constant
threat in attack, while Matthew Pavlich ended with 22 touches, 14
marks and 3.4.
The Demons, missing a host of front-line players through injury, failed
to match Fremantle's run and intensity after quarter-time, but
Russell Robertson (three goals) was lively up forward and Brock
McLean and Lynden Dunn shut down Josh Carr and Paul
Hasleby respectively. The Demons couldn't even get through without
further injury, with skipper David Neitz hobbling from the ground
with a knee injury late in the game which will end his season. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 3 |
| Fremantle v
Melbourne |
Saturday,
August 25, 2007
Subiaco Oval, 4.10pm AEST, crowd: 34,549
Conditions: Fair, slippery from earlier showers
Weather: 22C, sunshine to start; showers forecast |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| FRE |
5.4-34 (–) |
14.6-90 (47) |
18.7-115 (48) |
22.12-144
(59) |
| MEL |
5.4-34 (–) |
6.7-43 |
9.13-67 |
12.13-85 |
Goals: Fremantle: Luke McPharlin 5.0, Jeff Farmer 3,
Matthew Pavlich 3, Brett Peake 2, Andrew Foster 2, Dean Solomon, Chris
Tarrant, Daniel Gilmore, Josh Carr, Shaun McManus, Peter Bell, David
Mundy. Melbourne: Robertson 3, David Neitz 2, Brad Green 2, Brad
Miller, Jace Bode, Byron Pickett, Ryan Ferguson, Michael Newton.
Best: Fremantle: Peter Bell, David Mundy, Luke McPharlin, Matthew
Pavlich, Dean Solomon, Daniel Gilmore, Jeff Farmer. Melbourne:
Brock McLean, Nathan D Brown, Lynden Dunn, Russell Robertson, Brad
Green.
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Luke Farmer, Kieron Nicholls. |
Collingwood maintained
pressure on the top four with a stirring 25-point win over Sydney for
63,842 on Saturday night at the MCG. Martin Blake observed for
The Age: Methodically, clinically and impressively, the Magpies
dismantled the Swans at a hugely important time of the season.
The match marked the first game of the year for the 35-year-old Magpie
captain Nathan Buckley after a series of hamstring injuries.
Brandon Cohen noted for Sportal: The victory sews up a
top-eight berth for the Magpies, but at the cost of injuries to Dale
Thomas (shoulder), Sean Rusling (ankle) and Nick Maxwell
(knee). For Sydney the loss ends hopes of a top four finish, and it
needs to beat Hawthorn at the SCG next week to secure its spot in the
first week of finals.
The Swans also have their injury concerns, with Michael O'Loughlin
coming off with blood pouring from his mouth after a heavy landing,
while Luke Brennan hurt his hamstring and Peter Everitt
has a back complaint.Magpie
Tyson Goldsack was outstanding in the backline with 25 disposals,
while Dane Swan (24) and Scott Pendlebury (22) also gave
their forwards plenty of opportunities.
The speedy Rusling gave Brennan plenty of
headaches early and finished with four goals, while ruckman Guy
Richards out-pointed the duo of Everitt and Darren Jolly with
18 hitouts and 16 possessions.
Adam Goodes was Sydney's best
player with a career-equalling 33 disposals roaming around the ground,
but he had very little support with Brett Kirk gathering 20
touches and Jude Bolton 19. Barry Hall was kept relatively
quiet despite booting four goals. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 4 |
| Collingwood v
Sydney |
Saturday
(n),
August 25, 2007
MCG, 7.10pm AEST,
crowd: 63,842
Conditions: Good
Weather: 18C, fine |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| COL |
3.6-24 (–) |
9.8-62 (16) |
12.10-82 (28) |
15.11-101
(25) |
| SYD |
4.0-24 (–) |
7.4-46 |
8.6-54 |
11.10-76 |
Goals: Collingwood: Sean Rusling 4, Anthony Rocca 3,
Dale Thomas, Chris Bryan, Paul Medhurst, James Clement, Dane Swan, Alan
Didak, Scott Burns, Scott Pendlebury. Sydney: Barry Hall 4, Nick
Davis 2, Brett Kirk, Darren Jolly, Ryan O'Keefe, Michael O'Loughlin,
Adam Schneider.
Best: Collingwood: Dane Swan, Tyson Goldsack, Scott Pendlebury,
Guy Richards, Scott Burns. Sydney: Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Amon
Buchanan, Craig Bolton, Ryan O'Keefe.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Scott McLaren, Martin Ellis.
Reports:
l
Anthony Rocca (Col) reported for striking Adam Goodes
(Syd) in the third quarter.
l
Amon Buchanan (Syd) reported for charging Martin Clarke
(Col) in the third quarter. |
Adelaide claimed a
spot in the top eight for the first time since Round 14 after it easily
accounted for Brisbane on Saturday night to 46,507 fans, the biggest
crowd of the season at Football Park.
It was a fitting local send off to retiring Adelaide captain Mark
Ricciuto. The Crows dominated the contest and had too much strength
in the midfield for the Lions.
Daniel Brettig on the AFL webpage applauded with much credit to
the midfield of Simon Goodwin, Robert Shirley – who put a
tremendous tag on Simon Black – Scott Thompson, Tyson
Edwards and Brent Reilly, while Andrew McLeod was
ever-creative, Ben Hudson hardy and Nick Gill lively up
forward.
Burly Ben Rutten maintained his fine record on Jonathan Brown
(one goals), and for that he owed much to Scott Stevens, whose
reading of the play and willingness to play in the hole in front of
Brown was admirable.
Luke Power, Jed Adcock and Daniel Merrett fought
hard for the Lions, but overall they simply got too little from the
likes of Brown, Nigel Lappin and Black and as a result bowed out
of the finals race.
Jordan Chong noted for Sportal: Brisbane made the most of
its forward chances in the first term to trail by just two points at
quater-time. But while it kept the Crows at bay in the opening term, the
dam wall broke in the second as the home side pulled away to what turned
out to be a decisive 24-point lead at half-time.
The Crows starved their opponents of the footy, winning 50 more
possessions in the second term, many of those won in contested ball
situations and at the clearances. The intensity with which they
approached defensive side of their game continued in the last half as a
three-goal-to-one third term secured a 36-point lead with a quarter to
play and sewn up four precious premiership points. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 5 |
| Adelaide v
Brisbane Lions |
Saturday
(n),
August 25, 2007
Football Park, 7.40pm AEST, crowd: 46,507
Conditions: Good
Weather: 18C, fine |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| ADE |
3.2-20 (2) |
6.7-43 (24) |
10.13-73 (35) |
12.14-86
(26) |
| BRI |
3.0-18 |
3.1-19 |
5.8-38 |
8.12-60 |
Goals: Adelaide: Simon Goodwin 2, Jason Porplyzia 2,
Nathan Bock, Brett Burton, Tyson Edwards, Nick Gill, Graham Johncock,
Andrew McLeod, Scott Thompson, Scott Welsh. Brisbane: Simon Black
2, Robert Copeland 2, Jonathan Brown, Mitchell Clark, Tim Notting,
Cheynee Stiller.
Best: Adelaide: Brett Burton, Brent Reilly, Nathan van Berlo,
Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin, Ben Rutten. Brisbane: Tim Notting,
Jed Adcock, Daniel Merrett, Anthony Corrie, Justin Sherman
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Scott Jeffery, Darren Goldspink.
Report:
Brent Reilly (Ade) reported by field umpire Darren Goldspink
for contact with Cheynee Stiller (Bri) in the fourth quarter. |
Overcoming a slow
start and an incredible dose of the kicking 'yips' from Lance
Franklin, Hawthorn displayed its growing maturity when it ended the
Western Bulldogs' finals hopes in fine and sunny conditions on Sunday
afternoon at Docklands.
Paul Gough reported for Sportal: The Bulldogs kicked the
first five goals of the game but were ultimately steamrolled by the
Hawks by a thumping 84 points.
The Hawks went into the game under enormous pressure following last
week's dramatic late fade-out against Port at York Park when the Power
kicked two goals in the last minute to steal the game – a result which
threatened to cost Alastair Clarkson's team a top-four finish.
Michael Horan noted in the Herald Sun: After almost a full
quarter of the Bulldogs making all the play, the change in the contest
was remarkable. Two minutes into red time in the first term, the
Bulldogs led 5.3 to 0.5, an advantage well earned as they attacked with
passion and commitment.
Yet from that point the Dogs managed just another 5.4 while the Hawks
piled on 22.14. From the moment Franklin finally found the goals, less
than a minute into the third term to tie the scores, the Hawks set about
smashing their opponents.
Luke Hodge racked up 15 possessions in the third quarter and
kicked four of his six goals in the last in a best-afield performance.
Sam Mitchell had 11 of his 38 touches in the third term, Brad
Sewell had a game-high 39 – 21 of them in the second half – and so
dominant were the Hawks after the break they touched the ball 114 more
times than the Bulldogs.
Seven goals to two in the third quarter set up the rout, but when
Daniel Giansiracusa pulled a goal back on the three-quarter time
siren, the margin was 26 points and, theoretically, the result was still
in the balance. Not for long.
Hodge got the first two goals of the final term within the opening 12
minutes to bury the Doggies. But instead of easing up, the Hawks danced
on the Dogs grave. The Hawks added goals – all unanswered – in the 15th,
18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th and 27th minutes in a stunning final
flourish. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 6 |
| Western Bulldogs
v Hawthorn |
Sunday,
August 26, 2007
Docklands, 1.10pm AEST, Roof: open, crowd: 32,734
Conditions: Good
Weather: 21C, fine and sunny |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| WB |
5.3-33 (20) |
8.3-51 |
10.6-66 |
10.7-67 |
| HAW |
1.7-13 |
6.9-45 |
13.14-92 (26) |
22.19-151
(84) |
Goals: Hawthorn: Luke Hodge 6.2, Jordan Lewis 4, Ben
Dixon 3, Jarryd Roughead 3, Lance Franklin 2, Grant Birchall, Robert
Campbell, Campbell Brown, Clinton Young. Bulldogs: Lindsay Gilbee
3, Luke Darcy 2, Farren Ray, Daniel Giansiracusa, Adam Cooney, Jason
Akermanis, Wayde Skipper.
Best: Hawthorn: Jordan Lewis, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell, Sam
Mitchell, Shane Crawford, Campbell Brown, Stephen Gilham. Bulldogs:
Lindsay Gilbee, Scott West, Nathan Eagleton, Dale Morris, Andrew
McDougall.
Umpires: Dean Margetts, Damien Sully, Stefan Grun.
Report:
Dale Morris (WB) reported by field umpire Stefan Grun for
rough conduct on Clinton Young (Haw) in the second quarter. |
Port Adelaide
delivered another breathtaking finish when it put an end to Geelong's
15-straight wins on Sunday afternoon at Kardinia Park. For the second
week in a row, Port, who were down a point with just 10 seconds
remaining – managed to steal the ball on their half-forward line where
it spilled to Domenic Cassisi, who nailed a spectacular 40m
left-foot goal on the run to seal a five point win.
Sam Lienert reported for the AFL webpage: Port led for most of
the match, but Geelong hit the lead with less than two minutes to play
through a brilliant goal by star midfielder Gary Ablett that them
in front for the first time since last in the second quarter.
Brandon Cohen noted for Sportal: Ablett again did
his Brownlow prospects no harm after recovering from what appeared to be
a serious knee injury late in the first term with 27 touches, while
Corey Enright (24) and James Kelly (24) were also prominent
for the Cats.
The Power was once again led by the Cornes brothers, with Chad and Kane
each picking up 32 disposals, and Shaun Burgoyne was
excellent through the middle with 22 possessions and three goals.
Port too control in the third term, outscoring Geelong 4.5 to 2.3 for
the quarter. to open up a 19-point lead. They extended that to 25 points
when Brett Ebert kicked the opening goal of the final term. But
the Cats charged back with five of the next six goals, including tow to
Steve Johnson, to set up the thrilling finish.
Stephen Rielly concluded for The Age: The five-point win
was the fourth Port has registered in five games decided by 10 points or
less this year. They are to be trusted in the tight ones, something not
to be dismissed in September. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 7 |
| Geelong v Port
Adelaide |
Sunday,
August 26, 2007
Kardinia Park, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 24,331
Conditions: Good
Weather: 18C, fine and sunny |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| GEE |
2.1-13 |
8.4-52 |
10.7-67 |
15.11-101 |
| PA |
5.2-32 (19) |
9.3-57 (5) |
13.8-86 (19) |
16.10-106
(5) |
Goals: Port: Brett Ebert 3, Shaun Burgoyne 3, Daniel
Motlop 3, Justin Westhoff 2, Steven Salopek 2, Warren Tredrea 2, Domenic
Cassisi. Geelong: Nathan Ablett 3, Steve Johnson 3, Mathew Stokes
2, Travis Varcoe, Cameron Mooney, James Kelly, Andrew Mackie, Joel
Corey, Paul Chapman, Gary Ablett.
Best: Port: Chad Cornes, Kane Cornes, Shaun Burgoyne, Steven
Salopek, Peter Burgoyne, Jacob Surjan. Geelong: Gary Ablett,
Corey Enright, Paul Chapman, Andrew Mackie, Josh Hunt, James Kelly.
Umpires: Mathew James, Hayden Kennedy, Matthew Head. |
A crowd of more than
88,000 attended the MCG on Sunday evening for the farewell performance
in Melbourne of Kevin Sheedy, Essendon coach of 27 seasons and
Bomber skipper James Hird in his 252nd match. The script did not
all go according to plan as Jake Niall noted in The Age:
Essendon drew an audience befitting a gala performance, but, as a team
that had won half its matches in 2007, it is, by definition, a
middle-of-the-road combination and, on recent performances, it was
little more than an even-money chance. Hird and Sheedy were upstaged by
a – how strange this sounds – more skilful Tiger combination.
Andrew Wu reported for Sportal: The Bombers
were unable to find the inspiration to ensure Hird and Sheedy would
depart the MCG a winner one more time as Richmond cruised to a 27-point
triumph. Essendon, now out of the hunt for the finals, rarely showed the
desperation or intensity required to beat the competition's
bottom-placed side.
Lacklustre in the first half, the Bombers were even poorer when the game
was there to be won. In fact, they were so lethargic it was hard to
believe their season was on the line and they were farewelling two of
the greatest ever names in the game.
Bruce Matthews summarised in Monday's Herald Sun: Goals from Hird
and Matthew Lloyd's fourth within two minutes at least provoked
the stunned Essendon fans to voice, reducing the deficit to a reachable
22 points after only 13 minutes of the last quarter. But quick replies
from Shane Tuck and Chris Newman snuffed out any semblance
of a Bomber challenge.
Just Richmond's luck. Here it was running rings around one of the AFL's
powerhouse clubs with 13 individual goalkickers and no one really cared.
Everyone, except a couple of idiots brawling in the MCC members reserve,
stayed long after the final siren to pay homage to Sheedy and Hird.
On the siren, young Tiger Jake King, who had taken a mark, walked
across to Hird and handed him the match ball. |
|
2007 — ROUND 21 — GAME 8 |
| Essendon v
Richmond |
Sunday
(n),
August 26, 2007
MCG, 5.10pm AEST, crowd: 88,468
Conditions: Good
Weather: 19C, balmy evening |
| |
1/4 time |
1/2 time |
3/4 time |
Final |
| ESS |
5.3-33 (12) |
7.5-47 |
9.11-65 |
13.14-92 |
| RCH |
3.3-21 |
7.9-51 (4) |
10.15-75 (10) |
17.17-119
(27) |
Goals: Richmond: Brett Deledio 2, Chris Newman 2, Kayne
Pettifer 2, Jack Riewoldt 2, Joel Bowden, Nathan G Brown, Nathan Foley,
Kane Johnson, Graham Polak, Matthew Richardson, Richard Tambling, Greg
Tivendale, Shane Tuck. Essendon: Matthew Lloyd 4, David Hille 2,
James Hird 2, Courtenay Dempsey, Scott Gumbleton, Andrew Lovett, Mark
McVeigh, Brent Stanton.
Best: Richmond: Kane Johnson, Shane Tuck, Kayne Pettifer, Joel
Bowden, Brett Deledio. Essendon: Matthew Lloyd, James Hird,
Andrew Lovett, Mark McVeigh.
Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Stuart Wenn, Shaun Ryan. |
|
|
