Footystats Diary, footy's best kept secret, Match Review, 2008-R8



Footy's best kept secret ...

2008, Match Review — Round 8
working file – subject to correction


Ladder after Round 8
Stats Update of every round, 2008



2008, ROUND 8,
Friday-Saturday-Sunday, May 16-17-18

Magpies outlast Saints in hard contest
Unbeaten Hawks defy Port's lightning start
Cats lap up the Tigers in wet-weather MCG win
Brisbane rip through the Blues
Lowest crowd for 12 years watch Kangas pip Eagles
Crows easily defeat Melbourne by 12 goals
Sydney thrash Bombers by 91 points
Bulldog fightback scuttles the Dockers

THE STATS THAT MATTER ...
MILESTONES OF ROUND 8 —
l
200th NICK STEVENS (73 Car 2004-08; 127 PA 1998-2003) ... 200th SHANE O'BREE (181 Col 2007-08; 19 Bri 1998-99) ... 200th career match LENNY HAYES (St Kilda, 1999-2008,  176 premiership games, 22 pre-season, 2 International ... 200th career match CHRIS TARRANT (26 Fre 2007-08, 161 Col 1998-2008), 187 premiership games, 13 pre-season ... 150th BRENDAN FEVOLA (Carlton 1999-2008) ... 50th KEPLER BRADLEY (1 Fre, 49 Ess 2004-07) ... 50th DAMON WHITE (Port Adelaide 2004-07) ... 100th consecutive game by JEFF WHITE (Melbourne), sequence began 2004-Round 1 ...

l St Kilda veteran ROBERT HARVEY played his 367th match to become the longest serving player without a premiership.

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Highest Score:

22.18-150, ADELAIDE v Melbourne
Biggest Margin: 91pts, SYDNEY v Essendon
Best in Goals: 6.2, Lance FRANKLIN (Haw) v PA
6.3, Jonathan BROWN (Bri) v Car
6.0, Michael O'LOUGHLIN (Syd) v Ess
5.4, Brendan FEVOLA (Car) v Bri
5.3, Brett BURTON (Ade) v Mel
Lowest Score: 7.10-52, ESSENDON v Sydney
Best Quarters: 1st 8.3-51 BRI v Car
2nd 6.5-41 HAW v PA
3rd 7.8-50 GEE v Rch
4th 8.2-50 SYD v Ess

Official AFL attendances for 2008, Round 8 –

48,417 St Kilda v Collingwood (Docklands)
15,682 Hawthorn v Port Adelaide (York Park)
37,275 Richmond v Geelong (MCG)
38,675 Carlton v Brisbane (Docklands)
6,354 North Melb v West Coast (Carrara)
35,649 Adelaide v Melbourne (Football Park)
34,904 Sydney v Essendon (Homebush)
35,624 Fremantle v West.B'dogs (Subiaco)
252,580 Total for Round 8 — (2007: 256,408)
2,227,096 Total, Rounds 1 to 7
2,479,676 Progressive after Round 8 — (2007: 2,362,009)

FROM THE ROUND

ST KILDA v COLLINGWOOD
l at the 202nd meeting no new match records were noted ...
l 200th SHANE O'BREE (181 Col 2007-08; 19 Bri 1998-99) ... 
l 200th career match LENNY HAYES (St Kilda, 1999-2008), 176 premiership games, 22 pre-season, 2 International ...

HAWTHORN v PORT ADELAIDE
l though 2.6-18 was Hawthorn's smallest scoring last term so far this year, they maintained an undefeated run with their 8th successive Q4 win ...
l Port's Q1 of 7.4-46 equalled the best Q1 start this year – NM v Mel in R2-MCG ...
l Hawthorn racked up 7.2-44 in Q3 – a new best for that quarter against Port ...
l LANCE FRANKLIN's 6.2 against Port matches 6.3 by AARON LORD in 1997 and 6.1 by TRENT CROAD in 2000 ...
l Hawthorn equalled the top score of 17.15-117 scored by Port Adelaide at York Park against the Hawks 2002-R10 ...
l BRUCE KENNEDY observed: Hawthorn with 8-straight wins has equalled its best ever start to a season, its benchmark set in 2001 ...
l Hawthorn has now won five of its eight games this season by three goals or less ...
l Hawthorn's lowest score this season is 102 points (Round 3) ...

RICHMOND v GEELONG
l a late inclusion for the Tigers, debutant TRENT COTCHIN goaled in Q1 with his first kick in League footy ...
l Geelong won its 12th-straight premiership match ...
l in Geelong's 93rd win over Richmond, no new match records were noted ...
l Geelong has yet to have the ton kicked against it so far this season (Port’s 96 points against the Cats in Rd 1 is the highest against the premiers since Rd 22 last year) ...
l BRUCE KENNEDY notes that Richmond hasn't had the handle for the Cats at all in the past quarter of a century – since the end of 1983, Richmond is 8-32 versus Geelong ...

CARLTON v BRISBANE
l the Lions kicked off with 8.3-51, their best Q1 of 33 games against Carlton ...
l the attendance of 38,675 was the best to watch Brisbane and Carlton play in a home-and-away fixture – previous best was 37,880 in 2005-R12, also at Docklands ...
l Brisbane notched a record 8th successive win over the Blues ...
l no other new match records were reported ...
l 200th NICK STEVENS (72 Car 2004-08; 127 PA 1998-2003) ... 150th BRENDAN FEVOLA (Carlton 1999-2008) ...

NORTH MELB v WEST COAST
l only 6354 attended Carrara – the lowest League crowd since 5083 watched Fitzroy play Fremantle at Whitten Oval in Round 8 of 1996 ...
l West Coast lost its 7th-straight match – one short of the club-record 8 successive defeats in 2001-R5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 ...
l the Kangaroos snapped a five-game losing streak against the Eagles to win for the first time since 2004 ...
l no new match records were noted ...

ADELAIDE v MELBOURNE
l the Demons with 4.4-28 produced their best opening of the season; the Crows however in Q1 kicked 8.1-49 – equalling their Q4 high in R2 versus the Eagles ...
l 76 points is a new Greatest Winning Margin by the Crows versus Melbourne ...
l Adelaide enjoyed its second 76 point win of the season – also R2 v WCE, 133-57 ...
l no new match records were noted ...
l 100th consecutive game by JEFF WHITE (Melbourne), sequence began 2004-Round 1 ...

SYDNEY v ESSENDON
l Sydney's MICHAEL O'LOUGHLIN with 6-straight goals equalled a personal-best – 6.3 versus Collingwood, 2000-R19-MCG and 6.0 versus West Coast, 2003-R14-SCG ...
l
Sydney's score was three points short of 22.14-146 versus Carlton at Stadium Australia in 2003-R1(n) ...
l the final margin of 91 points is the best of all 22 matches at Homebush and the second-biggest victory by the Swans against Essendon in 207 meetings – second only to the 163 point win in 1987-R17-SCG ...
l JASON BENNETT noted on Triple M that Essendon has suffered three successive defeats by 10 goals or more for the first time in their VFL-AFL history of 2218 matches – preceded by losses to Collingwood by 73pts and Port Adelaide by 64pts ...
l it was noted that Sydney kicked the last 13 goals of the match – last five of Q3 and eight in Q4 ...
l no other new match records were observed ...

FREMANTLE v WEST.B'DOGS
l for the first time Fremantle has lost three consecutive matches by six points or less – R6 by one point to Geelong, R7 to Melbourne by six points and R8 by three points to the Bulldogs – BRUCE KENNEDY notes all three loses have come after the Dockers held match-winning leads in the second half of all games ...
l the Bulldogs posted its third successive win over the Dockers ...
l 200th career match CHRIS TARRANT (26 Fre 2007-08, 161 Col 1998-2008), 187 premiership games, 13 pre-season ...  50th KEPLER BRADLEY (1 Fre, 49 Ess 2004-07) ...
l no new match records were noted ...

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Statistics for Footystats are enhanced by software from
Eric Sorensen's *Footy Works* (v 1.6.3)

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*

 


Many commentators saw the opening game of Round 8 as a "season defining" contest for St Kilda and Collingwood. On a chilly Friday night under the closed roof of Docklands, the pair came together for a match of high-intensity and a margin as little as nine points. A hefty crowd of 48,417 was on hand.

Paul Gough noted for Sportal that the Pies had lost three of their past four going into this match and St Kilda three of their past five yet both side still sat in the top eight. Len Johnson for The Age commented: Both teams ran themselves to a standstill. Like two tired marathoners trying to raise a final sprint, the two teams slugged out the dying minutes after a Shane Birss goal with just over four minutes to play had narrowed the margin to 10 points.

The Sportal report summed up the proceedings: The Saints badly missed injured skipper Nick Riewoldt, although it should also be noted the Pies were without number one ruckman and vice-captain Josh Fraser.

And the Pies' key forwards Travis Cloke and Anthony Rocca, in his return game following an ankle injury, had no influence thanks to the tight marking of Jason Blake and Max Hudghton respectively.

Yet at the other end Justin Koschitzke only floated in and out of the game and ageing spearhead Fraser Gehrig looked every bit of his 32 years of age as he was thrashed by Collingwood's impressive 19-year-old full-back Nathan Brown.

It was certainly not the fault of the Saints' midfield that their team went down as Lenny Hayes, Luke Ball and Leigh Montagna all tried their hearts out but the Magpies' veteran skipper Scott Burns was the game's most important midfielder as he inspired his team's comeback with 22 possessions and two goals and was easily the Pies' best player in the first half when the team was struggling.

The Pies won because unlike the Saints they were able to conjure goals from other avenues on a night when the key forwards of both sides struggled to have an impact under the closed roof.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 1
St Kilda v Collingwood
Friday (n), May 16, 2008
Docklands, 7.40pm AEST; Roof: closed; crowd: 48,417
Conditions: Good
Weather: 16C, chilly, rain developing
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
STK 6.3-39 (8) 9.5-59 12.6-78 14.10-94
COL 5.1-31 10.3-63 (4) 14.5-89 (11) 16.7-103 (9)
Goals: Collingwood: Alan Didak 3, Paul Medhurst 2, Scott Burns 2, Leon Davis, Harry O'Brien, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas, Sharrod Wellingham, Anthony Rocca, Tarkyn Lockyer, Ben Johnson, Chris Bryan. St Kilda: Stephen Milne 2, David Armitage 2, Nick Dal Santo 2, Shane Birss 2, Jason Gram, Fraser Gehrig, Leigh Montagna, Brendon Goddard, Jason Koschitzke, Robert Harvey.
Best: Collingwood: Scott Burns, Leon Davis, Harry O'Brien, Alan Didak, Scott Pendlebury, Nathan J Brown, Dane Swan, Chris Bryan. St Kilda: Sam Fisher, Luke Ball, Lenny Hayes, Jason Blake, Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo, Max Hudghton.
Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Matt Stevic, Shane McInerney.

 

Hawthorn's Lance Franklin with six goals was a key element as his side came back from 38 points down in the Saturday afternoon match in good conditions at Launceston's York Park. Port earlier looked set to continue their strong record against the Hawks, having won eight of the previous nine contests and kicked four goals to nothing in the first 10 minutes.

Midfielder Shaun Burgoyne was devastating, brother Peter was mopping up everything in defence and setting up attacks and Danyle Pearce provided plenty of dash and precision use of the ball. By the first break, the Power led 7.4 to 2.2, with Port captain Warren Tredrea having three goals on the board and Franklin the only two majors for the Hawks. Early goals in the second quarter to Daniel Motlop (it was then 52-14) then Robbie Gray put Port 37 points out in front after eight minutes.

But the Hawks responded with six goals of their own in the second quarter, including the last three of the term to drawn within 17 points by half-time. Port hit back with two of the first three goals of the third term before Hawthorn rallied once more. Midfielders Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell and Chance Bateman led the second-half revival with ruckman Robert Campbell giving them first use out of the middle. By three-quarter time, Hawthorn had outscored Port 13 goals to seven, going into the final term with a seven-point lead after a fine Franklin snap put them in front.

Hawthorn wasted chances to seal the game early in the last quarter, kicking 1.5 in the first 14 minutes despite dominating play, however they were never really threatened. Williams' only goal with four minutes to go sealed the result.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 2
Hawthorn v Port Adelaide
Saturday, May 17, 2008
York Park, 2.10pm AEST; crowd: 15,682
Conditions: Good – lights on in Q4
Weather: 18.5C, mainly fine, cloudy; light to heavy rain in Q4
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
HAW 2.2-14 8.7-55 15.9-99 (7) 17.15-117 (15)
PA 7.4-46 (32) 11.6-72 (17) 14.8-92 15.12-102
Goals: Hawthorn: Lance Franklin 6.2, Jarryd Roughead 3, Brad Sewell 2, Michael Osborne 2, Cyril Rioli, Ben McGlynn, Clinton Young, Mark Williams. Port Adelaide: Warren Tredrea 4, Brett Ebert 3, Robbie Gray 2, Daniel Motlop 2, David Rodan, Shaun Burgoyne, Matthew Westhoff, Adam Thomson.
Best: Hawthorn: Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell, Robert Campbell, Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin. Port Adelaide: Shaun Burgoyne, Danyle Pearce, Kane Cornes, Peter Burgoyne, Warren Tredrea.
Umpires: Hayden Kennedy, Kieron Nicholls, Stuart Wenn.
Reports:
l Ben McGlynn (Haw) cited by the MRP for rough conduct against Kane Cornes (PA) in Q1. The MRP judged McGlynn guilty of a reckless Level Three charge when he ran straight he ran straight at Cornes and made high contact as the Port player player was on his knees trying to pick up the ball. An early plea would draw a three-match suspension. Port Adelaide sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. On Tuesday, the Tribunal supported the MRP assessment and added an additional suspension of one match as McGlynn had failed his challenge and because of 93.75 carry-over points from a reprimand earlier this season. McGlynn was suspended a total of four matches.
l Shaun Burgoyne (PA) cited by the MRP for rough conduct against Sam Mitchell (Haw) in Q1. The MRP judged Burgoyne guilty of a reckless Level Three charge. An early plea would suspend the player for two game. Port Adelaide sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. On Tuesday, the Tribunal downgraded the charge by dropping the level of impact from high to medium. But Burgoyne's 93.75 carry-over points from an offence last year increased his suspension back to three matches.
l Shane Crawford (Haw) was cited for striking Dean Brogan (PA) in an off-the-ball incident in Q1. Crawford admitted guilt and accepted the MRP one-match suspension.

 

Wet weather, old-fashioned football was the order on Saturday afternoon at the MCG when 37,275 fronted to watch the Tigers do well against Geelong up to half-time when Richmond held a well-earned six-point lead. But the premiers prevailed in the end with another tough, efficient and emphatic victory.

The Tigers adapted to the rain a lot quicker than Geelong and led by 20 points early in the second term. But the Cats reduced the deficit to a goal then kicked seven goals to one in the third quarter to kill off the match.

Returning from a calf muscle injury, Geelong's Gary Ablett starred again with 27 touches and Paul Chapman revelled in the tough conditions, kicking four goals.

A highlight of the match was the late inclusion by Richmond of last year's No.2 draft pick, Trent Cotchin, who joined a select band of debutants to goal with their first kick in League football. He impressed and finished with 16 touches and two goals.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 3
Richmond v Geelong
Saturday, May 17, 2008
MCG, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 37,275
Conditions: Wet and slippery – lights on from start of match
Weather: 8C; persistent rain; 10mm since 9am; rain eased in 2nd half
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
RCH 3.2-20 (7) 5.4-34 (6) 6.7-43 10.9-69
GEE 2.1-13 4.4-28 11.12-78 (35) 14.15-99 (30)
Goals: Geelong: Paul Chapman 4, Cameron Ling 2, Ryan Gamble 2, Darren Milburn, Tom Hawkins, Cameron Mooney, David Wojcinski, Gary Ablett, Joel Selwood. Richmond: Joel Bowden 2, Brett Deledio 2, Trent Cotchin 2, Richard Tambling, Shane Edwards, Jordan McMahon, Matthew Richardson.
Best: Geelong: Paul Chapman, Gary Ablett, Joel Selwood, Cameron Mooney, Cameron Ling, Jimmy Bartel. Richmond: Kane Johnson, Matthew Richardson, Trent Cotchin, Jordan McMahon, Kelvin Moore, Jake King.
Umpires: Scott McLaren, Matthew Head, Jacob Mollison.

 

A sizzling opening term by Brisbane had Carlton on the back foot for the rest of the match on a cold Saturday night under the closed roof at Docklands Stadium for 38,675 fans.

Karen Lyon noted in The Age: In the first half, when the tempo of the game was allowed to flow, the Lions played the game entirely on their terms – exploding when they had the ball but being quick to stymie their opponents when they didn't. Former Demon Travis Johnstone was dangerous all night, starting the Lions on their way with the first goal and finishing with three and 32 possessions in one of his best performances for his new club.

Much of the Lions' early potency came from Jamie Charman, who was dominant in the ruck against Cain Ackland, and the likes of Simon Black, Luke Power and Michael Rischitelli were sure not to waste his good work. Their ability to find space embarrassed the Blues, setting up attacks time and again.

Such quality delivery makes any forward look good, but when the man on the other end is J. Brown, well, it's hardly fair on the opposition defence. Brown destroyed Jarrad Waite early, before Waite was released to play as a loose man in defence and Setanta O'hAilpin was handed the poisoned chalice. While the big Irishman showed his customary aggression, he simply didn't have the class to go with Brown, who ended the night with six goals from 10 kicks.

With the luxury of three-straight home games to follow, Brisbane will soon show how much we can expect from their newly constructed side.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 4
Carlton v Brisbane Lions
Saturday (n), May 17, 2008
Docklands, 7.10pm AEST; Roof: closed; crowd: 38,675
Conditions: Good
Weather: 10C outside; rain periods
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
CAR 2.2-14 4.8-32 9.14-68 12.20-92
BRI 8.3-51 (37) 11.8-74 (42) 16.13-109 (41) 18.17-125 (33)
Goals: Brisbane: Jonathan Brown 6.3, Travis Johnstone 3, Rhan Hooper 2, Simon Black 2, Jed Adcock, Michael Rischitelli, Anthony Corrie, Josh Drummond, Daniel Bradshaw. Carlton: Brendan Fevola 5.4, Simon Wiggins 2, Marc Murphy 2, Eddie Betts, Jordan Russell, Chris Judd.
Best: Brisbane: Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Travis Johnstone, Luke Power, Jared Brennan. Carlton: Marc Murphy, Brendan Fevola, Kade Simpson, Chris Judd, Heath Scotland, Bryce Gibbs.
Umpires: Luke Farmer, Ray Chamberlain, Shaun Ryan.

 

The smallest crowd to watch an AFL match since 1996 were at Carrara Oval on Saturday night, with just 6,354 people braving a pre-game thunderstorm. The poor attendance however were rewarded by a nail-biter as West Coast fought ferociously to stop North Melbourne inflicting a seventh-straight defeat on the Eagles – one short of their club record run of outs.

The Herald Sun on Monday reported the latest blooper to plague the League, when the power to one of the six light towers was switched off at the 17-minute mark of a tense last quarter. The floodlights failed to return during a period when no goals were scored in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Ronny Lerner reviewed the game for Sportal: The Kangaroos' defence stood up tall when it was pressed in the latter stages of the final quarter in a frenetic finish.

North Melbourne big man Drew Petrie was almost the villain of the day when he conceded a 50m penalty to Eagle Ben McKinley after he took a mark on the outer wing. The resultant extra real estate that McKinley afforded allowed him to line-up and kick a goal that levelled the scores 13 minutes into the final quarter.

However, the Kangaroos were able to hold on thanks to a goal from Matt Campbell at the 19-minute mark of the last term.

Adam Simpson led from the front as the North skipper accumulated 26 possessions and laid seven tackles in what was a match-winning performance. He enjoyed invaluable assistance from some familiar faces in Daniel Harris (21 touches, one goal), Brent Harvey (20, one), Brady Rawlings (20) and Shannon Grant (17, 2) but it was the performance of maligned big man David Hale that would have put the biggest smile on North coach Dean Laidley’s face. Hale turned in a pivotal performance that saw him accrue 16 touches, 10 marks, 12 hitouts and a crucial three-goal bag.

Despite the result, West Coast ruckman Dean Cox was the dominant force on the ground with 24 touches and 30 hit outs as he gave adversary Hamish McIntosh a rucking lesson. Andrew Embley (25 touches, eight marks), Brent Staker (18, three, three goals) and Adam Selwood (22, six) refused to give in either for the Eagles.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 5
North Melb v West Coast
Saturday (n), May 17, 2008
Carrara Oval, 7.10pm AEST, crowd: 6,354
Conditions: Pre-game thunderstorm – one light tower failed in Q4
Weather: 17C, rain activity
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
NM 5.2-32 (5) 7.2-44 11.8-74 (7) 13.11-89 (6)
WCE 4.3-27 9.5-59 (15) 10.7-67 12.11-83
Goals: North Melb: David Hale 3, Shannon Grant 2, Nathan Thompson 2, Daniel Harris, Brent Harvey, Corey Jones, Adam Simpson, Daniel Wells, Matt Campbell. West Coast: Staker 3, Lynch 2, Kennedy 2, McKinley 2, Davis, Stenglein, Wirrpanda
Best: North Melb: Adam Simpson, David Hale, Daniel Harris, Brent Harvey, Shannon Grant, Brady Rawlings, Michael Firrito. West Coast: Dean Cox, Andrew Embley, Brent Staker, Adam Selwood, Chris Masten, Josh J Kennedy, David Wirrpanda.
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Michael Vozzo, Chris Kamolins.
Report:
 Brent Harvey (NM) for allegedly tripping Matthew Priddis (WCE) in Q3. Charge withdrawn by MRP.

 

Adelaide were solid winners over Melbourne in good Sunday afternoon conditions at Football Park for a crowd of 35,649. The Demons began in hopeful fashion and pressured the Crows for periods of the first quarter, but the rest of the match was played almost exclusively in Adelaide's attacking half as they went on to win by 76 points.

Ashley Porter offered praise in his report for The Age: The overwhelming factor to come out of this contest was that Adelaide is definitely a worthy top-four side, not so much because of the margin or the manner in which it dominated a bottom side, but because of its new-found power in the forward line.

Rarely has Adelaide had five players who kicked three or more goals, headed by the energised Brett Burton, who booted five goals and probably flew higher than ever before to take a mark. It had nine individual goal-scorers, recorded 40 scoring shots, and had 58 inside-50s.

And not since the halcyon days of Tony Modra taking big marks and kicking goals has Adelaide had such a tough player to stand than Kurt Tippett, one of the most exciting young players in the competition.

Adding to the Crows' dominance were young and classy onballers Nathan van Berlo, Bernie Vince, Jason Porplyzia, and in between defensive actions, Chris Knights.

Another impressive feature was Adelaide's flexibility, which has developed superbly over the season. Coach Neil Craig took Graham Johncock out of the last line of defence, where he was brilliant, and threw him on to the ball, where he remained a high-impact player. Andrew McLeod was involved in the swap, and there were many other effective rotations.

The goal-power and the flexibility, and of course its highly disciplined defence, has made Adelaide a vastly improved side compared with last year.

There were times when Dean Bailey's game plan looked like testing Adelaide, but blatant ball-handling errors – often by the more experienced players who should know better – turned over the ball quickly, resulting in a goal to the opposition.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 6
Adelaide v Melbourne
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Football Park, 1.10pm AEST; crowd: 35,649
Conditions: Good
Weather: 17C, sunny, slight wind
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
ADE 8.1-49 (21) 12.6-78 (37) 15.15-105 (56) 22.18-150 (76)
MEL 4.4-28 6.5-41 7.7-49 11.8-74
Goals: Adelaide: Brett Burton 5.3, Kurt Tippett 4, Jason Porplyzia 3, Simon Goodwin 3, Luke Jericho 3, Nathan van Berlo, Chris Knights, Bernie Vince, Scott Stevens. Melbourne: Michael Morton 3, Russell Robertson 2, Colin Garland, Brad Miller, Austin Wonaeamirri, Brent Maloney, Clinton Bartram, Matthew Bate.
Best: Adelaide: Bernie Vince, Brett Burton, Nathan van Berlo, Chris Knights, Nathan Bock, Kurt Tippett, Scott Stevens, Jason Porplyzia, Graham Johncock. Melbourne: Clint Bartram, Nathan Jones, Daniel Bell, Simon Buckley.
Umpires: Gary Fila, Simon Meredith, Martin Ellis.

 

Sydney booted 15 goals to three after half-time to storm to a 91-point win over Essendon on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Stadium Australia at Homebush when a lean 34,904 fans attended – one of the smaller AFL crowds at the venue.

After trailing all day the youthful Bombers got to within two kicks (62-50) of the Swans in the 18th minute of the third quarter. But from that point, Sydney kicked 13 unanswered goals to give it its biggest win over Essendon since 1987, when it won by 163 points at the SCG.

Sydney's 278-game veteran Michael O'Loughlin kicked a career-equalling six majors and had 19 touches – Steve Orme reported for Sportal – while Adam Goodes (27 possessions) and Brett Kirk (29 touches and one goal) were also impressive.

For the Bombers, Andrew Welsh toiled hard for two goals and 19 possessions while Mark McVeigh (18) put in an honest day's work.

Sydney dominated a scrappy opening quarter kicking four unanswered goals to take a 27-point advantage into the first change. The hosts were at their swarming best in the first term – at one stage pressuring the inexperienced Bombers to rush two behinds in the space of a minute.

But the tide quickly turned with majors to Welsh, Matthew Lloyd and David Hille within seven minutes of the restart sparking a spirited revival from the visitors.

Henry Playfair's 21st-minute major steadied the ship for the Swans before O'Loughlin landed his second goal in the shadows of the long break to hand the hosts a 16-point half-time lead. While the Bombers came back in the third term, the devastating 13-goal blitz from the Swans flattened the young Bombers.

But the news was not all good for the Swans, who lost Tadhg Kennelly with a dislocated left knee 11 minutes prior to the long break. Kennelly dislocated his other knee last year and struggled with knee problems later in the season

The loss of Kennelly might have been offset by the successful return of Nick Malceski, a mere three months after receiving a "season-ending" knee injury. His quick recovery involved the use of artificial fibre intertwined with the damaged ligament rather than traditional knee surgery.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 7
Sydney v Essendon
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Stadium Australia, Homebush, 2.10pm AEST, crowd: 34,904
Conditions: Fair to good; some heavy patches
Weather: 17C, mainly sunny
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
SYD 4.5-29 (27) 6.11-47 (16) 13.15-93 (42) 21.17-143 (91)
ESS 0.2-2 4.7-31 7.9-51 7.10-52
Goals: Sydney: Michael O'Loughlin 6.0, Henry Playfair 3, Darren Jolly 3, Ryan O'Keefe 2, Jarred Moore 2, Brett Kirk, Amon Buchanan, Leo Barry, Ted Richards, Kieren Jack. Essendon: David Hille 2, Andrew Welsh 2, Matthew Lloyd, Jay Neagle, Leroy Jetta.
Best: Sydney: Michael O'Loughlin, Brett Kirk, Darren Jolly, Ryan O'Keefe, Jarrad McVeigh. Essendon: Andrew Welsh, Mark McVeigh, David Hille, Dustin Fletcher.
Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Jason Armstrong, Michael Avon.
Report:
Kyle Reimers
(Ess) was fined $1,950 for making negligent contact with an umpire.

 

In a devastating finish, Fremantle were overrun in the final term for the third time in as many matches, going down to the Western Bulldogs in fine conditions on Sunday afternoon at Subiaco Oval. Having given up leads of 39 points against Geelong and 51 against Melbourne, Fremantle's 19-point edge was swallowed up by a rampant Bulldogs outfit that is still undefeated.

Ray Wilson noted for The Age: Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade, vocal and animated during the first-quarter break, provided the match-winning move in the last term when he swung Jason Akermanis into the midfield and Cooney to full-forward. Aka was a jet. He continually won the ball from the centre square, and his delivery was better than Australia Post.

With skipper Brad Johnson relatively quiet, Adam Cooney's aerial strength and mobility worried Luke McPharlin and the Bulldog's two goals – the 15th and 16th – were key components of the victory.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey watched on helplessly as Fremantle's Groundhog Day played out before 35,000 fans.

While the Bulldogs remain unbeaten, they were far from convincing, apart from the last term when the big guns wielded an influence.

It was another tragic end in a tragic season for Fremantle but the Dockers took heart from the club debut of Kepler Bradley, who appears almost to be an accidental hero at times, and the continued excellence of Rhys Palmer and good work of Garrick Ibbotson.

Michael Johnson and Roger Hayden were outstanding in defence, while Tarrant has rarely had a greater influence on a game.

But, for all that, some critical errors at crucial times – none more so than when Steven Dodd's senseless push on Lindsay Gilbee caused the umpire to overturn a 50-metre penalty – proved fatal.
2008 — ROUND 8 — GAME 8
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Subiaco Oval, 4.40pm AEST; crowd: 35,624
Conditions: Good
Weather: 20C, fine and sunny
  1/4 time 1/2 time 3/4 time Final
FRE 6.2-38 9.5-59 (1) 14.8-92 (18) 17.9-111
WB 6.3-39 (1) 9.4-58 11.8-74 17.12-114 (3)
Goals: West.B'dogs: Robert Murphy 3, Jason Akermanis 3, Daniel Giansiracusa 2, Scott Welsh 2, Adam Cooney 2, Brad Johnson, Will Minson, Nathan Eagleton, Mitch Hahn, Ben Hudson. Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich 4, Chris Tarrant 4, Brett Peake 2, Kepler Bradley, Rhys Palmer, Garrick Ibbotson, Dean Solomon, David Mundy, Ryan Crowley, Jeff Farmer.
Best: West.B'dogs: Jason Akermanis, Robert Murphy, Adam Cooney, Daniel Cross, Nathan Eagleton, Ryan Griffen. Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich, Michael Johnson, Aaron Sandilands, Chris Tarrant, Brett Peake, Roger Hayden.
Umpires: Mathew James, Scott Jeffery, Todd Keating.
Reports:
Dean Solomon
(Fre) was fined $1,800 for wrestling Tom Williams (WB). Tom Williams (WB) was fined $900 for wrestling Dean Solomon (Fre).



2008 Ladder after Round 8
 
  Team W L D For Agn % Pts
1 GEELONG 8 – – 910 630 144.4 32
2 HAWTHORN 8 – – 989 706 140.1 32
3 WEST.B'DOGS 7 – 1 1030 783 131.5 30
4 ADELAIDE 6 2 – 867 676 128.3 24
5 SYDNEY 4 3 1 763 587 130.0 18
6 NORTH MELB 4 3 1 746 748 99.7 18
7 COLLINGWOOD 4 4 – 866 811 106.8 16
8 BRISBANE 4 4 – 825 790 104.4 16
9 St Kilda 4 4 – 745 774 96.3 16
10 Port Adelaide 3 5 – 827 836 98.9 12
10 Carlton 3 5 – 794 850 93.4 12
11 Richmond 2 5 1 810 846 95.7 10
13 Essendon 2 6 – 735 1057 69.5 8
14 Fremantle 1 7 – 725 843 86.0 4
15 West Coast 1 7 – 602 865 69.6 4
16 Melbourne 1 7 – 623 1055 59.1 4



FOR THE RECORD

COL HUTCHINSON's
Approaching Milestones
2008, Round 8,
Friday-Saturday-Sunday, May 16-17-18

(subject to selection, injury or suspension)
PREMIERSHIP MATCHES
200 – NICK STEVENS (72 Car 2004-08; 127 PA 1998-2003)
ό
200 – SHANE O'BREE (181 Col 2007-08; 19 Bri 1998-99
ό
150 – BRENDAN FEVOLA (Carlton 1999-2008)
ό
  50 – KEPLER BRADLEY (0 Fre, 49 Ess 2004-07)
ό
CAREER MATCHES
200 – LENNY HAYES (St Kilda, 1999-2008
ό
    175 premiership games, 22 pre-season, 2 International
200 – CHRIS TARRANT (25 Fre 2007-08, 161 Col 1998-2008)
ό
    186 premiership games, 13 pre-season
CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE MATCHES
100 – JEFF WHITE (Melbourne) sequence began 2004-Round 1
ό
GOALKICKING
850 – MATTHEW LLOYD (Ess 1995-2008) 847 goals, 237 games
250 – STEWART DEW (Haw 2008, PA 1997-2006) 248 goals, 183 games
250 – PETER BELL (Fre 95, 2001-08, NMK 1996-2000) 248 goals, 279 games
GOALS WITH CURRENT CLUB
400 – ANTHONY ROCCA (Col 1997-2008) 397 goals, 213 games

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2008, Round 8
COLLINGWOOD 16.7-103 (Didak 3) best, Burns, Davis, O'Brien, ST KILDA 14.10-94 (Milne 2, Armitage 2, Dal Santo 2, Birss 2) best, Fisher, Ball, Hayes.
Friday night at Docklands: 48,417.

HAWTHORN 17.15-117 (Franklin 6.2, Roughead 3) best, Lewis, Sewell, Campbell, PORT ADELAIDE 15.12-102 (Tredrea 4, Ebert 3) best, S.Burgoyne, Pearce, K.Cornes.
Saturday at York Park: 15,682.
Reports:
l Ben McGlynn (Haw) cited by the MRP for rough conduct against Kane Cornes (PA) in Q1. The MRP judged McGlynn guilty of a reckless Level Three charge when he ran straight he ran straight at Cornes and made high contact as the Port player player was on his knees trying to pick up the ball. An early plea would draw a three-match suspension. Port Adelaide sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. On Tuesday, the Tribunal supported the MRP assessment and added an additional suspension of one match as McGlynn had failed his challenge and because of 93.75 carry-over points from a reprimand earlier this season. McGlynn was suspended a total of four matches.
l Shaun Burgoyne (PA) cited by the MRP for rough conduct against Sam Mitchell (Haw) in Q1. The MRP judged Burgoyne guilty of a reckless Level Three charge. An early plea would suspend the player for two game. Port Adelaide sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. On Tuesday, the Tribunal downgraded the charge by dropping the level of impact from high to medium. But Burgoyne's 93.75 carry-over points from an offence last year increased his suspension back to three matches.
l Shane Crawford (Haw) was cited for striking Dean Brogan (PA) in an off-the-ball incident in Q1. Crawford admitted guilt and accepted the MRP one-match suspension.

GEELONG 14.15-99 (Chapman 4, Ling 2, Gamble 2) best, Chapman, Ablett, Selwood, RICHMOND 10.9-69 (Bowden 2, Cotchin 2, Deledio 2) best, Johnson, Richardson, Cotchin.
Saturday at MCG: 37,275.

BRISBANE 18.17-125 (Brown 6.3, Johnstone 3) best, Brown, Black, Johnstone, CARLTON 12.20-92 (Fevola 5.4, Wiggins 2, Murphy 2) best, Murphy, Fevola, Simpson.
Saturday night at Docklands: 38,675.

NORTH MELB 13.11-89 (Hale 3, Grant 2, Thompson 2) best, Simpson, Hale, Harris, WEST COAST 12.11-83 (Staker 3) best, Cox, Embley, Staker.
Saturday night at Carrara: 6354.

ADELAIDE 22.18-150 (Burton 5.3, Tippett 4, Porplyzia 3, Goodwin 3, Jericho 3) best, Vince, Burton, van Berlo, MELBOURNE 11.8-74 (Morton 3, Robertson 2) best, Bartram, Jones, Bell.
Sunday at Football Park: 35,649.

SYDNEY 21.17-143 (O'Loughlin 6.0, Playfair 3, Jolly 3) best, O'Loughlin, Kirk, Jolly, ESSENDON 7.10-52 (Hille 2, Welsh 2) best, Welsh, McVeigh, Hille.
Sunday at Homebush: 34,904.
Report:
Kyle Reimers
(Ess) was fined $1,950 for making negligent contact with an umpire.

WEST.B'DOGS 17.12-114 (Murphy 3, Akermanis 3) best, Akermanis, Murphy, Cooney, FREMANTLE 17.9-111 (Pavlich 4, Tarrant 4) best, Pavlich, Johnson, Sandilands.
Sunday at Subiaco Oval: 35,624.
Reports:
Dean Solomon
(Fre) was fined $1,800 for wrestling Tom Williams (WB). Tom Williams (WB) was fined $900 for wrestling Dean Solomon (Fre).


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*

Consecutive Matches
2008, Round 8

199 – Adam GOODES (Syd) from 1999-R22 – 2+22+23+22+24+24+26+25+23+8
152 – Matthew PAVLICH (Fre) from 2001-R15 – 8+22+23+22+22+25+22+8
138 – Brett KIRK (Syd) from 2002-R15 – 8+24+24+26+25+23+8
113 – Kane CORNES (PA) from 2003-R17 – 9+25+24+22+24+8
110 – Nick DAL SANTO (StK) from 2003-R15 – 8+25+24+23+22+8
107 – Ryan O'KEEFE (Syd) from 2003-PF – 1+24+24+26+25+23+8
101 – Brendon LADE (PA) from 2004-R4 – 22+24+22+25+8
100 – Jeff WHITE (Mel) from 2004-R1 – 23+23+24+22+8
 

u


In the Goals, 2008 Games Goals R8 Total
Score
Lance FRANKLIN (Hawthorn) 8 42 6.2 42.30-282
Brendan FEVOLA (Carlton) 8 36 5.4 36.18-234
Daniel BRADSHAW (Brisbane) 8 31 1.1 31.15-201
Jarryd ROUGHEAD (Hawthorn) 8 27 3.2 27.17-179
Brett BURTON (Adelaide) 8 26 5.3 26.14-170
Matthew PAVLICH (Fremantle) 8 26 4.1 26.19-175
Matthew RICHARDSON (Richmond) 8 25 1.1 25.13-163
Simon GOODWIN (Adelaide) 8 23 3.2 23.18-156
Michael O'LOUGHLIN (Sydney) 8 22 6.0 22.7-139
Jonathan BROWN (Brisbane) 7 21 6.3 21.12-138
Paul MEDHURST (Collingwood) 8 20 2.1 20.11-131
Stephen MILNE (St Kilda) 8 20 2.2 20.15-135
Nathan THOMPSON (North Melb) 8 20 2.2 20.8-128
Matthew LLOYD (Essendon 7 19 1.0 19.7-121
Steve JOHNSON (Geelong) 8 17 0.2 17.13-115
Corey JONES (North Melb) 8 17 1.0 17.13-115
Robert MURPHY (West.B'dogs) 8 17 3.0 17.2-104
Russell ROBERTSON (Melbourne) 8 17 2.0 17.10-112
         


EVERY ROUND, EVERY GAME OF SEASON 2008

MATCH REVIEW ARCHIVE
Round One, Round Two, Round Three, Round Four, Round Five,
Round Six, Round Seven,


CLUB-BY-CLUB PERFORMANCE, SEASON 2008
REGULARLY UPDATED (following each round)
Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, Hawthorn,
Melbourne, North Melb, Port Adelaide, Richmond, St Kilda, Sydney, West Coast, Western Bulldogs
also
Consecutive Wins and Losses at all venues



Travellin' 2008
1 R1(n)-FP Geelong v Gee WON 1/1
2 R1-MCG Fremantle v Col Lost 1/2
3 R1(n)-Dok Sydney v StK Lost 1/3
4 R1(n)-Sub Brisbane v WCE Lost 1/4
5 R1-Dok Adelaide v WB Lost 1/5
6 R2(n)-BCG Collingwood v Bri WON 2/6
7 R2-FP West Coast v Ade Lost 2/7
8 R2(n)-S Hawthorn v Fre WON 3/8
9 R2-SCG Port Adelaide<