Australian Football Association of North America

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

COL  5.3   9.6   13.7    16.10 (106)
PA   4.4   8.5   10.12   10.15 (75)

GOALS: COL - Cloke 4, Swan 3, Anthony 2, Clarke, Cook, Fraser, Maxwell, Thomas, Davis, McCarthy; PA - Ebert 2, Thurstans 2, Cassisi, Surjan, Gray, M. Westhoff, Pearce, K. Cornes

BEST: COL - Davis, Lockyer, Swan, Cloke, Clarke, Maxwell, O'Bree, Fraser; PA - S. Burgoyne, Boak, K. Cornes, Lade, Cassisi, Surjan, Gray 

INJURY: COL - Anthony (shoulder/head), Thomas (knee); PA - Motlop (adductor) replaced in selected side by Gray, Brogan (shoulder) replaced in selected side by Thurstans

UMPIRES Stevic, McLaren, Wenn

CROWD 23,694 at AAMI Stadium

The first term was less than impressive as both sides made a number of skill errors. Although Port got off to a better start with a goal to Cassisi, they fell victim to the pressure applied by Collingwood. For much of the game, they chipped the ball around, going backwards and sideways while the Pies were able to be more direct. Most of Port's goals came more from lucky opportunities than skill. After Cassisi's goal, the Magpies snagged two through Cloke and Fraser. When Ebert goaled, Port was within two points. The Pies again responded with goals to Clarke, Thomas and Cloke but late goals to Surjan and Thurstans had Port within five points at 1/4 time.

The second term was almost a mirror image of the first, with Port opening with a goal, the Pies responding to extend their lead and Port clawing their way back into the match. After Ebert goaled early in the term to give Port the lead, the Pies hit back hard. Cook kicked his first league goal, followed by an unexpected one from one from Anthony. Anthony, during an attempted smother, was hit in the head with the ball. While being attended to by trainers, he sidestepped around them to mark (catch) the ball and goal from 50 meters (55 yards). Cloke then set up Maxwell, who beat out two opponents for a mark in the goalsquare. When Swan goaled midway through the term, the Magpies led by 24 points. Port again stormed back into the match, led by some inspirational play from Shaun Burgoyne. He won plenty of the ball all over the ground and at the stoppages to help set up teammates. Late goals to Gray, Thurstans and Westhoff cut Collingwood's lead to just seven points at 1/2 time.

The Pies regained Anthony, who left the ground immediately after his goal, but lost Thomas early in the term to a knee injury. Thomas returned in the final term. Unlike the first two terms, it was Collingwood through Swan who got the first goal, but Pearce goaled soon after for Port and the margin was back to just five points. Collingwood again raced out to a comfortable lead with goals to Anthony, Cloke and Swan. When Swan kicked his second for the term, the Pies held a 22 point lead, but Port refused to go away. After several misses, Port surged forward once more but Collingwood rushed a point. The kick in by Goldsack was intercepted by Kane Cornes and his goal left Collingwood with just a 13 point lead at 3/4 time.

Davis treated Pie fans to a bit of magic early in the final term. Collingwood won the ball in their defensive half and raced forward. A free kick to Dawes found Cloke, but his kick for goal was way off the mark. As the ball headed for the boundary, Davis swooped onto it and kicked a miraculous goal from an extremely tight angle. From there, both sides had plenty of scoring chances, but it was Collingwood who prevailed with two more goals for the term while an inaccurate Port kicked just three points. The win assures Collingwood of a spot in the eight and gives them a chance for a top four berth come finals.

ADE  3.4   7.8   13.10   19.15 (129) 
ESS  1.2   4.7    6.10   10.13 (73)

GOALS: ADE - Gill 5, Goodwin 3, Stevens 2, Johncock 2, Douglas 2, Moran, Thompson, Dangerfield, Maric, McLeod; ESS - Lloyd 3, Hille 2, Ryder, McPhee, Lovett-Murray, Magin, Laycock

BEST: ADE - Symes, Thompson, Van Berlo, Doughty, Gill, Edwards, Reilly; ESS - Peverill, Dyson, Ryder, Watson, Hille

INJURY: ESS - Hocking (leg) replaced in selected side by Magin, Dempsey (broken leg), Fletcher (groin), Hille (broken hand), Slattery (groin), Laycock (heavy knock)

UMPIRES: Margetts, Rosebury, Kamolins

CROWD: 32,184 at Telstra Dome

The Essendon rooms, after the game, probably more closely resembled a medical ward than change rooms. Dempsey was off in the first term and then Fletcher went off in the second. Laycock struggled through the game after suffering a heavy knock. In a low scoring first term, the Bombers got the first goal. An arm wrestle ensued after that and it was almost five minutes before Johncock goaled for the Crows. It took until midway through the term before Stevens added another for the Crows in between several missed shots from both sides. Moran added another late in the term. The term ended with rushed points to each side and the Crows in front by 14 points at 1/4 time.

The two rushed points from late in the first term were followed by no less than six rushed points at the start of the second term. Four were in favor of Essendon as the resolute Adelaide defense repelled attack after attack by the Bombers. Almost 10 minutes into the term Lloyd, in his 250th game, broke the run with a goal.
As Essendon's injury toll mounted, the Crows seized their opportunity through plenty of rotations. Gill was a prime target up forward and had the better of Michael. The Adelaide forward line did not lack for supply due to the good work of midfielders Van Berlo, Thompson, Symes, Doughty, Edwards and Reilly. The Bombers worked equally hard to level the scores with a goal to Hille and a point to Stanton. Goals to Goodwin and Thompson gave the Crows a 12 point lead before Lloyd goaled again. Late goals to Goodwin and Dangerfield gave the Crows a 19 point lead at 1/2 time.

The Crows continued to apply pressure in the third term and smashed Essendon in winning the ball. They had 20 more clearances of the ball from stoppages than the Bombers. The Crows piled on six goals to nil to lead by 55 points. Hille and McPhee kicked late goals for Essendon, but the Crows were in complete control with a match-winning lead of 42 points at 3/4 time.

Johncock goaled early in the final term to push the margin out even further. Gill, whose inaccuracy at times could be a concern, kicked three of his team's six goals for the term. He also set up teammates for several others. The Crows cruised to victory as they restricted the Bombers to just four goals for the term. The win has assured the Crows of a top eight finish and keeps them in contention for a top four finish. It is also the first time in the club's history that they have defeated Essendon in Melbourne.

MELB  1.3   5.7   8.12   11.13 (79)
WCE   2.2   4.5   5.10    5.15 (45)

GOALS: MELB - Bruce 2, Newton 2, Bartram, Bate, Green, P. Johnson, Miller, Morton, Sylvia;
WCE - McKinley 2, Armstrong, LeCras, Lynch

BEST: MELB - Bruce, Wheatley, Morton, Green, McDonald, Whelan, Buckley, Jones, Whelan;
WCE - Armstrong, Cox, Embley, Mackenzie, Priddis

INJURY: WCE - Wilkes (neck)

UMPIRES: Ryan, Ellis, K. Nicholls

CROWD: 17,958 at the MCG

Melbourne was demolished by Geelong last week and the Eagles pulled off a win against Essendon. There are two mindsets which could take over at Melbourne. They could have closed up shop, gone into their shells and given up. Or they could shake it off and try to bounce back. The Eagles, fired up from their win may have been over-confident. Either way, when the bottom two teams meet, no one expects a whole lot. This game was no different with skill errors and poor decisions the order of the day from both sides. The Demons had more of the ball, but didn't do much with it and much of the early contests took place in a heavily congested midfield. It was well into the first term before Eagle LeCras kicked a point. A long kick from McNamara late in the term set up McKinley to kick the first goal. Miller got the Dees on the board with a goal a minute later but Armstrong's goal at the end of the term gave the Eagles a five point lead at 1/4 time.

It was the Demons who were fired up in the second term. Although Lynch and LeCras goaled at the start of the second term to give the Eagles an 18 point lead, the Demons took over. Experienced duo McDonald and Bruce led the way while youngster Morton put in another impressive display. IT took 10 minutes or more before Bate kicked a goal for the Demons but it got Melbourne on a roll. They began to run and carry the ball with purpose and shocked the Eagles with strong tackling. Goals to Sylvia and Bruce gave the Demons the lead. Newton added another late in the term and the Demons found themselves eight points in front at 1/2 time.

The errors and points by both sides continued to mount in the third term, but the Demons still managed to extend their lead with goals to Bartram, Newton and Bruce from a 50 meter (55 yards) penalty). McKinley kicked West Coast's only goal for the term, a tight angle shot from long range, but it was Melbourne by 20 points at 3/4 time.

The Eagles came out in the final term with some resolve. The minds and bodies were willing, but the skills to back it up were lacking as they peppered the goals but just could not put the score on the board. Luckily for them, the Demons were much better for much of the term. Finally, late in the game, Johnson, Morton and Green added a few more goals for the Demons. The Eagles' final score of 5.15 is the lowest ever against Melbourne, beating their previous lowest score against the Demons of 9.7 (61) in 1990. This was Melbourne's first win since Round 14.

After the game, Eagle Coach John Worsfold, while labeling his side as "terrible", blasted former AFL coaches Stan Alves (St. Kilda) and Grant Thomas (Bulldogs), now working in the media for their suggestions that the team was "tanking" (deliberately losing games) to gain valuable high draft selections.

WB    4.4   7.8   8.14   10.19 (79) 
BRIS  3.3   6.4    8.8   13.12 (90)

GOALS: BRIS - Brown 3, Hooper 3, Bradshaw 2, Copeland, Dalziell, Power, Rischitelli, Patfull;
WB - Giansiracusa 3, Johnson 2, Griffen, Gilbee, Murphy, Harbrow, Eagleton

BEST: BRIS - Dalziell, Patfull, Macdonald, Black, McGrath; WB - Cooney, Eagleton, Lake, Boyd, Gilbee, Cross

UMPIRES: McBurney, Farmer, Chamberlain

CROWD: 27,315 at the Gabba

The question has to be asked. Are the Bulldogs running out of steam like they did last year when they lost five of their last nine games at the end of the season? Their hard-running game style is great to watch but is it taking too much of a toll on the players as the season wears on? They have how lost their past five games. Prior to that, they had won six straight. Former Lion Akermanis, booed by the home crowd whenever he got the ball, set up Johnson for the first goal. Giansiracusa was next two minutes later. it took another five minutes for the next score as the midfields battled it out but Hooper then booted two within minutes to have the Lions within one point. Both sides missed several chances in front of goal but the Bulldogs, through Griffen and Gilbee extended the Bulldog lead to 13 points late in the term before Brown kicked one for Brisbane. Akermanis missed another chance before the Bulldog defense rushed a point to keep the Dogs 7 points in front at 1/4 time.

Brisbane worked hard for little reward early in the second term while the Bulldogs kicked two of the first three goals. Murphy's goal midway through the term gave the Dogs a 21 point lead. Copeland won the ball out of a pack for a badly needed Brisbane goal. Brown followed up soon after to cut the Bulldog lead to nine points. Giansiracusa missed and the Dogs finished off the term with a 10 point lead at 1/2 time.

The third term could have been an entertaining shootout, but both sides were guilty of skill errors and more misses in front of goal. After Hahn kicked a point, first year player Dalziell won a free kick on the boundary. He threaded a goal from a very tight angle to have Brisbane within seven points. Johnson replied midway through the term for the Bulldogs. More misses followed before Dalziell took possession on a wing. He let fly with a booming kick from well beyond 50 meters (55 yards) which was marked (caught) by Brown in the goal square. His goal was followed by four straight misses, one from the Bulldogs and three from Brisbane, two of which hit the post, leaving the Bulldogs with a six point lead at 3/4 time.

Less than a minute into the final term, Hooper goaled to level the scores. A goal to Power a few minutes later gave Brisbane the lead for the first time in the match. The Bulldogs wrested back the lead with goals to Eagleton and Harbrow. Rischitelli goaled and it was Brisbane in front once more. A point to Griffen for the Bulldogs again leveled the scores midway through the term. From there, it was all Brisbane as the Bulldogs faded and the Lions continued to pepper the goals. Although inaccurate, goals to Bradshaw and another to Patfull five minutes later sealed the match for the Lions. The Bulldogs put on one last flurry, but Brisbane's defense halted them in their tracks with two rushed points. Akermanis finished off the game the last play, a point much to the delight of Brisbane fans.

GEEL  7.4   9.8   16.10   20.13 (133)
SYD   4.1   6.4    8.5    14.10 (94)

GOALS: GEEL - Byrnes 3, Ablett 3, Lonergan 3, S. Johnson 2, Mooney 2, Varcoe 2, Stokes, Prismall, Bartel, Gamble, Ottens; SYD - Hall 5, Moore 2, McVeigh 2, Goodes 2, Kirk, Mattner, Bird

BEST: GEEL - Ablett, Corey, Bartel, Mooney, Lonergan, Varcoe; SYD - Hall, Kennelly, Bevan, Moore, Mattner, Bird

INJURY: SYD - Crouch (neck soreness); Moore (knee)

UMPIRES: Donlon, Kennedy, Ryan

CROWD: 44,950 at ANZ Stadium

Like others before them, the Swans were no match for Geelong. The Cats were missing Scarlett, Wojcinski and Milburn, but the depth of their talent meant there were plenty of others to fill in for the missing stars. After Kirk kicked the opening goal from the first bounce, the Cats took over with the next seven goals. Several of those came as the result of some undisciplined play from Swans. Roberts-Thomson gave away several free kicks in defense and Lonergan and Byrnes benefited from 50 meter (55 yards) penalties. The run was finally interrupted with goals to Mattner and Hall. Hall kicked another to end the term but it was the Cats in control with a 21 point lead at 1/4 time.

The second term was a low-scoring affair and it was several minutes before Moore kicked a long-range goal to give the Swans some hope. Goals to Varcoe and Ablett put Geelong 29 points clear. There were more misses before a late goal to Goodes had the Swans within 22 points at 1/2 time.

Sydney lost Crouch early in the third term after a hard tackle from Kelly. Moments later, Moore kicked his second goal for the match. After that, it was all one way traffic as the Cats virtually queued up to kick goals. Byrnes, Prismall and Ablett goaled to make the margin 35 points. Steve Johnson, kept in check by Bevan, broke clear for his first goal of the game. A wayward kick from Everitt was picked off by Lonergan for another Cat goal. McVeigh finally got one back for the Swans but Mooney replied moments later to extend Geelong's lead to 53 points at 3/4 time.

Unlike other opponents for most of the year, the Swans at least managed to win the final term six goals to four. However, the damage had been done in the previous three terms. After the game, Sydney Coach Paul Roos, who equaled Rodney Eade's coaching record (152 games) with the Swans said the Cats were the benchmark of the competition and at their best were unbeatable. He believes they are certainties to win the 2008 premiership.

NM    5.2   13.5   17.8   22.9 (141)
CARL  6.2    9.3   10.5   14.6 (90)

GOALS:NM - Grant 3, Hale 3, Harding 3, Harvey 3, Hansen 2, Jones 2, Thomas 2, Brown, McMahon, Petrie, Rawlings; CARL - Fevola 6, Cloke 2, Fisher 2, Judd, Kreuzer, Russell, Scotland

BEST: NM - Harvey, Grant, Hale, Firrito, Harris, Pratt, Harding, Jones, Rawlings; CARL - Judd, Fevola, Carrazzo, Murphy, Walker

REPORTS: CARL - Wiggins for charging Harding

UMPIRES: Vozzo, Meredith, Jeffrey

CROWD: 43,406 at Telstra Dome

Carlton had the better of the Kangaroos in the first term. Fevola kicked two goals in the space of a few minutes. The term, which went well over half an hour became a goal for goal shootout with Carlton leading by six points at 1/4 time.

North seized control in the second term with Harvey running rampant and Hale too mobile, strong and quick for Saddington. The Kangaroos also cottoned on to the Blues' reliance on Fevola and marshaled their defense to close down Carlton's forward line. Two minutes into the term, McMahon goaled to level the scores and North proceeded to dominate the term. They won the ball and used it well to get it forward. Grant and Hale each added two goals and Jones chimed in to give the Kangaroos a 32 point lead. The teams traded goals until late in the term when Fevola and Cloke kicked consecutive goals to cut the Kangaroo lead to 21 points. Late in the term, Harding marked (caught the ball) deep in defense and earned a 50 meter penalty when the ball was slapped out of his hands. When Fevola protested too vehemently with the umpire, a second 50 meter penalty took Harding to point blank range for a goal to give the Kangaroos a 26 point lead at 1/2 time.

Shortly before the break, Wiggins was reported and things got a bit heated as the two teams came from the ground. A brief melee ensued, but things settled down quickly and Carlton managed the first goal through Kreuzer. Again, the Kangaroos took over and slammed through the next four goals to take a 45 point lead at 3/4 time.

Again, Carlton got the first goal at the start of the final term through Fevola but again North was in control. Goals to Thomas, Harvey, Jones, Rawlings and Harding had North out to a massive 70 point lead. The Blues added some respectability to the scoreboard with the last three goals of a game North was never going to lose.

RICH   5.2   10.5   13.6   16.9 (105)
HAW    2.5    4.10   7.15  10.16 (76)

GOALS: RICH - Richmond: Connors 3, Morton 3, Cotchin, Tuck, Bowden, Tambling, Edwards, White, Cartledge, Deledio, McMahon, Richardson; HAW - Franklin 3, Brown 2, Lewis, Osborne, Rioli, Bateman, Williams

BEST: RICH - Richardson, Bowden, Deledio, Newman, Tuck, McMahon, Cotchin; HAW - Sewell, Franklin, Lewis, Hodge, Bateman, Mitchell, Ladson

INJURY: RICH - Foley replaced in selected side by Polo

REPORTS: RICH - Simmonds for front on bump on Murphy

Umpires: James, M. Nicholls, Mollison

CROWD: 44,523 at the MCG

Hawk forward Lance Franklin needed nine goals to notch 100 for the season. Hawthorn even had a well-guarded security procedure planned to protect Franklin from the inevitable ground invasion had he kicked his 100th. However, it never eventuated as Franklin was badly off target for much of the day. Early on, 100 goals did not seem out of the question when he kicked Hawthorn's only two goals in the first term. His first came after Cotchin opened up with a goal for Richmond. His last came at the end of the term. In between, the Tigers kicked four and led by 15 points at 1/4 time.

The Hawks tried to apply pressure but the Richmond withstood everything Hawthorn threw at them. Lewis goaled early in the second term from a 50 meter penalty (55 yards) to have Hawthorn within 10 points. With Tuck having the better of Mitchell in the middle and Deledio and Richardson also doing well, the Tigers forced the Hawks into turnovers and the Hawks were also their own worst enemy in front of goal. Tambling added another goal for Richmond before Osborne kicked a great goal under pressure. It was Hawthorn's last for the term. Edwards won the ball when it spilled from a pack of players for the next Tiger goal and Connors added another to give the Tigers a 21 point lead. Franklin and Dew both missed before the Tigers added further goals through Connors and White for a 31 point lead at 1/2 time.

Franklin goaled early in the third term, but again the Hawks wasted numerous opportunities after that. Morton swooped on a spilled attempted mark (catch of the ball) by Ladson to extend Richmond's lead. Franklin and Rioli combined with Rioli snapping a nice goal, but the Tigers again replied with Cartledge goaling from yet another 50 meter penalty. Bateman goaled to give the Hawks some chance, but the Hawks then missed four consecutive shots on goal. Morton soccered through a goal right at the siren to give the Tigers a 27 point lead at 3/4 time.

Campbell Brown was moved forward by Hawthorn in an effort to give the Hawks another option. At first, it worked with Brown kicking two goals to cut the margin to 15 points. Deledio replied with a goal on the run, only for Williams to goal for the Hawks. McMahon goaled a few minutes later and the Tigers were back out to a 21 point lead. Other than a handful of sporadic points, the scoring pretty much dried up until Richardson capped off an excellent game with the final goal of the match to keep Richmond's flickering finals hopes alive.

STK   3.5   6.6   13.9   17.10 (112)
FRE   4.3   7.4    8.11   9.15 (69)

GOALS: STK - Riewoldt 5, Schneider 4, Milne 3, Eddy, Koschitzke, Harvey, Clarke, Gilbert; FRE - Campbell 3, Pavlich 3, McPharlin, Duffield, Mundy

BEST: STK - Riewoldt, Fisher, Hayes, Montagna, Goddard, Schneider, King; FRE - Palmer, Grover, Michael Johnson, Ibbotson, Farmer, Crowley

INJURY: STK - Milne (cheekbone); FRE - Browne (corked thigh)

UMPIRES: Schmitt, Hendrie, McInerney

CROWD: 34,014 at Subiaco Oval

Fremantle's incentive was to pay tribute the retiring Peter Bell. However, St. Kilda had more than sentimentality as their incentive. Win to keep their finals chances alive. Lose and that hope would be all but over. The Dockers surprised the Saints at the start of the game by having mercurial forward Farmer in defense and Mayne in his place up forward. After Schneider goaled for the Saints, it looked as if Riewoldt was going to have another off-target game with some early misses. The Dockers took advantage and looked the better side but took until midterm for their first goals. Campbell, in his eighth game, kicked two in a row to put Fremantle in front. The lead then see-sawed with goals to Riewoldt, McPharlin and Schneider. A rushed point by the Saints leveled the scores late in the term before Duffield goaled to put the Dockers in front. Riewoldt and Gilbert both missed chances to restore the lead for the Saints, leaving the Dockers with a four point lead at 1/4 time.

Dockers stretched their lead to 16 points early in the second with goals to Campbell and Pavlich. The Saints got one back through Raphael Clarke only for Pavlich to hit back again at the other end. The Saints lifted late in the term, with Harvey in game number 378, leading the way. He and Milne, despite a badly swollen eye from a clash in the first term, kicked a pair of goals to have the Saints within 16 points at 1/2 time.

From the opening bounce of the third term, the Saints regained the lead with a goal to Schneider. The Saints, more specifically Riewoldt, exploded after that. Riewoldt gave his minder Dodd the runaround, taking three marks (catch of the ball) and kicking two goals in five minutes. Pavlich was moved to the midfield in an effort to spark the Dockers but the Saints continued their surge with another goal to Milne pushing the lead out to 22 points. Milne snagged another from dead in front before Mundy finally got one for the Dockers. But the Saints continued on their merry way with goals to Riewoldt and Koschitzke giving the Saints a 28 point lead at 3/4 time.

The Saints finished off the Dockers with four unanswered goals in the final term. The Dockers only goal came at the end of the term to Pavlich.

GOALS
Lance Franklin (HAW)   94
Brendan Fevola (CARL)  90
Daniel Bradshaw (BRIS) 67
Matthew Pavlich (FRE)  67
Jonathan Brown (BRIS)  66
Jarryd Roughead (HAW)  59

Source: Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, afl.com.au, author notes