Jarryd Roughead

Cats Unbeaten

janetl — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:48:57 -0500

Jamie Kloeden reporting for AFANA from Adelaide, South Australia

With half the season completed, Geelong remain unbeaten on top of the Ladder but only after a strong challenge from the Hawks. The Round 12 match was hyped as one of the biggest clashes of the year so far and a free flowing, high scoring start to the game certainly had people looking forward to a tight contest.

James Podsiadly was the big star early, dominating the game inside Geelong’s attacking 50 and giving Hawks’ defender Josh Gibson a lesson in overhead marking. Liam Shiels dominated the stoppages for the Hawks and was an absolute ball magnet with 13 first term touches but it was the Podsiadly-led Cats who went into the first change with a 19 point lead.

A free kick count of 12 to one in the Cats’ favor had Hawthorn fans voicing plenty of negative opinions towards the umpires but they soon changed their tune as the tide turned. Hawthorn rattled off five goals in a row to hit the lead in the second quarter and grab hold of the game. Geelong’s one big advantage was again Podsiadly who had 5 goals before the hapless Gibson was moved on in favor of Ryan Schoenmakers. At the long break, the big Geelong cult figure had half a dozen majors and even with the early onslaught from the Hawks, Geelong maintained a six point lead.

After half time, Hawthorn’s former captain Sam Mitchell and the sublimely skilled Cyril Rioli set up Shane Savage for an early goal to tie the score. The combined dominance of the Hawks midfielders at the clearances and their tight defense held the Cats goalless. It looked like Alastair Clarkson's men were eyeing off an upset. With Schoenmakers limiting the influence on Podsiadly, the Cats looked much less threatening up forward and needed someone to stand up in a big way to get them back into the contest. Hawthorn led by 17 points at the final break and was threatening to run away with the game.

Enter Joel Selwood, the Geelong midfielder whose onfield presence belies his years. Selwood showed exactly why he is rated so highly amongst the football fraternity. Assisted by James Kelly, Corey Enright and the freakishly-talented Steve Johnson, Selwood went about getting the Cats back in front. His attack at the ball was ferocious in the final term and he became a target across half forward where he was able to set up two of the three final quarter Geelong goals. Making the task even more difficult for Hawthorn was a severe Achilles injury to big forward and ruckman Jarryd Roughhead who now seems likely to watch the rest of the 2011 season from the sidelines. As with all good sides, the Hawks never gave up and, with less than a minute on the clock and only fine points down, they pushed forward for one last foray into their attacking zone. Unfortunately for Hawks’ fans, Lance (Buddy) Franklin was worked under the ball while on his lead and the Geelong defenders were able to clear the danger zone as the siren sounded. As Franklin went to ground, every one of the 63,476 fans in attendance had their hearts in their mouths, waiting to see if an umpire’s whistle would sound and set up the kick after the siren for the win. However there was no free kick and the Cats walked away with a classic five point victory.

Scoreboard
Geelong  5.2 10.2 10.6 13.10 (88)
Hawthorn 2.1  9.2 13.5 13.5  (83)

Best
Geelong:  J Podsiadly, C Enright, J Kelly, J Selwood, S Johnson
Hawthorn: L Sheils, S Mitchell, L Franklin, B Sewell, C Rioli

Hawks Demolish Demons

rickb — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 07:42:41 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from the MCG, Melbourne

Hawthorn has had the edge on the Melbourne Demons over their last six matches and much was expected from them in this clash. Melbourne was coming off a draw against Sydney, while Hawthorn was winless after a discouraging finish against Adelaide in Round 1. Even so the match odds were heavily in favor of Hawthorn coming into the game.

Hawthorn started full of running and hit their targets with slick handball and precision kicking. Jarryd Roughead scored the first goal when he took a strong mark and played on into the 10 meter square. The play was on Hawthorn’s terms early but they were frustratingly inaccurate on goal and could not make an impact on the scoreboard. Melbourne, on the other hand, made the most of every opportunity when they went forward. Goals to Lynden Dunn, Aaron Davey and Jack Watts had the predominately Hawthorn crowd silent. Shaun Burgoyne scored late in the quarter for the Hawks to give them a one point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Melbourne got out of the blocks early starting the second quarter with multiple goal scorers. First Brad Green, then Liam Jurrah and finally big ruckman Mark Jamar goaled to round out the triple play. Hawthorn had stopped running and leading up to the ball while Melbourne seemed to have found extra leg speed and were at the drop of every ball. Green was gifted another goal on an assist from Jurrah who had marked in the goal square and hand passed over his head. Jack Trengove snapped from 40 yards out to score Melbourne’s fifth goal in a row. At this point the siren couldn’t sound quickly enough for the Hawthorn players who were being run ragged. Chance Bateman scored the Hawks’ first goal in more than 30 minutes to add some respectability to the scoreline, but when the half ended the Hawks were still trailing by 19 points.

Coach Alistair Clarkson must have given the Hawks a roasting during the major break. His team came out and played one of the most one-sided third quarters in recent AFL history. With the exception of Ricky Petterd’s goal at the Demons’ end, the entire game was played in Hawthorn’s forward half. An eight goal eleven to one goal one quarter blew the Demons out of the water. Lance (Buddy) Franklin came alive, covering the ground from one end to the other and kicking two fine goals. He was assisted by young Hawk Matt s**kling who contributed two majors of his own. Cameron Bruce (the ex-Melbourne veteran, traded this year to Hawthorn after a contract dispute), Rick Ladson, Cyril Rioli and Roughead added goals to the tally and the game was effectively over. A 19 point deficit had been turned around to a 33 point Hawthorn lead when the quarter ended.

The Hawks didn’t take their foot off the gas in the final quarter. Burgoyne was on fire and kicked three goals. One in particular was spectacular as he stopped the ball soccer style, gathered it, spun out of a pack and kicked truly for a goal. A couple of consolation goals by the stunned Demons made the scoreboard slightly more respectable but their decent first half performance was completely eclipsed by the stunning second half turned on by the Hawks.

Hawthorn looked back to their 2008 Premiership best and players like Rioli, Franklin and Burgoyne seem set to trouble other sides in 2011. The Demons looked fast and hungry in the first half but dropped badly off the pace and were completely outclassed when it counted. This game will have the club looking for answers and doing a lot of soul-searching in the week to come.

Scoreboard
Hawthorn  2.8 3.13 11.24 16.26 (122)
Melbourne 3.1 8.2  9.3   12.5  (77)

Best Players
Hawthorn C Rioli, L Franklin, S Burgoyne, M s**kling, S Mitchell
Melbourne N Jones, A Davey, C Sylvia, L Tapscott, J Grimes

Round 18 Tribunal

Lisa Albergo — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:58:25 -0500

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

TRIBUNAL
Charges Laid:

Cyril Rioli (HAW), striking Port Adelaide's Nick Salter: assessed as intentional conduct (three points), low impact (one point), and high contact (two points), equaling six activation points, a Level Three offense, 225 demerits, and a 2 game suspension. He accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to 168.75 demerits and a one game suspension, with 68.75 demerits held over toward his future record.

Cyril Rioli (HAW), attempting to strike Nick Salter: classified as an offense, drawing 80 demerits. He accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to 60 demerits and a reprimand.

AFL Note: Under the Tribunal guidelines whereby a player is charged with multiple offenses during one game, the points for each offense where the player either accepts or is found guilty are added together to form a total amount. For each amount of 100 points in the total penalty, there must be one match served as a result.

Hawthorn took Rioli's case to the Tribunal in an effort to have one of the charges dismissed. They were contesting the charge of attempting to strike as the incident occurred during the brawl which saw nine players, including Rioli, fined. Rioli accepted the fine as well as the charge of striking. Rioli later admitted that frustration led to his brain fade and said he would take responsibility for his actions but did not testify. His advocate argued that the first charge of striking, to which Rioli pleaded guilty, should be sufficient as the second swing did not connect. He further argued that it was wrong to single out one arm which did not connect as it occurred during the melee which involved other players and that there "... was not enough in it ..." to constitute a charge. He pleaded with the Tribunal, "Why charge with missing when there is the available charge of striking?" He also argued that by being punished for the one blow, the second charge of attempting to strike amounted to a case of "double jeopardy".

After the hearing, Hawthorn football director Mark Evans said it was the same logic that the club had used. He said it was worth the challenge as during the melee "... there were lots of arms being thrown around ... and only ... one report for an attempt to strike."

The AFL legal counsel countered by saying that Rioli's attempt to strike followed immediately after his punch which did connect with Salter. He further argued that the "... blow was delivered with intent, but not ... precision ...".

The panel agreed with the prosecution and upheld the charge and suspension. Had Rioli been successful, he would have served just a one game suspension for the striking charge. He will now miss the next two games.

Brent Renouf (HAW), fined $2800 for a second melee offense. He accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to $2100.

The following players from both Port Adelaide and Hawthorn were charged with a first melee offense and fined $1600. All accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to $1200:

HAWTHORN Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Brad Sewell, Chance Bateman

PORT ADELAIDE: Dean Brogan, Paul Stewart, Robbie Gray, Nick Salter

Brendan Fevola (BRIS), fined $4000 for misconduct for putting Melbourne's Colin Garland in a headlock. He accepted, reducing the fine 25% to $3000.

This charge was laid under the misconduct provisions of the MRP Table of Offenses, which allows the Match Review Panel to impose a fine for a misconduct offense which is not classified under the Table. The MRP took into account an investigation of the incident, the medical report on Garland and footage of the incident to determine that a fine rather than a charge of misconduct was appropriate.

Eric Mackenzie (WCE), striking Fremantle's Michael Johnson: assessed as reckless conduct (two points), low impact (one point), and high contact (two points), equaling five activation points, a Level Two offense, 125 demerits, and a one game suspension. He accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to 93.75 demerits and a reprimand, with the demerits held over toward his future record.

After Mackenzie accepted, a clerical error was discovered regarding the spelling of his name and, as a result, the MRP overlooked a previous reprimand and 93.75 demerits for a rough conduct charge in Round 16. These demerits were added to the original penalty listed above, increasing the total to 218.75 demerits and a two game suspension. Mackenzie again accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to 164.06 demerits and a one game suspension.

Fined $1200 for wrestling each other: Fremantle's Adam McPhee and West Coast's Patrick McGinnity; Eagle Scott Selwood and Fremantle's Stephen Hill. All four players accepted, reducing the fine 25% to $900.

Sean Dempster (STK), fined $1200 for a first offense of negligent contact with an umpire. He accepted, reducing the fine 25% to $900.

Source: Patrick Keane, AFL Media Release; theage.com.au, sen.com.au

Eagles Naitanui Shakes His Tailfeather

janetl — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:26:59 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval

Gale force winds and teeming rain made for challenging conditions in the Round 13 encounter between the West Coast Eagles and reigning Premiers Hawthorn. It may have been an unlikely stage for individual brilliance, but the rugged weather was not enough to stop Nic Naitanui from showing the special brand of football magic that caught the eye of West Coast Eagles recruiters and saw him taken at number two in the 2008 AFL Draft. At 6 foot 7 inches and 211 pounds, Naitanui 's physical presence combined with his Fijian heritage and distinctive dreadlocks is a crowd magnet but on Saturday night it was his football heroics, in only his second AFL game, that showed fans a legend in the making. His three last quarter goals were the difference in an otherwise even match and the unfancied Eagles produced the boilover of the round.

Despite a series of average performances so far this season, Hawthorn started clear favorites with this game a must-win for them to stay in the race for the Finals. The first quarter was a tame affair with wintry weather causing lots of stoppages and crowded conditions. Players' ball skills were affected although Hawthorn made good use of their opportunities scoring four goals through Jarryd Roughead, Sam Mitchell and Lance Franklin. West Coast's two goals came from Mark LeCras making a welcome return from injury.

Roughead caught West Coast's defense napping early in the second quarter taking an uncontested mark in the forward line and scoring his second to give the Hawks an 18 point buffer. The Eagles showed great team character to rebound strongly. Goals to Andrew Embley, LeCras and Mitchell Brown brought them even with the Hawks. Not resting on their laurels, they threw everything at the opposition, taking the lead after Matt Priddus and Brad Ebert combined to produce a long wind-assisted but nevertheless inspirational goal. While the Eagles lifted their intensity the Hawks wilted under pressure. Tyson Stenglein goaled in his 100th game for the Eagles after producing the play of the day to catch Jordan Lewis holding the ball in the Hawks’ backline. The Hawks looked nonplussed by the five goal turnaround. With West Coast looking set to run away with the game, the Hawks tried to settle their play. Sam Mitchell continued to get plenty of the ball in the center but the weather conditions hampered the Hawks’ forward attacks and the wind played havoc with their kicking on goal. They did well to stay close to the Eagles who led by 14 points at the major break after LeCras scored his fourth goal, converting with a wet ball from 50 meters out.

Conditions worsened as the second half got under way. Wind, rain and a heavy ball plagued the forwards for both sides. The Hawks scored with a quick goal to Campbell Brown after he used his body to great effect to muscle Embley out of his way. Although West Coast had a lot of possession they made minimal impact on the scoreboard and it was the Hawks who scored again through Michael Osborne. Chris Masten began to dominate in the middle of the ground for the Eagles providing the forwards with opportunities but the Hawks persisted and a free kick to Franklin put the Hawks in front by a point. The lead seesawed back and forth. Roughead and Kennedy then Franklin and Kerr traded goals setting the final quarter up as a ripper with the margin a tiny three points at three quarter time.

Kicking with the wind in the final quarter should have given the Eagles the edge but the Hawks had most to lose with the defense of the Premiership Cup resting on the outcome of this game. Powering forward and putting the Hawks’ defense under pressure, David Wirrpanda goaled to put the West Coast ahead by 3 points. The Hawks rushed the ball forward to score a point before Mitchell kicked beautifully to Roughead who made no mistake, slotting through his fifth and grabbing back the lead. From the ashes rose the phoenix Nic Naitanui who to this point had played an unremarkable game. After smothering a ball on the goal line in the pelting rain he weaved past a Hawthorn defender to score a team-lifting six pointer for the Eagles. As the crowd fled to the shelter of the covered stands, Brett Guerra’s kick went out of bounds on the full and Matt Rosa booted the ball long into the Eagles’ goal square. Re-enter Nic Naitanui and an off the ground soccer kick that headed through the goal for his second in as many minutes. West Coast surged again and a successful snap on goal by Josh Kennedy took them to a 14 point lead. The Hawks took the ball forward to Roughead whose poster narrowed the gap to 13 points. Ben McKinley scored again for the Eagles after reading the trajectory of the ball best to mark and goal. His point one minute later put West Coast ahead by 19 points in a five goal to one quarter. Again Naitanui put his stamp on the game. An exceptional handpass intercept showcased his outstanding reflexes. As he ran forward - with a Hawthorn player in hot pursuit - he bounced, lost control of the wet ball, bent his long body to the ground while running flat out, scooped up the ball, ran some more with the Hawk player still on his tail and scored one of the goals of the season. The crowd lifted as one, the roar was deafening and try as they might, the Hawks were done for the day. West Coast ran out victors by 20 points breaking a five game losing streak while the Hawks lost their third of the last four games.

Although the Hawks Premiership defense looks to be in tatters, the big story coming out of the game was Nic Naitanui whose three last quarter goals were the difference between the two teams. His freakish skills have sparked Naitanui fever in Perth and prompted reports of the birth of a star. Certainly Naitanui has the X factor which appeals to fans. Interestingly he inherited the number 9 jumper left vacant after the departure of former Eagles icon Ben Cousins. It seems West Coast merchandising has an heir to the Cousins' throne with rumors sweeping the city that there is now an Eagles beanie complete with dreadlocks for fans to enjoy!

Scoreboard
West Coast 2.3 8.6 10.9 16.11 (107)
Hawthorn   4.3 6.4 11.7 13.9  (87)

Best
West Coast Q Lynch, D Wirrpanda, D Glass, M Priddus, M LeCras, N Naitanui, C Masten
Hawthorn   S Mitchell, L Hodge, J Roughead, L Franklin, C Bateman

Hawks Fly Into Eight

janetl — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:03:15 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval, Perth

Hawthorn have returned to the Final Eight with a hard fought win against a valiant Fremantle Dockers team. Traveling interstate to Subiaco Oval for the Round 8 match against Fremantle, the Hawks came in with a defense seriously undermanned through injury. The Fremantle Dockers were coming off a morale-boosting three game winning streak and had the home advantage. Tipsters were divided in their predictions and Friday night football looked set to reward fans with an absolute beauty.

Chris Tarrant, the former Dockers forward reinvented this season as a backman, won the challenging role of guarding Hawks standout full forward Buddy Franklin. It was a tight start but the Hawks struck gold first, scoring quick goals from Chance Bateman and Stuart Dew. Matthew Pavlich was in good touch for the Dockers in the midfield and for the Hawks Jordan Lewis was in the thick of the action. Fremantle hit back to equalize through goals to Scott Thornton and Luke McPharlin. The standard of football was high with hard tackling a feature for both sides. After being well held by Tarrant, Franklin imposed his bulk late in the quarter to take a good mark and score his first goal. The Hawks took a six point lead into the quarter time break.

Goals were hard to come by in the early part of the second quarter but Fremantle hit the front after a strong Ryan Murphy mark and goal from the square. Cyril Rioli, in only his second year of AFL football, continues to dazzle fans and commentators alike. With his uncanny mixture of skill and magic, he controlled the ball beautifully along the boundary line and set up a Mark Williams goal. Franklin hit a purple patch and scored twice for the Hawks taking them to a 17 point lead and signaling danger for the Dockers. Again Rioli's work ethic set him apart from the crowd as he ran from one end to the other and scored a beautiful goal. The icing on the cake for the Hawks came from rookie Garry Moss who scooped the ball up after a stoppage, took a low snap on goal and put the visitors 30 points ahead at the major break.

It was a dream start to the third quarter for the Hawks when Fremantle defender Steven Dodd was caught holding the ball and Williams scored his second from the resultant free kick. Just when the Dockers looked gone, Michael Johnson took a terrific juggling mark in the square and converted on goal. Before the center bounce down could take place, Nick Suban was awarded a free kick in front of goal after a Hawthorn defender lost his cool and hit him illegally. Suban missed a very straightforward shot and a chance to bring Fremantle back into striking distance. The Fremantle shakiness in front of the big sticks was contagious with Johnson and McPharlin inexplicably missing sitters before McPharlin finally converted to narrow the gap to 22 points. The quarter had been dominated by Fremantle but Rioli popped up again to make something out of nothing and score a six pointer against the run of play. Fremantle scrambled forward and Murphy soccered a goal to repair the damage but every time the Dockers made up some ground, the Hawks found a way to get the answering score. When Michael Osborne kicked a goal from deep in the forward pocket on a very acute angle, it looked like goodnight for the Dockers but they refused to surrender. A late goal to Paul Duffield gave the Dockers some chance with a 22 point deficit going into the final quarter.

That the Dockers weren't done for was crystal clear in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. They defended the Hawks attacks ferociously and when Docker captain Pavlich bombed a magnificent long goal it seemed that the momentum had swung their way. Pavlich's efforts were inspirational but goals were elusive for Fremantle with Byron Schammer, Dean Solomon and Brett Peake all missing golden opportunities. Although the Fremantle endeavor was unquestionable, the Hawks steadied and had the experience when it counted to seal the game through goals to Jarryd Roughead and Buddy Franklin. The Hawks set up their win with an outstanding second quarter performance and were able to put enough pressure - physical and mental - on the Dockers to keep them from scoring goals when they needed them.

Hawthorn's win has put them back into contention as they move into 7th position on the AFL Ladder, equal to Carlton on points but with an inferior percentage. Essendon (8th) and Sydney (9th) are equal on points but below the Hawks on percentage. Fremantle are wallowing in 14th place but the competition is so even that only percentage separates them from the West Coast Eagles (10th), Collingwood (11th), Adelaide (12th) and North Melbourne (13th).

Next week's Indigenous Round may see the AFL Ladder gridlock ease. Hawthorn meets the lowly but recently competitive Melbourne, Fremantle plays North Melbourne in Melbourne and the Eagles come up against Collingwood at Subiaco Oval.

Scoreboard
Hawthorn  3.2 8.4 11.6 13.9  (87)
Fremantle 2.2 3.2  7.8  9.11 (65)

Best players
Hawthorn  C Rioli, B McGlynn, B Sewell, S Mitchell, C Bateman, J Lewis
Fremantle M Pavlich, P Duffield, M Johnson, C Tarrant, B Schammer, A Sandilands