Match Summaries and Standings

ESS 1.2 5.8 13.11 17.15 (117)
CARL 3.3 6.6 7.7 12.8 (80)
GOALS: ESS - Lovett-Murray 3, Dyson 2, Lloyd 2, Ramanauskas 2, Solomon 2, Hird 2, McPhee, Bullen, Alvey, Welsh; CARL - Sporn 2, Bannister 2, Fevola 2, Whitnall 2, Houlihan, Fisher, Lappin, Morrell
BEST: ESS - McPhee, Rioli, Ramanauskas, Peverill, Fletcher, Lovett-Murray, Hird; CARL - Stevens, Johnson, Scotland, Sporn, Lappin

INJURY: ESS - Reynolds (illness), replaced in selected side by Lovett-Murray, Henneman (corked hip), Bullen (corked calf)

UMPIRES: McLaren, Dore, Wenn

ATTENDANCE: 60,864 at the MCG

Prior to the match, James Hird made a beeline for field umpire Scott McLaren, who at first moved away from the center, but eventually the two met in the middle and McLaren reluctantly shook hands with Hird.
Carton dominated the opening term through the middle. French and DeLuca rotated through the ruck and both did some handy things around the ground as well. But it was Camporeale partnered with the likes of Scotland, Stevens, Johnson - with 41 possessions between them for the term - and Norman who helped their side get off to a good start with quick transfer of play and long kicking. Thornton was doing the job on Lloyd. Both sides missed early chances on the scoreboard with Whitnall bobbling a mark which Essendon then cleared. A strong lead and mark by Lloyd was wasted when he hit the post. Ramanauskas also missed a shot before the Blues made the most of their opportunity with a goal to Bannister. Rioli was switched from the middle to a back pocket after being run ragged by Stevens. Then French goaled but it was denied to the Blues for an infringement in the center. Another chance for the Blues went begging when Camporeale, who was having the better of Peverill, hit the post. The Bombers made no such mistake when Lloyd nailed the Bombers only goal for the term. Ramanauskas then missed a shot which would have put the Bombers in front. Fevola extended the Blues' lead before Scotland missed. Then it was Essendon's turn to have a shot denied due to an illegal shepherd by Rioli. The Blues went forward again and earned a free kick. Houlihan crumbed the marking contest to put the Blues in front by 13 goals at 1/4 time.
Carlton picked up where they left off with a goal to Bannister within a minute of the 2nd term. But it was quickly matched with a goal to Lloyd from 50 meters out. Again both sides had chances to press home the advantage, but missed the shots. Then Lappin took a strong mark in the midst of several Bomber defenders to kick a goal, quickly answered by the Bombers. Fevola goaled, but he too missed another shot minutes later. Then Teague earned a free but it was nullified with a free going back Essendon's way and Bomber rookie Lovett-Murray booted a goal to put the Bombers within 4 points at 1/2 time.
Perhaps the only umpiring complaint the Bombers might have was the fact that the Blues had more free kicks for the half.
As good as the Blues were in the first half, they completely fell apart in the 2nd half, with the Bombers getting on top. Just as Bannister had done at the start of the 2nd term, it was Lovett-Murray who followed his 2nd term goal with the first of the 3rd term to put the Bombers in front by 2 points.
A goal to Digby Morrell from a free kick against Matthew Allan for throwing the ball restored Carlton's lead within minutes and the game settled down into a slog. It looked as if things would go the Blues way again with the Bombers then missing two shots, including one from Lloyd. Adrian DeLuca could have put Carlton eight points up with a shot from 40 metres, but he also missed. The Bombers began to get some badly needed run from defence. A free minutes later led to a goal to Welsh and it was the Bombers by 3 points. Adam Ramanauskas got another to cap off a play that started with Dustin Fletcher's desperate spoil of Brendan Fevola at the other end. The free kicks began to go Essendon's way, several of them dubious which led to goals. It was all one way traffic with goals to Ramanauskas, Hird, McPhee, and Bullen. Lloyd wasted another soft free but then rookie Ricky Dyson marked and kick another goal after the siren to put the Bombers 40 points clear at 3/4 time.
The Bomber dominance continued in the final term with 3 quick goals to McPhee, Bullen, and Dyson before the Blues could reply. Hird kicked a freak banana goal 45 meters on the boundary late in the term before heading for the bench to a standing ovation. The Blues added several consolation goals late through Fisher, and Sporn, who was shifted forward in the second half.
Hird was restricted by Sporn to three kicks two handballs and, for the record, one free kick paid by McLaren when several Blues cannoned into his back. Peverill contained Camporeale.

As for field umpire McLaren, he went the job with a minimum of fuss. For the record:
Just before start time, Scott McLaren greeted the captains in the centre for the coin toss. "Thanks for last night," he said (referring to the Footy Show apology) while shaking hands with James Hird, who replied, "No worries". McLaren officiated the toss of the coin, deeming the first effort by the fan to be a non-throw. Scott Camporeale won the second toss.

FIRST QUARTER
- Two minutes in, rewards Ricky Dyson for a high tackle against Matthew Lappin. Decision is greeted with booing, obviously from the Carlton supporters.
- Mid-quarter free kick to Camporeale in the forward line, point to the Blues.
- Late in the quarter awards a dropping-the-ball kick to Carlton, bringing the free kick count to 8-2 in favor of the Blues.

SECOND QUARTER
- Awards an early, off-the-ball free to Damien Peverill for a push in the back.
- Halfway through the quarter, awards Hird a free for a high tackle by Daniel Harford. Hird promptly turns the ball over with a wayward kick.

THIRD QUARTER
- Early free to Matthew Lloyd for a push in a marking contest at centre half-forward. Hird could have been penalized for interference after he crashed through the contest.
- Missed what seemed to be a trip, then awarded a free to Adam McPhee for in the back. Essendon goal.
- Did not award a Carlton free kick but then gave another to McPhee on the half-forward flank for holding the man against Stevens. Brought the free kick tally to 13-all.

FOURTH QUARTER
- Early in the quarter McLaren awards a free kick on the half-back flank to Carlton's David Teague for a push in the back against Nathan Lovett-Murray.
- Pays a holding-the-man free to Nick Stevens in Carlton's back pocket, against McPhee.

MELB 5.1 8.7 12.14 18.16 (124)
PA 4.3 5.6 8.8 10.11 (71)
GOALS: MELB - Neitz 6, Bruce 4, Green 2, Holland 2, Yze, Brown, Davey, Thompson; PA - Tredrea 2, Ebert 2, P Burgoyne 2, K Cornes, Brogan, Thurstans, Lade
BEST: MELB - Green, Brown, Whelan, Bruce, Neitz, McDonald, Wheatley, Yze; PA - P. Burgoyne, Carr, K. Cornes, Ebert, Brogan, Kingsley

INJURY: PA - Montgomery (corked thigh), S. Burgoyne (bruised shoulder)

CHANGES: MELB - Johnstone (corked thigh) replaced by Rigoni; PA - PA - C. Cornes (corked thigh) replaced by Chaplin

UMPIRES: McBurney, Grun, Schmitt

ATTENDANCE: 20,093 at MCG

Melbourne has stamped itself as a genuine improver in 2004 with a devastating rout of the previously unbeaten Port Adelaide. The Demons have now won their past three matches since their poor first round loss to Hawthorn.
Melbourne's victory over Port continues the Demons' surprising dominance over the Power with Mark Williams' team still yet to beat Melbourne on Victorian soil, while Melbourne is one of just four clubs – the others being Brisbane, Sydney and the Kangaroos – that have an overall positive win-loss record against Port.
It was Melbourne's highest score against the Power, eclipsing last year's record of 17.10 (112), and also its highest winning margin over Port edging out its 49-point win in 1998.
The architect of the Demons' best performance of the season so far was Brad Green - with 31 possessions - as he constantly drove the Demons forward from the center. With his pin-point left foot kicking, he created numerous opportunities for the Demons' three pronged attack of skipper David Neitz, Ben Holland and Cameron Bruce.
Up forward, Neitz was a strong target, making up for his inaccurate 4 behinds with 6 goals.
The Power badly missed their injured stars Chad Cornes, Stuart Dew, Matthew Primus, Byron Pickett and Josh Francou and it showed as the Demons looked the better side, slamming on 5 goals to nil before Port responded late in the term with a 4 goal burst in seven minutes to bring the margin back to a more respectable 4 points at 1/4 time.
Port managed just one goal early in the 2nd term to lead briefly before the Demons hit back with 3 of their own.
Port ruckman Dean Brogan dominated the first half, giving runners Peter Burgoyne, Domenic Cassisi, and Josh Carr plenty of opportunities but faded in the second half, allowing Jeff White to gain the advantage.
Brown ignited Melbourne in the third quarter, having stretched its lead to three goals just before half-time by leading Domenic Cassisi, another Port tagger who marked a Demon defender, the length of the ground before sharking a telling goal.
After just one goal and what could have been two costly misses when the game was tight midway through the third term, Neitz suddenly exploded with goals at the 17 and 26-minute mark of the third term, as the Demons went into the last change with a 30 point lead.
And when he marked and goaled twice in the opening six minutes of the final term, the game was as good as over with Neitz eventually finishing with six goals.
The Demons had plenty of unsung heroes as well, none more so than the courageous Nathan Brown – whose third quarter performance helped swing the game his team's way, while his goal just before half-time was also crucial in giving Melbourne the momentum going into the second half.
Melbourne's much-improved defensive duo - Alistair Nicholson and Jared Rivers - barely allowed Warren Tredrea and Brendon Lade to have any influence. In the end it was left to midfielders Peter Burgoyne, Josh Carr and Kane Cornes to inspire their side, but they lacked support. Clint Bizzell, Matthew Whelan, and Paul Wheatley were also solid in defence.
For Port Brett Ebert was impressive, Peter Burgoyne showed class throughout, and Gavin Wanganeen was opposed to his pacy cousin Aaron Davey at half forward. Wanganeen said after the game that it was quite strange to play against someone he had been close to all his life.

GEEL 7.0 11.1 15.5 19.13 (127)
RICH 1.4 3.7 7.10 11.12 (78)
GOALS: GEEL - Graham 6, Kingsley 3, Haynes 2, Playfair 2, Mackie 2, Ling, Riccardi, Tenace, Mooney; RICH - Brown 4, Ottens, Coughlan 2, Fiora 2, Gaspar 2, Tivendale
BEST: GEEL -Ling, Mooney, Harley, Graham, Corey, Scarlett, Riccardi; RICH - Tivendale, Krakouer, Brown, Ottens, Hartigan

CHANGES: GEEL - Milburn (knee) replaced in the selected side by Rooke

UMPIRES: Kennedy, Meredith and Nicholls

CROWD: 31,375 at Telstra Dome

A strong first quarter from Ben Graham, a lively forward line and its renowned defence were the ingredients for a much needed win for the Cats.
In contrast to their previous performances this season, the club produced a four-quarter effort, increasing the margin at every change.
The difference between these teams was, where Richmond looked unorganized and confused when it had the ball, Geelong played a brave, bold come-and-get-us type of game.
When Geelong took risks, they paid off, particularly early. David Wocjinski broke away often off the half-back line, and was rewarded for his confidence. David Haynes was similarly bold across half-forward, and kicked two first-quarter goals for his trouble, and Ben Graham sat decisively on the end of several long incoming kicks, which encouraged his teammates to continue delivering them. It was Graham who opened the scoring for the Cats with 2 goals in as many minutes. He and Haynes added 2 more for the term as the Cats piled on 7 goals to 1, with Richmond's only goal coming from a free kick after the siren and they found themselves trailing by 30 points at 1/4 time.
Darren Gaspar lasted only 25 minutes on Graham and was replaced by Ray Hall. Gaspar was moved forward and struggled there as well, while Hall did slightly better against Graham.
The inexperienced Jay Schulze started in the goal square for Richmond, but was ineffective with ace fullback Matthew Scarlett minding him. Ottens, Bowden, and Coughlan were all shifted to the forward line in the 2nd term, but they all missed gettable shots while Mooney, Riccardi, and Mackie added several for the Cats to stretch their lead to 42 points at 1/2 time.

Graham's early pace inspired others in Geelong's attacking 50 to attempt similar feats, with Kent Kingsley, David Haynes, and Henry Playfair with two all being excellent contributors.
The cause was aided by a midfield brigade that was able to have enough of the footy and more importantly, deliver it a manner that gave the forwards a chance. The likes of Cameron Ling and Joel Corey were outstanding, and Peter Riccardi turned back the clock with several blistering runs through the middle. Not that the Tigers didn't find plenty of the ball themselves but the Cats used it better when they had possession.
The only opportunity for Richmond to get back in it was in the second term, when they managed to halt the Cats' goal spree during a 15-minute period. But they weren't able to do any damage on the scoreboard themselves with just 2 goals to 4 from the Cats and went to the long break 42-points adrift.
With the result virtually beyond doubt, the intensity dropped away in the second half and Geelong kept on adding to its scoreline to run out easy winners.

WCE 3.2 6.4 10.5 12.7 (79)
BRIS 2.3 4.4 10.9 10.16 (76)
GOALS: WCE - McDougall 3, Matera 3, Embley 2, Chick, Judd, Sampi, Seaby; BRIS - McRae 2, Brown 2, B. Scott, Lappin, Akermanis, Notting, Black, McLaren
BEST: WCE - Judd, Embley, Cox, Staker, Fletcher, Kerr; BRIS - Charman, Hart, Brown, Shattock, Akermanis, Power

INJURY: BRIS - Bradshaw (back), Caracella (shoulder), Leppitsch (groin); WCE - Chick (thigh)
After a complication to his corked thigh, Daniel Chick required surgery for Compartment Syndrome. Surgery was required to relieve the build up of pressure in his leg and he will be sidelined 3-4 weeks

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Rowe, Ellis

CROWD: 39,666 at Subiaco Oval

West Coast jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first quarter, but Brisbane came back with 2 of their own to be just 5 points down at 1/4 time. The Eagles booted 3 in the 2nd term hit the front by 2 goals at 1/2 time. Not that the Lions didn't have their chances, but Voss and Akermanis both sprayed shots which would have leveled the scores just before 1/2 time.
Compounding Brisbane's woes in the forward line, Lynch's replacement Daniel Bradshaw left the ground at the opening whistle after picking up a back injury in the warm-up.
Brisbane was left with only two replacements on the bench when Justin Leppitsch left the ground with a suspected groin injury.
Charman nearly killed Blake Caracella in the third term as he soared over him for a mark just outside the 50, which led to the ex-Bomber being taken from the ground and up the race with his left arm cradled in his jumper.
Brisbane still managed to outscore the Eagles 6 goals to 4 to grab a 4 point lead at 3/4 time.
The Lions dominated the final term despite being down to 19 fit men, but managed only seven behinds. Brisbane had a mountain of chances to win the game, none more so than Nigel Lappin's running shot from 35 metres out with 15 seconds left that went through for a behind. From there, the Eagles just maintained possession until the final siren.
Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews rued the missed opportunities in the final term.
Jonathon Brown strode the forward line like a colossus, but didn't get a lot of help, allowing the inexperienced defence to continually clear it.
Shaun Hart, the 2000 Norm Smith Medallist, did a terrific job on West Coast captain Ben Cousins, while Lappin improved when moved into the centre from defence and Luke Power had 25 touches.
Chris Judd and Daniel Kerr worked hard all day for the Eagles in the midfield battle, with Andrew Embley working forward constantly
The duel in the ruck all day was terrific, with Dean Cox and debutant Mark Seaby going up against Jamie Charman and Dylan McLaren.
The real battle of the match was through the midfield with the Fab 4 of Brisbane - Voss, Black, Lappin, and Akermanis pitted against Cousins, Kerr, Judd, and Fletcher.
In the end it was the sheer brilliance of Judd, who had a game-high 30 possessions, and West Coast's ability to switch Andrew Embley into the midfield after half-time that got the Eagles over the line. Embley gave them run through the lines when the depleted Lions looked like claiming a victory against the odds.
The great thing about matches between these two teams is that neither coach is into multiple rotations. Matthews and Worsfold assign their players a man apiece and leave it that way unless someone is being hopelessly outclassed.
Worsfold tried a new tactic at the start of the match when he sent Judd to a half-back flank. Matthews was always going to put a tag on Judd, the player he last year claimed was worth $500,000 a year on the open market.
Luke Power started the game on Judd, who didn't take long to move into the midfield where he began to look dangerous. Other opponents followed - Blake Caracella, Lappin, Robert Copeland and finally Voss in the last quarter.
Judd was put under pressure every time he went near the ball but his extraordinary leg speed and anticipation made him impossible to stop at times.
The two match-ups that remained constant were Kerr on Black and Shaun Hart on Cousins.
Hart did a terrific job on the Eagles' skipper, restricting him to just 13 possessions, though Cousins copped a heavy knock to the head in the second quarter that required treatment.
Black just shaded the hard-running Kerr in what was a tremendous duel. Kerr won the first half when his work in the midfield enabled the Eagles to garb their 1/2 time lead.
But as the game progressed Black grew in stature. Then Kerr went down with cramp in the last quarter and had to leave the ground for treatment. After that Callum Chambers had the job of running with Black, who finished with 27 possessions.
The other duel that had a huge impact on the game was Worsfold's decision to give Daniel Chick the job of tagging Voss. Chick shut the Lions' skipper down completely for three quarters but suffered a severe cork to the thigh in a collision with big Lion Jonathan Brown just before 3/4 time. He took no further part in the match and Voss came to life in the final term to almost help his team snatch victory.
Chick was so effective on Voss, who started on the ball, that Matthews moved his matchwinner to the goalsquare halfway through the first term and isolated him, one-on-one, with the Eagles' tagger. The move was made partly because, with Daniel Bradshaw a late withdrawal and Brown not suited to playing so close to goals in the role of full-forward, the Lions forward line was not so effective.
The Fab Four got more of the ball (95 possessions) than the four Eagles (79). But Embley with 23 possessions and two goals made the difference.

WB 2.6 7.9 13.11 16.13 (109)
HAW 3.5 5.8 9.9 14.13 (97)
GOALS: WB - Harrison 3, Johnson 3, Darcy 3, Rawlings 2, Hahn, Eagleton, Bassett, Power, Cooney, Bowden, Robbins; HAW - Williams 2, Lonie 2, Picioane 2, Thompson 2, Everitt, Holland, Mitchell, J. Smith, Vandenberg, Lekkas
BEST: WB - West, Eagleton, Smith, Johnson, Harris, Bassett, Bowden, Murphy; HAW - Smith, Vandenberg, Crawford, Lonie, Jacobs, Mitchell

INJURY: HAW - Jacobs (hamstring)

CHANGES: HAW - Graham (back spasm) replaced by Campbell in selected side

UMPIRES: Davis, Allen, McInerney

ATTENDANCE: 24,959 at the MCG

The first two goals of the match were kicked after opposition mistakes and this set the tone of the game.
The Hawks were missing John Barker, Jonathan Hay, Kris Barlow, Campbell Brown and late withdrawal Mark Graham from their best 22, but their unavailability did not excuse a performance that lacked vigor and smart use of the ball. With Nick Holland struggling and looking past his best, the Hawks badly fell down across half-forward, leaving Thompson to shore up the Hawk forward line. Both sides used heavy flooding tactics throughout, but it was the Bulldog midfield that worked the hardest and won more of the ball.
The veteran trio of Scott West, Rohan Smith and Brad Johnson led the Bulldogs superbly, with Nathan Eagleton and unfashionable defenders Scott Bassett and Brian Harris heading a strong support cast.
Both sides a serious case of goal yips in the opening term, but it was the Hawks who went one goal better than the Bulldogs to lead by 5 points at 1/4 time.
The Dogs blew the game open in the 2nd term with 5 goals to 2 to lead by 13 points at 1/2 time.
Hawthorn burst out of the blocks in the third term, with quick goals to Holland and Nathan Lonie. A goal to Luke Darcy from a free gave the Dogs some breathing space, before Sam Mitchell leveled the scores for the Hawks after capitalizing on a Peter Street error.
Ten minutes passed before both teams traded goals, but after Peter Everitt's goal reduced the margin to 2 points late in the term, the Bulldogs rammed home four goals in the final five minutes of the quarter, to take a 26 point lead at 3/4 time. There was none more important than Jade Rawlings' first goal for the match against his old side.
Woefully inaccurate early, Rawlings finally slotted one home from arguably his most difficult shot of the game – 45 metres out, 10 metres inside the boundary. He had previously missed his first five shots.
Yet another Rawlings' miss opened proceedings in the final quarter, but he made amends minutes later after taking a great pack mark as the third man in line, to kick another goal to extend the lead to 33 points. The Hawks threatened briefly with successive goals to Richard Vandenberg and Joel Smith – two of their side's better contributors - but two last quarter goals to unlikely foil Ben Harrison made the game safe for the Western Bulldogs.
Defender Joel Smith and ruckman Peter Everitt were best in a poor effort from Hawthorn, which generally did not use the ball well.

FRE 3.3 7.10 10.12 12.16 (88)
COL 2.3 3.4 5.7 7.12 (54)
GOALS: FRE - Medhurst 3, Cunningham 2, T. Longmuir 2, Simmonds 2, Farmer, J. Longmuir, Pavlich; COL - Rocca 2, Woewodin, Holland, Williams, Burns, Fraser
BEST: FRE - McPharlin, Hasleby, McManus, Schammer, Medhurst, Walker, Bell, Haddrill;
COL - Fraser, Cole, Clement, Johnson

INJURY: FRE - Carr (ankle) replaced in selected side by Gilmore; Headland (ankle) replaced in selected side by Cunningham; COL - Burns (knee)

REPORTS: FRE - Peter Bell by field umpire Ryan for charging O'Bree

UMPIRES: Head, Ryan, Goldspink

ATTENDANCE: 34,416 at Telstra Dome

The Dockers had winners everywhere and took full advantage of a Collingwood side which clearly missed Buckley's drive in the middle and the marking and leading power of Tarrant of forward. McPharlin - with 13 marks for the game - shut down Rocca, leaving the Pies bereft of any easy avenue to goal. The midfield of Pavlich, Bell, and Hasleby had the Pie runners on the defensive from the start. Only poor kicking for goal prevented the Dockers from burying Collingwood at 1/2 time. But restricting the Pies to just 3 goals in the first two terms still allowed them a healthy 5 goal lead at 1/2 time.
Fremantle registered eight straight behinds from midway through the second term until the third quarter, before Docker Ben Cunningham goaled twice within a minute to punch the lead out to an unassailable 35 points at 3/4 time.
But led by ruckman Josh Fraser and Ben Johnson across half-back, the Magpies showed signs of life early in the final quarter. A goal to Burns was followed by a booming kick from 55 metres by Josh Fraser to cut the margin to 21 points. A mark and goal from Troy Simmonds midway through the term restored the lead to 29 points and when Troy Longmuir goaled from a free-kick four minutes later the game was virtually over.

SYD 6.3 10.8 16.12 18.13 (121)
KANG 6.4 6.6 7.7 10.10 (70)
GOALS: SYD - Hall 4, Saddington 4, Goodes 2, Kirk 2, Schneider 2, Bevan, Doyle, Kennelly, Maxfield; KANG - Hale 2, B. Harvey 2, Motlop 2, Petrie 2, Grima, Jones
BEST: SYD - Hall, Mathews, Goodes, Saddington, Kirk, Bevan, J. Bolton, Fosdike, Kennelly;
KANG - Simpson, Harvey, Hale

INJURY: SYD - Kennelly (concussion)

CHANGES: KANG - Harris (leg) replaced in selected side by Grima

REPORTS: KANG - A. Stevens reported for striking Goodes by field umpire

UMPIRES: James, Rowston, Morris

ATTENDANCE: 14,891 at Manuka Oval (a ground record)

The opening term was a highly entertaining contest. The Kangaroos dominated proceedings for the first half of the term, before the Swans' outstanding comeback. The Roos slammed on five goals in eight minutes to lead by 25 points and should have extended that lead even further had they not posted four behinds in succession. This left Sydney a window of opportunity to stay in touch and, sure enough, the Swans capitalized.
Barry Hall started to have a greater influence on the game when he kicked the Swans' second goal late in the term. But despite Kangaroos forward Drew Petrie adding his second shortly afterwards, the Swans answered. with four consecutive goals. Jason Saddington - now being tried as a forward rather than in defence - bobbed up with two in two minutes and when promoted rookie Paul Bevan kicked truly, the Swans reduced the margin back to just 1 point at 1/4 time.
Sydney continued its great form in the second term with 4 goals and held the Kangas to just 2 points to lead by 26 points at 1/2 time. The lead could have been much more had they not booted five behinds for the quarter.
Sydney's domination continued after the main break when it piled on six goals to one, to lead by 59 points at 3/4 time.
The Swans added the opening four goals of the quarter – and in the process notched up its 12th straight goal – before the Roos could rattle up their first goal since the first term.
The news didn't get any better for the Kangaroos during the third quarter, when former skipper Anthony Stevens was reported for striking Goodes.
With the result never in doubt heading into the final term, the Kangaroos managed to outscore the Swans with three goals to two but it mattered little in end.
Pacy onballers Paul Williams, Brett Kirk and Jared Crouch ran rings around their frustrated opponents and Adam Schneider made a nuisance of himself up forward.
For the Swans, the underrated Ben Mathews was ultra-consistent right from the start, racking up a game high 31 possessions. Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes was at his brilliant best, while midfielders Brett Kirk, Paul Bevan, Jude Bolton and Nic Fosdike notched up close to 100 disposals between them. Only two players – Jarrad McVeigh and Ryan O'Keefe – did not gain more than 10 possessions, yet they were hardly disgraced, such was the overall input from the Swans.
For the Kangaroos, skipper Adam Simpson battled valiantly, Brent Harvey was solid and emerging tall David Hale showed promise.

STANDINGS
W L FOR AGST % PTS
StK 4 0 443 288 153.82 16
PA 3 1 518 391 132.48 12
SYD 3 1 374 288 129.86 12
BRIS 3 1 397 317 125.24 12
FRE 3 1 339 280 121.07 12
MELB 3 1 426 353 120.68 12
KANG 3 1 433 375 115.47 12
WCE 2 2 469 468 100.21 8
ESS 2 2 376 463 81.21 8
WB 1 3 430 444 96.85 4
CARL 1 3 350 385 90.91 4
HAW 1 3 380 453 83.89 4
GEEL 1 3 305 377 80.9 4
RICH 1 3 320 433 73.9 4
COL 1 3 294 419 70.17 4
ADE 0 4 319 439 72.67 0

GOALS
Fraser Gehrig (StK) 21
David Neitz (MELB) 18
Warren Tredrea (PA) 17
Matthew Lloyd (ESS) 15
Brendan Fevola (CARL) 14
Phillip Matera (WCE) 14
Jade Rawlings (WB) 13
Barry Hall (SYD) 12
Ashley Sampi (WCE) 11
Nathan Brown (RICH) 11
Nick Riewoldt (StK) 10
Graham Johncock (ADE) 10
Nathan Thompson (HAW) 10
Anthony Rocca (COL) 9
Stuart Dew (PA) 9
Corey Jones (KANG) 9
Daniel Motlop (KANG) 9
Leigh Brown (KANG) 8
Brad Green (MELB) 8
Cameron Bruce (MELB) 8

Demon Jared Rivers is the Round 3 Rising Star nominee.
Standing 192 centimetres, Jared has lined up at centre-half back over the past three weeks. In the Demons' win over the Bulldogs last weekend, he matched seasoned campaigners Chris Grant, Jade Rawlings and Luke Darcy.
The 19-year-old played only three games in 2003, but completed a full season for Sandringham in the VFL. Jared was one of Demons' most consistent players in the preseason and his good form has continued into the Premiership season.
Jared played junior football for South Augusta and graduated from the National's AFL Rising Stars Program. He played senior football with North Adelaide for two years and represented South Australia in the National's AFL Under 18 Championships in 2001. Jared was eligible to play in the championships again in 2002, but a broken hand kept him on the sidelines. This was no set back for Jared who was Melbourne's second round selection (26th overall) in the 2002 National's AFL Draft.
Jared is Melbourne's second Rising Star nomination in three weeks. Aaron Davey won the Round One nomination.

And Chicago's footy season got underway this weekend with a game between two of the newly formed Metro League teams. Though it seemed more like the pseudo Swans and semi Sharks as players from both of those established teams helped round out the numbers.
It was actually supposed to be two games starting at 3:00 between Bucktown (a section of the north side, just south and west of the Lincoln Park area) and Hyde Park (the University of Chicago neighborhood on the south side) and Wrigleyville (obviously named for the surrounds of the Chicago Cubs' home at Wrigley Field on the north side, just west of the lake) and Lincoln Park (another very upscale lakefront neighborhood just south of Wrigleyville). Some sort of glitch happened due to several Chicago Park District softball games going on and one of them didn't end until after 5:00. Just one more example of the low pecking order footy has in the overall scheme of recreational sports here in the US.
Anyway, the game was played in perfect conditions with no wind. The final tally was:

Buck/HP 7.7 8.11 10.15 11.15 (81)
Wrig/LinPk 3.2 6.4 7.4 7.4 (46)

And that's it for this week.

GO BLUES!!