AFL Media Suit Continues

G'Day Footy Fans -

League Drops ASDA Suit
The AFL has discontinued its court action against the ASDA over information leaked regarding positive drug tests returned by several footballers. The ASDA has adamantly denied that it was the source of the leak and the AFL has agreed to pay all legal costs, estimated to be as high as $25,000.
The Australian Federal Police, who were called in when the story first broke, are still investigating to determine the source of the leak.

The league and the AFLPA were in court last week fighting to preserve the injunction they were granted against the Melbourne Age and other media sources, to prevent the publication of the names of the players involved.
AFLPA CEO Brendon Gale said he he would recommend players withdraw from the anti-drug agreement if the 3 players were named publicly. He also told the court that he gave Fremantle captain and Association president Peter Bell the name of one of the players in question, because of Bell's position as president and his proximity to the player.
AFL attorney Will Houghton told the court the AFL's recreational drug policy did not exist in other sporting codes. He said it was created to discourage illicit drug use among AFL players and its main focus was education and rehabilitation when a player returned a first or second positive test. Houghton also said player identification would destroy that policy and the prospect for rehabilitation.
AFL Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said the primary concern was the health and welfare of the players, and setting a good example about illicit drugs.

AFL Sets Precedent
The decision by the AFL to reverse the St. Kilda-Fremantle scores in Round 7 has already had repercussions with a similar hearing in the Northern Territory Football League. The Penguin Blues sought to have scores adjusted in their match against Latrobe, arguing that one of their players kicked a goal just moments before the siren.
The league heard statements from both teams and the umpires involved.
However, the NTFL dismissed the case, saying there was no evidence which would allow the result to be overturned. Latrobe won the match 15.9 (99) to 12.22 (94). Had the Penguins been successful, they would have been awarded a one point win.

Gieschen Admits Umpire Errors
Umpire director and umpire coach Rowan Sawers met with Eagle Coach John Worsfold last week to review the performance of the 3 umpires who officiated last week's game against Essendon. He said there were a number of free kicks which should have been paid, but were missed by the umpires and said two 50 meter penalties against Mark Seaby and Brent Staker were unwarranted. Both occurred inside Essendon's attacking zone and both led to easy goals for the Bombers.
Gieschen would not divulge further details of the review, saying it was a "workplace assessment" of the umpires and was between them and the department. The umpires for the match were Michael Avon, Hayden Kennedy, and Craig Hendrie.

Racing Deal Concerns AFL
Just a few months after Seven won back the rights to footy, they have also put in a huge bid for the rights to broadcast Super V8 auto races, some of which will conflict with the AFL schedule. Seven outbid its new football partner Ten for those rights, but Ten still has the option of the last bid, something it is unlikely to do considering that Seven more than doubled Ten's first offer.
The AFL has scheduled talks with Seven who - under the new deal - has a commitment to broadcast the 3 Sunday afternoon football games - may have to sub-licence some of those games to another station. There are 6 racing events which will clash with AFL football.
One option would be to reschedule the races for Saturdays - which would put them up against Channel Ten. Seven has not spoken with Foxtel, which is still keen to purchase at least 4 games as it would have if Nine had retained the footy rights.

Ump Surgery
Senior umpire Mark Fraser has undergone arthroscopic surgery for a hip injury which has affected his 2006 season. Fraser will be unable to train for at least 6 weeks, ruling him out until late in the season.

TRIBUNAL
Charges Laid:
Richard Vandenberg (HAW), striking Demon Russell Robertson: intentional (3), low impact (1), behind play (1), and high contact (2) for a total of 7 points, equating to a Level 4 offence, 325 demerits, and a 3 game suspension. His 6 match suspension stemming from the infamous 2004 "line in the sand" game against Essendon increases the penalty 50% to 487.50 demerits and a 4 game suspension. An early plea would have reduced the penalty 25% to 365.63 points and a three match suspension.
The Hawks and Vandenberg decided to contest the charge and suspension. Their argument was that Vandenberg's actions did not constitute a strike and that contact with Robertson was negligible.
Vandenberg told the tribunal that Robertson had been the aggressor throughout the incident, which began on near a boundary line and continued between the two players even after Vandenberg's teammate Peter Everitt had also become involved and had bumped Robertson.
Vandenberg testified that he tried to get away, ran to position, and get on with the game, but that Robertson was "...in his space". He admitted to making contact to Robertson's shoulder and chest, but argued that it was a shove to get Robertson out of his way.
said it was only in a pushing motion to try to get the Demons' forward out of his way.
However, the AFL's legal counsel Will Houghton argued Vandenberg had intended to strike Robertson and had made contact to his neck and upper face.
After a short deliberation the three-man jury consisting of Richard Loveridge, Wayne Schimmelbusch and David Pittman upheld the findings of the MRP.
Because Vandenberg contested all facets of the charge and suspension, the original demerits of 487.50 and the 4 game suspension remain intact with 87.50 demerits held over. This means another offence could equate to at least a 1 game suspension.
The club appealed Vandenberg's suspension on the grounds that the classification of the offence and the 4 game suspension were excessive. As evidence, the Hawks presented video footage of a similar incident from Round 6 involving Sydney's Jared Crouch and Lion Jason Akermanis, in which no report was laid against Akermanis.
On the matter of the classification, the club argued that low impact was inappropriate for Vandenberg's action and that negligible better described the impact.
However, the panel upheld the original findings.

Chance Bateman (HAW), rough conduct against Demon Aaron Davey: negligent conduct (1), low impact (1), in play (0), and body contact (1) for a total of 3 points, equating to a Level 1 offence, 75 demerits, and a reprimand. He has just a 1 game suspension within the past 3 years which does not affect his record.
He accepted an early plea, reducing the demerits 25% to 56.25 demerits toward his future record and a reprimand.

Andrew Lovett (ESS), striking Eagle Adam Hunter: intentional (3), low impact (1), behind play (1), and high contact (2) for a total of 7 points, equating to 325 demerits, a Level 4 offence, and a 3 game suspension. An early plea would have reduced this by 25% to 243.75 demerits and a 2 game suspension. However, Lovett and the club appealed in an attempt to have the intentional classification downgraded to reckless without success, meaning he will serve the full 3 game ban.

Dean Solomon (ESS), charging Eagle Ben Cousins: reckless (2), medium impact (2), behind play (1), and body contact (1) for a total of 6 points, equaling 225 demerits, a Level 3 offence, and a 2 game suspension. An early plea would have reduced the penalty 25% to 126.56 demerits and a 1 game suspension.
However, Solomon successfully arguing that he legally bumped Eagle Ben Cousins. He said he was running fast when the ball was bounced, slowed to determine where the ball was going, saw a West Coast player out of the corner of his eye and protected himself with a block. He said he realized contact would be inevitable and believed he was within 5 meters of the ball when contact occurred.
The three man jury of Wayne Schimmelbusch, David Pittman and Richard Loveridge agreed and dismissed the charge.
After the hearing Essendon football manager Dominic Cato, said the club was "very satisfied" with Solomon being cleared, but said the Lovett decision was "extremely disappointing". He believes the contrasting results raises issues regarding the points system and said the club would make a submission to the AFL at the end of the year.

Heath Scotland (CARL), engaging in a melee: it is his second offence drawing a fine of $3200 which was reduced to $2400 with an early plea.

Anthony Koutoufides (CARL), engaging in a melee: it is his first offence for a $2000 fine, which was reduced to $1500 with an early plea.

Stephen Milne, Stephen Powell, and Leigh Montagna (StK), engaging in a melee: all 3 entered early pleas to have their $2000 fines reduced to $1500.

Better news for Hawthorn was the withdrawal of a match day charge against Lance Franklin. Franklin was charged with striking while playing for Box Hill in the VFL last week. Franklin booted four goals and had more than 20 touches in the game, pressing a claim for senior selection for the first time this year after an injury-interrupted season.

MILESTONES
600 games coached: Kevin Sheedy (ESS) became the second coach in history to reach 600 games, after Collingwood's Jock McHale, who led the club in 714 games between 1912-49

Consecutive Games Streak: Jared Crouch (SYD) played his 191st consecutive game this week, which equals the fourth-longest streak in the game's history established by Jock McHale, who played 191 consecutive matches for Collingwood between 1906-17. The only better streaks are those of Jim Stynes (244 games for Melbourne between 1987-98), Adem Yze (currently 209 games for Melbourne since 1997) and Jack Titus (204 games for Richmond between 1933-43)

150 games: Chad Cornes (PA), Chris Tarrant (COL)
150 games umpired: Michael Vozzo
100 games: Nick Riewoldt (StK), Mitch Hahn (WB)
100 club games: Heath Black (FRE), Barry Hall (SYD)
50 games: Trent Hentschel (ADE), Charlie Gardiner & David Johnson (GEEL), Peter Street & Adam Cooney (WB)
50 club games: Heath Scotland (CARL)

TEAM NEWS

KANGAROOS
Injury Update:
Jesse Smith, ankle, 3 weeks
Michael Firrito, cracked fibula, 4-6 weeks
Ben Schwarze, ribs, 2 weeks

ST KILDA
As of last week, Justin Koschitzke was still suffering from partial hearing loss in his right ear. If his condition does not improve, he may not play again this year. The skull fracture is just above his right ear and because of its location, blood and fluid seeped into the ear canal for 2 days after the initial injury and there has been no attempt to drain it yet.
While he has been given permission to drive, he has yet to return to training and the club is not putting any timeframe on his return because of the severity of the injury.
Coach Grant Thomas spoke to the media and explained that the first 4 weeks of recovery were crucial and the club was not interested in anything more than that at this time.
Koschitzke and Aaron Hamill both traveled to Queensland last week on a club-endorsed leave, with the trip viewed as a way to help them through their respective recoveries.
The club believes that both players, savaged by injury over the past few seasons, would benefit greatly with a break from the game and the footy environment.

Injury Update:
Raphael Clarke, left quad, 1 week
Xavier Clarke, left hip arthroscope, 6 weeks
James Gwilt, left superior tib/fib sprain, 5 weeks
Aaron Hamill, right PCL sprain, 6 weeks
Justin Koschitzke, skull fracture, indefinite
Ed McDonnell, fractured thumb, 4 weeks
Fergus Watts, fractured left ankle, indefinite

Membership: 31,830 as of 5/21

PORT ADELAIDE
Injury Update:
Peter Burgoyne, hamstring, 3 weeks
Dom Cassisi, medial knee ligament, 3 weeks
Chad Cornes, eye, 1 week
Josh Francou, adductor (SANFL), 1-2 week
Adam Kingsley, hamstring, 2 weeks
Gavin Wanganeen, knee (SANFL), 4 weeks*

Gavin tore cartilage in his right knee while playing for Port Melbourne and required arthroscopic surgery to remove a significant portion of the cartilage. He will be sidelined approximately 8 weeks and has been placed on the long-term injury list.

Chad Cornes had bleeding in his right eye as a result of the clash in last week's game. He saw a specialist last week but there did not appear to be any additional damage.

HAWTHORN
Trent Croad (wrist) returned from injury this week and Lance Franklin came in for his first game for the year. The club finally took pity on young defender Zac Dawson, dropping him to spare him the job of trying to contain Sydney's Barry Hall.

Injury Update:
Trent Croad, wrist, 1–2 weeks
Michael Osborne, foot, 3–4 weeks
Xavier Ellis, foot, 3 weeks
Lukas Markovic, foot, indefinite
Beau Muston, knee, indefinite

Membership: 27,200 as of 5/21

SYDNEY
Injury Update:
Andrew Ericksen, shoulder, 3 weeks

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Shaun Higgins, a midfielder/forward, debuted this week but the Dogs went in without Mitch Hahn due to a hamstring injury.

Injury Update:
Luke Darcy, Tim Walsh, & Adam Morgan, knee reconstruction, season
Shane Birss, 7 weeks, ankle
Tom Williams, ankle, 2-3 weeks
Mitch Hahn, hamstring, 1 week

ESSENDON
Coach Kevin Sheedy is at it again. Always an innovator and thinker, he has now called on the AFL to create a panel of coaches, umpires, and administrators to look at how the game is being played now and plan how the game will look in the year 2020.
Sheedy said from his travels around the world of Australian football, he believed people wanted to see the game changed, citing Leo Barry's famous mark at the end of the 2005 Grand Final.
He believes the constant rule changes are not solving the problem, but only "plugging holes".
Collingwood Coach Michael Malthouse came out in support of Sheedy's think-tank idea to ensure the future of the game. Malthouse went one step further, saying it was something which needed to be looked at within the next 8 years or so. Malthouse also reiterated his concerns over how the recent rule changes have affected the game.

Team runner Paul Dimattina has been suspended for 2 weeks and the club fined $5000 over two incidents during the game against West Coast last week.
Dimattina motioned to block Eagle Adam Selwood which breaches the rule of interference with a player and then grabbed Dean Cox's guernsey at half time, breaching the rule of player contact.
AFL Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said Essendon had admitted the breaches while Dimattina had also apologized for his actions. Essendon was fined and runner John Barnes was sanctioned in 2003 for multiple breaches of the rules covering the duties of runners and the club will not be allowed to replace Dimattina while he is suspended.

The club will use the Round 12 game to join forces with the Cancer Council to raise money for research, education, and support. Council volunteers will collect donations and sell merchandise to raise funds.

Injury Update:
Scott Camporeale, hamstring, 1 week
Tim O’Keefe, bruised shoulder, 1 week
James Hird, hamstring, 2-3 weeks
Lachlan McKinnon & Aaron Henneman, shoulder reconstruction, season
Matthew Lloyd, hamstring, season
Adam Ramanauskas, cancer, indefinite

The out of form Jason Johnson was dropped from the side this week.

Membership: 35,848 as of 5/22

MELBOURNE
Has signed NSW youngster Teddy Strudwick under the new scholarship program.
Teddy is from Lane Cove and has played his junior football with the Willoughby Wildcats and the Northshore Hawks. He is 183cm in height.
Craig Cameron, the club's general manager of List Management, said Ted has been playing football from a very young age and has already developed good skills, has excellent endurance and is smart player and good athlete.
As part of the scholarship, Teddy will frequent Melbourne on several occasions for training and development. The scholarship program gives the Demons preference over other clubs to draft him when he becomes eligible.

The club has also appointed Daniel Kenny as the NSW Talent Identification and Development Coach. Daniel is a coach at Pennant Hills, and is also the Sydney Under 15 Talented Player Program Coach.

Injury Update:
Nathan Brown, hamstring, 1 week
Paul Johnson, shoulder, 2 weeks

RICHMOND
Injury Update:
Will Thursfield, knee, season
Nathan Brown, leg, ongoing assessment

Membership: 28,893 as of 5/21

BRISBANE
For the second week running, Jonathan Brown set a new club record for goals kicked against an opposing team. In Round 7, he booted 8 against Hawthorn. And he did it again last week against Port with 7 goals, which bettered the 5 goal haul shared by Daniel Bradshaw in Round 19, 2000 and Alistair Lynch in the 2002 preliminary final.

And the Lions are again blooding plenty of their kids, as they did last year. Joel Patfull is the 7th debutant for Brisbane this year, joining Mitchell Clark and Scott Harding (Rd 1), Rhan Hooper and Wayde Mills (Rd 2), Cheynee Stiller (Rd 3), and Jason Roe (Rd 6) in playing their first premiership games. The Lions have now debuted 18 newcomers in their last 30 premiership matches.

Injury Update:
Chris Johnson, groin strain, 2-3 weeks
Richard Hadley, Joel Macdonald, & Pat Garner, ACL rupture/knee reconstruction, season
Chris Scott, hip surgery, long term injury list, indefinite
Clark Keating, stress reaction in foot, 2 weeks
Josh Drummond, dislocated shoulder, 1 week
Nigel Lappin, ankle, long term injury list, 8-10 weeks
Lenny Clark (rookie), overcoming patella tendonitis 1 week

10 Years Ago
The Brisbane Lions have been involved in some memorable finishes against Fremantle over the past 10 seasons, and the scene was set from their very first encounter.
The ‘new’ Brisbane Lions played their initial premiership game against Fremantle in Round 8, 1997 and the game went down to the wire.
Docker Quentin Leach was awarded a mark seconds before the final siren after appearing to push Lion Shane Clayton in the back and coolly slotted the kick from 45m to win the game. Captain Michael Voss was into the umpires for an explanation.
Fremantle led by 25 points in the third term, before teenager Daniel Bradshaw was swung forward from defence and booted 3 quick goals. His fourth goal 22 minutes into the final term put the Lions in front before the controversial finish.
Bradshaw, Nigel Lappin and Matthew Clarke were the Lions’ best, while Craig Callaghan, Luke Toia and Andrew Wills shone for the Dockers.

GEELONG
Membership: 31,942 as of 5/21

WEST COAST
Plans are afoot for the redevelopment of Subiaco, turning it into a 60,000 seat stadium with a new plaza and ground entrances which would link to the nearby public transportation areas.
The WAFL released the plans for the project, which will cost an estimated $235 million and will see a gradual increase to seating capacity in stages. Currently, the ground holds 43,000 but the first stage will increase that to 48,000. The next phase would increase seating to 55,000 by 2011 and the final stage would be completed shortly after that.
Plans include more family oriented seating, more public seating, and a just over 1100 corporate seats.
A WAFL official said that the current capacity would not be decreased during the redevelopment work and the main inconvenience for spectators would be the removal of some grandstand roofing for a season.
With the new plans, the WA government is looking at holding other sporting events at Subiaco as well as entertainment events. Currently, Subiaco does not stage cricket matches, but that will also change with the installation of cricket pitches. There are also plans for a new stadium nearby to hold sports such as rugby and soccer which require a rectangular field.
Other options include a new WACA stadium, as well as proposals in East Perth, Coburn and elsewhere in Subiaco.
More than 1.2 million people attended AFL matches at Subiaco last year. Fremantle's home attendances have soared in the last five years, while West Coast regularly sells out its home games and has a waiting list of up to 5000 for reserved seats. The WAFC believes West Coast would attract regular home crowds of 55,000 if the stadium was large enough.
Subiaco is the second smallest capacity ground in the AFL with some sections of stands considered inadequate.

The Eagles were given a $5000 suspended fine for an incident involving runner Daniel Metropolis last week. Metropolis breached the rules when he made contact with Bomber Dean Solomon at half time.

Ben Cousins has agreed to terms for a 3 year contract extension and is expected to sign the new contract next week. It will virtually make him an Eagle for life and is believed to worth $1.8 million.
Club CEO Trevor Nisbett said the signing had been delayed for several months at Cousins' request so he could consider his future after the preseason drinking incident.
Nisbett praised Cousins for both his loyalty and his ability to fight through not only the February incident, but the allegations that he and Michael Gardiner were somehow connected to a bloody nightclub gun battle last year.
Nisbett said Cousins, despite having relinquished the captaincy, was still a great leader and one of the club's all-time great players. He also said it was the obligation of the club to help players deal with off-field issues and work through them, which Cousins has done.
Cousins has played 214 games since making his AFL debut in round four in 1996. He is a five-time All-Australian and four-time club best-and-fairest who has averaged more than 22 possessions a game and kicked 187 goals.
Nisbett said the club hoped Cousins would go on to become a 300-game player with West Coast and earn life membership of the AFL.

Injury Update:
Brad Smith, knee, season
Damien Adkins, broken leg, season
Matthew Spangher, groin, 4 weeks

ADELAIDE
Injury Update:
Ben Hart, broken arm, 8 weeks
Ben Hudson, knee rehab, possible late season return
Luke Jericho, shoulder, 1 week
Richard Douglas, knee, 6 weeks
Nathan Bock, back, mid to late season return
Ian Perrie, knee, 7 weeks
Darren Pfeiffer, back, indefinite

CARLTON
Coach Denis Pagan was planning to use a super-possession game against the Crows this week, but said the Tigers beat him to it, so he had to come up with Plan B.
While Bomber Coach Kevin Sheedy was critical of Wallace and the tactics, calling it "basketball crap" Pagan congratulated Richmond and said he was on the edge of his seat at the end of the game.

Carlton has appointed 1987 premiership player Adrian Gleeson and businessman Richard Newton to its board, with president Graham Smorgon saying the board had decided to increase its members from 8 to 10.
Gleeson, who played 176 games for the Blues and is a life member, has been active with the club since his retirement at the of 1996. He is a member of the Carlton Blue Suits Coterie Group.
Newton has been a long time member Social Club and also served as a director of the Cricket and Social Clubs 2002-06. He also was a member of the club's finance sub-committee. He is a managing director in the business world.

Injury Update:
Adam Hartlett, hamstring, 3-4 weeks
Jarrad Waite, medial knee ligament strain, 4-6 weeks
Brad Fisher, fractured shoulder, 6-8 weeks
Paul Bower, knee, 6-8 weeks
Justin Davies, back, indefinite

COLLINGWOOD
Nathan Buckley has published a new weight training book designed for footy.
The book, titled Weight Training for Australian Football, was co-authored by anatomy and weight training lecturer, Con Hrysomallis, and Collingwood head conditioning coach, David Buttifant.
Buckley said the book offers a modern approach to weight training for all football athletes, from juniors to elite senior players and that training methods have greatly improved from when he started in the early 90s.
The book contains more than 100 exercises and includes practical examples that show the benefit of weight training with photographs to illustrate the techniques required.

GENERAL SILLINESS
There was an interesting article the Melbourne Age's technology section last week, reporting on some interesting statistics regarding Google searches. New Zealanders lead the world in Google searches for the word "sheep" and are ranked second searching for "porn". Australians rank 2nd and 4th in the 2 categories. Aussies and Kiwis also rank 1 and 2 respectively in looking up "girlfriend".
Despite the interest in porn, neither country is in the top 10 searches for s-x - that honor, strangely enough - goes to Pakistan and Egypt.
No surprise that New Zealand is #1 in rugby searches while the combined football codes have Australia ranked fifth. However, another no-brainer, are listed at #1 for footy, surfers, and blokes. In a politically correct world, "sheila" is rated 4th.
The rankings reflect searches made since 2004.
The page can be found at http://www.google.com/trends.

Last year, Toyota came up with some very clever ads in which great moments of footy were recreated. They featured two young actors portraying your typical footy fans and the players involved in the various moments. The recreations were Dermott Brereton getting clobbered by Mark Yeates, with one of the actors using a 2x4 instead (the hit, of course being off-camera and implied) and Dermie spewing milk to recreate his distress in coming off the ground. Then there was a rather portly Wayne Harmes using a slip n' slide to recreate his famous boundary line dive to slap the ball back into play during the 1979 Grand Final. There was Peter Daicos and his goal from the 1990 GF and James Hird embracing a fan after kicking the winning goal against the Eagles in 2004.
This year, Toyota is keeping the theme and first up will be Alex Jesaulenko emulating his immortal mark from the 1970 Grand Final. Of course, 36 years down the track and Jezza is a bit older and heavier and a crane was used to hoist him and he ended up spending about an hour in the crane. And there was a physical therapist on hand in case of injury, but his services were not required.

Mother's Day at the MCG and for some reason, Demon Coach Neale Daniher found himself having to climb over a fence. In the process, he tore his pants. Instead of getting a new pair from somewhere, team staff scattered through the crowd to see if there were any mums who had a needle and thread in their purse. The items were found and borrowed - from a dad!

On to the scores:

The Collingwood-Western Bulldog game was played for the Robert Rose Cup in commemoration of his contribution to sport and to raise funds for the Robert Rose Foundation which supports people with spinal cord injuries through ParaQuad Victoria.
Robert Rose, a brilliant athlete who played cricket for Victoria and football for both the Collingwood and Footscray, was at the height of his career when rendered a quadriplegic from a car crash.
Rose’s brother Peter wrote "Rose Boys", a chronicle of the family's life and times and the effect of his brother's injury on the family. Robert passed away 7 years ago and Peter is chairman of the foundation.
The TAC is a supporter of the campaign and produced special wristbands in all club colors with the message “Wipe Out Road Trauma.” on them.

COL 5.0 12.5 16.6 21.13 (139)
WB 6.0 9.3 14.8 16.9 (105)
GOALS: COL - Rocca 5, Tarrant 4, Davis 3, Didak 3, Swan 3, Burns, Licuria, Fraser; WB - Grant 4, Eagleton 3, Smith 2, Murphy, Johnson, Street, McMahon, Hargrave, Robbins, Skipper
BEST: COL - O’Bree, Rocca, Tarrant, Davis, Didak, Licuria, Swan; WB - West, Grant, Eagleton, Smith, Cross

INJURY: COL - Wakelin (groin), Prestigiacomo replaced in selected side by R. Shaw and Davies; WB - Murphy (knee), Giansiracusa (hamstring)
Murphy's knee twisted awkwardly when he was tackled by Rocca late in the 2nd term and he becomes the 4th Bulldog player this year to require a knee reconstruction and miss the rest of the season

Umpires: James, McLaren, Schmitt

CROWD: 67,920 at MCG

Now this was a game of footy. No flooding, no keepings off, no bottling up play. Both sides ran hard, tackled hard, and attacked often. Fraser started the first term shootout for the Pies, but when an unmanned Eagleton, then Murphy and Eagleton again kicked goals, it looked like the Pies would be in for a letdown after mauling the Cats last week. Tarrant got one his only to have Grant reply at the other end. The rest of the term went goal for goal with the Dogs taking a 6 point lead into 1/4 time. But that lead came at a price with Giansiracusa off injured.
The 2nd term looked like continuing the shootout with Didak and Robbins trading goals but Tarrant kicked 2 in succession to give the Pies the lead. Holland was moved onto Eagleton and held him while Buckley was getting the better of West to stop the Dogs' run. Caracella found Davis on the run, but, in his eagerness, he sprayed the shot. The accuracy of the first term seemed to desert both sides for a time with Rocca and Johnson kicking points. Then the Murphy disaster struck and the Dogs lost some of their bite. Grant goaled but Collingwood gained the ascendancy with goals to Burns, Davis, and Rocca. Hargrave couldn't contain Tarrant and was moved forward with Morris taking on Tarrant. Hargrave promptly booted a goal but the Dogs were unable to sustain the effort. Harris was penalized for a deliberate out of bounds just before the siren with the free going to Davis. Hard up against the boundary, Davis slotted the tight angle shot after the siren and the Pies were 20 points up at 1/2 time.
The Pies broke the game open in the 3rd term. Licuria grabbed the first one with the next going to Smith from a free kick directly in front. The Pies' next attack went awry when Tarrant's goal was disallowed because of a downfield infringement but the free to Morris was wasted when Boyd turned the ball over and Rocca goaled as a result. And a Collingwood game just wouldn't be a Collingwood game without a trademark boomer from Rocca. He obliged a minute later. Johnson missed one for the Dogs and the Pies again raced it to the other end where Morris spoiled Tarrant, but Didak crumbed a goal from the spillage and the Pies were 6 goals in front midway through the term. But the Dogs would not give in. West had an influence out of the middle and the Bulldogs rallied with a running goal to Eagleton, followed by goals to Skipper and McMahon late in the term. More misses from both sides came before Grant was awarded a free kick 45 meters out just as the siren sounded. His goal left the Pies just 10 points clear at 3/4 time. It was the first time this season that Collingwood has conceded a third term to the opposition.
Swan virtually sealed the win with 2 quick goals to start the final term. Brad Johnson stemmed the tide briefly with a goal, but Swan then set up Rocca for a goal and Didak joined the party midway through the term to give the Pies a 31 point lead. Robbins snuck in one more for the Dogs, but again the Pies end the term with a goal near the siren when Swan toe-poked the ball through.
For the Pies, O'Bree (31) and Licuria (35) in the middle, and Caracella (25) on a wing were superb. Swan (29) sat on the bench for the first term, but had an impact when he came on. The Pies had a potent attack with Rocca (10 kicks, 7 marks), Tarrant (10 kicks, 6 marks), Didak (14 kicks, 5 marks), Davis (17 kicks, 5 marks), and Holland (18) putting the Bulldog defence under pressure. Buckley (23/5) had stints in midfield, defence, and attack throughout the game. Heath Shaw (27/7) was excellent in defence.
For the Dogs, West (40/7), Cross (28/5), Gilbee (29), Cooney (21), and Ray (20) provided plenty of drive through the middle while Grant (11/4) presented well up forward and Eagleton (25/5) was an important linkman in the absence of Giansiracusa.

RICH 4.3 8.3 12.6 17.8 (110)
GEEL 5.3 8.7 12.9 12.18 (90)
GOALS: RICH - Hyde 4, Pettifer 3, Simmonds 3, Krakouer 2, Tambling, P. Bowden, Coughlan, Tivendale, Richardson; GEEL - Rooke 3, Bartel 2, Ablett 2, Ottens, Mackie, Corey, Byrnes, S. Johnson
BEST: RICH - Simmonds, Coughlan, Pettifer, Hyde, Tambling, J. Bowden; GEEL - Ablett, Bartel, Scarlett, Rooke, Byrnes, Ling

INJURY: RICH - Deledio (knee)

CHANGES: GEEL - Harley (soreness), replaced in selected side by Koulouriotis, Riccardi (calf), replaced in selected side by Stokes

UMPIRES: McBurney, Davis, Chamberlain

CROWD - 23,386 at Skilled Stadium

The game see-sawed for 3 terms Geelong struck first through Ottens in the opening term, then the Tigers seized the advantage with goals to Hyde and Tambling. But the Cats hit back through Corey, Bartel, Rooke and Mackie and took a handy lead. The Tigers came again with 2 lat goals to Patrick Bowden and Coughlan to trail by 1 goal at 1/4 time.
The Tiger defence held firm in shutting down Kingsley, Ottens, and Playfair. It was left to the smaller forwards and midfielders to keep the Cats in the game.
And Rooke was proving a slippery customer when he stretched the Cat lead early in the 2nd term, but the Tigers gained the lead when Hyde booted two and was followed by Pettifer and Simmonds. Goals to Ablett and Byrnes ensured the Cats still led at 1/2 time. But it should have been more than 4 points as the Cats squandered several chances.
When Ablett kicked the opening goal of the 3rd term, the Cats hit the front for the first time since the first, but it was short-lived as Tivendale, Pettifer, and Simmonds all goaled to put the Tigers 16 points in front midway through the term. The Cats hit the front again with goals to Steve Johnson, Rooke, and Bartel and led by 3 points at 3/4 time.
Richmond again came out firing to start the final term and grabbed the lead when Pettifer booted one and Krakouer kicked 2. The Cats again had plenty of chances to steal the game, but were lamentable in front of goal. If the game wasn't safely in Richmond's keeping early, it was when Simmonds palmed the ball to Hyde who ran into an open goal. Richardson, who was thrashed by Scarlett, finally broke clear to boot his only goal at the end of the match.
It was Richmond's first win at the Cattery since 2000 and just their 2nd win in 15 tries, dating back to 1982.
Simmonds was the dominant big man on the ground with 21 hitouts, 14 possessions, and 7 marks. He had excellent support from Knobel (20 hitouts). Their ruck work ensured there was no shortage of supply to the likes of Coughlan (27/6), Tuck (24), and Tivendale (23/8). They, in turn, fed the waiting forwards in Tambling (23/11), Richardson (13 kicks), and Pettifer (21). What they didn't get their hands on, Hyde (20/9) in a forward pocket and Patrick Bowden at CHF (23/9) did. Joel Bowden (19/11) and Andrew Kellaway (11 kicks/marks) were solid in defence. While Richardson was his usual force in attack, he again was frustratingly erratic, kicking 1.4 and one out of bounds.
For the Cats, Scarlett (19/7) won his battle with Richo, while Ling (24) and Bartel (29/6) in the middle, and Ablett (25), Rooke (16/6), and Byrnes (21/5) never stopped trying.
The Cats' season, which started with so much promise, could be a complete shambles over the next few weeks with upcoming games against the red-hot and inform Eagles and Crows.

ADE 7.5 10.6 16.12 18.16 (124)
CARL 1.1 7.3 8.3 9.6 (60)
GOALS: ADE - Ricciuto 3, Hentschel 3, Burton 2, Thompson 2, McGregor 2, Doughty, Johncock, Reilly, Stevens, Bode, Goodwin; CARL - Lappin 3, Fevola 2, Murphy, Whitnall, Koutoufides, Simpson
BEST: ADE - McLeod, Goodwin, Johncock, Bassett, Thompson, Doughty Rutten, Massie, Shirley; CARL - Scotland, Murphy, Lappin, Prendergast, Wiggins, Bentick

INJURY: ADE - Burton (shoulder)

UMPIRES: Kennedy, Sully, Grun

CROWD: 41,157 at AAMI Stadium

Adelaide blew Carlton out of the water in the first 10 minutes when they piled on 5.2 to zip. Carlton's only goal came late in the term from newcomer Murphy but Bode and Hentschel goaled to give the Crows a 40 point lead at 1/4 time. Carlton was its own worst enemy for much of the term as they over-used the ball and turned it over too often, mainly in defence.
Ricciuto continued to stake his Coleman claims at the start of the 2nd term, but Lappin replied shortly after. Burton's goal kept Carlton at bay but the Blues had a bit of a flurry with goals to Whitnall, Fevola, Lappin, and Koutoufides. Ricciuto brought Carlton's run to a halt before Lappin finished off the term with his 3rd goal, but the Crows still held a handy 21 point lead at 1/2 time.
Ricciuto and Thompson made it a 33 point margin early in the 3rd term before Simpson pulled one back for the Blues. McGregor replied for the Crows as Ricciuto went into the midfield and Goodwin took over at full forward. Hentschel got in on the act with a goal, then Goodwin did his Birdman Burton impersonation with a goalsquare hanger and gave the Crows a 57 point lead at 3/4 time.
The final term was academic with Thompson and McGregor wrapping goals around one to Fevola.
The 64 point margin was only 2 points short of Adelaide's biggest win against Carlton - 66 points in 1994 when the Crows also recorded their highest score against the Blues - 22.18 (150).
The Crows often began their attacks from defence where McLeod (34/6), Johncock (29/13), and Bassett (29/11) starved the Carlton forward line and launched the forward drives.
Goodwin (32) was busy in the midfield and forward line, while Thompson 28/7), was lively across half forward. Rutten (17/7) made sure Fevola had to roam far and for his touches while Massie (19/6) and Doughty (22/7) lent backline support.
For Carlton, Stevens (23/7), Wiggins (19/9), and Scotland (33) ran hard through the center, as did Prendergast (23/8) who had a turn in the ruck. Lappin (23/8) was lively across half forward, while Walker (22/6) battled valiantly against the odds in defence.

PA 7.1 9.5 15.9 20.9 (129)
ESS 3.6 4.9 7.10 9.15 (69)
GOALS: PA - Tredrea 4, White 3, Ebert 2, Dew 2, Lade, S. Burgoyne, Wilson, Thomson, Lonie, Thurstans, Brogan, Pearce, Chaplin; ESS - Lucas 3, Stanton, Bradley, Watson, McPhee, McVeigh, Bolton
BEST: PA - Lade, Salopek, S. Burgoyne, Pearce, K. Cornes, Symes, Brogan, Lonie, Wakelin;
ESS - McVeigh, Lovett-Murray, Watson, Welsh, Lucas

UMPIRES: Allen, Jeffery, Pannell

Brendon Lade continued his stellar season and got Port off to a great start with his tapwork in the center and booted Port's first goal. The Power runners had an armchair ride thanks to Lade. Stanton got the Bombers onto the board, but the Power was on top in the midfield which translated into goals for Shaun Burgoyne, Wilson, White, Ebert, and newcomer Thomson. The run of unanswered goals gave Port a 28 point lead before goals to Lucas and Bradley got the Bombers back into the contest. White goaled in the last minute to give Port a 19 point lead at 1/4 time.
Both sides struggled to find the goals for the early stages of the 2nd term, but a trademark bomb from Lucas broke the inaccuracy midway through the term. Essendon pressured Port on the ground but couldn't translate that to the scoreboard as Lonie and Thurstans goaled to put Port 26 points clear at 1/2 time.
Another vintage long shot from Lucas within a minute of the restart trimmed that margin but Tredrea, who was quiet in the first half, pulled it back. Watson replied, but Ebert took a big grab in the goalsquare and converted, then Brogan snaffled the ball out of the center and put through a gem of a goal to break the game open. McPhee stood up for the Bombers with a great 50 meter effort, but Port had the momentum and added goals through Tredrea, Dew, and Tredrea again to lead by 47 points at 3/4 time.
Port finished as strongly as they started with 5 goals to 2 in the final term.
Lade (25 hitouts, 20/10) was excellent in the ruck with great support from Brogan (20 possessions) in his first game after a month out with cracked ribs. Kane Cornes (33/6) was his usual prolific self as he led the midfield charge while Pearce (29) and Lonie (22) impressed off the wings. Dew (15/5) chimed in with his experience. Symes (27/9) and Shaun Burgoyne (28/5) provided great run from defence while Wakelin (20/12) stood tall on the last line. Tredrea (15/9) may not have been 100% but Salopek (26/10) gave great support up forward.

SYD 5.2 7.3 14.3 19.5 (119)
HAW 0.3 3.6 6.11 7.12 (54)
GOALS: SYD - Davis 4, Hall 4, O'Loughlin 3, O'Keefe 2, Buchanan, Bolton, Fosdike, Kirk, Williams, Schneider; HAW - Williams 2, Crawford, Dixon, Croad, Roughead, Guerra
BEST: SYD - Goodes, Fosdike, O'Keefe, Davis, Kennelly, O'Loughlin, Hall; HAW - Lewis, Kane, Ladson, Everitt, Sewell

INJURY: SYD - Malceski (hamstring)

REPORTS: HAW - Guerra for striking Roberts-Thomson

UMPIRES: Head, Ellis, Ryan

CROWD: 28,387 at the MCG

The match started as if both sides were feeling each out and there seemed to be no game plan employed by either side. It took 6 minutes before the first score was registered - a point to Mitchell for the Hawks. The resultant kick-in started Sydney on a monumental roll with Kennelly marking the ball and dashing off half back to find Richards on a wing. He in turn found Davis with a textbook, laces-out long kick and Davis obliged with a goal. Davis did it again shortly after. Despite Everitt dominating the hitouts, it was the experience at ground level which made the difference as Sydney had all the run and restricted Hawthorn to just 2 more points while goals Davis, Buchanan, O'Loughlin, and Hall gave the Swans a 29 point lead at 1/4 time.
It was the 3rd straight week that Hawthorn has failed to goal in the opening term. But the lead came at a price with Malceski off early in the term. Kirk copped a heavy knock but continued playing.
The lead blew out to 35 points inside the first minute of the 2nd term through O'Loughlin. Hawthorn broke its goal drought a few minutes later when Mark Williams threaded through one of his few kicks for the match. Crouch got crunched soon after and spent the next quarter and a half on the bench nursing a sore shoulder and neck. The Hawks employed a bit of flooding in an effort to stop Sydney and it worked as the Hawks added 2 more goals through Crawford and Mark Williams on either side of another Davis goal to win the term, but they still trailed by 21 points at 1/2 time.
Any chance of a comeback or upset win was snuffed out midway through the 3rd term when Davis, Hall, and Fosdike added goals. Sydney attacked relentlessly but the Hawks finally managed to get forward for Dixon to goal. Jude Bolton replied and then Williams goaled on the run, the Swans had an unassailable lead. Croad goaled against the run of play, but Sydney answered with 2 to O'Loughlin and Kirk. Roughead got a late one for the Hawks, but it was Sydney by 40 points at 3/4 time.
Crouch came back on just as Roberts-Thomson ended up on the bench after being crunched by Guerra. It didn't stop the Swans as they finished full of run with 5 goals to 1. Schneider booted their first for the term before Guerra added one for the Hawks, but it was Hall and O'Keefe at the other end to keep the Swans flying high.
Sydney has now won 5 straight, its best streak under Paul Roos. The last time the Swans won five successive matches was Rounds 14-18, 2001 under Rodney Eade. It puts Sydney equal with Melbourne, who also had 5 on the trot coming into this round.
The Swans had winners everywhere with Goodes (28/16) continuing his stellar year. Fosdike (24/11) was prominent off the bench, while Williams (23/6), Kirk (19, 10 tackles), and Schneider (18/8) also were fine contributors out of the middle. Kennelly (19/8) provided his usual dash from defence, while O'Keefe (20), O'Loughlin (9 kicks, 7 marks), and Hall (14 kicks, 18 marks) were constant forward targets.
For the Hawks, Everitt (34 hitouts) busted a gut in the ruck, while Kane (21), Hodge (19), and Lewis (30/6) battled hard in the midfield. Defenders Ladson (14/7), Brown (22/7), and Sewell (17) tried to stem the red and white onslaught. Up forward, Dixon (8 kicks, 4 marks) and Williams (9 kicks, 3 marks) were well held by the resolute Swan defence.

BRIS 7.3 10.11 14.13 21.15 (141)
FRE 2.2 4.8 7.10 10.13 (73)
GOALS: BRIS - Brown 7, Bradshaw 3, Black 2, McGrath 2, Voss, Sherman, Corrie, Brennan, Akermanis, Rischitelli, Moody; FRE - Pavlich 2, Longmuir 2, Medhurst 2, Black 2, Hasleby, Polak
BEST: BRIS - Brown, Charman, Moody, Notting, Sherman, Black, Akermanis;
FRE - Pavlich, Bell, Black, McManus, Peake

INJURY: BRIS - Adcock (quad), Corrie (ruptured ACL); FRE - Thornton (suspected dislocated shoulder)

CHANGES: FRE - McPharlin (ankle) and Farmer (knee soreness) replaced in selected side by McManus and Medhurst

UMPIRES: M. Nicholls, K. Nicholls, McInerney

CROWD: 27,999 at the Gabba

The loss of McPharlin and Farmer meant the Dockers never stood a chance, especially with the hulking Brown once more at his rampaging best. It's hard to believe that the Lions, just 3 short weeks ago, were anchored at the bottom of the ladder.
The Dockers started brightly enough when Black tackled Rischitelli, forced a spill, and recovered the ball to goal. After that, it was all Brisbane with the likes of Power, Voss, Simon Black, and Sherman running amok. Voss dashed forward to open the Brisbane floodgates as Sherman, Brown, Bradshaw, Simon Black, and Brown and Bradshaw again steamrolled the helpless Dockers. The Lions had 5.1 on the board before Schofield added Freo's second score for the game - another point. Longmuir finally snaffled one for the Dockers from a deft gather and kick at a throw-in, but Brisbane had a 31 point lead at 1/4 time.
The 2nd term was a bit more even, not because the Dockers improved or the Lions slowed. Both teams peppered the goals but wasted chance after chance. Pavlich answered Simon Black's opening goal with a fine crumbing effort after recovering his spilled mark, but the Dockers then kicked 4 straight points, blowing any chance of getting remotely close. Medhurst's goal was answered with 2 from Corrie and Brown, leaving the Lions 39 points clear at 1/2 time. For the term, the Lions kicked a wasteful 3.8, and Fremantle booted 2.6.
Brown's 5th goal for the game made it a 7-plus goal margin, but the Dockers, thanks mainly to the hard work of Pavlich and Hasleby across half forward nabbed 2 goals. Again the Lions replied through Brown. Longmuir goaled again late, but Brown bobbed up on the siren to give Brisbane a 45 point lead at 3/4 time.
Medhurst goaled early in the final term, but again the Lions responded through Brown and the crowd stayed interested to see if Brown could break Bradshaw's club record 9 goal haul and to see if another record margin would be set. Those factors did not eventuate but it didn't matter as, after Black goaled, the Lions ran rampant with 4 goals in 3 minutes, including a trademark on-the-run gem from Akermanis. McGrath chimed in with 2 final goals to have the Lions knocking on the top 8.
For the Lions, Simon Black and Justin Sherman finished with an equal game-high 27 possessions, with Black working hard in the packs and Sherman providing plenty of run. Akermanis (24/11) was back to his best off a wing, while Moody (21/8) was a dangerous link between midfield and attack. Brown (18/8) and Bradshaw (16/11) were twin towers up forward where Rischitelli (17/6) lent great support. Charman (24 hitouts, 15/4) and McDonald (18 hitouts) dominated out of the center while Michael (18/6) and Notting (22/7) kept the Docker forward line in check. Brown has now kicked 22 goals in 3 games.
For the Dockers, Heath Black (21) and Bell (21), and Peake (15/7), while McManus (18/5) in a forward pocket and Pavlich (15 kicks, 9 marks) did all they could to keep the Dockers in it.

STK 4.4 6.7 8.11 10.14 (74)
KANG 1.3 5.8 6.8 8.9 (57)
GOALS: StK - Dal Santo 2, Gehrig 2, Riewoldt 2, Ball, Harvey, McGough, Schwarze; KANG - Grant 2, Makepeace 2, Green, Corey Jones, McIntosh, Thompson
BEST: StK - Ball, Harvey, Dal Santo, Goddard, L. Fisher, S. Fisher; KANG - Archer, Pratt, Grant, Rawlings, Harris, Sinclair

CHANGES: KANG - Perry replaced in selected side by Makepeace

REPORTS: STK - Gehrig for striking McIntosh

UMPIRES: Vozzo, Stevic, Hendrie

CROWD: 30,904 at Telstra Dome

When Dal Santo goaled inside the first minute, it sparked a run of 3 for the Saints who found themselves 20 points in front midway through the term. While the Saints moved the ball well and were polished in their finishing skills, the Kangaroos were just the opposite with poor kicking for goal. Thompson got their only goal for the term, but it was negated by one to McGough who scooted forward from CHB to give the Saints a 19 point lead at 1/4 time.
With Archer playing as loose man in defence and blocking the space in front of Gehrig and Riewoldt, scoring chances dried up for the Saints after Gram booted the first goal of the term. The Kangaroos took advantage of Ball and Sam Fisher hobbling off the ground early in the term and piled on 3 goals through Makepeace (2) and Harvey to get right back in the contest. Ball and Fisher came back on soon after receiving treatment, but Corey Jones' point leveled the scores late in the term. After the Gehrig report for high contact on McIntosh, the Saints hit the front again with a goal to Dal Santo giving them a 5 point lead at 1/2 time.
With Voss dropped back to mind Archer, it opened the way for Riewoldt and Gehrig to goal to extend the Saint lead. While they controlled the general play, they couldn't put the Roos away as their accuracy seemed to desert them and they kicked just 4 more points. But the defence held firm and it wasn't until late in the term that McIntosh benefited from a costly Saint turnover to goal to put the Roos within 15 points at 3/4 time.
A Gehrig goal early in the final term pretty much extinguished any chance of a Kangaroo revival. Schwarze goaled to end any thought of a comeback win even though Grant bobbed up late with 2 goals to flatter the Kangaroos on the scoreboard.
For the Saints, Ackland (13 hitouts) and Blake (9 hitouts) combined well in the ruck, while Ball (28) and Harvey (27) led a dominant midfield with support from Goddard (23/12) and Dal Santo. McGough (20), Sam Fisher (21), and Leigh Fisher (25/7) were excellent in defence. Gehrig (6 kicks, 4 marks) and Riewoldt (12 kicks, 11 marks) did well up forward despite close attention.
For the Kangaroos, Archer (26/12) was at his inspirational and ferocious best in defence and further afield. Grant (26/11), Harris (25), and Simpson were the usual suspects in midfield, while defenders Sinclair (25/6) and Pratt (19/9) gave the Saint forwards a tough day at the office. The Kangaroo attack was almost negligible with Thompson (7 kicks, 4 marks), Corey Jones (10 kicks, 5 marks) well held. Brady Rawlings (20) stood tall in a forward pocket.
Glenn Archer was an inspiration for the Roos with 26 possessions and 12 marks accompanying his usual ferocious attack on the ball, with Shannon Grant prolific through the middle with 26 touches, 11 marks and two goals.

WCE 2.8 5.11 9.15 13.19 (97)
MELB 3.4 5.6 10.8 11.9 (75)
GOALS: WCE - Hansen 2, Staker 2, Kerr 2, Waters, Nicoski, Judd, Cox, Lynch, Embley, Chick; MELB - Robertson 4, Bartram 2, Dunn, Johnstone, Pickett, Green, Bruce
BEST: WCE - Nicoski, Kerr, Cousins, Glass, Judd; MELB - Robertson, Pickett, Bruce, Green, Bartram

INJURY: WCE - Judd (hamstring); MELB - Johnstone (ankle)
Chris Judd will miss 2-3 weeks with the injury

UMPIRES: Meredith, Woodcock, Goldspink

CROWD: 41,032 at Subiaco Oval

The game started with the Eagles not paying the Demons enough respect and allowing them way too much latitude in failing to man up and be accountable. The early result was livewire forward Robertson posting 2 goals within the first 5 minutes. Dunn added another and the Dees were out to a handy 20 point lead before the Eagles barely attacked. Moloney kicked a point on the run before Seaby cleared a Neitz kick. But the Eagles let themselves down badly in front of goal. Their first score was a 45 meter point to Embley midway through the term. Braun intercepted the kick-in, but fared no better, also from 45 meters. Braun got the ball once more and found Lynch. But the 45 meter spot was proving a curse for the Eagles, with Lynch registering yet one more point. This time, the kick in resulted in a goal square scramble and a rushed behind by the Demons. The Eagles finally stopped the rot when Waters goaled from a free kick. But it didn't last long as Judd, Seaby, Hansen, and Kerr from a ground level soccer kicked more points. Nicoski finally found the sticks from long range late in the term while Kerr added yet one more point. Cousins, still recovering from a bad knock to the thigh last week, copped another blow and sat out the next 2 terms and the Demons were 2 points in front at 1/4 time.
At the start of the 2nd term, Glass was shifted onto Robertson and Hunter went to Neitz. The Eagles were now manning up and looking set to take control. A free to Cox against White was wasted when he kicked out of bounds, but he won the throw in and found Judd. Judd passed off to Staker and ran forward to take back the pass and goaled on the run to give the Eagles the lead. The Demons attacked but Robertson followed his mark with a point and the Eagles cleared again only for Rosa to hit the post. The Eagles threatened again but the Demons defended stoutly to concede another point. Another free to Kerr and yet another poster, this time to Nicoski. Glass then earned a free after Robertson pushed him out of a contest, but the Demons regained possession and leveled the scores with a running goal to Johnstone. Moments later, White infringed at a throw in and Cox goaled to put the Eagles in front. Glass rushed another point before Hansen marked and goaled to give the Eagles an 11 point lead in time on. Robertson marked and goaled to cut the margin to 5 points. The Demons attacked strongly again and Bruce's long kick, which would have extended the lead, was marked on the goal line by Glass, leaving the Demons with a 5 point lead at 1/2 time.
After the break, Jamar went forward opposed to Graham, Selwood was minding Yze, and Wirrpanda had the job on Pickett. The 3rd term was a fast paced pressure cooker with players from both sides throwing themselves into everything. Staker and Pickett traded goals early before the Lynch blew a golden opportunity by dropping a routine mark up forward. Johnson cleared for the Demons and Green capitalized with a fine running goal to give the Demons a 1 point lead. The Eagles broke from the center and got the ball to Staker. But in an inexplicable decision, the mark was recalled for a free relayed free kick to Kerr. He found Hansen, but only for another point to level the scores. Robertson marked, but once more the Eagles regained the ball. Rosa earned a free kick, found Kerr who kicked long to Braun. Lynch held the mark this time and goaled. A rushed point by Whelan was followed by a goal to Bartram, but the Eagles replied through Embley and Kerr. It gave the Eagles a 13 point lead, their biggest of the match and the biggest lead since the Demons' 20 point margin early in the first term. The Demons never let up with Johnstone involved in the next passages of play. His first kick was touched on the line, but he earned a free a minute later and found Bruce who goaled. Another Eagle opportunity went begging when White was paid a free kick and 50 meter penalty deep in West Coast's attacking zone. Robertson marked and goaled to again level the scores. Johnstone was foiled again by the stout hearted Eagle defence and the Demons led by just a point. Cousins then hit the post to level the scores. The final play of the term saw Kerr's shot on goal also touched on the line, leaving the Eagles with just a 1 point lead at 3/4 time.
The margin became 7 points when Kerr goaled from restart after Cox received a free for a ruck infringement. The Demons then attacked through McDonald, but Neitz couldn't get away from his second skin in Hunter and the Eagles were out of trouble once more. But the attack ended in a point when the ball came off hands before going through. Rosa turned the ball over from a free kick, but Johnstone again failed to convert. Bartram intercepted the kick in to goal, putting the Demons within a point. Hansen missed his chance to ease the scoreboard pressure, kicking another behind. The Demons fared little better when Johnson kicked out on the full and the Eagles recovered for a goal to Chick. The Eagles won the next center clearance and Hansen made amends with a goal and the Eagles were out to a 14 point lead midway through the term. But Judd was off with a hamstring injury. Play see-sawed back and forth until late in the term with Hansen and Staker adding 2 more points before Staker took a terrific pack mark and sealed the win late in the game. The Demons attacked one more time with just seconds remaining and found Neitz leading up the ground to mark but his kick after the siren fell short.
For the Eagles, Cox (21 hitouts, 14/6) was again superb and had good support from Seaby (10 hitouts) while Cousins (23/8), Judd (22), Kerr (23) and Embley (21/4) were prolific ball winners. Nicoski (19) completely blanketed the dangerous Davey, restricting him to just 9 touches, while Glass (15/8) kept Neitz goalless. Up forward, Staker (15/5) and Hansen (8 kicks, 8 marks) did well while Lynch was restricted to just 4 kicks and 2 marks.
For the Demons, White (14 hitouts, 14/7) and Jamar (11) came close to matching the Eagle ruck duo of Cox and Seaby while Johnstone (19/4), Bruce (20/11), McDonald (26/8), McLean (22/8) and Green (23/13) made sure the Eagles didn't have it all their own way. Robertson (10 kicks, 7 marks) made the most of limited chances. Pickett only had 6 kicks, but added grunt while Bartram (13) was impressive.

STANDINGDS

W L FOR AGST % PTS
WCE 8 1 932 731 127.5 32
ADE 7 2 912 620 147.1 28
COL 7 2 1096 766 143.08 28
SYD 6 3 958 746 128.42 24
StK 5 4 845 715 118.18 20
WB 5 4 1000 901 110.99 20
MELB 5 4 861 807 106.69 20
FRE 5 4 754 827 91.17 20

RICH 5 4 745 988 75.4 20
BRIS 4 5 849 873 97.25 16
HAW 4 5 739 869 85.04 16
GEEL 3 6 781 820 95.24 12
PA 3 6 823 1041 79.06 12
KANG 2 7 698 917 76.12 8
CARL 2 7 676 912 74.12 8
ESS 1 8 804 940 85.53 4

GOALS
Barry Hall (SYD) 34
Brendan Fevola (CARL) 32
Anthony Rocca (OL) 32
Jonathan Brown (BRIS) 31
Mark Williams (HAW) 29
Nick Riewoldt StK) 28
Matthew Pavlich (FRE) 25
Mark Ricciuto (ADE) 24
Brad Johnson (WB) 23
Fraser Gehrig (StK) 22

Michael Rischitelli is the Round Eight NAB AFL Rising Star nominee.
Rischitelli (pronounced Riska-telly) has emerged as a significant player in the Lions midfield this season. year. He has played 8 games so far and has managed at least, if not more, 11 touches in each game.
In the past month, he has been particularly impressive, racking up possessions against West Coast (19), Sydney (21), Hawthorn (27), and 16 quality touches against Port Adelaide last week.
He beat eight different opponents against the Hawks, and won 10 of 11 contested ball situations he was involved in. He also made seven effective tackles, and followed that up with a team high six tackles against Port.
Rischitelli played only one game in 2004, but what a debut! It was the annihilation game against Adelaide when the Lions recorded a 141 point win. He was in the thick of the action in that game and was mobbed by his teammates in a total show of solidarity when he kicked a goal. a solitary, He played just 3 games last season.
Osteitis pubis hampered his final year as a junior and he missed the opening half of 2003 and struggled in the games that he did manage to play. He had been a standout with the Western Jets at under 15 level after graduating from the Keilor juniors.

And that's it for this week.

GO BLUES!!