AFL Round 2
by Tim Murphy
Ah the Easter holiday. Apparently it ends.
At the Gabba:
Brisbane 2.4 7.7 11.11 15.12.102
St. Kilda 2.3 3.4 6.6 7.8.50
Last week Magpoi skipper Nathan Buckley cautioned us to ignore results in the first month of the season. Certainly the Saints proved schizophrenic from week one. They were lethargic, chipped the ball about lazily from side-to-side and were disinclined to run much. A bit like the Horks at the Gabba last week, so the Stains are not the first side to melt in the late summer Queensland humidity, to which the Lyin’s are well adapted. Contrast was made with Brisbun’s last win over Sinkilda in Round One 2005, Sainter Nick Riewoldt’s damaged shoulder targeted by Lyin’s Michael, Leppitsch and Brad Scott. Two o’them have retired since and the other moved on. Riewoldt was still unavailable here and injury problems continue to dog the Saints, Matt Maguire was discovered to have stress fractures in his previously broken leg, he’ll be gone for a while and Luke Ball missed with the after-effects of his head-knock last week. They were replaced by regular Saint full-back Max Hudghton and ex-Bulldog Shane Birss, making his Sinkilda debut. Hudghton’s return was over by quarter-time. Old ruckman Matthew ‘Doc’ Clarke played his 250th AFL game and Nick Dal Santo played his 100th game. The Brisbun side needed to replace Nigel Lappin (cork thigh) and defender Jason Roe (hamstring), in came Marcus Allan and junior defender Wayde Mills.
Prior to the game retired Lyin’ champion Michael Voss made a lap-of-honour. Strange he didn’t do it last week. At the coin-toss the point was made the clubs have eight captains between them (Brisbun five, Sinkilda three). The Lyin’s started well with Luke Power and Tim Notting very good midfield. The Lyin’s do have trouble kicking straight for goals though, ‘The Shermanator’, Power and Irishman Colm Begley all kicking behinds before the Saints goaled from their first attack, Justin Koschitzke moving smartly to mark Xavier Clarke’s wobbly punt. ‘Kosi’ converted. Brisbun cleared the restart and Notting’s pass went towards Jonathan Brown, who spilled the mark under pressure but was awarded a soft free-kick against opponent Sam Fisher. Brown converted. A gutsy contest from young ruckman Cameron Wood, who’d dropped a simple mark earlier, allowed Ash McGrath to snap a very good major and the Lyin’s led by 9 points. Lenny Hayes missed poorly for the Saints, later Stephen Milne marked by the point-post, played-on and lost the ball. An awry Brisbun kick-in was collected by Nick Dal Santo, he passed for Aaron Fiora to mark and boot a sausage. That was the final scoring act in the quarter, 9 minutes from the end. Lotta midfield congestion. Poor ol’ Hudghton tore a thigh muscle late in the term, he was gorn. The Brians began the second term well, Joel Patfull booted a terrific goal from the flank following a tough mark against Brendon Goddard, who was pretty ordinary in this game. Sherman missed again before great work from Michael Rischitelli got the ball to leading Brown, he kicked a goal and the Brians led by 14 points. Slogging, pack-bound play for a bit before Stinkilda spearhead Fraser Gehrig made a rare lead, marking and creating a mark and goal for Fiora. The Sainters’ first score for nearly half-an-hour, they trailed by 9 points. The Brians responded with three goals in the final four minutes of the half, Sherman snapped one from a throw-in. Scott Harding missed a shot from the restart but Rischitelli intercepted the kick-in and handballed for Cheynee Stiller to punt a long sausage. Simon Black drilled a pass to Sherman on-the-lead, The Shermanator threaded it from a tricky angle and Lisbon led by 27 points at half-time.
No doubt chastised, the Stains appeared mildly interested and had a bit of a crack early in the third. Typically cool, classy play by Dal Santo set up Koschitzke for a mark on-the-lead and good, accurate punt from 50m. The Lyin’s replied direct from the following centre-bounce, Black ran clear and had a wayward shot but was pushed over afterwards - another go courtesy a free-kick and he didn’t miss this time. Stinkilda, moving the ball more rapidly and directly, scored the next two majors. Milne booted a very good 50m goal from the flank and he set up the following sausage, a smart pass to find Jason Blake in space. He dished off for Leigh Montagna to boot a running goal. Jason Gram bombed long but missed and Sinkilda were 14 points behind, as close as they’d get. Brisbun’s midfield was still quicker, more aggressive and more direct, but their attack was struggling a bit before Chris Johnson made the breakthrough with a very good mark over Leigh Fisher, Johnno converted. Stiller’s classy baulk and pass set up Brown for a mark and accurate punt, then untidy scramble was tidied by Luke Power who found Sherman for a mark on-the-lead. Shermanator booted his third goal and Brisbun led by 34 points at the final turnabout. And they went further away, scoring a goal direct from the opening bounce of the final term as Jared Brennan’s long punt cleared the pack and Black lurked behind for a tap-through. Brennan played well for a second consecutive week, from CHB. Some of the Stainers’ key running players, Fiora, Xavier Clarke and frustrated Goddard were hanging out deep in defence now, covering for Hudghton as Lyon reckoned later. Brown kicked a goal from another mark on-the-lead, Allan with the pass. At the subsequent centre-bounce Black sharked Matty Clarke’s tap and handballed to Power, he drilled the ball for Brown to mark and convert yet again. Patfull missed a shot to make the Lyin’s lead 54 points or 9 goals exactly. Sinkilda’s debutant Shane Birss slotted a very good goal from a tight angle, ending another 30-minute scoring drought for the Stainers. But the Lyin’s had the final word, Patfull snapping it high but true after smothering Goddard’s weak handpass.
Plenty of good signs for Brisbun, youngsters such as midfielder Michael Rischitelli (27 disposals) and Cheynee Stiller (23 touches, a goal) providing excitement for the future while some more further down the track, like Justin Sherman (11 touches, 3 goals), Jared Brennan (13 marks, 23 kicks) and back-pocket Jed Adcock (22 disposals) also played well. Big Jonathan Brown (7 marks, 14 handlings, 5 goals) showed his influence following a slow start last week, aided by the injury to Hudghton no doubt. Luke Power (17 touches) played well early. Simon Black, tagged well by Steven Baker, and Joel Patfull kicked 2 goals each. The Saints’ best was Nick Dal Santo (25 disposals), a superb user of the ball. Aaron Fiora (23 touches, 10 marks, 2 goals) was one of the few Saints with much energy and former Lyin’ Jason Gram (18 possies) improved as the match went on. Sam Fisher (13 marks, 22 disposals) collected plenty of the ball as a rebound man again, but was well-beaten by his direct opponent, Brown. Justin Koschitzke kicked 2 goals. Other key midfield Saints like Lenny Hayes (13 touches) and Robert Harvey (14) were very quiet. Stainer coach Ross Lyon was asked about injuries. "We will have to restructure a little bit. Riewoldt will definitely be back (against Western Bulldogs) next week, (Justin) Koschitzke can play centre half-back, so there's options," he said. “(Tonight) was won and lost in the midfield, we make no bones about that. Brisbane have reinvented themselves. After the NAB Cup we said they were the form team of the competition." Leigh Matthews described the feeling of hope. "In the last month of last year we became a very poor team. It's good to have won the first couple of games. Our supporters are seeing a team that they can really be proud of," Matthews said. "We were in a situation because we were so poor at the end of last year that we needed to build our confidence in the pre-season which probably happened. Now they've got a worth ethic, they've got a will."
At the MCG:
Richmond 1.1 5.2 10.3 11.6.72
Sydney 4.0 6.6 10.7 13.10.88
Big Spida Everitt may be a pea-brain but he’s a very good ruckman, the difference here between the professional Swans and the plucky Tigers at the ‘G. The Tiges led briefly in the final stanza but were overhauled. There was a downside for Siddey though, forward Barry Hall tripped over opponent Darren Gaspar in the first term and strained ligaments in his left knee, played on for some strange reason and rolled an ankle as well. Siddey coach Paul Roos is insisting Hall will play next week, but he didn’t look too good in the immediate aftermath. We’ll see. In selection here the Tigers made no change to the side overrun by Carlton, the Bloods regained half-forward Adam Schneider and called up juniors Tim Schmidt and Heath Grundy at the expense of injured Nick Davis (groin) and dropped youngsters Luke Vogels and Simon Phillips. Hard-man Brett Kirk played his 150th game.
An early shock as I discovered a beer now costs $5.60. Are they kidding? The Tiges scored a goal in the first minute, Greg Tivendale roving a throw-in and steering a wrong-side banana between the big sticks. A fair bit of slog ensued as the Tiges controlled the ball but ran up against the Swans’ flooded defence, to be honest the Tiges didn’t use the ball too well coming forward. Siddey got on the board with almost their first attack, Mick O’Loughlin leading out to mark Schneider’s pass and convert. Goals started to arrive regularly for them late in the term: Hall got one from a lead-and-mark of Amon Buchanan’s pass, Everitt turned rover to Adam Goodes at a throw-in and snapped one through from about 30m, O’Loughlin slotted a noice set-shot from a pocket. Hall had tangled with Gaspar shortly after kicking his goal and limped off, he returned for the second stanza but could barely move above jogging pace, limping noticeably. The Swans scored an early goal in the second Mario, Tim Schmidt with a mark and steer from the flank. With Everitt dominating in the ruck and the Swans winning contested ball all over the place, they really should have buried the Toigs at this stage. But Hall barely made the distance from 35m, the ball scraping through for a point. He couldn’t put weight on his wobbly left leg, having hurt an ankle too, apparently. O’Loughlin conjured a superb, weaving run around three Tigers, but missed the simple, finishing shot. Ted Richards, shifted forward, also sliced wide from a straightforward set shot. The door was left open and the Tiges began to take advantage. Matty Richardson missed a shot from directly in front, but of course gained full points from a more difficult chance on the flank; Chris Hyde, who’d started on the bench after colliding with a team-mate in the warm-up, conjured a very good goal. Richard Tambling snapped a good one with almost his first kick and Jay Schulz converted from a mark. Swan man Nick Malceski booted a good, long goal but the Tiggers had closed the gap to 10 points by the long break.
The third korter followed a similar pattern. The Bloods made a bit of a gap early, pushing the Tiges deep into defence. Tadhg Kennelly collected a zillion kicks, playing the sort of ‘quarterback’ role where he’s standing in the centre with everyone on the field ahead of him. Finding a way through the flooded Tige backline was difficult for the Swans, but they managed it. Craig Bolton, Richo’s opponent, slipped forward and punished him with a goal, later Malceski converted from close range. A superb tap from Everitt at a ball-up allowed Ryan O’Keefe an easy goal, reminiscent of Ball’s tap to Davis in that prelim final against Geelong. A rare Tiger thrust saw Swan defenders back off to mind their men, allowing diminutive Tige Nathan ‘Axel’ Foley to drill a running goal. But shortly afterwards a great end-to-end team effort by the Swans brought an easy goal for Buchanan and they led by 27 points. The Tigers rallied at this point though, led by some running aggression from Brett Deledio. Kane Johnson started to win a bit around packs and Gaspar ran off the crippled Hall. Tambling kicked a goal from a mark, Hyde maneuvered cleverly to slot a terrific running sausage and Schulz converted from a mark. Richo marked on-the-lead just prior to the three-quarter-time siren, deliberated for a bit and punted accurately. He was pretty happy about it as the Tiges went into the final break trailing by 4 points. After some cagey opening minutes the Tiges pinched the lead in the final term, Joel Bowden moving forward to take a grab and convert. But the Swans held firm against further Tigger thrusts, Everitt plucking a few timely grabs across half-back. And Siddey managed to score the final three goals of the game. Everitt won a free-kick at a throw-in against bullocking young opponent Adam Pattison, he converted. Kennelly, who hadn’t been forward of the centre all afternoon, now moved down to mark O’Loughlin’s smart kick 15m out, right in front, and jab it through. Darren Jolly thumped the ball into the stands after plucking a big pack-mark right on the goal-line and the Bloods had sealed it.
There’s no doubt Spida Everitt (20 disposals, 9 marks, 27 hit-outs, 2 goals) was the difference between the sides. He and Jolly combined for 50 hit-outs to the Tiges’ 27. Tadhg Kennelly (25 disposals, a goal) set up play as the quarterback and runners Nick Malceski (23 touches, 2 goals) and Amon Buchanan (20 possies, a goal) were good. Ben Mathews (24 possies) did a great job on Andrew Krakouer and Craig Bolton (22 disposals, 16 marks, a goal) had the better of Richardson. Backman Leo Barry (21 touches, 9 marks) returned to better form. Mick O’Loughlin kicked 2 goals. The Tiges’ best was probably Brett Deledio (22 disposals) with Chris Hyde (11 touches, 2 goals) very good after quarter-time. Should get belted in the warm-up every week. Kane Johnson (21 handlings) was good and Chris Newman (13 touches) played well across half-back. Darren Gaspar (13 touches) ran off Hall to decent effect and Joel Bowden (20 handlings, a goal) was alright. Richardson, Jay Schulz and Richard Tambling kicked 2 goals each. Coach Terry Wallace made like the real-estate agent many think he should be. “You get yourself into a position where you hit the lead on your home ground, in your home state, with the opposition coming off a really tough game last week, with their key forward injured. That just says to me chance, chance, chance. Opportunity, opportunity, opportunity. But we also know we’re playing a really well-drilled, mature-aged side and in the end, they were able to wrestle it back.” Plough went on to blame some senior players, but didn’t name names. Like Shane Tuck or Patrick Bowden. Paul Roos said “This team (Siddey) is very good at identifying positions in the game and they’re very good at taking the heat out of the game when the opposition has got a bit of a run-on.” Otherwise he was asked about Hall (“he’ll play next week if he’s 90% fit”) and whinged about the broken phones in the visitor’s coaching box.
At Subiaco:
West Coast 3.2 7.6 10.11 12.15.87
Collingwood 4.3 8.4 10.8 11.9.75
On Thursday a Pie-supporting mate was relating how his mob perform well at Subiaco. They do play pretty well at Sooby, generally, but don’t actually win over there very often, which is problematic. This was another of those games, a very good game in fact which the Magpiss didn’t win. But the Eagles like to cut it fine. There’s no end to potential drug references eh? They continued last week as ABC’s ‘The Chaser’ team aired footage greeting the Weegs at Sydney airport last week, one bloke dressed as the Eagles’ mascot with white powder all over his beak and a giant straw in hand, another bloke with a lanyard announcing ‘Official Eagles Drug Supplier’. The players themselves found it pretty funny, it seemed. The AFL is investigating the police tapes from 2005, Daniel Kerr discussing his experiences with a drug dealer. So it was good for the Weegs to have a positive experience, winning after unfurling their premiership flag. One team change from round one, Andrew Embley returning at the expense of Mark LeCras. ‘Big’ Cox didn’t come up. The Pies had Ryan Lonie, ko’d last week, replaced by first-gamer Daniel Nicholls, a lithe flanker from Rowville in Melbourne’s outer east.
The flag arrived with a parachutist, with tunes from the hippie musical ‘Hair’ blaring out. Odd. Retired Drew Banfield did a lap-of-honour. Quick start for the Weegs, with the first three goals. Usual back-pocket David Wirrpanda started in the forward-line and bagged the first two goals, one a miraculous dribbly-snap from an impossible angle with Pie defenders breathing down his neck. Great stuff. Daniel ‘DUI’ Kerr trapped Pie Paul Licuria in possession and free-kicked a major to have the Weegs 19 points ahead after 8 minutes. Then they kinda relaxed and the Pies got moving. A Weeg turnover allowed ‘Anfernee’ Rocca to mark 65m out and launch a long speculator, which bounced through an empty square for full points. The Poise whipped the ball forward from the restart and Travis Cloke blasted it wide from close range. Ouch. But there followed a long sausage from Ben Johnson and a scarcely-believable, running, 50m left-footer from Shane O’Bree. Rhyce Shaw bagged a late sausage and the Pies led by 7 points at the first break. The Maggies maintained the lead through an entertaining second term. Wiggle spearhead Quinten Lynch converted from a mark on-the-lead to cut the deficit to a point, but a minute later Poi ‘Neon’ Leon Davis slotted a superb tight-angle major after an equally good gather in traffic. Pie ruckman Guy Richards had a free at the restart and dished off to Scott Burns, his pass found Davis on-the-lead for another goal and the Poise led by 13 points. The locals responded, Lynch’s skilful gather and handpass sent Michael Braun in for a running goal. But a minute later Rocca launched a wobbly 70m ‘miskick’ which sailed through for full points. Must be something about that spot, it was about where Lade kicked a torpedo goal last week. Pies by 13 again as goals alternated for a bit, Weeg Steven Armstrong threaded a free-kick through after Pie Heath Shaw kicked on-the-full while being tackled. Davis free-kicked his third goal of the quarter after being ridden into the sandy turf by Wirrpanda, who soon returned to the forward-line. Rocca was reported, ridiculously, for a late bump on Weeg ruckman Jaymie Graham. It’s been dismissed since. Lynch missed poorly for the Weegs and the frenetic pace of scoring slowed for a while, in fact the only other goal of the term came late as Wirrpanda marked over Harry O’Brien and banana-ed it through from the pocket. The Poise led by 5 points at that stage, cut to 4 by Brent Staker’s late post.
The speed of the game slowed after half-time. The quality of the Weeg midfielders, led by Kerr and Chris Judd again, began to exert some pressure on the Poise. Judd kicked a goal after Rocca’s cross-field punt was intercepted, not pleasing Poi coach Malthouse. The Weegs led by a point. Rocca was playing isolated, deep in attack with Weevil full-back Darren Glass as the Pies relied on fast breaks from their besieged defence. And it worked as Rocca bagged the next two goals, outmaneuvering Glass. The Pies led by 10 points, but the Weegs were coming. Tyson Stenglein snapped truly from a ball-up in front of goal to narrow the diff and after a few misses, Judd drilled another running goal to have the Weegs 3 points ahead at the final change. Very tight into the final term as both sides were conscious of not committing a turnover. Twelve minutes ticked by before Staker bagged a goal to extend the Weegs’ lead and a bit later Matt Rosa steered a running goal to have the Coasters ahead by 17 points, enough to seal the result. Burns booted a late one for the Pies.
The Weegs’ remaining pillars stood tall again, Daniel Kerr had a hefty 38 disposals (24 kicks) plus a goal and Chris Judd managed 30 touches with 2 goals. Kinda good. Tough back-flankers Brett Jones (17 disposals) and Beau Waters (22 possies) were good and David Wirrpanda proved a useful forward with 3 goals from his 15 touches and 6 marks. Daniel Chick (15 handlings) made Medhurst’s homecoming very difficult and other runners like Adam Selwood (22 touches, 9 marks) and Michael Braun (29 possies, a goal) were prominent. For the Pies half-back Heath Shaw (27 disposals, 6 marks) and fellow endurance types Dane Swan (22 touches) and ol’ ruck rover Scott Burns (24 possies, a goal) were very good. The two-man attack kept ‘em in it for a long way, Anthony Rocca bagged 4 goals from 7 marks and 8 kicks and Leon Davis (9 touches) booted 3 goals. Ben Johnson (21 disposals) and junior Scott Pendlebury (21 touches) were useful. Malthouse took no positives. “We don’t accept anything except the fact we got beaten. They (West Coast) all know how to kick, they all know how to find a target and we don’t. We’re not skilled enough, I don’t think we’ve got the class perhaps other sides have got . . . Some of our players haven’t got better over time and we’ll look at those players. Some of the younger players coming through aren’t using the ball as well as they should, but we’ve time on our side to make them better.” Having Buckley and Didak back in the team would help. John Worsfold said "They (Pies) came out to take it up to us, and I just felt after getting the early momentum, a turnover kick got them on the board and got them going. A few errors let them stay in touch and then get in front, but I thought our work rate was outstanding and I was confident that at some stage we were going to get in front. (At the moment) we haven't got as much depth in terms of players that have played 40 or 50 games, but the young kids coming through are doing very well.”
At Docklands:
Geelong 4.6 10.8 19.13 24.18.162
Carlton 3.2 5.6 7.9 12.12.84
A wet dream for Catter fans as the brothers Ablett, Cam Mooney and debutant Tom ‘Tomahawk’ Hawkins tore the Bluesers to shreds. Cat coach Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson was gracious to the ragged Bluesers afterwards, pointing out they were probably due a loss following five consecutive wins (including the NAB Cup). But counterpart Denis Pagan wasn’t so happy about a belting as opposed to a loss. All good for your Cat fans though, concerned following the somewhat lame first-up loss last week. As mentioned the Cats did give a much-anticipated AFL debut to the brick dunny-like teenage forward Tom Hawkins, son of Geelong’s 80s defender ‘Jumping’ Jack Hawkins. And to speedy flanker Travis Varcoe of Central District in SA, he was drafted in 2005 but spent most of last season in the VFL or injured. Varcoe carried the legendary no. 5 guernsey. Also in was Shannon Byrnes, the three of them replacing injured captain Tom Harley (finger), David Johnson (shoulder) and the dropped Kane Tenace. No change for the Bluies.
There’s been some debate about the way to coach a side with many young players, do you urge the side to attack and compete man-on-man, risking a thrashing (e.g. Essadun last year) or do you play a defensive, flooding, negating style to aid scoreboard parity and build confidence (e.g. Richmond). Pagan-coached teams are always attacking and it assisted in their downfall here, once the match became a shootout the Bluies were always going to struggle. The Catters did look good, though. The early minutes were not encouraging for them, Brad Ottens copped heavy criticism for his flaccid performance last week and The Ott started this game by dropping a mark, then producing a woeful punt for goal from 25m out. Luckily, the Cats had other avenues. Full-back Matthew Scarlett, running off Fevola, set up the opening goal with a pass to leading Nathan Ablett, who converted. A rapid defensive rebound ended with a running major for Cameron Ling and the Katz led by 13 points. Ling, opposed to Nick Stevens, and racehorse David Wojcinski were the two most important Geelong players in the opening half. A good tap-on from Fevola allowed Bloo captain Lance Whitnall to boot their opening goal, but both of those Blue men were to have dirty days. Wojcinski burned across the turf to help create the next Cat goal, Gary Ablett Jnr. converting a free-kick for a high tackle. Ling roved a throw-in and passed for Nathan Ablett, who spilled the mark but goaled from a very soft free against opponent Thornton. Cats by 19 points but the Bluies managed a coupla late goals, Andrew Carrazzo snapped truly from a throw-in and at another throw-in Cat ruckman Mark Blake produced a strange, two handed palm-down which the umpire interpreted as a throw. Stevens threaded the resulting free for a Carlton goal. ‘Tomahawk’ Hawkins made his first appearance and seized two strong marks on-the-lead, setting up scoring chances for Gary Ablett and Charlie Gardiner, both of whom missed. Geelong led by 10 points at the first break and spurted early in the second term as Ottens was shifted into the ruck, where he’s a much better player. Paul Chapman’s cross-goal kick was plucked over the back by Cam Mooney, who played-on and slammed it through. He was happy. Travis Varcoe roved a ball-up, sold a dummy and stabbed a goal with his first kick, a very cool effort sending the Cats 20 points ahead. The Blues responded as Heath Scotland bombed long, Brad Fisher stayed behind the Fevola-centered pack to collect the ball and snap truly. But immediately Mooney drilled a low pass for unattended Ottens to mark, 15m out, and boot home. Fisher again replied for the Blues as Cat defender Darren Milburn was penalized, harshly, for holding-the-ball. The ‘baggers were only 13 points behind at this stage but the furious end-to-end pace made it hard for them to keep their rate of scoring up, especially with Fevola blanketed by Scarlett and pals. The Cats missed a couple of shots to delay the inevitable, but a late blast opened a significant gap. Gardiner spoiled a Bloo kick-in and Shannon Byrnes roved to boot a sausage. Jimmy Bartel ran clear of the subsequent centre-bounce and found Nathan Ablett with a pass, Nablett booted his third goal. Mooney scored full points from Josh Hunt’s pass and the Cats led by 33 points or six goals effectively. Fevola managed his first mark of the day just before half-time but Fev’s long punt just clipped the inside of the post.
The rest of the game was Geelong going further ahead. Gary Ablett Jnr. had been relatively quiet in the first half but was the dominant player of the third quarter. His determined pack-bustling forced the ball free for Bartel to handpass, Mooney slotted the opening goal of the term. A minute later Mooney speared another major on-the-run, handballs from both Abletts involved in the set-up. Wojcinski, having a great game, capped a lightening three-bounce run with a goal and the Cats had jumped to a 51-point lead. Gary Ablett had a free-kick at the restart and looked for his brother, who couldn’t mark bro’s kick, but Nathan roved his own contest to snap an excellent left-foot sausage. Hunt converted from an easy uncontested mark and the Pussies led by 63 points, 8 minutes into the korter. The Cats had a bit of breather at this stage, or at least the Blooze dug in. Their ruckman Cain Ackland clutched a tough mark and booted a goal to break the run. Ackland was playing as a forward now, he missed a shot a bit later before the Cats set the scoreboard moving again. Good play from Gardiner set up a running goal for Gary Ablett and the kids joined in as Hawkins and Varcoe combined to create Joel Selwood’s running major, from a tricky angle. Then Hawkins converted from Nathan Ablett’s pass, first of what could be many career goals for the Tomahawk. When Varcoe snapped truly the Catters led by 81 points. A terrific individual effort from Andrew Walker, passing to Ackland and running on to receive a handpass and drill it through, brought Carlton the final goal of the term. Into the final quarter and records were the only interest now. Mooney and Ling, the latter having a ‘rest’ at full-forward, bagged the first two majors. Junior Bloo Marc Murphy punted a good goal after smothering Corey Enright’s handpass. There followed two goals for Tom Hawkins, both from marks on-the-lead. Poor, formless Whitnall was his opponent now. The second of those goals was a very good kick from 45m, just inside the right-hand boundary-line (i.e. the more difficult side for a right-footer). Selwood won the ball at the restart and passed to Gary Ablett, he handballed for Nathan Ablett to snap it home and the Cats led by 95 points. The triple-digit margin beckoned but to their credit the Bluesers bagged the last four goals of the game, Eddie Betts kicked three of those with some great individual efforts.
Thought the Cats’ best players were David Wojcinski (22 disposals, a goal), the speedy winger producing his best game for a coupla seasons, and Cameron Ling (18 disposals, 2 goals) who kept Nick Stevens very quiet. But Cat fans want to hear about the forwards. Gary Ablett Jnr. (31 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals) was rampant after half-time and his brother Nathan Ablett (16 touches, 7 marks, 5 goals) is arguably the most improved player in the leeg from last season. Cameron Mooney also booted 5 goals, from 12 marks and 13 kicks, while Tom Hawkins’s first stats were 8 marks, 8 disposals and 3 goals. Other key efforts came from Matthew Scarlett (21 touches) keeping Fevola goal-less and Brad Ottens (18 touches, 9 marks, 28 hit-outs, a goal) in the ruck, Jimmy Bartel (31 disposals) and Shannon Byrnes (22 handlings, a goal) were good midfield. Travis Varcoe kicked 2 goals. After begging for a key forward for years, the Cats suddenly seem to have three - Nathan Ablett, Mooney and Hawkins. The Blues’ better players were attacking youngsters Andrew Walker (29 disposals, 7 marks, a goal) and Marc Murphy (also 29 possessions, 7 marks and a goal). Heath Scotland managed a whopping 40 disposals, proving again he’s a professional stat-gatherer with little ability to influence the outcome of a game. Andrew Carrazzo (17 touches, 2 goals), pressed into service as a half-forward, and Ryan Houlihan (27 handlings) were okay. Junior Bryce Gibbs (17 possies) wasn’t the worst. Eddie Betts kicked 3 goals in the final ten minutes, Brad Fisher kicked 2 goals. Fevola attempted to blame a chronic knee problem for his first goal-less game since late 2005. “I’ve said it all along, we’re going to cop a couple of hits on the way through. I didn’t want it to be as big as that, though. The real challenge for us is now, how we respond to that,” said Pagan. He spent the remainder of the conference defending Whitnall’s poor form. ‘Bomber’ tried to keep a lid on. “Tonight was refreshing and it was exciting to play the way we did . . . to move it so quick and kick so many goals was fun to watch, really. Tonight was great, but let’s not get fooled by one game. I think Carlton had a pretty good run, five winning games and they were due for a game like tonight. They didn’t play exceptionally well at all . . . So we’re not getting carried away saying this is the start of something that is going to be the future.” Then he ruined it by comparing Hawkins to Tony Lockett. Roos said he had become accustomed to heart-stoppers. "Both teams get up to play the other side. That's all I can think of, because it keeps happening and happening," he said.
Sydney kicked the last three goals of the game and the Swans may have been about to overhaul West Coast late in the last quarter until Daniel Kerr laid a match-saving tackle on Jarrad McVeigh as the Sydney midfielder surged inside the 50-metre zone. Kerr was best afield, drawing high praise from Roos. "He's an elite player. If you took a midfielder from anyone in the competition, you'd have to take (Chris) Judd first and then split Ben (Cousins) and Daniel. That's how good they are. With Ben going through what he's going through, one and two in the competition would be Judd and Kerr."
Worsfold said Kerr, who also has been under the cloud of drugs inquiries, was motivated by simple matters. "I don't think he knows any other way. I don't think he cares about reasons to play well. I think he just loves it, he loves the contest."
The Swans, who travel to the MCG to meet Richmond in round two, may have forward Adam Schneider back from a torn hamstring after he completed a reserves game yesterday.
At Football Park:
Port Adelaide 2.7 8.12 13.18 17.20.122
North Melbourne 3.5 7.8 11.10 15.14.104
High-scoring encounter in which the Power shrugged off their bogey-team, the Kangaroos. Norf tried very hard, they just weren’t quite good enough, suffering the speed of Port’s revamped midfield. In selection the Flowers welcomed Peter Burgoyne and small forward Josh Mahoney back from injury, they replaced injured forward Daniel Motlop (ankle) and dropped veteran Darryl Wakelin - no real match-up for him in North’s side. The Ruse gave a club debut to full-forward Aaron Edwards, formerly of the Eagles he booted 100 goals for Frankston on the VFL last year. But Edwards has become notorious recently for being named in Daniel Kerr’s police drug tape. Edwards replaced last week’s Norf debutant, Matt Campbell.
The first term was marked by wayward goal-shooting before the true pattern emerged in the second quarter. Port’s midfield, led by the brothers Burgoyne, Danyle Pearce and Steven Salopek, became the dominant force on the field, setting up goal-scoring chances for Brett Ebert and Mahoney, when not kicking goals themselves. Pearce seemed to be taking the urine in one passage as he slowed to allow Norf tacklers to approach, then sped away, slowed again and dinked a left-foot pass neatly to Ebert. Peter Burgoyne is a very good player with weak hamstrings, but he seemed fully fit here as Port rammed through four goals in the final ten minutes of the half to lead by 10 points at the long break. Before then Norf had stayed ahead thanks to the efforts of Corey Jones, who booted all four of their second-term goals. He, Brent ‘Boomer’ Harvey and Daniel Wells had kept them in it. The Pooey galloped to a 33-point lead halfway through the third stanza, as ruckman Dean Brogan and Peter Burgoyne powered them along. Norf stayed alive with two late goals from Harvey, playing very well in this early part of the season. Port led by 20 points at the final change but Harvey booted the first goal of the final term, reducing the gap to 15 points. David Rodan snapped a steadier for the locals but the Ruse kept plugging and consecutive goals for new boys Lindsay Thomas and Aaron Edwards narrowed the margin to 6 points with about ten minutes remaining. But Port sealed the victory thanks to a goal from Peter Burgoyne and a strong mark and major for Nathan Krakouer.
Port’s midfield is the envy of many, with Peter Burgoyne (28 disposals, 2 goals), Shaun Burgoyne (27 touches, 2 goals) and Rising Star winner Danyle Pearce (20 handlings, 2 goals) all very good here. Steven Salopek (25 possessions) is also living up to his potential. Port had a kinda midget forward-line without Tredrea but it did the job here, led by Brett Ebert (8 marks, 10 kicks, 5 goals). Chad Cornes (7 marks, 18 disposals) played well at CHB, flanked by Jacob Surjan (25 touches, 7 marks). Ruckman Dean Brogan (11 handballs, 17 hit-outs) was good again. Josh Mahoney and David Rodan kicked 2 goals each. Norf’s relentless rover Brent Harvey (26 disposals, 4 goals) is in excellent early-season form and he was well-supported by captain Adam Simpson (25 touches, a goal) and Daniel Wells (23 possies, a goal). Corey Jones (6 marks, 7 kicks) kicked 4 second-quarter goals and Jess Sinclair (21 possies, a goal) found plenty of the ball as usual. Tough stoppers Brady Rawlings (21 touches, 9 marks on Kane Cornes) and Daniel Pratt (15 disposals) were okay. David Hale kicked 2 goals. Laidley praised his men’s effort and expressed the hope Port would’ve succumbed to Perth hangover. "We just thought we had to hang around, hang around, hang around, and we did do that," Laidley said. "To their credit, our boys were terrific. They fought it out to the end, but again, when you stand up and speak to them after the game it does not hold much water when you keep telling them they are playing pretty well, and doing a lot of things right, but they haven't got reward for their work. I am just disappointed for the boys. I said that to them straight after the game; that they are not getting reward for their effort. I told them to make sure they hold their head up high and no dragging their tail around their legs, so to speak." Mark Williams said “Right now to be two wins and no losses is a fantastic start and great credit to the players and coaching staff but we’re anticipating some tough games ahead, we’re going to have to work very, very hard. We’ve seen some good stuff going forward and we’ve got a lot of improvement in us. We’ve still got lots to learn and lots to improve on and we certainly look forward to that challenge.”
At Docklands:
Essendon 5.2 8.5 15.6 19.8.122
Fremantle 2.3 6.5 12.8 17.10.112
Ah, the Dons are also going the early crow, telling anyone who’ll listen they’re now a force to considered because they’ve drafted a coupla pacy teenagers. Having a fit Lloyd and Hird, plus Mal Michael down back, hasn’t hurt either. The Dokkers were put very much on the back foot here, unable to match the Dons’ early enthusiasm and intensity. They did play much better after half-time but still relied on the old hands a bit too much. In team selection the Bommers swapped one young big man for another, Jason Laycock replacing Kepler Bradley, while Chris Heffernan came in as a late replacement for Nathan Lovett-Murray (groin strain). Fremantle could recall Matthew Carr, Daniel Gilmore and defender Luke Webster, at the expense of suspended Steven Dodd, injured Justin Longmuir (knee soreness) and the dropped Ryan Murphy.
Essadun did have a lot of run early, driven by oldies like Mark Johnson and Mark McVeigh, along with Brent Stanton and the much-improved Jason Winderlich. The rebounding from defence was good too, assisted by Dokka coach Chris Connolly’s decision to shift Matthew Pavlich into the centre, where Jim Hird was playing. Matty Lloyd conjured a great tight-angle dribbly-snap for an early goal and Angus Monfries steered a very good set-shot home, Scott Lucas was also amongst the goals early as the Bummers went to a 17-point lead at the first change. Evidence for the ‘new’ Bombers was shown in the second term as Andrew Lovett raced through the centre with a three-bounce run and drilled a pass onto the chest of leading Laycock, who converted. But the Dokkaz tightened in defence as Des Headland was sent back as an extra man, Shane Parker and Antoni Grover increased their cling-on factor. Ryan Crowley goaled from a free-kick and Paul Hasleby roved for a good one to have Freo 12 points down at the long break. But key Dokka runner Brett Peake had damaged a shoulder in a tackle, his afternoon was over. The game opened up after half-time as Pavlich returned to the forward-line and the Dokerators tried to be more direct. It didn’t work early as Bomma Lucas kicked a coupla early goal to give them a 22-point lead. But Freo roared back into it as Pavlich and Chris Tarrant began to take marks and kick goals. I was just thinking Tarrant reminded me of Kingsley Hunter for some reason when he kicked two goals in a minute, the second putting Freo in front. Pavlich conjured a bicycle kick to keep the ball in play, then followed up to accept Tarrant’s handpass and boot a goal, placing the Dokkers 7 points ahead. Ex-Don Dean Solomon had been niggling all afternoon and whacked Monfries at this stage, earning a report. Pressure for the Dons but they responded, mainly through Hird switching back onto the ball (from the bench) and excellent play from Lucas, who marked strongly across half-forward all day. Hird put the Dons in front again thanks to a dubious 50m penalty. He booted a goal and Lloyd followed up with a couple as Essadun led by 18 points at the last change. Freo closed within 10 points again in the final term, but a crunching tackle from Alwyn Davey on Shaun McManus and a running goal from Leroy Jetta sealed the result for the Dons.
Another great game from Scotty Lucas here (8 marks, 15 kicks, 5 goals), playing the best footy of his career after winning the Dons’ club champion award last year. Adam McPhee (21 touches, 10 marks) was very good in defence and Brent Stanton (20 kicks, 10 marks, a goal), Jason Winderlich (22 possies) and Mark McVeigh (18 touches, 2 goals) all performed well midfield. James Hird (9 marks, 16 kicks, a goal) wasn’t so happy about frequent spells on the bench apparently, but he was still influential and Matthew Lloyd (5 marks, 11 kicks, 4 goals) worked hard up-and-down the ground. Henry Slattery (12 touches, a goal) and Andrew Lovett (14 possies, a goal) played well. For the Dokkers Matty Pavlich (9 marks, 17 kicks, 4 goals) and Chris Tarrant (9 marks, 18 disposals, 4 goals) lifted them back into the contest and veteran Peter Bell (20 touches, 2 goals) played well, ruckman Aaron Sandilands (14 disposals, 38 hit-outs) and kick-winner Matthew Carr (19 possies, a goal) were quite good. Chris Connolly remained calm. "I don't think you panic at any stage during the year. Discipline with 50-metre penalties was an issue I brought up after the game. We've got some defensive issues to take care of, our tackling has dropped off and that will be a major focus for us, and we've got to maintain a desperate attitude." Big Derby next week. Sheeds is milking it, of course. His contract’s up this year. "We just brought in talent last year. You need educated talent and that's what we've got. (Last year) we had a lot of good games, we played pretty well. But you're seeing a smarter footy team than in the losses we had last year. We would have lost that game last year - we lost all six of those type of games last year."
At the MCG:
Footscray 4.1 5.2 6.5 11.6.72
Adelaide 4.5 8.10 14.12 16.14.110
Bulldog coach Rodney Eade was very angry after the Bullies were, of all things, out-run by the Camrys in a big loss. Or a big win for Addleaid, if you prefer. Eade reckoned the Pups were starting to believe their own publicity about being an unstoppable running force. ‘Rocket’ went on to name names, which was great. Neil Craig said the Camrys’ turnabout in form was based on ‘an improved attitude’. They do play well at Docklands, though. One change in selection for the Dogs, pocket forward Matty Robbins in for injured Brett Montgomery (shoulder). Jason Akermanis played his 250th game, 248 being with the Lyin’s. One change for the Cows, Brett Burton (knee) a late withdrawal and replaced by, er Michael Doughty I think. Simon Goodwin was fit to line up after what appeared a nasty corky last week.
On paper the Cows’ biggest problem appeared to be Bulldog Brad Johnson, who defeated two highly-rated opponents in booting 8 goals against the Cats last week. Craig deputized Nathan Bassett to take on Johnson, with occasional double-teaming from Andrew McLeod. To counter the Bullies’ powerful run from defence, Craig had lots of tall forwards. Similar to Geelong’s tactics, but in this case the Camrys had a winning midfield with Goodwin and Tyson Edwards very good, driven by ruckmen Ben Hudson and Jon Griffin. Anyway, Bulldog Robert Murphy scored the opening goal but the quarter was pretty even. Corolla defender Scott Stevens, taken apart by Scott Lucas last week, started as a forward and he and Scott Welsh gave the Dogs some early trouble. The Cows led by 4 points at the first break but quickly expanded the margin in the second term with two rapid goals from Nathan Bock, who was again exposing Lindsay Gilbee’s weakness in the air. Shaun Higgins booted a great running goal for the Dogs but tall Cow forwards Ian Perrie and Scott Welsh added more majors to have the Cressidas 22 points ahead. The visitors ended the term with four consecutive behinds and an out-on-the-full, so were 26 points ahead at half-time. They had lost Graeme Johncock though, who’d injured an ankle while being tackled by Murphy. Robert ‘Don’t Call Me’ Shirley was also off with a suspected broken hand. But the Camrys’ stranglehold on the game was complete in the third term, scoring six goals to one. Their bigger forwards continued to dominate as rapid ball-movement prevented the Dogs ‘zoning off’. Welsh and Stevens continued to score, set up by the great play of McLeod, Edwards and Goodwin. The Camrys commenced the last quarter leading by 55 points and eased off a bit, Brad Johnson kicked his first goal early. But Akermanis, very quiet on his milestone, soon limped off with a hamstring problem. Welsh’s fourth goal had the Coronas 62 points ahead but the Pups bagged the final three goals of the game, from Higgins, Johnson and Adam Cooney.
Great game from Andrew McLeod (35 disposals, 9 marks) running off half-back, he in particular seems to enjoy Docklands. Tyson Edwards (29 touches) and Simon Goodwin (33 handlings, 8 marks) dominated clearances and inside-50s, with Ben Hudson (19 disposals, 13 hit-outs) and Jon Griffin (11 touches, 14 hit-outs) going well. The scoring was done by the Cows’ not highly-rated but efficient big forwards, Scott Welsh (7 marks, 11 disposals) and Nathan Bock (9 marks, 16 kicks) booted 4 goals each and Scott Stevens (13 marks, 21 possessions) managed 3 goals, Ian Perrie kicked 2 goals. Chris Knights (28 touches, 11 marks) played well and Nathan Bassett (20 handlings, 11 marks) deserves credit for his game on Johnson. On the Bulldog side rovers Scott West (30 disposals) and Daniel Cross (29 touches with 22 handballs) won plenty of the ball as usual but the running men they feed were closed down. Jordan McMahon (26 possies) and Shaun Higgins (14 touches, 3 goals) were alright. Brad Johnson kicked 2 last-quarter goals and Adam Cooney bagged 2 goals. Eade identified the players who weren’t good. "Six of our best ten players were probably our worst players today - (Brad) Johnson, (Ryan) Griffen, (Lindsay) Gilbee, Aka (Jason Akermanis), (Robert) Murphy, Gia (Daniel Giansiracusa). They were probably in our worst eight players. It's pretty tough to win when that happens," Eade said. "Lindsay Gilbee doesn't actually lose his skill level from one week to the next, it's whether you turn up to play. Subconsciously, do we believe our own publicity? We're a young, inexperienced team, we were written up reasonably last week, Adelaide was supposed to have a couple of injuries, do players believe all that hype? You're dealing with human beings, they're worse than horses - at least (with) horses, you know you can get a whip on them and give them a bit of a crack.” Yeah, whip ‘em Rocket! Neil Craig said "A lot of it is about the attitude and the players need to be given pretty much all the credit for that. It was mainly a change in attitude (from last week), plus some things we spoke about from our ball transition. We've done a little bit of work on that and it's amazing you can see some results on that reasonably quickly."
At the MCG:
Hawthorn 2.4 7.8 15.9 17.14.116
Melbourne 4.5 5.7 10.10 14.10.94
The Hawks’ roundly-criticized first round effort, or rather lack of, meant they were never going to lose this Easter Monday game through a low work-rate. And they duly wore down the battling Melbourne, who were left with a bunch of their own Demons (see what I did there?) in the shape of knee injuries to their two main forwards, David Neitz and Russ Robertson. Neitz will miss four weeks and Robbo six, which will not help the Deez at all. The Hawks made changes in selection, mainly to include available senior players Shane Crawford, Campbell Brown and Ben Dixon. Chance Bateman missed with a thigh strain while less experienced Jarryd Roughead was dropped, along with regular Michael Osborne. The Dees also had some returning regulars in defenders Jared Rivers and Nathan Brown, long-kicking Paul Wheatley and tagger Simon Godfrey were also recalled. But the big talk in the build-up was the axing of Adem Yze, who’d played 226 consecutive games for Melbun - that’s 10 seasons’ worth - and was set to break the all-time record of 244, held by former team-mate Jim Stynes. To be fair to Dee coach Neale Daniher, Yze’s game last week was dreadful and followed on from a poor pre-season. “I felt the consecutive games thing was becoming a bit of a sideshow, and distracting Adem from playing his best footy,” said Daniher. Ah well, it’s over now. Also out of the Dee side from round one were injured pair Brock McLean (fractured foot) and Clint Bartram (strained knee) while Ben Holland, like Yze, felt the axe. Wheatley played his 100th game for the Demuns.
The Demuns flew out of the blocks, much like Stawell Gift winner Nathan Allen. Melbun’s Cameron Bruce had 12 touches in the first quarter and key forwards Neitz and Brad Miller booted early goals, the Dees kicked four of the first five. But Neitz was already gone by that stage, his knee ploughing heavily into the turf as he dived for a mark. The Hawks worked into it later in the term, their tags of Brad Sewell on Travis Johnstone and Rick Ladson on Aaron Davey already working well. Goals from Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and Ben Dixon reduced Melbun’s lead to 13 points at the first change. Luke Hodge, Bruce’s opponent, was shifted away from him and to the half-back line for the second term as the Hawks took charge. Ruckmen Robert Campbell and Simon Taylor began to dominate Jeff White, delivering the ball to Crawford and Sam Mitchell. Mark Williams and Tim Boyle provided forward targets, while Ben McGlynn and Clint Young managed running goals. The Hawks led by 13 points at the long break but really kicked clear in the third term as their hard work and rapid ball-movement allowed Williams to take a series of marks on-the-lead. Willo booted 4 goals for the quarter but Boyle bagged the best one, a terrific snap from a throw-in. The Hawkers led by 41 points before Melbun scored the final two goals of the third stanza. Ruckman Mark Jamar gave them a lift in the final term and booted an early goal before the Dees received more bad news, Robertson’s leg buckling as he fell backwards from a pack. He departed and the game slowed for a bit before Simon Godfrey booted another major for Melbun. Then goals followed in rapid succession for Miller and White and suddenly the Dees, with six unanswered goals, trailed by just 7 points. The Hawkers steadied thanks to Melbun indiscipline, a feature of their game against Stinkilda last week too. Hawk Boyle marked 35m out and was slung to the ground by Wheatley, a 50m penalty and easy slot for Boyle.
Skinny Hawk Rick Ladson (27 disposals) won praise for his game on Davey, the Demun now goal-less after two weeks of the season. Brad Sewell (20 touches, 11 marks) was great against Johnstone while more attacking midfield efforts came from Shane Crawford (25 touches, a goal), Jordan Lewis (28 handlings) and Sam Mitchell (25 possies). Mark Williams (8 marks, 16 disposals, 6 goals) did what he can do when allowed space and good delivery, Tim Boyle (11 marks, 13 disposals, 3 goals) showed more promise as a CHF. Luke Hodge (19 disposals) was very good after being shifted to half-back, he signed a new contract on Tuesday. Robert Campbell (10 touches, 28 hit-outs) rucked very well. Oldies Trent Croad and Ben Dixon kicked 2 goals each. Melbun’s best was Cameron Bruce (31 disposals, 12 marks) with a bit of help from ruck-rover James McDonald (30 possessions). Brad Miller (18 touches, 9 marks, 3 goals) worked hard in attack and there were reasonable efforts from wingman Matthew Bate (19 touches, a goal), Simon Godfrey (19 touches, 2 goals) and half-back Nathan Brown (27 disposals). Brent Moloney and Mark Jamar kicked 2 goals each. Melbun are now, officially, the Club Under the Microscope. It was pointed out to Daniher that Melbun recovered from an 0-3 start last year. “Last year is history,” he responded. “We have to create our own future, we paint our own canvas.” Okay, but then he said “Seven points (down), Robertson comes off. That's the way it goes, I guess, when you're losing. We lost two last week (McLean and Bartram), we lost two this week . . . and they (Hawks) kicked really well . . . But I’m happy to be tested. Why not? I'll be stepping up, so we expect our mob, my players, to step up, too." Al Clarkson reacted to the heavy criticism his side copped last week, the most pointed from club director and meedya performer Jason Dunstall. "It's unbelievable how much you get jumped on when you start a season in average fashion. We knew we played poorly so we needed to bounce back," he said. “We weren't cutting our throats for the fact we lost the game last week, we were disappointed in our performance and we had to atone for that. Melbourne are a very, very good side and they have been for the last three or four years and they'll be very much around the mark this year. We played well today but we think we can play a little bit better . . . Sewell did a magnificent job on Johnstone, he's a pivotal player for the Demons; Rick Ladson played on Davey and kept him goalless, which is a super effort, too; and I thought Brownie's job down back on Robertson was first-class,"
Ladder after Round Two
Pts. % Next Week
Brisbane 8 181.9 Sydney (SCG, Sunday)
Essendon 8 122.0 Carlton (MCG, Saturday)
Port Adelaide 8 116.3 Adelaide (Football Park, Saturday)
West Coast 8 108.8 Fremantle (Subiaco, Sat. night)
Geelong 4 129.4 Melbourne (MCG, Sunday)
Sydney 4 110.3 Brisbane (SCG, Sunday)
Adelaide 4 104.0 Port Adelaide (Football Park, Saturday)
Hawthorn 4 98.2 North Melbourne (Docklands, Sunday)
---------------------------
Collingwood 4 94.6 Richmond (MCG, Fri. night)
Footscray 4 91.1 St. Kilda (Docklands, Sat. night)
St. Kilda 4 87.2 Footscray (Docklands, Sat. night)
Carlton 4 76.5 Essendon (MCG, Saturday)
North Melbourne 0 89.7 Hawthorn (Docklands, Sunday)
Fremantle 0 89.3 West Coast (Subiaco, Sat. night)
Richmond 0 83.7 Collingwood (MCG, Fri. night)
Melbourne 0 74.6 Geelong (MCG, Sunday)
Cheers, Tim.
Article last changed on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - 1:58 PM EDT
