by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
COL 5.3 11.7 15.12 23.16 (154) ESS 5.2 6.6 7.7 12.9 (81)
GOALS: COL - Medhurst 6, Cloke 5, Davis 3, Lockyer 3, Didak, Thomas, Wood, Johnson, Swan, Goldsack; ESS - Lloyd 3, Dyson, Stanton, Welsh, Nash, Johns, Michael, Laycock, Fletcher, Reimers
BEST: COL - Medhurst, Pendlebury, H. Shaw, Cloke, O'Brien, Swan, Johnson; ESS - Watson, Stanton, Lovett-Murray, Slattery, Nash, Fletcher
INJURY: COL - Rocca (soreness) replaced in selected side by Wellingham; ESS - Davey (knee) replaced in selected side by Lovett-Murray. Fletcher (adductor)
ANZAC MEDAL: Paul Medhurst
REPORTS: ESS - Johns for rough conduct against Pendlebury
UMPIRES: Vozzo, Rosebury, McInerney
CROWD: 88,999 at the MCG
Essendon Coach Matthew Knights robbed Peter to pay Paul by starting stalwart defender Fletcher in the forward line. At first, it worked with Fletcher kicking a goal in the opening term. Lloyd bagged two for Essendon in the opening term. At the other end, Medhurst gave Winderlich the runaround to kick two for the Pies, Lockyer evaded Michael for another. Both teams added two more goals for the term, then Fletcher missed a shot which would have given Essendon the lead. Instead, it was Collingwood by a point at 1/4 time.
Fletcher missed again at the start of the second term before Reimers slipped between Lloyd and Wakelin, gained possession and goaled to put the Bombers in front. Collingwood took over from there and exploited a leaky Bomber defense where forward Johns couldn't contain Pendlebury. Essendon seemed to sorely miss Fletcher in defense but he remained in the forward line. Essendon was also their own worst enemy as they often coughed up the ball, sometimes under no pressure from the Magpies. At least four of Collingwood's eight goals came as the result of Essendon errors. Nor could they break through the Collingwood defense which restricted them to just one goal for the term as the Pies raced to a 33 point lead at 1/2 time.
It was more of the same in the third term as Essendon could not crack Collingwood's defense. They also had no answer for Medhurst. He had a variety of opponents but none were able to shut him down. He and the other Magpie forwards were well serviced by the long-kicking midfield. They piled on four goals to one for a more than comfortable 53 point lead at 3/4 time.
There was a brief challenge from Essendon in the final term, but their five goals were not enough as the Magpies kicked a further eight. The 73 point final margin was Collingwood's biggest win over Essendon since 1971 when they downed the Bombers by 147 points. It also gives Collingwood seven Anzac Day wins to Essendon's six. The 1995 game ended in a draw.
GEEL 1.1 8.4 8.7 13.11 (89) FRE 3.6 8.6 12.8 13.10 (88)
GOALS: GEEL - S. Johnson 3, Mooney 3, Chapman 2, Stokes, Ablett, Milburn, Wojcinski, Hawkins; FRE - Pavlich 5, Solomon 2, Crowley, Farmer, Ibbotson, Murphy, Palmer, Sandilands
BEST: GEEL - Corey, Enright, Mooney, Chapman, Selwood, Milburn; FRE - Sandilands, Bell, Ibbotson, Pavlich, Crowley, Thornton
INJURY: GEEL - Harley (buttocks); FRE - Headland (knee) replaced in selected side by Thornton. Hayden (thigh), Grover (corked thigh), Dodd (corked thigh)
REPORT: FRE - J. Carr for kneeing Ablett
UMPIRES: Farmer, Margetts, Kennedy
CROWD: 38,022 at Subiaco Oval
Fremantle came out and immediately threw everything at the Cats. Sandilands was winning the center bounces to feed the likes of Bell, Thornton and Dodd and Carr. Pavlich was proving a handful up forward against a Cat defense missing Harley. Crowley put the clamps on the dangerous Ablett as Pavlich kicked the opening goal. They kept the pressure on to restrict the Cats to just one goal for the term through Mooney while adding two more of their own. Only some wayward kicking kept them from having a bigger lead. McManus and Solomon both hit the post and Pavlich missed another late, leaving the Dockers with a 17 point lead at 1/4 time.
An unlikely upset appeared to be within Fremantle's grasp when they slammed through five of the first six goals of the second term to storm to a 39 point lead. Geelong would not be denied and went into action. One of Geelong's strengths is the ability to punish opposition mistakes. It was no different in this game. With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Gilmore's kick was intercepted by Ling who passed to Milburn for a goal. They then proceeded to ram on five more, cutting the Docker lead to just two points at 1/2 time.
The Dockers rallied in the third term and again stopped the Cats' run. They restricted the Cats to just two points for the term while adding four goals of their own for a 25 point lead at 3/4 time.
It took the Cats until midway through the final term for the Cats to overhaul the Dockers. And they got a bit of help from a timekeeping error late in the term. Before that, goals to Chapman, Steve Johnson, Hawkins and Mooney gave the Cats the lead. Stokes goaled late in the term to put Geelong eight points clear. Pavlich then goaled to have the Dockers within two points. The Dockers had another chance when Palmer won the ball and passed to Pavlich again. Pavlich hit the post with the shot which would have won the game. Instead, the Cats clung to a one point lead with just 16 seconds remaining. Selwood had the ball for the Cats but kicked out on the full. Murphy took the free kick which should have gone to Schammer. The umpires recalled the play, which had eaten up nine seconds. Those seconds were not restored to the clock as Schammer kicked the ball forward where young Cat defender Harry Taylor took a game saving mark (catch of the ball) just before the siren sounded.
Afterward, a less than happy Docker Coach Mark Harvey said he would wait for a report from the league regarding the timekeeper error. AFL spokesman Patrick Keane wasted little time in responding. In a radio interview, he stated that the timekeepers had erred and would have their performance assessed and admitted the clock should have been stopped at the proper time.
ADE 3.3 6.7 12.11 16.15 (111) CARL 5.7 7.11 9.13 11.15 (81)
GOALS: ADE - Burton 4, Douglas 3, Porplyzia 2, Tippett 2, Bock, Doughty, Goodwin, McLeod, Vince; CARL - Betts 2, Judd 2, Simpson, Stevens, Browne, Cloke, Fevola, Murphy, Fisher
BEST: ADE - Thompson, Burton, Johncock, Griffin, Goodwin, McLeod, Shirley, Edwards, Bock; CARL - Scotland, Stevens, Murphy, Bentick, Simpson, Carrazzo
INJURY: ADE - Rutten (corked buttock);; CARL - Thornton (knee), Hartlett (hamstring)
CHANGES: CARL - Hadley (groin) replaced in selected side by Bentick
REPORTS: CARL - Pfeiffer for rough conduct on Johncock
UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Kamolins, Wenn
CROWD: 41,033 at the MCG
Despite the tagging efforts of Shirley on Judd, and Fevola kept quiet, the Blues jumped the Crows with goals to Murphy and Betts to start the game. Bock added just one for the Crows in the term while Carlton had a third and a 16 point lead at 1/4 time.
Carlton lost Thornton and Hartlett in the first term to injury while Rutten came off for the Crows during the second term. Adelaide stole the lead with three goals early in the second term, but Carlton fought back with two of their own. It was enough to allow them to hang onto a 10 point lead at 1/2 time.
Two bad errors by Gibbs and Kreuzer at the start of the third term cost goals. Gibbs tried a short kick to teammate Jamison which fell short of the mark. Gibbs recovered the ball only to have his pass picked off by Goodwin for a goal. Then Kreuzer's attempted pass to Bower was intercepted by Porplyzia for the next Adelaide goal which gave the Crows the lead. Somewhere in between, Carlton managed to steal back the lead but goals to Burton, Doughty, McLeod and Douglas had the Crows up by 16 points at 3/4 time.
Adelaide extended their lead with the first two goals of the final term. Late in the term, the Crows had a 19 point lead. Vince goaled from a free kick to put the Crows further ahead. Carlton defender Waite then punched the ball into the crowd out of sheer frustration. He was penalized by the umpire for time-wasting. The free kick went to Douglas, the nearest player to Waite at the time and he goaled from dead in front.to give the Crows a matchwinning lead of 36 points. Judd kicked a late consolation goal to trim the margin back to 30 points.
PA 3.2 6.5 10.7 12.10 (82) STK 0.2 3.4 7.5 9.7 (61)GOALS: PA - Motlop 3, Tredrea 2, Boak 2, Ebert, Lade, S Burgoyne, Pettigrew, Cassisi; STK - Riewoldt 3, Koschitzke 2, Gram, X Clarke, Armitage, Montagna
BEST: PA - K. Cornes, Salopek, Tredrea, Cassisi, Chaplin, P. Burgoyne; STK - Hayes, Gram, Goddard, Montagna, Birss, Riewoldt
INJURY: Chad Cornes (broken hand)
UMPIRES: Donlon, Stevic, Schmitt
CROWD: 20,517 at AAMI Stadium
A strong wind blew through the ground for most of the game and that might account for the abysmal start by both teams. Although the Saints matched Port at the contests, they were their own worst enemy with skill errors, constantly missed teammates with the ball and gave away a number of unnecessary free kicks. Much of the first term was played out in a very congested midfield. It wasn't until late in the term that Port kicked the first goal of the match. The Saints managed just two points for the term while Port added two more goals for an 18 point lead at 1/4 time.
Chad Cornes spent part of the first term on the bench getting an injured hand attended to. He was back on in the second term and pushed forward alongside Westhoff and Tredrea. It proved to be an effective move as Port had another two goals on the board before Riewoldt finally kicked St. Kilda's first midway through the term. It seemed to spark the Saints who added goals through Koschitzke and Xavier Clarke to cut Port's lead to 19 points at 1/2 time.
The Saints got within seven points with two goals early in the third term but Port pulled away. With Tredrea in excellent form and Rodan creating chances, Port kicked four of the next six goals to lead by 20 points at 3/4 time.
Both teams kicked just two goals each in the final term as Port recorded just their second win of the year.
WB 7.3 11.6 19.10 20.14 (134) WCE 4.1 8.3 9.4 11.8 (74)
GOALS: WB - Murphy 4, Akermanis 4, Cooney 2, Hahn 2, Welsh 2, Giansiracusa 2, Wight, Addison, Eagleton, Gilbee; WCE - Jones 3, McKinley 2, Lynch 2, Braun, Kerr, Wirrpanda, Kennedy
BEST: WB - Murphy, Cooney, Cross, Boyd, Akermanis, Wight, Griffen; WCE - Waters, Jones, Kennedy, Cox, Embley, Selwood, Kerr
INJURY: WCE - Hurn (corked calf), Hunter (knee)
REPORTS: WCE - Staker for striking Murphy
UMPIRES: James, Meredith, Mollison
CROWD: 9,927 at Telstra Dome
Over the past several seasons, Sydney and the Eagles have developed an interesting rivalry through some very close matches. There is also some animosity between the Eagles and Bulldogs, stemming back to the 1990s when the Bulldogs came under scrutiny and criticism for their scragging tactics. The opening was reminiscent of those previous seasons. Part of it was the result of Jason Akermanis publicly apologizing last week for his comments last year which led to the media naming Braun as a drug user. Hurn and Kerr went after Akermanis. Boyd lined up on Kerr and wore him like a glove. Wirrpanda was again in the forward line and booted the opening goal for the Eagles, only for the Bulldogs to reply a few minutes later when Cooney picked off a hand pass by Hunter and goaled from close range. Soon after, Kerr and West tangled. West bumped Kerr who then looked to have headbutted West. Staker swung at Murphy and the fight was on. Once order was restored, the Bulldogs got the upper hand. Wirrpanda was relegated to defense, Hurn was off injured and the Dogs kicked six goals to three to finish 20 points ahead at 1/4 time.
The Bulldogs appeared to have the momentum through the second term. With the midfield winning the more of the ball, the Dogs continued the barrage. The Eagles managed to keep pace with the Dogs to break even for the term. Both sides kicked four goals each, leaving the Dogs with a 21 point lead at 1/2 time.
The Bulldogs went up another cog in the third term, despite some heavy pressure from the Eagles in the first half. It didn't seem to phase them one bit as continued to run and constantly pump the ball forward. With Eagle defenders Hurn and Hunter off, the floodgates opened. Although they missed a few shots early, the Dogs still slammed on eight goals to one for the term. Akermanis and Giansiracusa each booted a pair and Murphy had his fourth of the match as the Bulldogs simply ran the Eagles ragged to notch a 66 point lead at 3/4 time.
The final term was a mere formality as the Bulldogs protected their lead. They slowed a bit in the term kicking just two goals. The Eagles also added a pair but the damage had been down in the previous three terms.
NM 1.2 3.7 7.9 9.10 (64) SYD 3.5 4.7 6.10 8.16 (64)GOALS: NM - Jones 2, Thompson 2, Hale 2, McIntosh, Campbell, Harding; SYD - O'Loughlin 3, Goodes 2, Davis, Bird, Jolly
BEST: NM - Firrito, Petrie, Lower, Campbell, Simpson; SYD - Goodes, Kirk, Kennelly, Bevan, Jack
INJURY: NM - Edwards (broken leg)
UMPIRES: McLaren, Ryan, Avon
CROWD: 28,392 at Telstra Dome
Adam Goodes was back to his best from the start. His work through the middle helped set up the Swans for the first two goals. In typical Sydney style, the Swans kept the Kangaroos goalless until late in the term and added a third of their own to lead by 15 points at 1/4 time.
The Kangaroos went on the attack early in the second term to reverse the trend of the opening. They were able to repel Sydney attacks and move the ball forward quickly. Thompson goaled twice to cut Sydney's lead to seven points. From there, they wasted scoring chances. They kept the Swans to just one goal for term, which was the margin at 1/2 time.
Campbell's goal at the start of the third term reduced the lead to just one point. Harding goaled a few minutes later to increase the lead to nine points. The Swans came back with two goals to regain the lead before the Roos booted another pair. The last came to McIntosh to give the Kangaroos a five point lead at 3/4 time.
The Kangaroos kicked two goals early in the final term to increase their lead to 16 points as the Swans managed just a two points until the dying minutes of the match. The Swans persisted in those last few minutes and their attack on goal was relentless. O'Loughlin kicked two goals in the space of a few minutes
to cut the Kangaroo lead. Sydney then squandered opportunities to win the match with four straight behinds. Instead of having a potential match-winning lead, they were still one point in arrears. With just one minute left on the clock, Kirk won the ball and kicked for goal. It would have sealed the game for Sydney but Firrito touched the ball on the line to level the scores.
BRIS 3.6 10.13 15.17 19.23 (137) MELB 2.1 5.2 8.3 13.7 (85)GOALS: BRIS - Bradshaw 6, Hooper 4, Corrie 3, Brown 2, Johnstone 2, Adcock, Rischitelli; MELB - Jones 4, Wonaeamirri 3, Sylvia 2, Miller 2, Green, Robertson
BEST: BRIS - Corrie, Black, Hooper, Brennan, Bradshaw;
MELB - Jones, Bell, Wonaeamirri, Green, Sylvia
UMPIRES: M. Nicholls, Head, Armstrong
CROWD: 22,878 at the Gabba
Against some of the heavyweights of the league, such as Geelong, Brisbane could have found themselves in a heap of trouble in the first term. Against Melbourne, the errors didn't matter much, nor did Brown's wayward kicking or Bradshaw's limited impact in the opening term. The Lions forced plenty of turnovers, but failed to capitalized on most of them. Almost fittingly, it was Johnstone who got the Lions' first goal against his former team. Some poor kicking for goal netted the Lions just one more goal before the Demons added one more through Jones midway through the term. Brown added one more for the Lions late in the term. He had another shot just before the siren but kicked the ball out of bounds. It was still enough to give the Lions an 11 point lead at 1/4 time.
Brisbane exploded in the second term. While Brown and Bradshaw still were having minimal impact, Hooper and Corrie were damaging. Hooper kicked three of the Lions' seven goals while Corrie and Bradshaw each added one. The Demons found enough to add three goals of their own but the Lions were out to a 41 point lead at 1/2 time.
Brisbane's dominance continued in the third term. They kicked five goals to three to power away from a hapless Melbourne and lead by 56 points at 3/4 time.
Melbourne finally put up some resistance in the final term. They managed to outscore a tiring Brisbane five goals to three to avoid a more embarrassing loss.
HAW 4.7 6.12 10.18 14.22 (106) RICH 4.1 6.1 11.4 15.4 (94)GOALS: HAW - Roughead 5, Williams 2, Osborne 2, Rioli 2, Young, Franklin, McGlynn; RICH - Richardson 4, Brown 3, Morton 2, Deledio, Riewoldt, Johnson, Tuck, Tambling, Schulz
BEST: HAW - Hodge, Roughead, Osborne, Crawford, Mitchell, Rioli; RICH - Richardson, Deledio, Foley, King, Tuck, Morton
INJURY: RICH - White (knee)
UMPIRES: McBurney, Stewart, Jeffery
CROWD: 46,076 at the MCG
The Hawks nearly let this game get away from them. Hodge, Mitchell, Osborne, Ladson and Crawford were productive in the midfield for the Hawks while Richardson once again started on a wing for the Tigers with telling effect. He also spent part of the first half in defense in an effort to block Hawk star Franklin. He eventually was recalled to his normal place in the forward line. Hawthorn's goal yips were evident from the outset with Roughead missing an easy goal from just 15 meters (16 yards). Some of their misses could be excused due to Richmond's flooding tactics which forced the Hawk forwards to kick from tight angles and under pressure. After several misses, Rioli, Franklin, Roughead and Williams kicked goals to give the Hawks a 22 point lead. The Tigers also kicked four in the term, but the Hawks wasted more chances including one to Franklin late, leaving the Hawks with just a six point lead at 1/4 time.
Richmond continued to clog up Hawthorn's forward line in the second term. The Hawks continued their wastefulness in front of goal. Although they had almost double the scoring chances over the Tigers, they were able to kick just two goals for the term as did the Tigers. Instead of blowing the Tigers away in the term, they came away with just an 11 point lead at 1/2 time.
Hawthorn's poor kicking kept the Tigers in the game in the third term. The normally accurate Franklin kicked another two points (on his way to 2.7 for the game). They did manage to keep the Tigers at bay with two goals before the Tigers booted five, the last from Schulz giving the Tigers the lead late in the term. The Hawks found their range to kick the last two goals through McGlynn and Roughead. Although they weren't kicking goals, the Hawks could at least be grateful for the eight points they kicked which was the margin at 3/4 time.
That lead was cut to just two points with a goal to Richardson in the first minute of the final term. More missed chances by the Hawks still had Richmond hopeful. Richardson and Morton added goals for the Tigers, but Rioli kicked one and Roughead kicked a pair to seal the win.
GOALS
Franklin (HAW) 30 Bradshaw (BRIS) 29 Fevola (CARL) 27 Richardson (RICH) 19 Burton (ADE) 18 Roughead (HAW) 18 Goodwin (ADE) 17 Medhurst (COL) 17 Pavlich (FRE) 17 Thompson (NM) 16
Source: Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, afl.com.au, author notes from live broadcast
Article last changed on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 2:41 PM EDT
