by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
COL 5.1 10.3 14.5 16.7 (103) STK 6.3 9.5 12.6 14.10 (94)
GOALS: COL - Didak 3, Burns 2, Medhurst 2, Rocca, O'Brien, Pendlebury, Bryan, Wellingham, Davis, Johnson, Lockyer, Thomas; STK - Milne 2, Dal Santo 2, Armitage 2, Birss 2, Montagna, Gehrig, Goddard, Gram, Koschitzke, Harvey
BEST: COL - Didak, Davis, R. Shaw, Thomas, Burns; STK - Ball, Hayes, S. Fisher, Armitage, Dal Santo
UMPIRES: Rosebury, McInerney, Stevic
CROWD: 48,417 at Telstra Dome
A highly entertaining game which saw both sides running hard and matching each other all over the ground at various times. The Saints had the better start with Ball prominent for St. Kilda and helping set up Montagna for the first goal. The Pies responded quickly when Rocca bombed a long goal from over 60 yards. Both sides were moving the ball quickly but Collingwood soon got on top. First it was O'Brien who stole the ball from Milne, then Pendlebury goaled as did Gehrig at the other end. Didak got away from Dempster to give the Magpies a two goal lead. Armitage and Didak swapped goals and the Pies were out to an 11 point lead. The Pie defense swooped when Milne and Gehrig both failed to take the ball and Davis ran it out of defense to set up anther Magpie goal. A three goal burst by Saints Birss, Milne and Armitage gave St. Kilda an eight point lead at 1/4 time.
When Dal Santo goaled early in the second term and the Saints were out to a 15 point lead. Medhurst set up Bryan for a goal, then kicked one himself to slash the Saint lead. The Saints came back again with goals to Goddard and another to Dal Santo. The momentum shifted back Collingwood's way as Burns and Wellingham goaled. Hayes had a chance to give the Saints some breathing space, but missed. Thomas marked (caught the ball) just before the siren. He goaled after the siren to give Collingwood a four point lead at 1/2 time.
Davis kicked a brilliant goal early in the third term as the momentum again seemed to shift in Collingwood's favor. When Johnson goaled midway through the term, the Pies led by 18 points. The Saints came again, pouncing on several Collingwood errors for two goals to Koschitzke and Gram. Goddard then appeared to hold Lockyer and was penalized. Lockyer goaled from a free kick to give the Pies an 11 point lead at 3/4 time.
Ball had a shot for the Saints at the start of the final term, but missed. Didak outbustled Dempster and his goal gave the Pies a 17 point lead. Harvey and Burns then added goals for their respective sides. Gardiner's chance to goal for the Saints was foiled by a desperate by O'Brien whose pressure saw Gardiner's kick go astray. With just a few minutes remaining, Birss kicked a goal to get the Saints closer. Milne twice had opportunities late in the term, but O'Brien was too strong for the small goalsneak as the Pies cleared the ball to hang on for the win.
HAW 2.2 8.7 15.9 17.15 (117) PA 7.4 11.6 14.8 15.12 (102)
GOALS: HAW - Franklin 6, Roughead 3, Osborne 2, Sewell 2, Williams, Young, McGlynn, Rioli; PA - Tredrea 4, Ebert 3, D. Motlop 2, Gray, Thomson, S. Burgoyne, Rodan, J. Westhoff
BEST: HAW - Sewell, Mitchell, Franklin, Lewis, Bateman, Brown;
PA - S. Burgoyne, Pearce, P. Burgoyne, K. Cornes, Gray, Rodan
INJURY: HAW - Guerra (hamstring)
REPORTS: HAW - McGlynn for making front-on contact to K Cornes
UMPIRES: Kennedy, M. Nicholls, Wenn
CROWD: 15,682 at Aurora Stadium, Tasmania
Port was all over the Hawks in the opening term. Shaun Burgoyne was at his best in the midfield along with Pearce while brother Peter was busy in defense. Tredrea was giving the Hawk defense massive problems, kicking three goals for the term. Port had four goals on the board before the Hawks could reply. Key Hawk playmaker Mitchell had to be stretchered off in the term after a heavy hit from Shaun Burgoyne. Franklin kicked Hawthorn's only two goals for the term while Port added four more to lead by 32 points at 1/4 time.
Peter Burgoyne was again mopping up well in defense and helped set up Peter for the first goal of the second term and Port was out to a 38 point lead. By this time the Hawks were down another player as Guerra came off injured. Despite the setbacks, Hawthorn slowly worked their way back into the game with Sewell lifting to get the better of Shaun Burgoyne. He kicked a pair of goals for the term to keep the Hawks in the contest. Mitchell returned to the field to have an influence along with Lewis. Both sides added four goals each as the Hawks cut Port's lead to 17 points at 1/2 time.
Roughead had the Hawks within 11 points early in the third term. Two errors from Young led to goals to Motlop and Westhoff. Young then found himself on the bench. Hawthorn went on a goal spree, kicking six of the next seven. Franklin's goal gave them the lead for the first time in the match. Roughead then marked (caught the ball) and goaled from close range to give Hawthorn a seven point lead at 3/4 time.
Hawthorn then squandered chance after chance to put the game away. Poor kicking for goal resulted in just one goal and five points through most of the final term. It didn't really matter as they restricted Port to just one goal for the term. Port wasn't much better in the term as their five scoring chances resulted in four behinds while the Hawks finally found the target to add one final goal to seal the win.
GEEL 2.1 4.4 11.12 14.15 (99) RICH 3.2 5.4 6.7 10.9 (69)
GOALS: GEEL - Chapman 4, Gamble 2, Ling 2, Ablett, Hawkins, Milburn, Mooney, Selwood, Wojcinski; RICH - Bowden 2, Cotchin 2, Deledio 2, Edwards, McMahon, Richardson, Tambling
BEST: GEEL - Ablett, Chapman, Mooney, Kelly, Ling;
RICH - Richardson, Tuck, Deledio, Cotchin
UMPIRES: McLaren, Head, Mollison
CROWD: 37,275 at MCG
In a good sign for the Tigers, Richmond seemed to fire early and made the Cats work for everything. Richardson was again stationed on a wing rather up forward and he had an early impact. Young Foley was doing the stopping job on Cat star Ling while Tuck kept Bartel quiet. Richmond handled the wet conditions better than the Cats in the first half. Rookie Cotchin joined the first kick-first goal club as the Tigers booted three goals to two for a seven point lead at 1/4 time.
That lead was out to 20 points when the Tigers kicked the first two goals of the second term. It sparked the Cats into action as they stifled Richmond's forward line for the rest of the term. Ablett moved to the midfield in the term as the Cats lifted. They kicked the only other two goals for the term to cut Richmond's lead to just six points at 1/2 time.
Ling got away from Foley for the opening goal of the third term. It kick-started Geelong as the Cats began to attack the ball and the contest with renewed vigor. The Tigers faltered under the intensity as the Cats piled on more goals. Chapman's goal gave Geelong the lead for the first time. Ablett kicked Geelong's fifth for the term a few minutes later and it was all over as the Cats slammed through seven goals to one for a 35 point lead at 3/4 time.
Richmond salvaged a bit of pride as they outscored the Cats four goals to three in the final term.
NM 5.2 7.2 11.8 13.11 (89) WCE 4.3 9.5 10.7 12.11 (83)
GOALS: NM - Hale 3, Thompson 2, Grant 2, Harris, Harvey, Jones, Simpson, Wells, Campbell; WCE - Staker 3, Lynch 2, Kennedy 2, McKinley 2, Davis, Stenglein, Wirrpanda
BEST: NM - Simpson, Grant, Hale, Harris, Wells, Harvey; WCE - Cox, Fletcher, Staker, Kennedy, Wirrpanda, Embley
INJURY: NM - Obst (punctured lung).
REPORTS: NM - Harvey (NM) for tripping Priddis
UMPIRES: Donlon, Vozzo, Kamolins
CROWD: 6354 at Gold Coast Stadium
A pre-game downpour made for a wet field, but it didn't dampen the spirits with the Kangaroos and Eagles putting a goal show in the opening term. The game got off to a slow start with the Eagles keeping the ball in their forward zone, but they couldn't capitalize, kicking just one goal. The game then sped up and the ball zipped quickly from one end to the other. Despite Cox dominating the ruck duels, the Kangaroos seized control to kick four goals midway through the term. The Eagles rallied with goals to Lynch, Graham and elevated rookie Davis. Hale marked the ball and goaled late in the term to give the Kangaroos a five point lead at 1/4 time.
West Coast hit back in the second term, taking advantage of some bad Kangaroo turnovers. Former Blue Kennedy earned his keep at center half forward with a goal and several assists as the Eagles slammed on four goals for a 20 point lead. The Kangaroos fought back with two of the last three goals for the term, but still trailed by 15 points at 1/2 time.
Staker kicked the Eagles' only goal early in the third term for a 21 point lead. Jones then executed a smother of the ball, gained possession and goaled. it sparked the Kangaroos as Hale and Thompson added further goals to cut West Coast's lead. Braun pushed Simpson in the back and Simpson goaled to give the Kangaroos a seven point lead at 3/4 time.
After several misses early in the final term, Wells goaled for the Kangaroos only for Kennedy to reply at the other end to have the the Eagles within less than a goal. Thomas then took a strong grab but managed to kick just one point. Another crucial point to Thomas had the Kangaroos out to just a one goal lead, but McKinley goaled to level the scores. Hale's point and a goal to Campbell gave the Kangaroos a seven point lead in the dying minutes. The best the Eagles could do was another point to Embley to again make the difference one straight goal. The best the Eagles could hope for was a tie, but the Kangaroos held them off.
BRIS 8.3 11.8 16.13 18.17 (125) CARL 2.2 4.8 9.14 12.20 (92)
GOALS: BRIS - Brown 6, Johnstone 3, Black 2, Hooper 2, Adcock, Bradshaw, Corrie, Drummond, Rischitelli; CARL - Fevola 5, Murphy 2, Wiggins 2, Betts, Judd, Russell
BEST: BRIS - Black, Johnstone, Brown, Power, McGrath, Patfull, Rischitelli; CARL - Scotland, Murphy, Fevola, Waite, Judd
UMPIRES: Farmer, Chamberlain, Ryan
CROWD: 38,675 at Telstra Dome
The young Blues were no match for a rampaging Brown and a Lion outfit getting back to their best. Although Murphy, Scotland Judd worked hard, costly turnovers were feasted upon by Johnstone, Black Power and Co. as Brisbane hammered Carlton with eight goals to two in the first term. The game was as good as over with the Lions leading by 37 points at 1/4 time.
The Blues simply had no answer. Although the second term was low-scoring, Brisbane was still well in control with three goals to two. It was becoming a question of how much Brisbane and how many Brown, who had four goals on the board and the Lions a 42 point lead at 1/2 time.
Fevola goaled to start the third term, but the Lions kicked the next three for a 56 point lead. The Blues rallied briefly to kick three of the next five goals but there was little hope of a comeback. The Lions were hardly going let slip a 41 point lead at 3/4 time.
Brown kicked 10 in one game last year, and the only interest for the rest of the game was if he could do it again. At least the Blues managed to prevent him kicking any more for the game. They even managed to outscore the Lions three goals to two, but it was little consolation.
SYD 4.5 6.11 13.15 21.17 (143) ESS 0.2 4.7 7.9 7.10 (52)
GOALS: SYD - O'Loughlin 6, Playfair 3, Jolly 3, O'Keefe 2, Moore 2, Kirk, Barry, Buchanan, Richards, Jack; ESS - Welsh 2, Hille 2, Lloyd, Jetta, Neagle
BEST: SYD - O'Loughlin, Kirk, Goodes, O'Keefe, Playfair, McVeigh, Moore; ESS - Stanton, McVeigh, Fletcher, Reimers, Monfries
INJURY: SYD - Kennelly ( dislocated kneecap)
UMPIRES: McBurney, Armstrong, Avon
CROWD: 34,904 at ANZ Stadium
Much of the interest at the start of this game was how Nick Malceski would go in his first game back after radical knee surgery. Malceski started on the bench and watched as his teammates blasted the Bombers out of the water. The early onslaught began early in the first term with goals to Jolly twice and Moore. The only blot came from Playfair as the Swans raced out to a 19 point lead before Mark McVeigh registered Essendon's only score for the term, a point. The Swans continued to move the ball forward but Essendon's defense briefly withstood the blitz to rush through four consecutive points, thus avoiding a massive blowout. O'Loughlin was awarded a 50 meter (55 yards) penalty and goaled late in the term before Jolly added another point to give the Swans a 27 point lead at 1/4 time.
Whatever Coach Matthew Knights said to his troops at the break worked as the Bombers came out much more fired up. Welsh goaled within a minute of the restart and the Bombers continued to attack relentlessly. There is a saying that the game is sometimes a matter of inches. In this case, it seemed a matter of points and goals to Lloyd and Hille were sandwiched between misses from Monfries and Neagle. When Hille goaled midway through the term, the Bombers had cut Sydney's lead to just 8 points. The points continued to flow, first to O'Keefe and Jolly twice, then Sydney rushed several points to stop Essendon's run. Essendon rushed a point. Another goal to Hille and a point to Houli had Essendon within 2 points. Playfair goaled from almost the same spot from which he missed in the opening term to increase Sydney's lead. By this time, Kennelly was off, not to return. Another rushed point by Essendon and a Jude Bolton behind were followed by a late goal to O'Loughlin as the Swans took a 16 point lead at 1/2 time.
O'Loughlin, who was enjoying silver-platter service from his hardworking midfielders, marked (caught the ball) and goaled at the start of the third term. O'Keefe followed suit a few minutes later to give the Swans a 28 point lead. Essendon rallied briefly with three goals. Welsh's was followed by a freakish soccer goal from Jetta and another to Neagle. Leading by 24 points, the Swans took over again. O'Keefe and Buchanan goaled before Barry ran from defense to register his second goal of the season. Playfair added another as did Kirk from the next center bounce and the Swans were out to a 42 point lead at 3/4 time.
The Bombers were completely helpless in the final term. O'Loughlin had a succession of opponents, including Fletcher, to no avail. Despite the loss of Kennelly, the Swans restricted Essendon to a solitary point at the start of the final term. Even that was rushed by the Swans themselves. From there, it was a procession in front of goal for the Swans. O'Loughlin kicked a pair after which Player and Richards goaled. Kirk won the ball out of the center and found O'Loughlin again. Moore, Jolly and Jack got in on the action as the Swans cruised home for the Marn Grook Trophy.
As for Malceski, he played about half the game coming on and off the bench, won a few possessions, laid a few tackles and his knee came through with flying colors.
ADE 8.1 12.6 15.15 22.18 (150) MELB 4.4 6.5 7.7 11.8 (74)
GOALS: ADE - Burton 5, Tippett 4, Porplyzia 3, Goodwin 3, Jericho 3, Knights, Vince, van Berlo, Stevens; MELB - Morton 3, Robertson 2, Miller, Garland, Moloney, Wonaeamirri, Bartram, Bate
BEST: ADE - Burton, Vince, Knights, Porplyzia, Tippett, Stevens, Bock, van Berlo; MELB - Bell, White, Morton, Wonaeamirri
INJURY: ADE - Massie (hamstring tightness) replaced in side by Jacky; MELB - Rivers replaced in side by Johnson
UMPIRES: Fila, Meredith, Ellis
CROWD: 35,649 at AAMI Stadium
With a bevy of talented young midfielders in van Berlo, Vince, Knights and Jericho, the Crows were able to again station Goodwin in the forward line. The tight Crow defense was a bit shaky at the start as the Demons matched Adelaide's intensity early to force several skill errors. One of those allowed young Morton to goal for Melbourne. Adelaide was quick to reply with goals to Goodwin and Porplyzia. The Demons looked likely to put on a decent showing with goals to Garland, Miller and Wonaeamirri. It was their best opening term for the season to date. However, the Crows were better with further goals to Burton against his second opponent, van Berlo, Tippett, Knights and Porplyzia. It was also Adelaide's best opening term for the year and they led by 21 points at 1/4 time.
The Crow defense tightened up after Moloney nailed Melbourne's next goal five minutes into the second term. Adelaide’s midfield then seized control and helped set up for four goal run for the Crows. At one stage of the term, the Crows found themselves one player short on the ground due to some confusion surrounding the new interchange procedures. The gaff didn't seem to affect the Crows who restricted the Dees to just one more goal and led by 37 points at 1/2 time.
Only inaccuracy by Adelaide prevented a complete humiliation for Melbourne. The Crows controlled everything and continually pumped the ball forward. They managed just three goals and nine points for the term with Burton a prime offender with three behinds. The best Melbourne could do was one late goal to Robertson, leaving the Crows with a hefty 56 point lead at 3/4 time.
The Demons tried once more in the final term with two goals to Robertson and one to Bartram reducing Adelaide's lead to 38 points. Soon after, "Birdman" Burton soared high for one of his trademark screamers (high leaping catch of the ball) and it was game over. Melbourne goaled once more but the Crows hammered them with another six goals. Jericho kicked three of those and Goodwin added two more for an emphatic Adelaide win.
WB 6.3 9.4 11.8 17.12 (114) FRE 6.2 9.5 14.8 17.9 (111)
GOALS: WB - Murphy 3, Akermanis 3, Cooney 2, Welsh 2, Giansiracusa 2, Eagleton, Hahn, Hudson, Minson, Johnson;
FRE - Pavlich 4, Tarrant 4, Peake 2, Bradley, Ibbotson, Mundy, Palmer, Solomon, Crowley, Farmer
BEST: WB - Akermanis, Griffen, Cooney, Eagleton, Murphy, Giansiracusa, Cross; FRE - Bell, Black, Bradley, Tarrant, Pavlich, Palmer, Peake
INJURY: WB - Callan replaced in selected side by Williams; FRE - Foster replaced in selected side by Peake
UMPIRES: James, Jeffery, Keating
CROWD: 35,624 at Subiaco Oval
Subiaco has rarely held much fear for the Bulldogs as both they and the Dockers put on quite a show. For the Dockers, it was Pavlich and Tarrant. At the other end, it was Murphy and Akermanis for the Dogs. The lead changed several times in the first term with the Dockers taking a five point lead late. Akermanis goaled after the siren to give the Bulldogs a one point lead at 1/4 time.
Akermanis started the second term with one of his boundary line specials and was followed by a goal to Minson. It opened up a 13 point lead for the Bulldogs, their biggest of the game. Fremantle matched their efforts through Mundy and Tarrant. This time, it was Pavlich for Freo after the siren. His goal gave the Dockers a one point lead at 1/2 time.
The start of the third term mirrored that of the second, but this time went in favor of the Dockers. Pavlich and Tarrant both goaled to give Freo a 13 point lead. The Dockers looked set to break away when Dodd and Gilbee tangled, resulting in a 50 meter penalty to Dodd. Instead of taking his kick, Dodd retaliated, the free kick was reversed and Gilbee passed to Murphy for another Bulldog goal. The Dockers then steadied, restricting the Dogs to just one more goal for the term while adding three of their own. Exciting youngster Palmer added one and Peake nailed two on the run to give the Dockers a 17 point lead. It could have been more if Tarrant hadn't missed, leaving the Dockers with a three goal lead at 3/4 time.
Tarrant missed anther at the start of the final term, leaving the door open for the Bulldogs. Giansiracusa and Akermanis goaled to cut the Docker lead. Farmer goaled to put the lead back out to 18 points but the Dogs surged again. Cooney marked (caught the ball) and goaled twice. Johnson missed three shots which would have sealed the result, but there were plenty of others to keep the Dogs going. They added three of the last five goals, with Welsh's goal late in the term finally deciding the outcome.
GOALS Franklin (HAW) 42 Fevola (CARL) 36 Bradshaw (BRIS) 31 Roughead (HAW) 27 Burton (ADE) 26 Pavlich (FRE) 26
Source: Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, afl.com.au, author notes from live broadcasts
Article last changed on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 1:29 PM EDT
