The reborn Carlton Blues shocked the Fremantle Dockers with a thrilling last gasp victory that left the Dockers vulnerable to dropping out of the top eight. The inspired Blues’ third win moved them from the bottom of the ladder and have now won two of their last three games. The Dockers have lost their last two games against teams sitting in the bottom three on the ladder and will rue their second quarter, where they allowed Carlton to dominate the game for long periods.

The West Coast Eagles traveled to Melbourne today, looking to take an MCG scalp ahead of their run home towards the finals. The Eagles came in heavy favorites on a gloomy and damp Saturday afternoon. They led by 20 points at half time and survived a comeback by Hawthorn to hit the lead again in the final minute and claim the four premiership points.

Inside the first minute the Eagles won the center clearance and goaled through Darling. Nic Naitanui was back for the Eagles and was leaping high early to give his team mates the first use of the ball.  He looked strong and in control early, his return could have been dubbed a full success already had his early snap for goal been on target.

The bye rounds are over, and as we head into round fifteen the battle for the coveted top four spots and the race for the finals is well and truly on. Geelong moves to top spot on the AFANA AFL Power Poll despite dropping a game on the road to an impressive Port Adelaide, while Collingwood continues to win despite not being at its best in recent weeks. 

The big movers are the Adelaide Crows, moving from 8th to 5th on the back of a three game winning streak while Fremantle and Port continue to look the most likely to take a spot in the final eight unless Richmond can end its free fall down the AFL ladder.

On a dry, calm night which was perfect for football, the West Coast Eagles comfortably defeated the Essendon Bombers to put a serious dent in the Bombers’ hopes of making the finals. The Eagles dominated the game after quarter time and kept the ball in their forward half for the majority of the match. The win pushed the Eagles into the top four of the league ladder, but goal front inaccuracy cost them a golden opportunity to build on their percentage (calculated by points a team scores compared to points they concede).

The improving Fremantle Dockers held Port Adelaide Power scoreless in the final term and raised questions about Port Adelaide’s ability to make the finals. The inconsistent Power have been on the road collecting frequent flyer points in recent weeks; where they lost to Hawthorn in Launceston, Tasmania and then won against the Saints in Shanghai, China. They came to Perth with confidence, having beaten the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium in Round 5.  

The following is a book review by long time fan and AFANA supporter Mark Dillman.

In 2018, a Collingwood Magpie super-fan from Melbourne very generously sent me a copy of the book "Kill For Collingwood", which he described as the good, bad, and ugly history of the football club from its earliest origin through the time of the book's publication in 1985. I was very surprised at this kind gesture. My offer to pay, at least for the airmail postage, was politely declined. So, I made a donation to his favorite local charity* and informed him.

Just ahead of Round 12, the AFL held their annual Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Three were honored posthumously - the late Trevor Barker, the late Jim Deane and the late Ron Evans. The other three were Brad Hardie, Mick Malthouse and Ken Hunter.

TREVOR BARKER
St Kilda 1975-1989
Games: 230
Goals: 134

The death knell sounded after Round 10 when Carlton president Mark LoGiudice spoke on Melbourne radio station 3AW, telling listeners that the club was committed to Senior Coach Brendon Bolton. After the Round 11 loss to Essendon,  Mark LoGiudice, CEO Cain Liddle and head of football Brad Lloyd met with Bolton and his manager late Sunday night to relay the news that Bolton's tenure was over. Bolton broke the news to the players the next morning.

Bolton will receive a one-off payout. Bolton took over as coach in August of 2015 but the team has failed to show any consistent improvement during his time. The Blues have won just one match in 2019 so Bolton's record stands at 16 wins and 61 losses. LoGiudice was on the board when the club sacked Brett Ratten and hired Mick Malthouse in 2010. Being president since 2014, he has overseen the axing of Malthouse and now Bolton.

Fremantle were unlikely winners today at the MCG. In a match where neither side ever looked fully in control the Dockers held their nerve and pushed harder than the Magpies in the second half. A late mark and goal to "Sonny" Walters seeing the Dockers home by four points.

Collingwood went into today’s match sitting second on the ladder and strong favorites to win at home against Fremantle. American Mason Cox remained on the sidelines with injury as Ben Reid continues to fill his spot up forward and backup Brody Grundy in the ruck.

Over 60 players nominated for the mid-season draft, but only 18 were selected. It most likely would have been less except for several sudden retirements and mounting injuries since the season began. When the AFL announced their plan for this draft, only a handful of clubs actually were eligible to participate, but as the weeks progressed, all but four clubs were eligible. Below are the selections. While there are a few former AFL players, most were selected from lower leagues for their first crack at AFL level.

1. Carlton - Josh Deluca, midfielder, Subiaco, originally drafted by Fremantle in 2014, managed just four games before being delisted at the end of 2017.