THE BRISBANE Lions will take on the in-form Richmond at Docklands on Saturday night in a match which could prove vital to both side’s finals aspirations.
While the Lions sit sixth with a 9-7 record following the weekend win over West Coast, the Tigers (7-8-1) remain within striking distance of the top eight thanks to a plucky win over Essendon.
Richmond dominated the first half against the Bombers, extending to a 24-point half-time lead on the back of Mitch Morton’s four goals.
But Essendon hit back hard with a six-goal third term that gave it a four-point lead and, seemingly, the momentum at three-quarter-time.
The Tigers, however, regained their composure and, inspired by Nathan Brown’s three goals, made it four wins from their last five outings.
The match had a dramatic finish, with the Bombers missing three late set shots – two from big man Jason Laycock – before Richmond’s Joel Bowden ate up crucial time by rushing consecutive behinds from kick-ins.
In other weekend action, North Melbourne showed trademark spirit in a deserved 18-point win over Collingwood, Geelong firmed as premiership favourite with a 61-point thumping of second-placed Western Bulldogs and St Kilda surprised Hawthorn by 30 points.
The Sydney Swans righted their ship with a tense two-point win against Carlton, Port Adelaide beat the Crows by 12 points in the South Australian Showdown and Fremantle overcame a tardy start to beat Melbourne by 46 points.
Lions debutant Bradd Dalziell would be in the running for performance of the week (his 32 possessions and five tackles earned an impressive 119 Dream Team points), but the honour probably belongs with St Kilda’s Nick Riewoldt, who had 22 possessions, 10 marks and booted six goals straight in the win over the Hawks.
North Melbourne’s Drew Petrie also starred with 20 possessions, 11 marks, 26 hit-outs and two goals.
North Melbourne 17.12 (114) d Collingwood 14.12 (96)
North Melbourne remain well in the finals hunt and inside the top eight, after putting a dent in Collingwood’s top-four aspirations with a come-from-behind 18-point win. Inspired by Drew Petrie, the Roos turned around a 13-point half-time deficit to outscore the Pies 12 goals to seven in the second half.
Geelong 19.17 (131) d Western Bulldogs 10.10 (70)
Reigning premier Geelong outlined the growing divide between it and the its rivals with a second half demolition of the second-placed Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs exerted plenty of pressure early and, with the scores locked at 47 points apiece at half-time, it looked like being the Cats’ biggest test in some time. But Geelong exploded to kick 13 goals to three after the long break.
Richmond 16.12 (108) d Essendon 15.14 (104)
The Lions’ round 17 opponent Richmond showcased both its offensive firepower and its grit in defeating traditional rival Essendon by four points at the MCG. The Tigers were well on top in the first half, booting 11 goals – four from Mitch Morton – to lead by 24 points at half-time. But the Bombers roared back into action and, when they went 12 points up early in the last quarter, a miracle comeback win looked imminent. Nathan Brown, however, booted three vital goals for Richmond, and the Tigers hung on for a fighting victory.
St Kilda 18.11 (119) d Hawthorn 13.11 (89)
In a weekend of ebbs and flow within games, St Kilda produced the best of the lot – overcoming a 28-point half-time disadvantage to topple the high-flying Hawks. The Saints held Hawthorn to only three second-half goals and booted 12 of their own, with Nick Riewoldt finishing with six majors and Jason Blake an unlikely hero with three third-quarter goals.
Sydney Swans 18.13 (121) d Carlton 18.11 (119)
The first half belonged to Carlton but it was the Sydney Swans who celebrated at the end of an exciting and, ultimately, dramatic contest. The free-flowing Blues led by 22 points at quarter time and looked set to extend their margin in the second quarter. However, the Swans had the deficit back to 16 points at half-time, then took command and kicked clear in the last quarter. Carlton, though, had one more crack and ensured a tense finish by reducing the difference to two points with three late goals.
Port Adelaide 13.14 (92) d Adelaide 11.14 (80)
Adelaide dropped out of the top-eight for the first time since round one, as cross-town rival Port Adelaide snapped a five-game losing streak to notch just its fifth win of the season. The Crows were always in the contest but the Power led for the majority of the day and were fuelled by 10 combined goals from Daniel Motlop, Brett Ebert and Danyle Pearce.
Fremantle 16.18 (114) d Melbourne 10.8 (68)
Fremantle fans might well have thought another nightmare was unfolding before their eyes when the visiting Demons booted the first six goals of the game to lead comfortably early in the second quarter. However, Freo awoke from its slumber and, led by skipper Matthew Pavlich’s five majors, supplied 16 of the next 20 goals to win comfortably.
