HB: Chris Newman (Richmond), Kel Moore (Richmond), Brett Deledio (Richmond)
C: Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Scott Thompson (Adelaide), Paul Chapman (Geelong)
HF: Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn), James Podsiadly (Geelong), Alan Didak (Collingwood)
F: Eddie Betts (Carlton), Kurt Tippett (Adelaide), Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)
FOLL: Darren Jolly (Collingwood), Luke Hodge (Hawthorn), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs)
I/C: Jude Bolton (Sydney Swans), Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn), Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle), Dane Swan (Collingwood)
BACKS
Josh Hunt (Geelong) - Hunt’s terrific return from a knee reconstruction continued with his virtual shut-out of North danger man Lindsay Thomas. The Kangaroos forward did manage one goal but he never really threatened, with Hunt not only stopping him but also providing valuable drive for the Cats among his 19 possessions.
Brian Lake (Western Bulldogs) - Oh, what a duel. Yes, Lake did have three goals kicked on him by Buddy but his output probably outweighed that as he repelled several more. The Bulldogs stopper took 18 marks, many of them towering grabs, on his way to 28 touches (10 contested) and seven rebound 50s. He even earned some praise from Rocket Eade ... to do that means he must have played well.
Heath Shaw (Collingwood) - Shaw was again at his rebounding, attacking best in the Pies’ easy win over the Eagles. While West Coast never really troubled Collingwood, Shaw ran amok from the back half, driving the ball out of his own half eight times and inside 50 on four occasions. He found space for 25 creative possessions.
HALF-BACKS
Chris Newman (Richmond) - Newman is perhaps in career-best form at the minute. He had 20 touches against the Swans and is using his long, left boot with precision. He snuck forward twice to kick two magnificent goals on Sunday, rebounded from 50 five times and also drove the ball inside 50 three times.
Kel Moore (Richmond) - On paper, Moore - who has never polled a Brownlow medal vote - against dual medallist Adam Goodes looked a little ugly. But after the Tiger successfully negated the Sydney Swans champ, Damien Hardwick’s decision proved a winner. Goodes finished with 10 marks and two goals, but Moore fought valiantly and took the honours from a duel in which the match probably hinged.
Brett Deledio (Richmond) - Deledio, who has found his niche in defence, caps a half-back line of Tigers. His run and ball use was a feature against the Swans and he, like his skipper, showed great leadership by returning to the field after injuring an elbow. Gathered 28 touches to play a big role in a stirring win.
CENTRES
Leigh Montagna (St Kilda) - The Saints’ hardest runner had 35 touches, seven inside 50s, four tackles and two goals to put some cream on top of a super sweet game. Each of the Saints’ ‘Big Four’ stars - Montagna, Goddard, Hayes and Dal Santo - shone brightly against Melbourne, but Joey was the pick of the bunch.
Scott Thompson (Adelaide) - Thompson was the outstanding midfielder at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night, destroying the Bombers with 34 touches. He worked hard each way, laying eight tackles, driving the ball inside 50 six times and booting a goal.
Paul Chapman (Geelong) - Ablett, Bartel, Corey, Selwood ... Chapman. The little nude nut’s progression to the midfield in 2010 means rival clubs must forget the Fab Four, and plan for the Fantabulistic Five when they take on the Cats. His Brownlow odds will further shorten following 37 touches and 11 inside 50s against North Melbourne.
HALF-FORWARDS
Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) - There wasn’t any high-flying one-handers this week, but Cyril got better as the game progressed. He booted two, his front-and-centre crumbing goal simply delicious. However it was his tackling pressure - he had seven for the game - late that set him apart.
James Podsiadly (Geelong) - Is there anything the J-Pod can’t do? He pulled out a couple of extra tricks against the Kangas, showing off his tackling pressure and also nailing a banana. He had eight marks and 10 contested possessions as he made it five bags of five from his Skilled Stadium appearances this year.
Alan Didak (Collingwood) - Collingwood had plenty of winners in its annihilation of the Eagles, but Didak had a little extra spark. His three-minute burst in the third term made the night extra special for Magpie fans, the star forward’s three goals coming in that purple patch. He finished with 28 touches and five inside 50s in another solid display.
FORWARDS
Eddie Betts (Carlton) - Just the 12 disposals for Eddie, but they were 12 efficient touches. On a pretty dreary night at Etihad Stadium, Betts provided some pizzazz with six marks, five tackles and, crucially, 5.1 to lead his team to a comfortable win. In the absence of a dominant big man inside 50, he’s becoming the go-to man for the Blues in attack.
Kurt Tippett (Adelaide) - On a night when a lot of tall forwards, especially those from a northern state, might have wanted to retreat for the warmth of the change rooms, the big K-Tip had a night out against the Bombers. He marked and, more importantly, kicked with purpose on his way to six goals to be the dominant big man on the ground.
Jack Riewoldt (Richmond) - Jumpin’ Jack was pretty flash again as he shot to the top of the Coleman medal chart with five goals. He took seven marks - including a couple of trademark beauties - as he won the ball in contested situations and slotted some important shots to keep his team in touch before the late charge to victory.
FOLLOWERS
Darren Jolly (Collingwood) - Does Jolly need to be the main man to play his best footy? Since the omission of a second specialist ruckman, the former Swan has shone. Against the Eagles, Jolly took on Cox and Naitanui and won easily. He had 20 touches, 13 marks and, most importantly, crept forward to snag four goals in a match certain to give him plenty of confidence.
Luke Hodge (Hawthorn) - Hodge’s grunt got the Hawks home. He bullocked his way through for a goal in the first term and then, with the game in the balance in the last term, shrugged off Adam Cooney and banged through another with one of his 28 touches. Had six tackles, seven clearances and five inside 50s.
Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs) - Boyd was superb against the Hawks all night. In a match where it was going to need guys to get their hands dirty, the Bulldog racked up 35 possessions with 18 of those contested. He had seven clearances and took nine marks, his clean hands a feature on a tough evening.
INTERCHANGE
Jude Bolton (Sydney Swans) - The Swans found themselves in a winning position thanks largely to Bolton’s efforts. The hard-at-it Swan has been in outstanding form through the middle of the year, and his 32-possession game against the Tigers included a game-high 12 contested possessions, nine tackles and nine clearances.
Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) - When leadership was needed against the Bulldogs, the captain delivered. Mitchell had 28 touches, laid nine tackles, produced a desperate smother and one suspects there was a bit of “cop that” to his critics when he nailed a superb, left-foot snap in the last quarter.
Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle) - For sheer influence on the match, Sandilands could not be overlooked as he was probably best afield. He set up his runners at ground level with 22 hit-outs, worked hard around the paddock taking nine grabs, had 18 possessions and booted a goal.
Dane Swan (Collingwood) - Swan was his usual prolific self with another dominant display against West Coast. Finished with 38 disposals and two goals, but 14 marks is an indication of how hard he ran. Bolstered his stats by working in defence late, but was in the middle early when it counted.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
