THE FOOTY world had its attention firmly focused on Geelong's 'Dangerwoodlett' trio on Easter Monday and it did not disappoint, with two of them making my round two Team of the Week, brought to you by AccorHotels.
All three were huge in the Cats' late surge against Hawthorn and while their side fell short by a point, I had Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett in my side, with skipper Joel Selwood unlucky to miss out.
Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy was also squeezed out while Jack Darling wasn't selected because of how many tall forwards I had already picked. Charlie Cameron and Daniel Menzel impressed as well and just missed the cut.
The name Jeremy Finlayson might raise a few eyebrows, but you wouldn't be surprised if you watched that game. Greater Western Sydney wouldn't have beaten Collingwood without the left-footer.
It's surprising opposition teams don't put more time into stopping Adelaide gun Rory Laird, since he wins so much of the footy and rarely wastes it. Robbie Tarrant was very good directing North Melbourne's defence. In an even West Coast performance, Shannon Hurn led well and had a game-high 547m gained. Zach Tuohy's kicking is underrated while Finlayson's confidence to go for his marks and pull the trigger on tough kicks was critical. Nathan Wilson could represent Fremantle in the Virgin Australia AFL All Australian side this season.
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Rory Sloane was simply inspirational for Adelaide. In Port Adelaide's best win in three years, Ollie Wines was best on ground against Sydney. Jarrad Waite played further up the ground than usual for the Roos and had a huge 13 inside 50s. Brodie Grundy helped Collingwood convincingly win the ruck battle against the Giants. Superstar Docker Nat Fyfe is back to his best and he's turning into a terrific leader. Dangerfield could have used the football better, but he almost willed the Cats over the line.
Richmond needed a second Dustin Martin to help even up the midfield battle. I'd love to see Ben Brown in a better side – the North Melbourne forward is probably a top-five forward in the competition. Ablett showed flashes of his brilliance and almost helped drag the Cats home. I haven't seen Josh Jenkins play a better game. Tom Lynch just about played the perfect match for Gold Coast. Melbourne almost had a disastrous 0-2 start to the season but Jeff Garlett ensured that didn't happen against Brisbane.
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Like Garlett, Jesse Hogan helped the Demons leave Queensland with a win. Jarryd Lyons' numbers were frighteningly good for Gold Coast: 36 disposals, 26 contested possessions, 14 clearances and 892m gained. Making a serious claim for the Giants' most important player is Stephen Coniglio, who has added goalkicking to his game as well. Tom Mitchell was stiff to be named on the bench. He was huge and I loved how he had an impact forward as well.
TALKING POINTS: The Hawk playing close to the edge
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WHO MADE THE 22? Check out Kane Cornes' previous Teams of the Week
