What a cracker … Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs
IT WAS billed as a clash of the heavyweights and Aurora Stadium was the scene for the AFL’s own version of the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’. The Hawks were the only undefeated team remaining and weren’t about to give up their crown easily, but the Dogs were just irresistible in Launceston. The engrossing battle of the midfields was matched only by the shoot-out up forward with the Bulldogs’ spirit and teamwork eventually getting it done after two hours of quality football.
They had to overcome considerable adversity to do it as well with Tim Callan off for most of the second half, while Brad Johnson, Ben Hudson and Mitch Hahn all spent extended periods on the bench injured.
Player of the round … Stevie Johnson
Apologies to Gary Ablett and Dean Cox, but the nonchalant brilliance of Stevie J at Telstra Dome on Saturday night had to be seen to be believed. After a lean couple of weeks the Cats’ magic man turned in a stunning 29-disposal, five-goal performance to be at the forefront of his side’s dramatic return to the winner’s list. The 24-year-old wowed the crowd with snapped goals off both his left and right feet and showed he was a team player as well with a couple of sublime look-away hand balls that set up teammates beautifully.
Coach of the round … Rodney Eade
The Hawks were beginning to take on an air of invincibility going into Saturday’s big match with the Dogs, but full credit has to go to ‘Rocket’ Eade for plotting a path through Hawthorn’s rolling fog zone that has confounded all comers so far this season. The Dogs’ coach got most of his match-ups spot on and armed his troops with orders to play on at all costs. And when that wasn’t possible the Dogs showed great patience to hang onto the ball and switch it to the best position to launch an attack from.
A great plan, well executed.
One for the vault … Daniel Motlop’s goal
There were a few cracking goals this round with Brett Burton’s volley and Dale Thomas’ running effort among the best, but Motlop’s effort late in the Fremantle game put them all in the shade. It was described by Power coach Mark Williams as “one of the great goals of all time” and it’s hard to disagree. Chased hard deep into the left pocket, Motlop gathered the ball, threw it onto his right boot and watched as it took on a life of its own twisting this way and that along the ground before crossing the goal line.
How's stat … five
We’re not going to pile on Fremantle here – it almost seems in poor taste at this point – but there’s no denying the Dockers’ became the first club in history to cough up five consecutive three-quarter-time leads on Sunday. Mark Harvey calmly lamented his players’ lack of composure after Port Adelaide became the latest club to overrun the Purple Haze, but privately the former Bomber must be tearing his hair out. Big Pav is a deadset champ, but if he hits the post with an important late shot one more time he’s going to need therapy.
He's a keeper … David Armfield
At 21 Armfield has taken a while to make his way to AFL footy, but he didn’t waste any time when given his first opportunity against the Cats. He has a rugby union background having spent a lot of his childhood in Canberra, but impressed Blues talent scouts with his pace and ferocious tackling when he switched codes after a move to Perth. In a side that was convincingly beaten, Armfield, taken 46th overall in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft, gathered 23 possessions alternating between defence and on the ball and looks to have a bright future.
Wasn’t it great … to see Tom Lonergan back on deck
It’s been a long road back for the courageous Cat after having a kidney removed following a shocking collision in round 21 of 2006 and it was just one of the nice moments of the season to see him take the field as a late replacement for Cam Mooney. Lonergan kicked two goals and could have had five if his radar hadn’t been on the fritz, but it was one of those rare situations where it didn’t really matter too much what the stats said at the end of the game.
It’s just not fair … that Brisbane and Hawthorn have four of the top-five goal kickers
Opposition fans around the country are green with envy at the embarrassment of riches these teams have up forward; Jonathan Brown and Darren Bradshaw for the Lions and Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead for the Hawks. ‘Buddy’s Box’ has evolved into a one-two punch with Franklin and Roughead combining for 82 goals so far this season and Brown and Bradshaw tipping in 76. Watching two big, bustling forwards work in tandem is one of the great joys of our game and we hope these guys duke it out well into September.
Can you believe … Collingwood’s last two performances?
The Pies were only having a so-so season at four-and-four just a fortnight ago, but they’ve made the football world sit up and take notice after beating the previously undefeated Cats and West Coast by a combined 186 points in their last two outings. The Magpie swagger is back with a few key playmakers who struggled early on rediscovering their mojo and the defence starting to find the cohesion that has eluded it for large portions of the year.
Not so fast … the top eight ain’t etched in stone yet
Some pundits had this season’s finals series wrapped up last week, but the Saints’ trouncing of Melbourne leaves them just two points outside the eight behind the injury-plagued Kangaroos who were felled by Brisbane. With 12 rounds remaining we don’t think it’s outside the realms of possibility that a two-point deficit could be reeled in. The Blues and the resurgent Power are only one game behind St Kilda and with over half the season still to play out we think a few people might have gone a bit early on this one.
