
In this week's Nine things we learned, brought to you by Haier, the world's No.1 appliance maker, Carlton still hasn't worked out how to hold a lead, an Eagle reminds us of his greatness and a young Roo shows a glimpse of his enormous talent.
BARRETT Controversy won't shake Pies from flag race
1. The Blues got ahead of themselves ... again
For the 13th time in 20 matches under David Teague, Carlton conceded a 30-point swing within a game on Friday afternoon. However, this one was perhaps the most frustrating of the lot. Leading by 31 points against a flat, almost-beaten Hawks outfit, the Blues conceded nine of the next 10 goals to watch the momentum completely slip from their grasp. Their deflating 31-point defeat sapped the energy from a finals tilt that was gathering steam. But it's not the first time this has happened in 2020. A dismal start blew any chance of a late comeback against Richmond in round one. An even slower start let an otherwise promising three-quarter display against Melbourne slip. A lethargic opening was to blame for a tough defeat to St Kilda. Another fadeout resulted in a brutal after-the-siren loss to Port Adelaide. If not for those sudden collapses, Carlton could have notched as many as seven wins this season. Instead, it has succumbed to 4-5. A season of promise risks being thrown away. - Riley Beveridge
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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14:13
Clarkson: 'The media's got every right to ask questions'
Watch Hawthorn's press conference after round nine's match against Carlton
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05:51
Teague: 'We didn't have enough guys get their jobs done'
Watch Carlton's press conference after round nine's match against Hawthorn
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07:41
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00:48
Check out the workrate from bursting Wingard
Hawthorn forward Chad Wingard earns every bit of this goal
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00:38
It's jump-on Jarman time with a goal on his return
Jarman Impey kicks a goal in his first game for 12 months and his teammates celebrate
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00:46
Staggering surge as Smith gives Hawks the lead
Hawthorn veteran Isaac Smith kicks his second goal and puts his side in front
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00:41
Inventive Hawk creates Day-light for special first goal
Will Day takes the game on and is rewarded with a career milestone
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00:56
Launching Levi and the Blues are red hot
Levi Casboult takes a strong grab and kicks Carlton's third goal to no reply
The 10: Round nine's best moments
Watch all the best highlights from a thrilling round nine
2. Even a modern great can be overshadowed
We'd be excused for thinking Nic Naitanui produced the greatest ruck performance of all-time on Saturday night, such were the post-match superlatives. With such a focus on Naitanui, somewhat lost were Josh Kennedy's heroics. Kennedy, admittedly, did little between kicking the game's opening goal in the first 16 seconds and three-quarter time. Yet with the game up for grabs, West Coast's champion forward slotted three goals in the final term to be the match-winner. One came from a stock-standard mark and set shot but the other two were pure brilliance. Nic Nat's tap at the forward-50 stoppage to Kennedy was excellent – but how many forwards are capable of what Kennedy did? Without giving his intentions away, he brushed off Cat Harry Taylor, timed his dash to perfection, then finished superbly on a snap. The last of Kennedy's goals, with only three points between the sides and barely a minute left, came from a towering grab at the top of the goalsquare. Goals are at a premium this year, especially for tall forwards, but the 32-year-old has 15 in his past three matches and is the outright Coleman Medal leader. - Marc McGowan
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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07:36
Simpson: 'Nic was special - we know that, don't we?'
West Coast coach Adam Simpson pays tribute to match-winner Nic Naitanui after his sensational outing in the Eagles' narrow win over Geelong
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09:51
Scott on Naitanui: 'It's hard not to be mesmerised'
Geelong coach Chris Scott took plenty of positives after a close loss to premiership contender West Coast
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07:36
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00:29
Young Geelong midfielder in strife after huge hit
Cats onballer Charlie Constable somehow manages to run off the field after this collision with Liam Duggan
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00:19
The good, the bad and the Guthrie
Cam Guthrie takes a stunning grab and then gets caught after playing on
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00:52
Was this the correct call?
The goal umpire called this a goal for Sam Simpson and it wasn't overturned by the AFL Review Centre
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00:24
Veteran Cat and new hairdo tumble over fence
Harry Taylor finds himself on the wrong side of the field
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00:25
Friendly fire ends debutant's night early
West Coast tall Harry Edwards' first game is over prematurely after this collision with Brad Sheppard
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00:21
Eagle left with sore head after falcon
Unlucky West Coast defender Tom Cole cops one flush in the head
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00:21
Sublime long-range finish from Geelong backman
Gun defender Zach Tuohy roosts this one through with ease
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00:39
Former Cat ignites Eagles' lightning start
West Coast jet Tim Kelly streams forward in the opening seconds and sends it to Josh Kennedy, who does the rest
3. Lapses might cost the Bulldogs a flag tilt
Inconsistency and ups and downs have characterised the 2020 season but the Western Bulldogs have been amongst the worst culprits. Their defeat to Richmond last Wednesday night was further example of that. Luke Beveridge's men started the season with back-to-back horrors, before being stung into action with a strong win over Greater Western Sydney. That was their first of five wins from six games, but it was punctured by a 52-point drubbing at the hands of Carlton in round six. They followed that defeat with two solid wins but were again way off the mark against the red-hot Tigers. The Bulldogs have been losing badly and, according to Beveridge himself, not playing that well when they win either. Their next two games – against Port Adelaide and Brisbane – will show the football world where the Dogs really sit in the pecking order this year. They can’t afford more blowouts like last week. - Callum Twomey
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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08:02
Bevo: 'Don't think we've been playing that well'
Luke Beveridge says his side have been fortunate to scrape wins together lately, but tonight proved 'there's no significant chemistry' between the group
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08:56
Dimma: 'It looked like a Richmond game'
Damien Hardwick says his side looked back to their best tonight and also sung his praises for Dustin Martin after a freak performance
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06:42
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02:26
Martin mesmerises Metricon after outrageous outing
Dustin Martin turns on beast mode with an absolutely devastating display against the Dogs
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00:39
Stop it Dusty, that's out of this world
Dustin Martin is on fire against the Dogs with a sensational goal on the boundary
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00:38
Pickett picks the sticks with left-foot pearler
Richmond feed the ball towards Marlion Pickett who delivers a wonderful snap on his left
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00:38
Skipper delivers a ripper after mighty mark
Marcus Bontempelli takes a strong grab and sends the perfect ball towards Mitch Wallis
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00:25
Dog gets a shot to his eye but forms a shot at goal
Mitch Wallis suffers a painful blow after enduring a footy to the face, however all ends well with a goal to Laitham Vandermeer
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00:41
Breathtaking Tigers and Dusty a sight to be seen
Richmond conjure a scintillating string of play and feed the ball to their superstar, who finishes in absolute style
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00:29
Riewoldt's rousing rise leads to work of Aarts
Jack Riewoldt heaves himself on top of the pack and the spillage falls towards Jake Aarts for a wonderful soccer finish
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00:24
Shake and Baker for Jack in the pack
Liam Baker shows a nice step before bombing the ball into Jack Riewoldt for a beautiful contested mark
4. It's time the Demons find some backbone
The reaction to Melbourne's round five loss to Richmond was, perhaps, over the top, given the Demons almost beat Geelong a week earlier and outlasted an improving Carlton before that. However, Thursday night's 51-point defeat to Port Adelaide – after blowing repeated chances to upset Brisbane four days earlier – was reminiscent of what was dished up in last year's disastrous campaign. Fourth-year coach Simon Goodwin described it as "unacceptable" and "as poor a performance as we've put on this year". Defender Steven May, one of the few players who could hold his head high afterwards, said he was "pretty pissed off". Many of May's teammates' foot skills were abysmal – a problem that continues to plague them – and their continual failure to prevent the Power rebounding from defence was borderline embarrassing. Melbourne is one of the least successful clubs this century despite no shortage of help via draft picks and more. There's little room for error if the Demons are to avoid another wasted season. - Marc McGowan
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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05:18
Goodwin: 'Tonight was unacceptable'
Simon Goodwin was visibly frustrated after side's horror outing against Port, admitting 'we let ourselves down tonight'
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04:23
Hinkley: 'Played as well as we possibly could'
Ken Hinkley believes his side produced a faultless performance against the Dees and was delighted by their continual ferociousness, despite the large lead
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02:12
Dees' disastrous skills make for painful viewing
The Demons had an evening to forget with some very ordinary skills sure to frustrate fans
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01:48
Georgiades grows in front of our eyes
Port fans will be full of excitement after highly-touted youngster Mitch Georgiades delivers a stunning performance
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06:20
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00:52
Dees' best move of the night is a welcome sight
The Demons conjure their most efficient play of the game and earn a long-awaited goal through Sam Weideman
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00:38
Gray genius works wonders for Georgiades
Robbie Gray weaves some of his usual magic and helps the ball towards Mitch Georgiades who snares his second
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00:52
Crowd electrified after Power play
Port Adelaide produce a scintillating bit of play through the middle and earn a goal through Kane Farrell
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00:42
Class of Rozee for red-hot finish
Port young gun Connor Rozee is afforded too much space and makes the Dees pay with a fine snap on goal
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00:20
Hallelujah, Petracca gets Dees off the mark
Melbourne were desperate to earn their first goal before half-time and their in-form midfielder obliges
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00:28
Oliver on report for this action
Clayton Oliver goes in the book for 'striking' after this incident involving Peter Ladhams
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00:52
Robbie lets Rozee rise and the result's no surprise
Connor Rozee is given rein to fly over the top and haul in a great grab, followed by a textbook snap on goal
5. The Roos might already have their midfield jet
North Melbourne has gone hard in recent years at the trade and free agency tables trying to lure A-grade midfielders, and will be active again at the end of this season. But they might already have one in the making if he can stay fit. Luke Davies-Uniacke, the No.4 pick at the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, missed the first half of this season recovering from osteitis pubis. But in his second game of the year the speedy, strong and classy midfielder showed his skills, booting two goals from 17 disposals against Adelaide on Saturday. It is easy to see Davies-Uniacke’s talents when he arches his back and zooms past traffic, and the 21-year-old can do it better than most at the Roos. A fit, fast and healthy Davies-Uniacke is the midfielder North needs as it begins its era under Rhyce Shaw. - Callum Twomey
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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08:08
Shaw: 'Pretty special seeing Maj out there'
North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw speaks about how proud he is of Majak Daw after the brave Roo played his first game in almost two years
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07:46
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10:00
Nicks: 'We had far too many individuals'
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks apologises to Crows supporters after his side's dismal display against North Melbourne
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02:54
Uplifting day for footy as Daw returns
Outstanding scenes as Majak Daw makes it back to the field after after a long and difficult journey
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00:29
Leaping Larkey drags down a belter
North Melbourne key forward Nick Larkey takes a great mark in the final term
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00:47
Inspirational Roo swamped after heartwarming goal
In his first game since 2018, Majak Daw is surrounded by ecstatic teammates after booting a goal
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00:42
Outrageous snap by Laird goes through
Regular Adelaide defender Rory Laird had no right to goal from here but he showed his nous at the other end of the ground
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00:42
Classy curler from star Roo
Dual North Melbourne best and fairest Shaun Higgins finishes from a tough spot
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00:28
Crows break through for first goal
A snap from Adelaide small forward Lachlan Murphy gives his side its opening goal early in the second term
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00:33
Young Roo mobbed after first career goal
In his sixth game, Jack Mahony converts this set shot to put the Kangaroos further in front
6. The Marshall-Ryder tandem is working well
After a few speedbumps early in the season, St Kilda's ruck combination of Rowan Marshall and Paddy Ryder is starting to hit its straps. Following a dominant showing in the upset win over Port Adelaide seven days earlier, the duo was at it again against the Swans. Marshall was a dangerous forward 50 target in the opening quarter, despite missing his two shots at goal, while Ryder had his way around the stoppages. Swan Callum Sinclair fought back through the middle of the match, but when the game needed to be won, Ryder was feeding the ball to his midfield on a plate in the final term. - Michael Whiting
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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03:47
Longmire: 'There's got to be a standard'
Sydney coach John Longmire wants to see more consistency from his young side
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05:45
Ratten: 'The last quarter was brilliant'
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten was impressed with his side's performance but sees room to improve
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07:53
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00:28
Impressive Saint's classy goal on non-preferred
Nick Hind shows he has no problems finishing on his left
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00:19
Rampe's broken hand targeted by St Kilda backman
Saints defender Jake Carlisle goes after the hand brave Sydney co-captain Dane Rampe went under the knife for last Monday
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00:42
Saint fires up after goal against former side
St Kilda speedster Zak Jones gets the soccer assist from Matthew Parker and nails the set shot
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00:33
Yet another exciting glimpse of King's talent
Promising St Kilda forward Max King takes a nice mark and finishes it off
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00:24
Kamikaze courage from Swans co-captain
Sporting a glove after breaking a hand last week and playing out the contest, Sydney defender Dane Rampe shows he won't flinch
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00:25
'Horse' fuming after this belter from Hind
A great goal to Nick Hind has Swans coach John Longmire furious
7. Chris Fagan has some tough decisions ahead
Brisbane was missing Daniel Rich (hamstring) and Ryan Lester (hamstring) from its regular backline against the Bombers, and their two replacements were two of the best on Metricon Stadium. Alex Witherden is too good to be playing reserves, and while his 25 disposals at 84 per cent efficiency was eye-catching, his 10 contested possessions and eight intercepts would have pleased coach Chris Fagan more. Answerth racked up 17 efficient touches himself, but more impressively kept Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti without a disposal for the entire first half. When Rich and Lester return within the week, Fagan and his match committee have some difficult decisions to make. - Michael Whiting
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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05:08
Worsfold: 'We didn’t put them under anywhere near enough pressure'
Watch Essendon's press conference after round nine's match against Brisbane
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07:50
Fagan: 'It was a great team performance'
Watch Brisbane's press conference after round nine's match against Essendon
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06:33
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01:33
Four-goal Cameron celebrates long-term deal in style
Brisbane, look forward to many more years of Charlie Cameron dominating like this
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00:24
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00:33
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00:32
Rev it up, Cameron's kicked a cracker
Charlie Cameron, take a bow after this incredible piece of play
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00:46
Sneaky Hipwood helps 'Big O' in the pocket
Brisbane's forwards think their way to a great goal on an angle
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00:25
Debutant Draper's brilliant hanger
Essendon ruckman Sam Draper excites on debut through a great mark
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00:42
Smith the spark with both Bombers goals
Devon Smith playing his part as Essendon hang in the contest
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00:30
Running Neale steps things up a notch
Clean pick-up from Bailey and Brisbane's star midfielder does the rest
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00:28
New contract, same goal sense from Charlie
An early goal for Charlie Cameron after signing a long-term deal at the Lions
8. The Giants must do whatever they can to keep Zac Williams
Like most years with GWS, speculation has already begun about which out-of-contract players will be targeted by rival clubs. One of those men is running defender/midfielder Zac Williams, who is a free agent. Against the Suns, the 25-year-old showed just how valuable he is to the Giants, bringing the run-and-carry they have sorely missed for much of the year. Fresh back from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since round four, Williams showed no signs of being tentative, racking up 25 disposals and gaining a team-high 437m. His dash is the ideal foil to the inside grunt of Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto and captain Stephen Coniglio. - Michael Whiting
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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08:35
Cameron disappointed after Greene injury
Leon Cameron was upset to lose superstar Toby Greene to a hamstring injury particularly after acknowledging he was in some of his best form
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06:56
Dew: 'We coughed it up way too often'
Stuart Dew says his side's skill level was 'disappointing' but was reasonably content they generated a similar amount of chances on goal to GWS
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06:52
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00:16
King wins over crowd after Brown-esque mark
Ben King gets Metricon buzzing after a stunning and courageous grab back with the flight
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00:42
All's well that ends Weller
Lachie Weller snares a fine late goal after his terrific snap is given the all clear following a score review
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00:29
Nothing wrong about Jezza on the right
Jeremy Cameron notches a simply superb dribbler from a tough angle
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00:29
GWS almost pull off one of the great goals of the year
Tim Taranto takes a stunning mark, followed by some dazzling steps from Jacob Hopper who just misses out on completing a sensational goal
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00:23
Sizzling Suns after Rankine sitter turns to wizardry
The Suns complete a scintillating move after Izak Rankine mops up his error in the best possible fashion
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00:36
Giant blow as Toby pings hammy
GWS have suffered a huge blow with superstar Toby Greene leaving the ground after appearing to injure his hamstring
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00:24
Is this Greene genius or Greene fortune?
Toby Greene delivers a beautiful bullet-like pass to Tim Taranto, but did he mean it?
9. The Dockers have found the Robin for their Batman
The only downside to Nat Fyfe for Fremantle is that there isn't two of him. The captain is the one of the competition's best midfielders but can just as easily change a game up forward. After years pondering who could be the next 'Robin' to Fyfe's 'Batman', the Dockers have finally found the perfect interchangeable piece for the dual Brownlow medallist in Caleb Serong. With 10 disposals and four clearances against Collingwood in the second quarter alone, Serong backed up his NAB AFL Rising Star nomination and proved how influential he can be. With his strong body, overhead marking and straight shooting, Serong is already one of Fremantle's most important players. - Jourdan Canil
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS
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05:08
Worsfold: 'We didn’t put them under anywhere near enough pressure'
Watch Essendon's press conference after round nine's match against Brisbane
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07:50
Fagan: 'It was a great team performance'
Watch Brisbane's press conference after round nine's match against Essendon
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06:33
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01:33
Four-goal Cameron celebrates long-term deal in style
Brisbane, look forward to many more years of Charlie Cameron dominating like this
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00:24
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00:33
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00:32
Rev it up, Cameron's kicked a cracker
Charlie Cameron, take a bow after this incredible piece of play
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00:46
Sneaky Hipwood helps 'Big O' in the pocket
Brisbane's forwards think their way to a great goal on an angle
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00:25
Debutant Draper's brilliant hanger
Essendon ruckman Sam Draper excites on debut through a great mark
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00:42
Smith the spark with both Bombers goals
Devon Smith playing his part as Essendon hang in the contest
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00:30
Running Neale steps things up a notch
Clean pick-up from Bailey and Brisbane's star midfielder does the rest
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00:28
New contract, same goal sense from Charlie
An early goal for Charlie Cameron after signing a long-term deal at the Lions