THE FINAL weekend of the pre-season saw St Kilda celebrate a second NAB Cup title in the space of five years and the Brisbane Lions pick up a first victory for 2008 ahead of a Round 1 clash against an in-form West Coast in
While the Lions were buoyed by a 10-point victory over
The 20-year-old older brother of Lions rookie Joel Tippet was a thorn in the Saints’ side throughout, presenting strongly and finishing with four goals.
But St Kilda, having seen a 20-point lead whittled away to just three points at the final change, dug deep in the oppressive
Meanwhile, in
It was the Eagles’ third successive pre-season win after falling to Fremantle in the first round of the NAB Cup. Ashley Hansen kicked five goals, while young key forward Josh Kennedy – part of the blockbuster Chris Judd trade – showed glimpses of his potential.
Judd himself made his first appearance for new club
In other NAB Challenge action, Port Adelaide thumped Fremantle by 56 points, North Melbourne outpointed
The weekend result means three of the Lions’ first four opponents – the Eagles, Magpies and the Power – will go into the season proper on a winning note.
NAB Cup
St Kilda 2.7.9 (69) d Adelaide 0.9.10 (64)
The Lions will be hoping young rookie Joel Tippett can emulate his older brother Kurt, who kicked four goals for Adelaide to be the NAB Cup final’s most effective key forward. In an entertaining finale to the pre-season competition, Tippet’s efforts weren’t quite enough for the Crows, with St Kilda forging a five-point win.
NAB Challenge
Carlton 13.15 (93) d Western Bulldogs 12.12 (84)
Carlton fans finally got to see Chris Judd in the dark navy blue and the result was a morale-boosting win over the Bulldogs. Judd didn’t disappoint with 20 possessions, while ex-Lion Jason Akermanis continued his strong pre-season by being the best of the Bulldogs.
West Coast 15.10 (100) d Essendon 14.10 (94)
West Coast might be Judd-less but it showed on Friday night that one of the players they received in return for their ex-captain – youngster Josh Kennedy – will be a definite part of the club’s future. Kennedy kicked a goal, played in a variety of positions and was a good foil for Ashley Hansen, who kicked five goals.
Collingwood 16.12 (108) d Hawthorn 13.12 (90)
Alan Didak and Anthony Rocca kicked three goals apiece, as the Magpies finally chalked up a pre-season win following three disappointing efforts. Lance Franklin matched Didak and Rocca with three majors for the Hawks, but an ankle injury to the already suspended Campbell Brown may be a concern.
Geelong 23.11 (149) d Richmond 12.5 (77)
It might only be the pre-season but there appear to be few signs of the chasm closing between the best and worst sides of 2007. The Cats had 13 goal-kickers, including eight multiple goal-kickers – led by Cameron Mooney’s four. Matthew Richardson kicked all of his three goals in the last term for
North Melbourne 22.13 (145) d
North Melbourne completed its pre-season in impressive fashion, with Aaron Edwards booting four goals in a comprehensive win over
Port Adelaide 16.15 (111) d Fremantle 8.7 (55)
The Dockers’ topsy-turvy pre-season continued – after beating West Coast first-up and then pushing Adelaide, Fremantle has now capitulated against North Melbourne and the Power. In 38C heat, Port Adelaide benefited from three-goal efforts from Warren Tredrea, Danyle Pearce and Brett Ebert.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
