THE Brisbane Lions will look to shut down a back-in-form Port Adelaide and its skipper Warren Tredrea in a fortnight at the Gabba, after the Power snapped a four-game losing run by beating Essendon by 31 points.
Tredrea, playing his 200th game and roundly criticised in the media for being out of sorts, kicked four of Port’s 19 goals – the first of them from outside 50m.
The Power’s dominance wasn’t completely evident in the final scoreline, with Mark Williams’ side leading by as much as 75 points in the third term, before Essendon posted a six-goal-to-nil last quarter.
In other split round matches, Hawthorn reaffirmed its final eight credentials with a 100-point belting of Carlton, while a clinical Adelaide beat the Kangaroos by 46 points at Carrara.
Fremantle, meanwhile, has a mountain to climb to make the finals after being overrun by the Western Bulldogs by 26 points in Darwin.
Most Lions fans will be well and truly familiar with one of the contenders for performance of the week, with Geelong star Gary Ablett amassing an eye-catching 35 possessions in the wet against Leigh Matthews’ side on Sunday.
Adelaide’s Scott Thompson had 30 disposals in a career-best display versus the Roos, Brad Johnson kicked five goals in the Bulldogs’ goal-fest against the Dockers and Hawthorn’s Brad Sewell won the David Parkin Medal with 33 touches in the annihilation of the Blues.
Round 12 concludes next weekend, when Richmond meets Melbourne, Sydney hosts Collingwood and West Coast does battle with St Kilda.
Hawthorn 27.18 (180) d Carlton 12.8 (80)
Hawthorn’s lacklustre start to the season at the Gabba is now a distant memory, with Carlton the latest side to cop the brunt of the Hawks’ amazing improvement. Playing without spearhead Lance Franklin, Hawthorn still had 45 scoring shots to the Blues’ 20, piling on seven goals in the second quarter and nine in the last. Jarryd Roughead led the rout with five goals, while Luke Hodge booted four and was one of the best afield in his 100th game.
Adelaide 15.10 (100) d Kangaroos 7.12 (54)
Adelaide moved to 7-5 for the season with a committed and unified performance, as the tired-looking Kangaroos wasted numerous “kickable” shots that might have kept them in the contest. Usually first to the ball and invariably slicker with their disposal, the Crows kicked the kind of score Neil Craig was seeking, despite being held to four goals over the second and third terms. Scott Welsh finished with five majors and Nathan Bock slotted four.
Western Bulldogs 22.9 (141) d Fremantle 16.19 (115)
The Bulldogs (7-5) shored up their position ahead of the mid-season break, at the same time continuing Fremantle’s spluttering campaign (5-7). The Dockers led by as many as 20 points in the second quarter but couldn’t keep up the pace in the 27-degree Darwin conditions, as the Bulldogs ran over the top of their opponents. Brad Johnson booted five goals and ex-Lion Jason Akermanis chimed in with two important last-quarter majors.
Port Adelaide 19.12 (126) d Essendon 13.17 (95)
The Lions’ round 13 opponent Port Adelaide is back in the eight, thanks to a much-needed win over Essendon. The 31-point victory, which marked skipper Warren Tredrea’s 200th game, was more comprehensive than the final score would indicate, because the Power led by 75 points during the third term. Brett Ebert, Robert Gray and Tredrea all kicked four goals for the home side.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the club.
