The Brisbane Lions will face an Adelaide team struggling for firepower at the Gabba on Saturday after the Crows fell to a second-straight defeat against Collingwood on the weekend.
Undermanned, as has often been the case in 2007, the Crows fought hard and there was no disgrace in the eventual 24-point margin at AAMI Stadium. But Neil Craig's side has not kicked more than 10 goals in each of its past three outings and must be starting to wonder where the majors are going to come from.
Against the Magpies, the Crows conceded an early start, motored back into the contest with six unanswered goals through the second and third quarters and then just could not buy the goals required to mark Simon Goodwin's 200th game with a win.
Elsewhere around the league, St Kilda improved to 3-3 with a solid win over Carlton and Lance Franklin's nine goals helped Hawthorn dispose of Essendon by 35 points. West Coast remains unbeaten after toughing out a 15-point victory over Jason Akermanis and the Western Bulldogs, while the Kangaroos notched their third-straight win, upsetting the Sydney Swans by 17 points at Docklands.
Port scraped to a five-point win against still-winless Melbourne, but the performance of the round, without a shadow of a doubt, belonged to Geelong, who ran roughshod over Richmond to the tune of 157 points. The Cats kicked a whopping 35.12 (222) and came within 17 points of their own record for highest score in an AFL game.
The Lions' win over Fremantle takes them to 4-2 and third spot on the ladder. Ash McGrath's five goals against the Dockers gives him 16 for the season - good enough for seventh in the league and one ahead of Jonathan Brown.
Tough on-baller Michael Rischitelli is second in the league's tackle count with 39, two behind Sydney tagger Brett Kirk.
St Kilda 18.17 (125) d Carlton 11.16 (82)Carlton threatened to keep its season of astounding comebacks alive, but St Kilda ultimately proved too strong in an interesting, if not necessarily attractive, Friday night encounter at Docklands. The Saints flooded regularly, with many as nine players lining up in defence. They needed every one of them as the Blues surged back from a 21-point half-time deficit to get within a kick midway through the the third term. St Kilda, however, had the better of the contest from then on. With Nick Dal Santo in sublime form and Fraser Gehrig booting six goals, the Saints took their season record to 3-3. Brendan Fevola kicked six goals of his own for Carlton.
Hawthorn 20.11 (131) d Essendon 15.6 (96)Hawthorn's transition from round-one pushovers at the Gabba to a force to be reckoned with looks complete. Lance Franklin booted nine goals, including five in the second quarter, in a 35-point win over rivals Essendon. The Hawks, insipid against the Lions in the season-opener, are now playing quality football and sit at 4-2, thanks largely to Franklin, whose 25 goals have him leading the Coleman Medal race. Hawthorn also received good service from veterans Ben Dixon (three goals) and Shane Crawford, as the Bombers struggled without spearhead Matthew Lloyd. Jason Johnson, playing his first game of the season, was Essendon's best.
West Coast 10.17 (77) d Western Bulldogs 9.8 (62)It wasn't especially pretty but West Coast maintained its unbeaten start to 2007 with a 15-point win over the Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval. Upgraded rookie Matt Priddis was the surprise star for the Eagles, kicking three goals and amassing 25 touches, with skipper Chris Judd and All-Australian full-back Darren Glass not far behind. The Bulldogs, who got three goals from Daniel Giansiracusa, hung in and looked a threat going into the final term. But the Eagles showed why they are the reigning premiers, with Glass and co keeping the visitors to a single major in the final 30 minutes.
Kangaroos 12.23 (95) d Sydney 11.12 (78)Three weeks ago, the Kangaroos squared off against the Lions at Carrara at 0-3 and with coach Dean Laidley firmly under the pump. After Saturday night's 17-point win over Sydney, the Roos are 3-3, just outside the eight and look capable of pushing for a spot in the finals. Shannon Grant was the villain of the Kangaroos' opening round loss to Collingwood but he was the hero against the Swans, kicking four goals from 22 possessions, including the sealer. Sydney received four goals from Barry Hall and valiantly clawed their way back from a 30-point three-quarter-time deficit. However, the six-goal start they gifted the Roos ultimately proved decisive.
Collingwood 11.20 (86) d Adelaide 9.8 (62)The Magpies showed the advantage of a 10-day break when they accounted for Adelaide by 24 points at AAMI Stadium. With a week-and-a-half to recover from their Anzac Day exertions, the Pies were too strong for the undermanned Crows, with three goals from the unheralded Chris Bryan helping swing the contest in Collingwood's favour. Rhyce and Heath Shaw and Tarkyn Lockyer were all influential for the Magpies, while Adelaide, aside from a purple patch of six unanswered goals through the second and third terms, was found lacking for contributors and firepower. Simon Goodwin, playing his 200th game, was the Crows' best.
Port Adelaide 10.16 (76) d Melbourne 9.17 (71)Melbourne remains winless after six games, with a disallowed Aaron Davey goal rubbing salt into the wounds of a five-point loss to Port Adelaide. Davey's last-quarter snap would have put the Demons in front but it was disallowed because of an infringement from skipper David Neitz. That left Port to cling on for a narrow win - their fifth of the season. In a tight encounter, the Power led at every change, but never by more than nine points. They were indebted to three goals from last year's Rising Star winner Danyle Pearce. Melbourne was best served by Adem Yze and Matthew Bate and fought valiantly, but that will come as little consolation to coach Neale Daniher, who will prepare his side for clashes with West Coast and the Western Bulldogs over the next fortnight.
Geelong 35.12 (222) d Richmond 9.11 (65)Just a week after turning in a thoroughly uninspiring performance against the Kangaroos, Geelong produced one of the all-time great scoring games to wallop the Tigers by 157 points. The Cats kicked the first seven goals of the match and their points tally of 222 - a Richie Benaud special - was the eighth highest of all time. Geelong had 15 individual goalkickers, with seven kicking three or more, including best afield candidates Paul Chapman and Gary Ablett. For Richmond, on the end of a record losing margin and now 0-6, there was little to enthuse about, although Nathan Foley tried hard in the midfield.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
