The Brisbane Lions will be looking to catch Collingwood on the bounce at the Gabba this weekend after the Pies' three-game winning streak ended with a 33-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs at Docklands on Sunday.
The Magpies kicked six unanswered goals to take a 17-point lead into half-time but, with ex-Lion Jason Akermanis playing his best game for his new club, the hard-running Bulldogs finished all over the top of Mick Malthouse's side.
Both the Magpies and the Bulldogs, who the Lions host in round 11, finished the game injury and report-free. Big forward Anthony Rocca kicked three goals for Collingwood, despite spending time off the ground following a heavy knock, while Tarkyn Lockyer picked up 25 possessions in his 150th game.
In other weekend action, the Lions' round 10 opponents, Richmond, remain winless, despite coming within nine points of the Adelaide Crows on Friday night. Worse still, for Tigers fans, star forward Matthew Richardson is expected to two weeks with a fractured eye socket and midfielder Dean Polo injured a shoulder.
The Lions' round 12 away assignment against Geelong gets more intriguing by the week, as the Cats are now arguably the competition's form side. Geelong's solid 25-point win over Fremantle on Saturday was its third in succession and followed a 39-point victory over ladder leaders West Coast.
Kangaroos supporters may insist their team is the league's yardstick, with a 17-point win over Carlton making it five in a row and two on the trot at their Gold Coast "base". The Roos were the last team to defeat Geelong.
In the other matches, Hawthorn notched its fifth victory of the season by 28 points against St Kilda in a drab Saturday-night affair at Docklands, Sydney toppled Port Adelaide from the top of the table with a 31-point win at the SCG on Sunday and West Coast completed the round by beating Melbourne by 77 points and regaining top spot.
Aside from Richardson, there were no major injuries to come out of the round, although the Eagles and Brownlow Medal punters will sweat on the report of ace playmaker Daniel Kerr for making high, front-on contact with Melbourne's Cameron Bruce.
It was another weekend without a "no-brainer" pick for best performance, but Kangaroos onballer Brent Harvey was in sublime touch against the Blues, gathering 32 possessions and kicking three goals, including a couple of beauties around his body at full pace.
Adelaide 14.15 (99) d Richmond 14.6 (90)
More heartbreak for the Tigers, as Adelaide toughed out a nine-point home win and star Richmond forward Matthew Richardson suffered a serious facial injury. Scott Welsh booted five goals for the Crows, who jumped out of the blocks with a seven-goal opening term.
Geelong 14.10 (94) d Fremantle 10.9 (69)
Geelong set up their third straight win by kicking 6.0 in the first quarter in windy conditions, then held strong as Fremantle came back with a five-goal final term. Steve Johnson continued a dream return to senior action for the Cats with four goals, while Jimmy Bartel maintained his excellent form.
Hawthorn 10.12 (72) d St Kilda 6.8 (44)
Both sides combined for an uninspiring seven goals to three-quarter-time, before the Hawks kicked away from the maddeningly inconsistent Saints with six majors in the last quarter. Jarryd Roughead kicked three goals for Hawthorn and nuggety midfield Sam Mitchell was best afield.
Kangaroos 22.15 (147) d Carlton 20.10 (130)
Carlton had the better of the first half, but the Roos kicked nine goals to two in the first 40 minutes of the second half to set up a fifth straight win. While the Blues came back at their "hosts" late, the Roos never looked in danger, thanks to five goals from Shannon Grant and a best-on-ground showing from Brent Harvey.
Sydney 17.16 (118) d Port Adelaide 13.9 (87)
The Swans started well with six goals and kept their collective feet on the gas pedal to improve to 4-4 and ninth spot in the standings. The Power looked anything but league leaders as Michael O'Loughlin booted four goals and Barry Hall two in a dominant forward performance.
Western Bulldogs 20.15 (135) d Collingwood 14.18 (102)
The Western Bulldogs stopped Collingwood's winning run at three games, overcoming a 17-point half-time deficit to post an impressive victory. Ex-Lion Jason Akermanis was among the Bulldogs' best, kicking two goals as Rodney Eade's side outscored the Magpies 12 goals to three after the long break.
West Coast 19.23 (137) d Melbourne 9.6 (60)
With skipper Chris Judd in fine fettle, the Eagles peppered the goals and would have won by more with better accuracy inside the forward 50. Spearhead Quinten Lynch played the hero/villain and could easily have posted a career-high haul, but had to settle for 5.7.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
