PORT MELBOURNE 9.7 (61)
WERRIBEE 7.16 (58)
PORT Melbourne christened its brand new lights in almost the best possible fashion with a devastating first half before hanging on grimly to stun Werribee by three points in a Smithy’s VFL thriller at ETU Stadium on Friday night.
The Borough had been in good form heading into the game with a win over Williamstown and a heartbreaking loss to Box Hill Hawks before their bye, but their hopes of a history-making home win took a hit when the new lights failed an hour before the bounce due to a power grid shortfall.
But after a short delay and a “power” of hard work behind the scenes, the lights gradually came on to one-third capacity, and both teams elected to play once given the choice.
The game started 25 minutes late, but only Port Melbourne came out of the sheds, tackling ferociously and playing inspired footy as it completely dominated a much higher-credentialled opponent, booting seven majors and keeping Werribee goalless to half-time – amazingly for the first time since Sunshine did it at Braybrook’s Skinner Reserve in the Tigers’ second VFA season way back in 1966.
The Tigers came to life in the second half, hauling in a 40-point deficit only to cripple themselves with terrible kicking for goal – their 7.16 included at least 10 behinds that should have been goals in a result that could severely hurt their finals chances despite being +44 in disposals, +16 in marks, +14 in clearances, +13 in inside-50s and +28 in tackles.
Ethan Phillips was best-on-ground for Port Melbourne as he repeatedly turned back the Werribee attacks to finish with 23 disposals and 12 marks in a dominant display down back, with Tom Cameron making the most of a late reprieve to star beside him with 22 touches, six marks and nine rebounds.
Marcus Lentini (31 disposals, six marks, six clearances) was excellent in the middle, while Angus Hanrahan (17) impressed in his first game of the season after injury, Tom O’Sullivan (17, six marks, five tackles) worked tirelessly and kicked a huge captain’s goal in the last quarter and Eli Templeton (17, seven clearances) and ruckman Paul Hunter (five marks, 31 hitouts) were also important.
Matt Hanson racked them up for Werribee but made more of an impact with less touches in the second half, finishing with 36 disposals, six marks, five tackles, seven inside-50s and seven clearances, while Shaun Mannagh (19, eight marks, five rebounds, 2.3) could have been a matchwinner but let himself down with his finishing.
Co-captain Tom Gribble was the Tigers’ best with 33 possessions and six clearances, just ahead of former skipper Michael Sodomaco (24, seven marks), Nick Coughlan (21, nine marks, five rebound-50s), Jack Henderson (21, eight tackles) and Noah Gribble (18, five marks).
FOOTSCRAY 14.10 (94)
BOX HILL HAWKS 6.10 (46)
IT TOOK 14 weeks, but Footscray finally rediscovered the form that saw it go 10-0 in 2021 to shock top-four team Box Hill Hawks by 48 points at Victoria University Whitten Oval on Saturday.
The Bulldogs have struggled to find any rhythm this season but exploded against a premiership fancy, kicking the first 10 goals of the game to lead by as much as 64 points before the Hawks belatedly found a couple of majors in the shadows of half-time.
But it didn’t spark them into action and they were only able to break even in the second half as Footscray dominated almost every aspect of the game, led by inspirational skipper Lachie Sullivan (26 disposals, seven clearances, eight tackles, three goals), Lachie Hunter (26, seven marks, five clearances) and Dom Bedendo (21, six marks, seven entries, one goal).
Jarrod Gilbee (20, 10 marks), Josh Kellet (18, 11 marks), Sam Darcy (17, four marks, 21 hitouts) and Riley Garcia (25) also impressed, while Toby McLean was terrific in his return match from a knee reconstruction with 19 touches, six clearances and two goals.
Box Hill had the chance to consolidate its top-four spot, but was never in the game after key forward Fergus Greene was forced off with concussion early, although Ben Cavarra (18, seven marks, eight tackles, three goals), former captain Damian Mascitti (22, five mark, eight rebounds), Ed Phillips (21, seven marks) and Finn Maginness (20, five clearances, five rebounds, seven tackles) did their best to keep the final margin in check.
GEELONG 13.11 (89)
RICHMOND 16.7 (103)
RICHMOND booted eight goals to one in the last quarter to steamroll Geelong by 14 points and climb back into the top eight at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday.
The Cats had controlled the game for three quarters and led by 33 points shortly after a Quinton major deep into time on, but Bigoa Nyuon kicked his first VFL goal with a terrific set shot from the boundary after the siren and it sparked a burst of seven unanswered goals in 21 minutes – including three to Noah Cumberland – as the Tigers roared home.
Given there remains just two wins between third and 13th on the ladder, that burst could be critical for both teams’ finals hopes, with Richmond climbing to seventh and Geelong staying 13th – those positions would have been almost reversed if the result had been different.
Geelong finished +56 in disposals (but +57 in handballs and -1 in kicks), +15 in clearances and +12 in inside-50s, but tellingly Richmond was +12 disposals in the last quarter and took 31 marks to five as Jake Aarts bounced back to form with 24 disposals, seven marks, seven clearances, five entries and two goals, while Sam Banks (22, five marks, five entries), Tyler Sonsie (22, six marks) and Riley Collier-Dawkins (20, seven tackles) provided strong support and Sydney Stack (16, six entries, eight tackles, one goal) also worked hard.
Cumberland was critical in that last quarter to finish with four goals, Jason Castagna kicked three and laid 10 tackles in a return to his hassling best and Samson Ryan had 34 hitouts to win the ruck battle.
Jye Chalcraft was in sensational touch for Geelong with 36 possessions, seven clearances and five entries, Cooper Stephens (28 touches, seven entries, five tackles and a goal) and Narkle (26, six clearances, six entries, one goal) built a case for an AFL recall, Shaun Higgins (23, seven tackles) looked strong in his first VFL game for eight years and Ollie Dempsey (21, seven marks) and Francis Evans (19, seven clearances, two goals) showed plenty of promise.
CARLTON 7.13 (55)
COBURG 7.9 (51)
AN INJURY-riddled Carlton produced one of its bravest efforts in recent memory to hold off Coburg by four points in a desperate finish to the Sydney Rd Derby at Ikon Park on Saturday night.
The Blues were left one player short when Will Setterfield went on as the medi-sub in the last quarter of the AFL win over Fremantle and were left with only one on the bench by midway through the third quarter when Sam Philp (ankle), Jack Carroll (concussion) and Harvey Gallagher, himself a late inclusion, were ruled out of the game, but they clung on desperately as the Lions threw everything at them without being able to find the target.
Liam Stocker was huge in defence for Carlton, picking up 30 disposals, 10 marks and six rebound-50s, while Joel Trudgeon continued his breakout year by having 34 possessions, nine marks, eight clearances and eight tackles, Paddy Dow racked them up again with 37, six marks, seven clearances, seven inside-50s and a goal and Will Hayes excelled on his wing with 25, nine marks, six inside-50s and a goal.
Alex Cincotta (23 touches, five marks), David Handley (19, 11 marks) and Stefan Radovanovic (19, eight marks) were much more important than their numbers would indicate, and Zavier Maher (29, five marks, five entries) and rookie Patrick Dozzi (24, five marks) also impressed.
Nathan Boucher Coburg’s best player with 29 disposals, five marks and five inside-50s, with Mitch Podhajski (22, six marks, six rebounds), Jack Maibaum (19, six marks, five rebounds) and Jesse Corigliano (19, seven marks, six rebounds, five tackles) doing well down back, the latter having a great battle with Ben Crocker despite the Blues’ star kicking 2.4.
Flynn Gentile (22, five inside-50s, one goal), Braedyn Gillard (20, seven marks, one goal) and Tom Silvestro (20, six marks) also worked hard for the Lions.
COLLINGWOOD 11.6 (72)
BRISBANE LIONS 14.13 (97)
RHYS Mathieson produced another stunning performance as the Brisbane Lions consolidated third spot by leading Collingwood all the way for a crucial 25-point away victory at AIA Centre on Saturday.
The Lions eked out a 14-point lead at quarter-time and held the Magpies at arm’s length for the rest of the day, making the crucial move with the last three goals of the third term and the first of the last to get out by as much as 43 points before the home team kicked four of the last five to add respectability to the score.
The visitors only conceded 29 inside-50s for the game to starve Collingwood of scoring opportunities while creating 60 of their own, with Mathieson bringing his own ball for the second time in a month to finish with 43 disposals, seven marks, seven clearances, 10 inside-50s and two goals – an insane 19 possessions more than the next best players.
Darcy Fort (20, nine marks, 24 hitouts, nine clearances, seven inside-50s, two goals) and Tom Fullarton (24, eight marks, three goals) were also dominant – the latter could have kicked six, with Harry Sharp (24, six entries) and regular defender Tahj Abberley (17, three goals) causing plenty of headaches as well.
NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft arrival Josh Carmichael starred for Collingwood with 24 possessions, eight marks and six rebounds, Aiden Begg gave everything he had against Fort to win 20 hitouts and lay 10 tackles, Finlay Macrae (22, six tackles, one goal) did well in the middle, former Williamstown star Charlie Dean (14, five marks, six rebounds) played his first game for the club after a foot injury and will be better for the run while Viv Blackmore-Moore snared two goals on debut.
SYDNEY 13.12 (90)
SANDRINGHAM 10.9 (69)
SYDNEY recorded its fifth win in six games to climb to the edge of the top four, overcoming a series of Covid withdrawals to beat Sandringham by 21 points in a tough contest at Lakeside Oval on Saturday.
The Swans lost Lewis Taylor, Dylan Stephens, Robbie Fox, Hayden McLean and Lachlan McAndrew to AFL Health and Safety Protocols, either ruled out themselves or called into the AFL team, but took the lead just before quarter-time and got out by as much as 32 points in the third quarter.
The Zebras fought back with four out of five majors either side of three quarter-time to get back within 11, but the home team steadied with best-on-ground Joel Amartey booting his fifth goal for the second week in a row to go with 23 disposals and seven marks.
James Bell (34, seven clearances, seven inside-50s, five tackles) and Matt Roberts (25, seven clearances, six entries) starred in the middle, with Corey Warner (22, seven marks, two goals), Ben Ronke (21, eight marks, 1.4), Sam Wicks (23, one goal), Hugo Hall-Kahan (20, eight marks, six entries, one goal), Nick Shipley (20, six marks, seven tackles), Callum Sinclair (19, 17 hitouts, seven clearances) and Harry Morrison (three goals) playing big roles in the win.
Indhi Kirk, the son of Swans legend Brett, was a late inclusion for his debut and got a taste of the level with five touches and three marks.
Tom Highmore was a tower of strength in defence for the Zebras with 35 disposals, 13 marks and 13 rebounds and Tom Campbell was just as prominent in the ruck with 25 touches, 43 hitouts, seven clearances and a goal, while Jack Higgins (18, five clearances, one goal), Leo Connolly (20, five rebounds), captain Anthony Seaton (16, six marks, seven rebounds) and Tyson Milne (16, seven marks, six rebounds) also tried hard but couldn’t stop their team dropping a third game in a row.
GOLD COAST 9.13 (67)
CASEY DEMONS 21.17 (143)
CASEY Demons slapped down yet another finals contender in devastating fashion, crushing Gold Coast by 76 points at Austworld Centre on Saturday.
The Demons had a goal on the board through Kade Chandler in the opening minute and the game won by quarter-time after piling on 7.6 to 2.2, but powered on with five goals to two in the second term and eight more in a 17-minute burst of the third term to lead by 83 points before taking the foot off the gas in the last quarter.
Mitch Brown kicked five behinds before finally booting his first goal 11 minutes into the second quarter, but once his radar was on he was unstoppable, banging on six majors from then until 22 minutes into the third, ending up with 21 disposals, 10 marks and 6.6, to finish off the dominance of Oskar Baker (24, eight marks, seven entries, one goal), Adam Tomlinson (22, five marks, 11 rebounds), Jake Melksham (21, five marks, six entries, two goals), Chandler (20, six marks, six clearances, six tackles, two goals), Luke Dunstan (25, six clearances), Jimmy Munro (20, nine tackles, one goal) and Jayden Hunt (20, six marks).
Rory Atkins (38, 10 marks, 10 rebounds) shone for the Suns in his new defensive role and Darcy Macpherson (34, five marks, seven clearances), Charlie Constable (31, seven marks, six clearances, seven entries, seven tackles) were also terrific, but they didn’t have much support apart from Jeremy Sharp (18, six marks, seven rebounds), 100th gamer James Tsitas (17, five clearances, five entries, 11 tackles) and Ned Moyle (37 hitouts).
NORTH MELBOURNE 13.12 (90)
NORTHERN BULLANTS 6.12 (48)
NORTH Melbourne blew Northern Bullants away early before cruising to a comfortable 42-point win at a wet Aegis Park on Saturday.
The Kangaroos left the Bullants in the starting gate with the first six goals and eight of the first nine, with their dominance shown by the 410-311 disposal count, including being +87 in handballs as they set up a wall at half-back to overcome a 39-27 clearance deficit and linked up expertly through the middle to create 61 inside-50s to 42.
Callum Coleman-Jones (28 disposals, four marks, 27 hitouts, 12 clearances, seven inside-50s, one goal) made a mockery of the theory that big men struggle in the wet, with co-captain Harry Jones (34, six entries, one goal) providing much of the drive at ground level along with Dom Tyson (26, six inside-50s, one goal), Charlie Lazzaro (24, seven marks, six tackles, one goal), Jack Mahony (22, eight tackles, two goals) and Jack Watkins (27).
Marty Hore (23, five marks, nine rebounds), Matt McGuinness (21, nine marks, five rebounds) and Josh Goater (20, six marks, five rebounds) proved almost impassable in defence and Mat Walker was in terrific touch at the other end, pulling in seven marks and kicking 3.4, with his finishing being his only achilles heel as he brought up his 50th VFL goal.
Bullants captain Tom Wilson once again led the way for his team with 33 touches, 11 marks, six clearances, five inside-50s, five rebounds and six tackles, with the best support again coming from Will Mitchell (29, seven clearances, eight tackles) and Matt King (22, six clearances), while Doug Lawrence (22, six marks, 10 rebounds) and Mutaz El Nour (20, eight marks, five rebounds) battled hard in defence and Liam Podhajski (17, 26 hitouts, five clearances) didn’t give up either.
WILLIAMSTOWN 10.12 (72)
ESSENDON 16.14 (110)
ESSENDON continued its mid-season revival, soaring to a fourth consecutive victory by outclassing Williamstown by 38 points at Williamstown Oval on Saturday.
The Bombers had not beaten the Seagulls at Point Gellibrand since 1896 but gained the upper hand with five unanswered goals in the first 16 minutes of the second quarter to turn a tied match into a 30-point lead, and while Williamstown kicked the next three to get back within 11 early in the third term, it was unable to get any closer.
NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft addition Jye Menzie backed up two goals in each of his first two matches with terrific four-goal effort, with Alec Waterman and Kaine Baldwin booting three each to give Essendon’s relatively unknown midfield of Stefan Rasinac (24, five clearances, six inside-50s), Brad Bernacki (20, seven clearances, six tackles) and Bruno Laguda (19, five entries) reward for effort.
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (17, nine marks, six rebounds) completely blanketed Seagulls rookie Darcy Fritsch in the last line of defence and Brayden Ham (18, six marks, one goal) and captain Joe Atley (18, seven clearances, five entries, one goal) provided good support to the VFL-listed performers.
Tom Downie starred in the ruck for Williamstown in his 100th NEAFL/VFL game, picking up 17 disposals, four marks, 39 hitouts and six clearances, Teia Miles (32, nine marks, eight rebounds) got plenty of it in the backline alongside Jake Greiser (21, eight rebounds) and Nick Mellington (26, eight clearances, eight tackles, one goal), Liam Hunt (25, seven marks, seven clearances, five inside-50s, seven tackles and Brayden Monk (23, six tackles) did their best to stem the flow in the middle.
SOUTHPORT 16.19 (115)
FRANKSTON 4.11 (35)
SOUTHPORT continued on its merry way, all-but ensuring Frankston’s finals drought will stretch into another season with a powerful 80-point win at Fankhauser Reserve on Saturday.
The Dolphins kicked the first goal of the game and looked like they would be up for the fight, but they missed some opportunities and the Sharks took full toll, slamming on the next 11 goals before Bailey Lambert finally got one back through Bailey Lambert 21 minutes into the third quarter.
Southport also missed some gettable chances in front of goal but was able to generate 35 scoring shots from 58 inside-50s as Boyd Woodcock (27 possessions, seven marks, five clearances, two goals) dominated again, Tom Fields (24, eight marks, six entries, two goals) used his raking left foot brilliantly, Max Pescud (23, eight marks, one goal) played one of his best matches at the level and co-captains Mike Manteit (28, five marks, five entries, one goal) and Jacob Dawson (25, six clearances) also proved too hard to handle.
Ryley Stoddart (30, 11 marks, six rebounds) and Taylin Duman (22, seven marks, five rebounds) worked hard in defence for Frankston, with midfielders Trent Mynott (26, 12 marks, six tackles), Will Fordham (27, eight marks), Josh Newman (27, one goal) and Connor Riley (28, five clearances) provided resistance in the middle, but every mistake was punished by a Sharks’ scoring opportunity.
BYE: GWS
SMITHY’S VFL LADDER, ROUND 14 – click here
THIS WEEK
ROUND 15: Friday, July 1: Brisbane Lions v Footscray (Red Rooster Park, Moreton Bay, 12.05pm). Saturday, July 2: Essendon v Sydney (Windy Hill, 10.35am); Casey Demons v Port Melbourne (Casey Fields, 1.05pm); Werribee v North Melbourne (Avalon Airport Oval, 2.05pm); Frankston v Geelong (Skybus Stadium, 7.05pm). Sunday, July 3: Richmond v Collingwood (Swinburne Centre, 11.05am); GWS v Box Hill Hawks (Giants Stadium, 11.35am); Coburg v Gold Coast (Piranha Park, 2.15pm); Northern Bullants v Williamstown (Genis Steel Oval, Preston, 2.15pm). Bye: Carlton, Sandringham, Southport.
NEXT WEEK: ROUND 16: Friday, July 8: Geelong v Casey Demons (GMHBA Stadium, 7.05pm). Saturday, July 9: Collingwood v North Melbourne (AIA Centre, 11.05am); Box Hill Hawks v Southport (Box Hill City Oval, 12.35pm); Gold Coast v Frankston (Metricon Stadium, 12.50pm); Werribee v Coburg (Avalon Airport Oval, 2.05pm); Port Melbourne v Carlton (ETU Stadium, 7.05pm). Sunday, July 10: Sandringham v Footscray (Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval, 12.01pm); Williamstown v GWS (Williamstown Oval, 1.05pm). Bye: Brisbane Lions, Essendon, Northern Bullants, Richmond, Sydney.
THEN: ROUND 17: Friday, July 15: Southport v Sydney (Fankhauser Reserve, 7.05pm); Frankston v Northern Bullants (Skybus Stadium, 7.35pm). Saturday, July 16: GWS v Brisbane Lions (Blacktown International Sports Park, 11.35am); Coburg v Sandringham (Piranha Park, 1.05pm); North Melbourne v Richmond (Aegis Park, 2.05pm); Box Hill Hawks v Werribee (Box Hill City Oval, 2.05pm); Carlton v Geelong (Ikon Park, 2.35pm). Sunday, July 17: Port Melbourne v Collingwood (ETU Stadium, 12.01pm); Essendon v Gold Coast (Windy Hill, 1.05pm). Bye: Casey Demons, Footscray, Williamstown.
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
All VFL matches in 2022 are live-streamed free. The match of the round can be viewed on Channel 7, while all remaining games are streamed live and on demand via www.afl.com.au and the AFL Live and VFL apps. Radio 3WBC is again broadcasting Box Hill Hawks matches.
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