What a long week it's been in football
From Hawthorn's thumping of West Coast last Friday to Collingwood's inspired defeat of Sydney on Saturday night, it's been a long round of football spread across two weekends. But who says the split round is a time for respite? In the nine days it took to complete round 14, we've experienced upset results, more nudity in the Top End, an alleged war of words, a bunch of re-signings, a pair of proposals and the birth of another potential Port Adelaide player - amongst other things. Oh, and forget soaring petrol prices, a man having a baby and the outcome of Zimbabwe's presidential election – the status of Brendan Fevola's contract negotiation officially topped the lot as the most talked about news item this week.
What a cracker … Melbourne v the Brisbane Lions
One of the most stirring images from round 14 came late on the first Sunday of the round as the final siren rang over the MCG. The Demons, seemingly done and dusted, were down by 11 points with 2:45 remaining. But never underestimate the spirit of the red and the blue, with Brad Miller goaling with just over a minute remaining to give his side a lead it wouldn't forfeit. On a day where new president Jim Stynes delivered his first pre-match speech and after a week where the Irish giant issued a call to arms to Demons' fans, it was a fitting end to a rough month for the club – and the picture of Stynes celebrating with final-term hero Austin Wonaeamirri's father in the stands as the last bell tolled is one we're sure to see replayed over and over this year.
Player of the round … Shane Wakelin
The veteran defender stood Barry Hall and the took to the task with aplomb. He irritated the power forward into submission, annoying Hall to the point of complete exasperation while keeping him to just one goal. Wakelin also picked up a career-high 22 possessions, and midfielder Dane Swan revealed the defender was pretty enthusiastic about reminding his teammates about that fact after the match.
Coach of the round … Mick Malthouse
The Collingwood coach proved on Saturday night he's more than capable of taking on the footballing world one task at a time. In the same week he accepted the role as coach of the Australian side for the upcoming International Rules series, Malthouse led his side to victory over Sydney to notch up an impressive five straight wins over the Swans.
How's stat …
Four players (Geelong's Jimmy Bartel, Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes, and West Coast's Matt Priddis and Daniel Kerr) cracked 40 individual touches, with the latter three doing it in losing sides. And, Sydney's Adam Goodes watched from the grandstand for the first time since 1999 owing to suspension. However, one of the most interesting stats of the round quite simply came from its results. All of the non-Victorian teams lost.
Mark of the round … Jarrad Waite
Well, almost-marks don't usually cut the mustard in this column, but the fact it was taken over afl.com.au's own Chelsea Roffey pushes it right into contention. Roffey, a journalist at the league's official website, was completing her weekend duties as a goal umpire in the Richmond-Carlton clash at the MCG. Tiger Nathan Brown took a shot on goal and Waite flew in front of the sticks in an attempt to catch the soaring ball. Little did he realise the person he intended on using as a stepladder was not a teammate, nor an opponent; it was Roffey, who bravely stood firm as three Carlton players bounced around her. The consummate professional, Roffey recovered from Waite's brief stint aboard her shoulders to signal the point scored. And, the Carlton forward went as far to label our girl "courageous" for standing her ground afterwards.
There's always next week for … Essendon – and what an exciting one it could be
Essendon fought out a brilliant four-point win over Fremantle over in the west on the first Sunday – not that you'd know, if you saw the vision of coach Matthew Knights sitting in the box. Knights sat unperturbed by the result, expressing no emotion as his side notched up its third win in a row. With a clash with the Brisbane Lions at Telstra Dome, followed by a winnable match with Richmond the following week, the next fortnight could be exciting for the Bombers. Win next week and they're knocking on the door of the eight, which was nothing short of a pipedream just under a month ago when the club was on the end of an eight-match losing streak.
Get well soon … Graham Polak, Brock McLean and Courtney Johns
The mid-season gap turned sour last weekend when news emerged Polak was in hospital after being hit by a tram in Melbourne. He has since been moved to a rehabilitation centre and is out of serious danger, but it's set to be a long road back for the Richmond defender as he overcomes brain bruising. McLean and Johns then received bad news of their own with the young Demon suffering a season-ending ankle injury and Johns a suspected ruptured ACL while playing the VFL. We here at the website wish all three the best in their recoveries.
And congratulations to … Robert Murphy and Sam Mitchell
Football might not have been it the air for either player during the second part of the round, but love certainly was. Murphy used his mid-season break to trek to the New South Wales coastline to propose to partner Justine, while Mitchell took off to Wilson's Promontory and popped the question to Lyndall. And, with both ladies saying yes, the Murph and the Mitch found additional reasons to celebrate after their respective teams notched up wins over Port Adelaide and West Coast.
