THE BRISBANE Lions will be out to ensure Port Adelaide stay winless next weekend, after the Power succumbed to the Crows in a fiercely-contested Adelaide showdown on Sunday.
Having lost their first two games, the Port Adelaide players were expected to be fired-up to face their arch-rivals, and that’s exactly how things transpired.
However, the physical approach adopted by the Power – exemplified by Matt Thomas’ pile-driving tackle on Nathan Bassett and Dean Brogan’s hefty bump on Luke Jericho – wasn’t enough to notch a first win for the season.
Despite being restricted to 18 fit men, the Crows hung on for a six-point win, and matters may yet get worse for Mark Williams’ side. Thomas was booked for engaging in rough conduct, and Brogan’s actions may also draw close scrutiny when the Match Review Panel goes about its weekly duties.
In other weekend results, the Lions’ round seven opponent, Geelong, was a surprisingly slender 30-point winner over Brisbane’s round six adversary, Melbourne, while round five foe, Hawthorn, fought back strongly to account for North Melbourne by 16 points.
In a weekend of comebacks, the Western Bulldogs turned a 37-point quarter-time deficit against St Kilda into a 38-point win, and Fremantle overcame a slow start to defeat West Coast by 14 points.
Collingwood recorded a comfortable 44-point win over Richmond, while Essendon withstood eight goals from Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola to emerge 16-point victors at the MCG on Saturday night.
Western Bulldogs 19.11 (125) d St Kilda 13.9 (87)
After the Saints booted seven goals to one in a dominant opening term, fans could have been forgiven for thinking this one was all over. But that would have been reckoning without the fighting spirit, skill and run of the Dogs, who outscored St Kilda 18 goals to six for the rest of the game. Ex-Lion Jason Akermanis was prominent with three goals.
Hawthorn 15.12 (102) d North Melbourne 13.8 (86)
Another game in which a match-winning comeback proved a highlight. The Roos got the early jump on the Hawks and led by as many as 26 points in the second quarter. But with Lance Franklin in irrepressible form en route to five goals, Hawthorn finished all over the top of North Melbourne to continue its unbeaten start to the season.
Fremantle 12.15 (87) d West Coast 10.13 (73)
Both sides had plenty to gain from this Derby, and it initially appeared as if the Eagles had come the most ready to play – kicking the first two goals of the game in the opening three minutes. Fremantle, however, worked its way back into the contest and, after kicking clear by more than four goals in term two, hung tough to record its first win of the season. Skipper Matthew Pavlich kicked five goals and picked up the Ross Glendinning Medal for best afield.
Essendon 23.12 (150) d Carlton 21.8 (134)
Perhaps the weekend’s most entertaining game, although not one Carlton fans will remember fondly despite Chris Judd’s 32 possessions and Brendan Fevola’s eight goals. Inspired by Fevola, the Blues kicked nine third-quarter goals and led at three-quarter-time, but couldn’t hold out the fast-finishing Bombers.
Geelong 16.16 (112) d Melbourne 12.10 (82)
That a 30-point loss could offer considerable cause for encouragement says something about the way Melbourne has started the season. The Demons kicked the first three goals of the game and stayed in front for most of the first quarter, but ultimately never looked like seriously challenging the Cats. In the finish, Geelong, which unfurled the 2007 premiership flag before the bounce, simply had too many contributors.
Collingwood 18.14 (122) d Richmond 11.12 (78)
This Rivalry Round match was effectively over part-way through the second quarter, as the Magpies raced to a 56-point lead. The Tigers improved from there and matched Collingwood’s scoring output in the second half, but it was a case of much too little, much too late. The Pies had 10 goal-kickers, with five of them contributing multiple majors.
Adelaide 12.13 (85) d Port Adelaide 11.13 (79)
If the Essendon-Carlton shootout provided the most pure entertainment, then this contest was probably the most enthralling of the round. Both sides had their chances, but Adelaide deserved the win after finishing the game with only 18 fit players. The second quarter resembled a match from the 1980s, with a Dean Brogan bump on Luke Jericho sparking a wrestle that also saw an Adelaide trainer cop an apparently accidental foot to the head.
