The Eagles trailed by a point at quarter time but were 18 points to the good at the last change, getting home with final-term goals from Mark LeCras, Mark Seaby and Quinten Lynch.
The reigning premiers remain only a win behind top-of-the-table Geelong and could welcome back Judd and even exiled ex-skipper Ben Cousins for the Lions clash.
Elsewhere, a Scott Lucas goal with eight seconds to play gave Essendon a two-point win in Neale Daniher’s last game in charge of Melbourne, while Geelong made it eight wins on the trot by beating Sydney by 17 points.
Fremantle booted 27 goals in a 77-point win over Carlton at Subiaco, St Kilda kept its finals aspirations alive with a 17-point victory versus Richmond and the Kangaroos celebrated Glenn Archer’s 300th game by accounting for the Western Bulldogs by 26 points.
The round ended with a thrilling twilight encounter between Collingwood and Hawthorn at Docklands, with the Hawks triumphing by eight points.
Brisbane Lions fans might well have seen the performance of the week first-hand, courtesy of Daniel Motlop’s virtuoso six-goal showing at the Gabba.
But Kangaroo Drew Petrie also caught the eye with 7.0 in the win over the Bulldogs - including a phenomenal six in the opening term – and St Kilda’s Leigh Montagna had 15 of his 35 possessions in the last quarter, when the game was on the line against Richmond.
Essendon 19.11 (125) d Melbourne 18.15 (123)
There was no fairytale ending for Neale Daniher at Melbourne, thanks to Scott Lucas’s late scrambled goal for the Bombers. The final result was harsh on Daniher and his team, with the Demons outscored eight goals to two in the first term, before fighting back and getting as many as 17 points ahead in the last quarter.
Geelong 13.9 (87) d Sydney 10.9 (69)
The Sydney Swans launched an obligatory comeback but Geelong, which kicked nine goals to two in the first half, were able to hold on for an eighth successive win. Brownlow Medal favourite Jimmy Bartel suffered a concussion scare, but other than that it was all good for the Cats, who remain a game clear on top of the ladder.
Fremantle 27.11 (173) d Carlton 13.18 (96)
Jeff Farmer returned from club and AFL suspensions with four goals, as the Dockers walloped their visitors 23 goals to eight after quarter time – having trailed by seven points at the first change. Farmer, Des Headland and Matthew Pavlich combined for 13 goals for the Dockers, who now face a crunch clash against the Swans at the SCG on Sunday.
St Kilda 17.15 (117) d Richmond 15.10 (100)
A second win of the season surely can’t be far away for Richmond, after the Tigers were again brave in defeat versus St Kilda. For the Saints, there was double cause to celebrate – an at-home win to honour last week’s away 350-gamer Robert Harvey, and four points to sustain a push for a finals berth.
West Coast 14.11 (95) d Adelaide 10.14 (74)
The Lions’ round 14 opponent – West Coast, tuned up for Saturday’s clash at Subiaco with a 21-point win over the Crows at AAMI Stadium. The Judd-less Eagles trailed early but never really looked in danger of losing a third successive game, accounting for an Adelaide side which is now perched precariously on the edge of the eight.
Kangaroos 17.9 (111) d Western Bulldogs 11.19 (85)
Glenn Archer and Drew Petrie enjoyed days out for the Roos – the former celebrating his 300th game and the latter kicking 7.0, with six of them coming in a phenomenal first quarter. The Bulldogs were jumped early in a seven-goal-to-one first stanza and, despite some handy play from ex-Lion Jason Akermanis, were never able to make a great dent in the Kangaroos’ lead.
Hawthorn 15.5 (95) d Collingwood 12.15 (87)
The Hawks sit a lofty second on the table after their marking key forwards lifted them to a nail-biting eight point win over Collingwood. The inaccurate Pies came from 16 points down in the last quarter to hit the front, but Michael Osborne and Jarryd Roughead kicked truly to seal Hawthorn’s first victory against Collingwood since 2003. Roughead, Lance Franklin and Tim Boyle combined for nine goals.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
