Round 7 Review News

[Bluey]

AFLTips.Com Preview News

Round 7 - 11 May 2001

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INDEX
1) "Weekly Round-Up" - previews of all matches from our Regular
Contributors
2) Various info about AFLTips.Com


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1) Weekly Round-Up
from our Regular Contributors
http://www.afltips.com/people/

(E-mail adrian@afltips.com if you'd like to become a
contributor.)


**********

Melbourne v. Western Bulldogs
Friday, 11 May 2001 - MCG 7:40 PM

Attendance: 32,299

Team ; Q1 ; Q2 ; Q3 ; Q4 ; Final Score
Melbourne ; 4.4 ; 6.5 ; 9.5 ; 12.5 ; 12.5 77
W.Bulldogs ; 5.4 ; 7.11 ; 12.13 ; 15.17 ; 15.17 107

Goals:
Melbourne- C.Bruce 3, R.Robertson 3, D.Neitz 2, A.Yze 2, B.Green 1, T.Johnstone 1
Western Bulldogs- NG.Brown 4, B.Johnson 2, R.Smith 2, T.Bartlett 1, S.Cox 1, C.Grant 1, B.Harrison 1, P.Hudson 1, K.Hunter 1, S.West 1

Best:
Melbourne- C.Bruce, D.Ward, A.McDonald, S.Woewodin, D.Schwarz, R.Robertson, A.Yze
Western Bulldogs- NG.Brown, S.West, L.Penny, B.Johnson, K.Hunter, L.Darcy, C.Grant, B.Harrison, M.Robbins

Injuries:
Melbourne- D.Ward (knee), B.Green (bruised arm), M.Collins (knee), P.Walsh (hamstring), D.Neitz (eye), J.White (shin)
Western Bulldogs- None

The Western Bulldogs got their season back on track tonight and continued their dominence over a disappointing Melbourne after a scrappy 30 point victory. It has been five years since the demons have been able to notch up a victory against the bulldogs.

In front of an average crowd for a friday night, it was only the bulldogs inaccuracy in front of goal which kept the final scoreline respectable. The halftime lead of 11 points should have been far greater, and the match really should have been over by halftime.

After an even first quarter, it was the bulldogs who took control thru the centre of the ground. With Darcy dominating the hitouts against an obviously not fully fit jeff White, it was continually the bulldogs who got first use of the ball usually thru Nathan Brown or Scott West. If not for a rare bout of innaccuracy from Brad johnson who kicked 4 straight behinds until he finally managed his first major the margin surely would have been greater. After halftime it was the bulldogs who slowly took control over the final result. As with most of the night most of the melbourne goals appeared to come against the trend of play, and their cause was not helped by numerous injuries to key players, reducing their available options after half time when then were reduced to only 18 fit players. In the end it was the bulldogs who had all the answers and came away with a comfortable 30 point victory.

Standouts for Bullies were Brown, West, Darcy and Johnson.

For the demons, they can take heart from the continual improvement from Shane Woewodin who continues to get closer to his Brownlow winning form. They were also well served by David Schwartz and Cameron Bruce also shows promising signs, and Russell Robertson continuing to be dangerous around goals and showing that he can kick them from anywhere. They were all standouts in a losing team. The injury toll taken from this weekend couldn’t come at a worst time for the demons with engagements against Essendon and Port Adelaide coming up.

The bulldogs on the other hand are back on track, and with easier games against sydney and west coast ahead of them in the coming weeks, they could well be pushing their way up the ladder in no time at all.

- Andrew Teres
http://www.afltips.com/people/andrewteres.html


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Richmond v. Essendon
Saturday, 12 May 2001 - MCG 2:10 PM

WILL THE REAL RICHMOND PLEASE STAND UP.

Let’s be honest. The sooner the Richmond football club publicly apologises to the tiger army throughout Australia will we better understand the dismal chaos witnessed at the MCG today.

It was pathetic to think that had the bombers kicked straight in the first quarter we would have witnessed the biggest mayhem ever at the MCG in what was to be a blockbuster a game they said where the Richmond football club was going to stand and tell the football world at long last we have arrived.

Ottens is the only tiger that can stand proud tonight and maybe to a certain degree can the enigmatic Richardson, the rest did absolutely nothing. Forget the loser cliche's Richmond failed to deliver and it may take some time again before we ever take this club seriously.

To be fair Essendon came across as a side that is slowly getting back to its premiership form of last season. Essendon were dynamic from the outset and if they had kicked straight the game would of been a further embarrassment. Wellman was terrific and so was Barnard and Lucas did extremely well, as usual Hird was everywhere and Lloyd was amongst the goals once again. The only problem with Essendon at the moment is there rucks are easily getting beat in the centre and around the ground.

Full marks to the Essendon football club and to the Richmond football club it's time to have a bloody good look at yourselves and respect the huge support you have across this country. You had your chance today and you blew it.

ESSENDON 16 24 120
RICHMOND 10 14 74

BEST- ESSENDON WELLMAN BARNARD LUCAS

BEST- RICHMOND OTTENS


- JoffaMagpie
http://www.afltips.com/people/joffamagpie.html


**********

Adelaide v. Fremantle
Saturday, 12 May 2001 - Football Park 7:10 PM (7:40 PM AEST)

Nice guys finish last, or so they say. Fremantle coach Damian Drum, after all the speculation surrounding his position in the previous week, has at least been touted as an all round 'nice guy', but where does that get you as an AFL coach? Whilst many scratch their heads and ponder the reasons for Freo's zero wins from seven attempts - their worst ever start to a season - the reality is that unfortunately something has got to give.

In this encounter against a potentially beatable Adelaide, The Dockers nipped at The Crows' heels all night only to again buckle and fade in the dying minutes. Although not entirely the fault of coach Drum, certain glaring instances in The Dockers' decision making process are worthy of attention. The Daniel Bandy factor is a perplexing scenario which repeatedly sees the Fremantle big man playing in crucial defensive positions when clearly it does not suit, or is not properly learnt. Consequently, basic errors are made resulting in easy goals to the opposition. How would Shaun McManus be feeling as one of the Dockers' major playmakers, but unable to have any real influence when forced to play off the bench? Jason Norrish is another example of a ball gatherer's talents being somewhat misused away from regular on-ball contests.

Perhaps The Dockers' form really is the fault of the players themselves. Undoubtedly they want a change of direction in the form of a win or three, but also perhaps are craving a change of actual directive incorporating a new lease of life or hope, belief in themselves or perhaps just a good kick up the butt. Whatever it is, nearly-won games are not going to win them many friends, high respect among peers and ultimately fear amongst opposition.

On the positive side for Fremantle, Clive Waterhouse filled the absent Tony Modra's shoes with a solid four-goal performance, Dale Kickett returned to the fray with some good run out of defence and Heath Black and Justin Longmuir also contributed handsomely.

But Adelaide had been licking their chops from the first few minutes after breaking the game open with an early lead. It was one which would prove priceless later in the match when confronted by some genuine Fremantle competition.

For The Crows, Andrew McLeod was particularly damaging in continuing his sparkling form from previous weeks, likewise were Simon Goodwin and Darren Jarman. Furthermore, The Crows home ground advantage was as familiar as Nigel Smart in full flight through centre wing toward the goals. Meanwhile useful contributions from Tyson Edwards and Mark Ricciuto didn't hurt a bit.

Apart from Waterhouse, there were no massive goal kickers or possession getters and game stats were generally even. The difference came down to what was done with the ball, for how long and by how many, all things normally learnt at training under watchful if not authoritative eyes. If those eyes belong to nice guys, it can only be considered an unnecessary bonus.

- matto
http://www.afltips.com/people/matto.html

[Bluey]

**********

St Kilda v. Hawthorn
Saturday, 12 May 2001 - Colonial Stadium 7:40 PM

Attendance: 37,940

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Score
St Kilda 2.2 7.4 11.7 15.9 15.9 99
Hawthorn 4.4 9.6 11.12 16.14 16.14 110

Goals:
St Kilda- S.Loewe 3, N.Burke 2, B.Hall 2, C.Beetham 1, P.Everitt 1, A.Hamill 1, M.Hudghton 1, S.Milne 1, B.Moyle 1, J.Peckett 1, R.Powell 1
Hawthorn- J.Barker 5, T.Croad 4, B.Dixon 2, D.Chick 1, M.Graham 1, D.Harford 1, J.Hay 1, A.Lekkas 1

Injuries:
St Kilda- N.Burke, P.Everitt, J.Begley, S.Loewe, B.Knowles Best J.Smith, R.Tallis, N.Thompson, T.Croad, J.Barker, D.Chick, T.Delaney (quad strain)
Hawthorn- None



Hawthorn continued their unbeaten run tonight this time at the expense of a vastly improved St Kilda.

In what was one of the better games of the season to date the lead continued to seesaw throughout, with the hawks kicking 4 out of the last 5 goals to finally claim an exciting 11 point victory.

The saints fought hard throughout and were unlucky to lose this one but will come away with greater respect from the football world.

The hawks began the first quarter in fine form and should have made more of their early opportunities but only held a 14 point lead at quarter time. At this stage they looked a little too slick for the battling saints. The saints hit back early in the second quarter to hit the front before a controversial incident resulted in two goals to hawthorn without the ball being bounced in the centre. This resulted in the hawks maintaining a 14-point lead over the saints at half time. The second half was a beauty, with the lead changing many times, and when the saints went out to a 7 point lead halfway through the last quarter all appeared lost for the hawks and it looked like a major upset was on the cards.

Instead the hawks showed their newfound maturity and stepped up a notch. Importantly Thompson got two important ruck takeaways resulting in centre square clearances to the hawks, an area where they struggled all night. And when Barker got a couple of quick ones in a row the result was pretty much decided.

In the end it was a spurt of four goals in five minutes by the hawks, which ended what was an exciting match and left the hawks alone on top of the ladder.

The end result was decided in two areas, one being the hawk forwards were too strong and powerful and were able to take too many marks inside the forward 50, mainly due to Barker and Croad. Plus the Saints skill level was slightly lower than that of the hawks, with the saints making too many errors under pressure.

For the Hawks they were well served by the likes of Tallis, Smith, Barker and Croad. They are still playing inconsistent football at times but still have found a way to win each match. A sure sign of a good team.

For the saints, they finally look like they are on the improve with players like Burke, Loewe and Everitt the standout. Their fans certainly cant say that they arent putting in the effort required of them.

Also watch out for a young player named Stephen Milne, kicked a superb goal where he took a mark over Mark Graham, hit the ground running and played on to kick a superb team lifting goal from 40m out, he really displays a lot of promise. Next week the saints will have Nathan Burke playing his 300th game so they should be primed for another big performance and on tonight’s form would surely start favourites against the Kangaroos.

- Andrew Teres
http://www.afltips.com/people/andrewteres.html


**********

Collingwood v. Kangaroos
Sunday, 13 May 2001 - Colonial Stadium 2:10 PM


Round 10, 1993. The game at Victoria Park that day was a watershed match that seemed to mark the rise of the Kangaroos and the decline of the Magpies. Round 7, 2001, and Rohan Connolly in the Age confidently marks this as the match that would reverse the roles of 1993. But while it's easy enough to look back and laugh at Connolly for a headline gone wrong (note, you should laugh at football journalists as often and as loudly as you like), a little clue to the undoing of his theory could be found towards the end of his article. He points out that the results of matches between these two sides rarely seem to go as predicted.

It was almost Shakespearian the way that the final moments of the match were played out. First of all, after coming back from a 4 goal deficit in the third quarter, Collingwood built up a 15 point lead halfway through the final quarter. With the momentum going their way, another goal would have sealed it for them. What did they do? They played keepings off on the wing. Three or four pointless possessions that, although they used up a few seconds of play, also seemed to indicate a few signs of doubt in the collective minds of Collingwood. More importantly, it stopped their momentum.

An apparent scapegoat for the Kangaroos' poor start to the season and returning to the seniors after a week with the Murray Kangaroos, Shannon Grant, got a couple of goals that close the gap on the Magpies to less than a goal. Former Collingwood hero, Saverio Rocca, kicked the goal that put the Roos back in front of the match. To add salt into the wound, he did it in front of the Collingwood cheersquad. At the other end, the other Rocca, Anthony, missed a set shot at goal from no more than twenty-five metres out that would have won back the lead for the Pies. It could be argued that under these circumstances, Collingwood lost the match rather than the Kangaroos winning it.

However, the Kangaroos had their own doubts to overcome. Five out of their six final quarter performances this season have been pitiful. As recently as last week against Richmond, they were within touch at the final change, but were kept scoreless in the final quarter. With Collingwood dominating the end of the third and the opening skirmishes of the final, another collapse seemed inevitable. But somehow, a flicker of the old collective self-belief that has carried the Kangaroos through to finals campaign after finals campaign seemed to stay alight. The team continued to chase and harass their opponents, they kept their heads and found targets, the forwards held their positions, took marks when needed and crumbed when the opportunities arose. It was a team effort, but I will mention one player, Adam Simpson. Simpson kept Nathan Buckley quiet for most of the match. Early in the final quarter, Buckley broke the shackles and started to get the ball and control play. However, Simpson rose to the challenge and locked him out of the game again. It was an effort that was replicated across enough contests across the field to ensure that the Roos were able to create and take the opportunity to win the match.

At the end of the match, we stood above the players race to wait for our boys to come off the field. But first, let me take you back a day. Coburg Oval, Murray Kangaroos versus Williamstown, at the quarter time huddle. Sav was there to lend support to the players, but he seemed to be listening to the coach's speech with the same intensity as if he was playing in the game himself. It just struck me that he was still willing to listen and learn. Back to Sunday and as the players ran up the race, Sav took a moment to look up at the fans cheering him off and with a huge smile on his face, he raised his fist in victory, and naturally, cries of "Onya Sav!" rained down on him. He had the same feelings as us, and we had the same as him, and all of us knew that.

- Shinboners
http://www.afltips.com/people/shinboners.html


**********

[Bluey]

Sydney v. Brisbane
Sunday, 13 May 2001 - SCG 2:10 PM

It seemed from the opening bounce that the Swans were anywhere but at the SCG. Call it a lack of trying, a lack of passion or a lack of care – the Swans just did not come to play.

Brisbane were not that good either but to their credit, they stuck to their guns and now have their season back on track after beating the Swans by 32 points.

The first three weeks of the season are now a distant memories for the Swans and this year may prove to be a very long one for them.

If not for wayward kicking by the Lions, they would have won by considerably more and they gave the Swans every chance to win with only 3 points separating the sides at three quarter time but the Lions kicked away with 5 goals to none in the final quarter.

For the Lions, Akermanis and Black were supreme whilst Voss was irrepressible. McDonald gave Stafford a Doyle a lesson with center clearances 20 to 6.

The most damning statistic is that the Lions went inside 50 twenty-six more times.

For the Swans, everyone their should be on borrowed time with a performance like that including Eade. With the news that Paul Kelly may not come back, things are not looking too good for the Swans.

They have the Bulldogs next and need to produce a Bulldog type performance against them next week.

The Lions have Carlton at Optus but after that have 5 of their next 6 at the Gabba.

- David Wiseman


**********

West Coast v. Port Adelaide
Sunday, 13 May 2001 - Subiaco 2:30 PM (4:30 PM AEST)

MOTHER'S DAY MASSACRE! ! !

Port Adelaide 5.4 9.9 13.15 17.19 (121)
West Coast 2.2 2.4 3.6 7.8 (50)

Best - Port: Stevens, Burgoyne, Francis, Primus, Francou, Tredrea, Montgomery, Ackland, Carr; West Coast: Cousins, Fletcher; Goals - Port: Burgoyne 4, Tredrea, Francis 3, Ackland, Carr, Cockatoo-Collins 2, James 1; West Coast: Wilson 3, Fletcher 2, Kerr, Kemp 1;

Port Adelaide today handed out somewhat of a Mother's Day Massacre to the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval. However it could have been far worse, if it was not for Port trying to play such a cute and pretty game then resulting in many inaccurate shots for goal the final margin could well have been by one hundred points.

I'm sure that there may well be many angry mothers in the West tonight as well. On a day that should have been for the mother's, many family members decided to go to the football and for what? This West Coast side was deplorable; Cousin's and Fletcher had okay games but were hardly anything to write home about, in fact they were lucky to make the best players list but I had to name someone.

Port Adelaide appear to be the real deal, winning their last five games after the defeat to Essendon in round 2, this is Port's only defeat since July 22 last year. Football has almost become boring for many Port supporters, its great to win but how about a challenge. After struggling for quite some time last year we would just will our side on, now we sit back, smile and laugh. Our dominance is almost like playing in the SANFL, this is the Port Adelaide all South Australian's have come to know.

I should probably start speaking about the game now however West Coast's game was that bad I could probably finish this game in a paragraph.

If there was to be a highlight for this game it would have to be the way the West Coast players fell over with injuries like ninepins. It almost seemed that for every possession the West Coast would get an injury would occur, no wonder the Eagles didn't want to get close to the ball. Michael Gardiner pulled out before the game and by the end of the match the West Coast only had seventeen fit men on the field.

Port started fast out of the gate with the first two goals of the match before a reply through the Eagles. Soon enough Port pushed the margin out to twenty points by quarter time, West Coast finished the quarter with two goals much to the help of the umpires.

The second quarter was rather frustrating, although Port kept West Coast to two points for the quarter Port finished many chances to only finish with four goals, the same was to continue for the third quarter. Port once again with inaccurate kicking finished with four and the Eagles one, leaving Port with a lead of sixty-nine points going before the last quarter.

Not happy with the margin and trying to give something back to those who turned out for the game the West Coast started strongly reducing Port's lead to below fifty points. Some forward thrusts were able to bring Troy Wilson into the game who before the last quarter had not touched the ball, by the end of the game he finished three goals. Port was not happy with the way the West Coast reduced the Port margin after much hard work, soon Port rattled on another three goals to finish with a seventy one point margin.

For the second week in a row, Stuart Dew's game was well held by the opposition but putting so much focus on one player only frees up many of the other Port forwards. With players like Burgoyne 4, Francis and Tredrea 3 it once again shows how hard it is to hold Port to a reasonable score. Port has now scored over one hundred points in six of its seven matches this year, the match that they missed the hundred Port managed to score ninety-nine. Amazingly enough today, Port did not score any goals from outside fifty showing they are good up close as well. Cain Ackland deserves a good mention as well, he will go close to earning the Rising Star Award this week, a good performance in the ruck while Primus was resting and some good leads and marks before kicking two goals shows the great poise this eighteen year old ruckman already has.

Progress Tipping for Scott

This week: 6/8
Total: 38/56

- Scott
http://www.afltips.com/people/scott.html


**********

Geelong v. Carlton
Sunday, 13 May 2001 - MCG 2:10 PM

Geelong – Carlton was one of the most lackluster games of the season.

Carlton were just too good and got up by 40 points. They had too many big guns for the demoralised cats and when gun wingman, Peter Riccardi went off with a fractured cheekbone, things went from bad to worse.

Ronnie Burns was also reported for striking his shadow for the day, Anthony Franchina.

For the Blues, it was the usual suspects who got them up; Ratten, Bradley, Camporeale and Kouta. Whilst Spriggs, King and Clarke were valiant for the Cats.

The Blues now must aim to break their win-loss sequence for the year and try and win two on the trot for the first time. They should do this against an improved Brisbane at Optus.

For Geelong, losing 5 on the trot is a big hole to get out of and playing Fremantle at Subiaco is not the place to want to go to break the streak.

One suspects that Fremantle might get their first win of the season next week.

- David Wiseman


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