Zevon
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A round that saw some teams continue on an upward curve and some continue to nosedive. Let’s tie a bow around Round 3…
Bombers v Port, Thursday night: Bumper clash for a Thursday night, am I right?? An uninspiring Essendon against a flat Port Adelaide. Do yourself a favour and don’t bother watching this one on replay. The Dons had to chalk up a win eventually, even though some of their own supporters were laughing at you if you dared suggest they’d get home in this one. Reckon it would be rough supporting either of these clubs at the moment.
Blues v Dogs, Friday night: It was a case of old meets new for the Bulldogs as the veteran Libba and the rookie Davidson put on a show. Yet another game where the Blues were in it up to their eyeballs for a decent chunk but couldn’t make it count when it mattered. 0-3 now and playing a game style that is fully deserving of that record. Yikes.
Demons v Suns, Saturday arvo: If you’re new to AFL I apologise for getting too technical here: Melbourne suck. The senior players seem to have a care factor of precisely zero. The coach and football department need a clean out. Christian Petracca spent the whole game looking like he wished he was playing for literally any other team on the planet. But you know what, let’s make it about Gold Coast. That’s two massive away wins now, the latest against a side that had beaten them 12 times in a row going in. If you wanted any evidence of improvement from the 2024 Suns to the 2025 Suns, that’s it right there. I’m going early - they’re finals bound.
Saints v Tigers, Saturday twilight: The worrying thing here is that there were times when the Tigers were clearly trying to slow things down and hold on to the ball, and yet they still lost control and got blown away. It’s starting to look like those pre season predictions about thumpings each week might come true after all; the Carlton game in round 1 was just an outlier. The Saints on the other hand did what they had to. Great result to be able to put a team to the sword when you’re nursing a long injury list and then your captain pulls out before the bounce.
Lions v Cats, Saturday night: The Cats were up against it when old mate Tom Stewart was a late scratching at the barriers, although knowing Geelong’s love of a late-withdrawal it wouldn’t surprise me if they knew he wasn’t playing all the way back on Monday. In any case, it didn’t trouble them early as they jumped the home side and looked well on the way to an upset win. The Lions always seem to have another level hidden away though, and when it was activated they came back and snuck over the line. Ominous.
Hawks v Giants, Saturday night: The faint Tassie breeze blowing towards one end of the ground made this a fascinating contest, especially in the first half when it turned out it was actually more of a howling gale. The Giants set up a big lead in the first quarter - partly wind-assisted, partly because the Hawks hadn’t quite found their feet yet - but everything changed in the second term. A dubious mark and goal to Weddle sparked a Hawthorn avalanche that the Giants looked incapable of stopping until a mini-revival late in the game. A really enjoyable tactical contest despite the conditions, and it’s a shame these sides don’t get another crack at each other before finals.
Crows v North, Sunday arvo: I hate being one of those “plenty of positives!!” people, but there were plenty of positives for both sides in this one. For the Crows it was a professional performance, drawing away in the last quarter or two for a good win over an improving opponent. For the Roos it was a lively display, sticking with a very good team away from home for long periods of the game. Every chance they’d have lost this sort of assignment by 10+ goals in recent years. Trending upwards.
Eagles v Dockers, Sunday arvo: Wonder if a big win over a bitter hometown rival will prove to be just the spark the Dockers needed to ignite their season. They looked pretty good in the patches of this game I saw, albeit against a side that’s a fair way behind them in terms of development. A home game against the Doggies next week might tell us more, and they’ve got a couple of soft matchups after that. The Eagles fired off their best shot but never really threatened after a bright start. Big challenge against the Giants on the rebound next week.
Don’t forget to post your Liked, Learnt, Hated below… along with any other thoughts you had about Round 3!
Bombers v Port, Thursday night: Bumper clash for a Thursday night, am I right?? An uninspiring Essendon against a flat Port Adelaide. Do yourself a favour and don’t bother watching this one on replay. The Dons had to chalk up a win eventually, even though some of their own supporters were laughing at you if you dared suggest they’d get home in this one. Reckon it would be rough supporting either of these clubs at the moment.
Blues v Dogs, Friday night: It was a case of old meets new for the Bulldogs as the veteran Libba and the rookie Davidson put on a show. Yet another game where the Blues were in it up to their eyeballs for a decent chunk but couldn’t make it count when it mattered. 0-3 now and playing a game style that is fully deserving of that record. Yikes.
Demons v Suns, Saturday arvo: If you’re new to AFL I apologise for getting too technical here: Melbourne suck. The senior players seem to have a care factor of precisely zero. The coach and football department need a clean out. Christian Petracca spent the whole game looking like he wished he was playing for literally any other team on the planet. But you know what, let’s make it about Gold Coast. That’s two massive away wins now, the latest against a side that had beaten them 12 times in a row going in. If you wanted any evidence of improvement from the 2024 Suns to the 2025 Suns, that’s it right there. I’m going early - they’re finals bound.
Saints v Tigers, Saturday twilight: The worrying thing here is that there were times when the Tigers were clearly trying to slow things down and hold on to the ball, and yet they still lost control and got blown away. It’s starting to look like those pre season predictions about thumpings each week might come true after all; the Carlton game in round 1 was just an outlier. The Saints on the other hand did what they had to. Great result to be able to put a team to the sword when you’re nursing a long injury list and then your captain pulls out before the bounce.
Lions v Cats, Saturday night: The Cats were up against it when old mate Tom Stewart was a late scratching at the barriers, although knowing Geelong’s love of a late-withdrawal it wouldn’t surprise me if they knew he wasn’t playing all the way back on Monday. In any case, it didn’t trouble them early as they jumped the home side and looked well on the way to an upset win. The Lions always seem to have another level hidden away though, and when it was activated they came back and snuck over the line. Ominous.
Hawks v Giants, Saturday night: The faint Tassie breeze blowing towards one end of the ground made this a fascinating contest, especially in the first half when it turned out it was actually more of a howling gale. The Giants set up a big lead in the first quarter - partly wind-assisted, partly because the Hawks hadn’t quite found their feet yet - but everything changed in the second term. A dubious mark and goal to Weddle sparked a Hawthorn avalanche that the Giants looked incapable of stopping until a mini-revival late in the game. A really enjoyable tactical contest despite the conditions, and it’s a shame these sides don’t get another crack at each other before finals.
Crows v North, Sunday arvo: I hate being one of those “plenty of positives!!” people, but there were plenty of positives for both sides in this one. For the Crows it was a professional performance, drawing away in the last quarter or two for a good win over an improving opponent. For the Roos it was a lively display, sticking with a very good team away from home for long periods of the game. Every chance they’d have lost this sort of assignment by 10+ goals in recent years. Trending upwards.
Eagles v Dockers, Sunday arvo: Wonder if a big win over a bitter hometown rival will prove to be just the spark the Dockers needed to ignite their season. They looked pretty good in the patches of this game I saw, albeit against a side that’s a fair way behind them in terms of development. A home game against the Doggies next week might tell us more, and they’ve got a couple of soft matchups after that. The Eagles fired off their best shot but never really threatened after a bright start. Big challenge against the Giants on the rebound next week.
Don’t forget to post your Liked, Learnt, Hated below… along with any other thoughts you had about Round 3!
