AFL Round 4
I'd thought Watson and Ayres were clueless buffoons and Frawley an
honest struggler. But in fact, they're geniuses (or is it genii?).
Because the key to success in the modern AFL is finishing last. Look at
the Pies soaring after collecting the spoon six months ago. Think back
last year to the Lions. And the Demons of 98. Bottom rung guarantees a
huge year upcoming and the above-named gents have clearly looked at
their resources and boldly decided against busting a gut for mid-table
mediocrity, taking the challenging route downwards. You can't succeed
without knowing failure and at Footy Park, Moorabbin and Punt Road,
they're endeavoring to become experts at losing.
Brawling over the broadcast rights continued. Carlton and the MCC said
they'd forgo legal action for cash compensation - $11 million a year
(ten for the MCC). The AFL said get knotted and threatened loss of
points, dividend money and two years of draft picks to any club locking
out Channel Seven. Demon president Gutnick lashed the AFL's "divide and
conquer" policies. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks weighed in, on the
AFL's side. I wish Ian Collins would come back and give everyone a good
slapping.
Have people seen those footy masks Dipper advertises on the teev?
They're absolute rippers. Rubber headgear fashioned after the club's
nickname. I must have the Port Power one. My workmate Slogger suggested
the players should be made to wear them. A great idea.
At Colonial:
North Melbourne 4.1 7.5 13.8 15.14.104
Geelong 5.2 8.5 10.6 15.9.99
Grandstand ending to this good game, Cat Clint Bizzell launched a
massive torp which curved the wrong side of the post as the siren
sounded which saw the Roos home by 5 points, rather than a draw. The
Roos picked Geelong defector Leigh Colbert for the first time, Winston
Abraham returned and forward Kent Kingsley got a run. Exiting was Mick
Martyn, done on video for whacking Ben Holland. It was Mick's second
suspension this year. Craig Sholl had a hammy and the divisive Ryan
Pagan was dropped. The Catters regained Gary Hocking and recalled Carl
Steinfort. Jason Snell will miss for an extended period with strained
knee ligaments and Danny O'Brien was dropped.
This was the first Colonial game featuring two Victorian clubs and a
decent 34,600 turned up. It's been interesting to note that the middle
tier of seats, reserved for AFL members and corporate types, has been
consistently empty since the opening night. Carey started at centre
half-back, a move intended to dam the flood of goals the Roos have
conceded so far, with Colbert at full forward. Colbert kicked 2 goals in
the first quarter amid vociferous booing from the Cat fans and plenty of
verbals from ex-teammates. But with Steve King winning in the ruck the
Cats did alright, Stoneham and Burns got some goals. Norf big man
McKernan started marking in the second quartier but Pagan had to switch
him into the ruck as King continued to dominate. The Poos got going in
the third quarter as Lange and Harvey came to the party with two goals
each and Abraham sausaged to put them in front. Cat coach Bomber
Thompson swung Ben Graham to full forward for the last stanza and he
booted two in two minutes two further goals put 'em 2 points ahead but
Grant conjured a great snap to send the Sydneyroos ahead again. They
were 12 points up when Burns majored and it was six the difference when
Mooney gathered the ball in the centre and handpassed to running
Bizzell, who steadied and smacked the ball about 80m with his torpedo -
if you believe the ground markings, which many don't. A huge kick by any
standard, but it missed and Norf were home.
Hyperactive rover Peter Bell responded to a poor game last week with a
better effort, with disposals and a goal. Carey's move to defence was a
success as he had 32 possessions and 10 marks without conceding a goal
to Mooney or Mensch. Pickett was excellent down back too, Simpson a
lively midfielder with. McKernan improved as the game progressed to take
10 marks and boot 3 goals, Harvey kicked 3 as well and there were 2 each
for Lange and Colbert. Colbert spent much time on the bench after
quarter-time. Geelong back pocket Brad 'Nails' Sholl had 3 disposals and
ended up being tagged by Calthorpe, Kilpatrick () and ruckman King ()
were very good in the middle. Sanderson had touches off half-back and
Graham's 2 goals threatened to pinch it for the Cats. Stoneham kicked 3
goals, Burns, Bizzell and Houlihan scored 2 each. "We have been
concerned with the amount of points that have been scored against us and
we played more meaningful football tonight," was Pagan's analysis.
Thompson responded to his first loss positively. "I told the players we
were unhappy that we lost, but it was a great experience to play a game
like that and that people would have left he arena very proud of their
efforts." They'd have been even happier with a win.
At the MCG:
Hawthorn 2.0 7.3 11.3 14.6.90
Essendon 6.3 10.6 15.14 20.17.137
Jim Hird starred in his first full game for 3 years, by his own
reckoning, as the Bombers had another comfortable win over one of last
years' also-rans. In selection the Hawkers regained Jon Hay from injury
and Luke McCabe from suspension, they replaced Angelo Lekkas and Nathan
Thompson, both out with ankle injuries. Despite their perfect record the
Bombers made two non-compulsory changes. Mark Mercuri was back after his
bereavment, Michael Prior and Gary Moorcroft were elevated from the
twos. Dropped were Sean Denham and the unlucky Blake Caracella,
Ramanauskas was a late withdrawal with illness.
Hawks had the audacity to kick the first two goals, Holland from a mark
and Barlow, before the Bommers slapped 'em down. Hird lurked near the
goals for their first, then Mercuri's long shot was marked in the
goalsquare by Alessio. Poor disposal by Hawk Vandenberg led to the Dons'
fourth goal and Lloyd's first, Hird centred for Barnes to take a big
grab and convert, Croad was caught in possession leading to a snapped
major for Lucas. Mick Long was very fired up for some reason, dishing
out verbals and physicality throughout the first half. Hawk Chick was
reported for striking him. Ben Dixon came off the bench to boot two
second-quarter goals for the Horks and they got within 2 goals, but each
time they got close the Dons responded through the riches of their
forward line. Despite Hay beating Lloyd, there was always a Lucas,
Barnes, Hird or Mercuri to dob a steadier. Likewise in the third term, a
couple of goals from Joel Smith again narrowed the gap to dangerous
levels before Lloyd escaped Hay's attention to bag consecutive goals.
Hirdy danced about with the ball on a string and various Dons spent the
last quarter riding hapless Hawks for speccies.
Hird had 22 kicks, 8 handpasses, took 10 marks and booted 2 goals. The
Hawks tried Crawford on him, a successful move of past years, but he had
no effect and neither did three others. John Barnes played very well
again, 10 marks and 22 touches with 2 goals as he won the ruck against
ageing Salmon and the too-small Barker. Scott Lucas punted 5 goals with
8 marks and the busy Jason Johnson had 10 touches in the first quarter
on the way to 21 for the game. There were plenty of other handy
contributions: Lloyd's 4 goals; Long's 24 disposals and goal; Mercuri
slotted back in with 26 handlings and a goal; Misiti swanned about for
27 touches. They're going alright. Horforn full back Jon Hay took 9
marks and had 20 kicks and against any other team might've kept his
opponent goalless, if not for the regularity and accuracy of the Don
deliveries. Jade Rawlings took 13 marks and had 24 touches in defence
and half-forward Kris Barlow was industrious with 19 kicks, 12 marks and
2 goals. Battling Anthony Rock had 23 disposals in the middle. Crawford
got 30 touches and a goal and Dixon was efficient, bagging 4 goals from
8 kicks. Holland and Smith kicked 2 goals each. They were outclassed,
like the Dockers, Tigers and Power before them. Schwab admitted as much.
"They were just too good...they are a quality side with too many good
players. Time will tell how good that forward line is, measured against
the best." At least the Hawkers' goal kicking is very good. Sheeds
played it down but you can tell he loves it. "We were very, very pleased
with the way we worked through the game and we probably could have
kicked a few more goals than we did. You only get a good footy team
together for so long, and we've got one coming up." They're looking
forward to next week, I'd imagine.
At Colonial:
Footscray 6.6 10.7 12.9 14.14.98
Carlton 3.2 5.3 7.8 8.11.59
Afterwards Wallace said "I didn't have to fire the lads up, just tell
them to read the newspaper." He's referring to good old Johnny Elliott,
who added to last week's "tragic history" jibe by calling Footscray
counterpart David Smorgon an "AFL sycophant". On the ground Footscray
won easily over a very ordinary Carlton, despite the Doggies finishing
with an empty bench. The Dogs dropped youngsters Jim Plunkett and Josh
Mahoney for experienced Russian Steves Kolyniuk and Kretiuk. Carlton
picked Steve Silvagni but he didn't play, Franchina came in for forward
flanker Simon Fletcher. Bulldog defender Danny Southern played his 100th
game.
The build-up contributed to a rugged game, but when it came to using the
ball the Pups were much better. The Blues' own stats showed them
committing 40 'clangers' - kicks or handpasses directly to the
opposition - compared to the Pups' 11. Carlton got the first goal from
Hotton, Dimattina answered for the Bulldogs after Wills knocked the ball
forward and was knocked out for his trouble. Wills didn't return. Allan
goaled for Carlton and they led briefly before consecutive Bulldog goals
from Trent Bartlett, playing at full forward. Both came from good leads
and marks, the second kicked from a tight angle. Brad Johnson snapped a
ripper off one step to put the Pups 16 points up. Allan drifted down to
mark in the goalsquare and get another for Carlton but then the busy
Simon Garlick kicked two, the first a free for in-the-back and the next
a mark and 50m penalty for a shove, both against a frustrated Mick
Mansfield. Dogs opened the second term with three quick goals, defender
Todd Curley converted a big mark over the pack, West snapped a ripper
following some tough scrapping and Wynd slotted a free kick from 20m.
Footscray by 39 points and in retrospect it was over. Bulldog forward
Chris Grant departed clutching his right shoulder and was rushed to
hospital, turned out he'd pinched a nerve in his neck and lost all
feeling in the right arm. A week at the most, they reckon. Grant's
opponent Koutoufides switched to the middle and McKay, almost the Blues'
best on the day, kicked a long goal. Bartlett answered it from a softish
free against the formless Sexton before Whitnall passed to Hamill for a
Blue major just before half time.
The second half was average at best. Carlton got plenty of the ball but
had nothing up forward, Footscray plodded on. Koutoufides, under an
injury cloud at the start, didn't appear for the second half. Carlton
steamed out and had two rushed behinds before Dimattina raced forward,
was tripped and passed the free to Cox for an easy goal. Johnson found
leading Bartlett who dobbed his fourth and the Dogs were cruising 49
points up. To the Blues' credit they knuckled down, Hickmott soccered a
sausage and Hamill got one from a good grab. Ten minutes of scrappy
footy in the final quarter prior to the first goal, Garlick scooped the
ball on the half volley and was surprised to be paid a mark. Blue
Whitnall kicked his first goal a bit later before Bartlett ended the
scoring, weaving cleverly around Hickmott to slot on the run. Delighted
Doggy fans chanted "Elliott's a w***er" 'til the siren.
Trent Bartlett hasn't played much in his 5-year career to date but he's
making up for it. He booted 5 goals from 19 kicks with 6 marks. Garlick
had only 10 kicks but his 3 goals were handy in a low-scoring game. West
had the better of Ratten in the middle with 24 disposals and a goal and
Darcy was effective around the ground with 21 touches. Wynd won
hit-outs. Dimattina's usual speed and 13 long kicks were damaging. Dan
Southern celebrated his milestone by beating Whitnall and Liberatore
tagged Bradley out of it. Carlton's best were ruckman Matt Allan with 16
disposals, 8 marks and 2 goals and McKay with 20 possies and a goal.
Hamill did alright in attack to kick 2 goals from 19 touches and
Camporeale racked up 31 touches but was of limited effectiveness. As
were Lappin (18) and Whitnall (12 marks up near the wing, a goal). The
coaching picture at Carlton is a bit strange. Assistant Wayne Brittain
gives the on-field addresses and does the match-ups while Parkin stands
by. Parko just seems to do the press. "We haven't either been allowed
to, or haven't played the kind of footy we had for five or six weeks."
And they've got the Bombers next week. "I don't think you want any side
to dominate you in this competition, and having been beaten three times
in a row (by Carlton), it was fairly important for us not to let that
happen again." Thus said Plough. Big game against the Pies next.
At the SCG:
Sydney 3.2 7.6 12.9 15.11.101
Collingwood 3.3 7.6 12.9 15.16.106
A very good game, the best so far. The Maggies announced themselves as
the real deal with a thoroughly deserved win, their first in 5 years
over the Swans despite a controversial ending when a Schwass goal denied
by an unsighted goal ump. Although a friend at the ground assures me it
was touched well short of the line. Malthouse's stamp is evident with
lots of short foot-passing and a strong discipline to use the ball
effectively. He even got the flighty Glenn Freeborn to produce an
effective stopping effort on Sydney's key player, Mick O'Loughlin.
Swans' Dale Lewis will miss two months with a broken arm, the same
injury he copped at almost the same stage last season. Nic Fosdike
replaced him. The Pies had two compulsory changes, Mal Michael twisted
an ankle and Gav Brown missed with his hamstring strain, in came
experienced forward Shane Watson and runner Tyson Lane.
It was tight all the way. A terrific centering kick from Buckley to
Freeborn saw the latter open the scoring. Fitzgerald marked at the other
end but lost it due to some light scuffling afterwards. Their first goal
came from a free kick a bit later, Goodes from a sharp angle. Pie Ukovic
got sandwiched which ended his game and Allison majored from Luff's
pass, Sydney by 7 points. Tony Rocca pumped a long goal following a good
grab for the Maggies before Stafford produced a very good effort to set
up a goal for Saddington. ARocca and Nick Davis missed shots then
Tarrant wisely stayed down at a marking contest and trotted in to put
the Pies a point up at the first break. Second quarter opened with a
heavy mid-air collision between Leo Barry and Ben Kinnear, Barry copped
a whack on the knee and that was his night. Just swelling though, no bad
damage. Sav Rocca sprayed a set shot horribly on the full. Cresswell hit
the leading Stafford, gol and Swannies by 5. Stafford was playing
against Josh Fraser and in the time-honoured patronism of footy
commentators, Fraser learned a lot. Pies hit back when Lane copied
Buckley's earlier example and centred the ball, Adkins marked and
converted. Goals and the lead swapped again, Jon Stevens with a very
good running goal then O'Bree with a superb pump from 50m. Chris Tarrant
kicked consecutive goals, reading the game very well and the Pies led by
13 with the last 3 six-pointers. Siddey tied it up at half-time with a
cool-headed slot from Saddington and Luff's strong grab right on the
siren
Great third quarter as both teams had periods of ascendency. Pies
Tarrant and Williams behinded from easy shots before three consecutive
goals. Sav Rocca led, marked and kicked very well from the flank, it was
his 500th career goal. Little brother walloped one through from 55m and
Orchard chased the ball doggedly to slot a low kick from the boundary
line, Colleywood led by 18 points. The Bloods responded with the next
five majors. Stafford marked and goaled, some dithering in the Swans'
forward line before Ben Mathews snaggled one. Sav Rocca was caught in
possession and the Bloods produced a textbook rebound for Allison's
goal, the Pies led by a point. From the bounce Luff took a good grab and
Allison received a goalsquare free as his lead was blocked, he put the
Swans ahead. Cresswell pumped one through from 50m and it was Swons by
11, the crowd roaring and chanting "Sid-er-nee", the character of the
young Pies being challenged. And they answered, Williams lofted a beauty
of a snap off the left, Lockyer and Tarrant combined to set up Lane for
a very good shot on the penultimate siren. Peggers again.
Nervous opening to the last quarter, the Pies behinded thrice including
another poor Willo set shot before Stafford goaled from a free kick,
held by Fraser, and Sydney led by 3 points. Stafford majored again a
minute later and it seemed Siddey would prevail. But another terrific
left-foot snap from Paul Williams brought the Magpiss back. TV's Paul
Roos told us Collingwood had gone into their attacking 50m "fifty-six
times to three." Tarrant, playing very well, marked on the wing and had
Seymour slap the ball away, 50m penalty and he punted the Maggies 3
points to the good. Williams and Buckley missed shots which looked
costly when Allison passed for Seymour to convert and tie the scores
again. Then came controversy, Schwass marked 50m out and thumped a long
kick, the goal umpire positioned himself stupidly under the pack and got
hammered. After consulting field and boundary umps, he slapped the post.
It mightn't have been a goal, but it did not hit the post. Schwass
shouted "cafe" angrily. Swans by a point with over 2 minutes left, and
former Swan Anthony Rocca settled it with a mark and very good kick from
55m.
Team effort once more from the Maggies, none better than Paul Williams
who ran hard for 32 disposals and kicked 2 goals, he also missed 4
times, 3 from set shots. Chris Tarrant, who almost quit the club over
summer, kicked 4 goals and had 19 possessions up forward, moving around
nicely. Buckley had trouble with tags but still had 26 disposals, Tarkyn
Lockyer (22 disposals) and Scott Burns (20) were very good mopping up in
defence. Anthony Rocca mightn't get the ball much but he's very
dangerous when he does, 3 goals including the match-winner with 15
disposals and 7 marks. And mustn't forget Freeborn, 20 disposals and a
goal to O'Loughlin's 17. Prestigiacomo won praise for a disciplined game
at full back with much comparison to his Sydney counterpart, Dunkley.
Many thought Dunkley to be Sydney's best, Sav Rocca spent most of the
game on the bench and Dunkley had 15 touches of his own as the defensive
bulwark. Stafford booted 4 goals and had 20 disposals against Fraser and
Schwass fired after an early benching to end with a hefty 35 touches.
Jason Saddington gave Buckley an early run-around and ended with 18
disposals and 2 goals, Allison poached effectively for 3 goals. Can't
find a quote from Eade, but Malthouse said "You rarely...win games
through a move. The players win games of football. The players won today
(sic). They won last week because they've got a fresh approach, a
winning approach and they've been prepared to stick to what they've been
talking about."
At the WACA:
West Coast 4.3 13.5 22.9 29.13.187
Adelaide 2.4 4.6 6.8 10.13.73
Scott Cummings booted a club record fourteen goals in this utter
massacre. Ayresey might've been more use on the ground against the
Weegle spearhead than in the coaching box. Come to think of it, he'd be
more use as a bookend than...ah, let's be positive and congratulate
Cummo and the Eegle lads for their tremendous display. At selection the
Wiggles lost Guy McKenna to injury and dropped Laurie Bellotti for
Michael Braun, a late withdrawl last week, and debutant Darren Glass, a
teenage CHB from Perth. The winless Camrys lost key defender Nathan
Bassett with a knee injury and dropped new boy Byrne and big man Marsh.
Mark Stevens resumed from injury, Peter Vardy and Andrew Eccles were
recalled. There'd been some positive build-up for the visitors as Darren
Jarman, Grand Final hero and all-round champion, played his 200th game.
Weagles' Fraser Gehrig played his 100th.
Didn't see the closest bit, the start. It were 2.2 each, Cummings
already had one and we immediately saw him get two more, Banfield
supplying both with a foot then hand pass. All slaughter starts in the
middle and the same here, Gardiner leapt and palmed perfectly while
Cousins, Braun, Banfield and the young Chad Fletcher racked up touches.
Wirrpunda repelled rare Crow attacks. Rintoul opened the second quarter
with snapshot, in reply Jarman swooped for a casual over-the-shoulder
left foot goal. The Crows were only 11 points down. From the bounce
after Jarman's goal Braun found Cummings on the lead, goal. Cousins
punted long and Pete Matera held a strong goalsquare grab. Camry
spearhead Welsh goaled, reducing the margin to 17 points. Fletcher hit
leading Cummings again, he majored as the fun started. Cummings marked
over Mark Stevens, his minder, for another, then Jones intercepted a
certain White goal to claim it for hisself. Cows' Burton failed
miserably in trying to touch a wobbly Turnbull shot. Next goal came from
Cousins passing to Fletcher, then Phil Matera put the locals 53 points
up at the big break.
Ben Hart replaced Stevens as Cummings's opponent for the third quarter,
he lasted just over a minute and two goals from big Scotty. Nigel Smart
went to full back. Gardiner golled, then Phil Matera outmarked his man
Edwards from Braun's kick. All this happened in the first five minutes,
the difference now 78 points. Slight lull featuring a behind from
Adellaid's Burton before Cummings plucked one over Smart and slotted for
his ninth goal, a personal best. From the restart Cousins showed
excellent determination and skill for a lovely solo goal. Cummings
outmarked Smart again and that was it for the chrome-domed battler, he
was dragged and Ken McGregor parked alongside Scotty. Immediately
Cummings led to Cousins's pass and booted the Eagles 103 points clear.
The Corollas exploded back into contention with two late goals, Jarman
ran right in to make sure and Welsh set one up for Vardy. West Coast
responded to the challenge with two quick goals to start the last
stanza, Gehrig blasted a set shot from 60m and Peter Matera with the
other. The Crows got three consecutive goals now as it seemed the Weegs
were relaxing, but only briefly. Gardiner found Cummings for his twelfth
and Peter Sumich's club record of thirteen faced certain extinction. The
footy gods teased as Phil Matera ignored Cummings and missed, Welsh got
one for the Cressidas and Cummings behinded for the first time.
Wirrpunda was given a run up forward and kicked two in two minutes as
the Crows gave up, but finally Cummings equalled the record with a
banana-kick following a mark between the goal and point-posts. Thirty
seconds later Phil Matera honoured his lead and through went number
fourteen. The siren went and the Crows were happy, 'cause they could get
off.
Cummings took 15 marks and booted 14.1, not a bad effort. When Sumich
kicked the previous record he ended with 13.10 or something. Left-footer
- unreliable. Ben Cousins had 34 touches and a goal, also part of a
dominant midfield were Peter Matera (29 disposals, 2 goals), Drew
Banfield (26), Michael Braun (30) and Chad Fletcher (22, a goal). David
Wirrpunda (27 disposals, 8 marks) was brilliant in a back pocket again
and had the 2 late goals. Gardiner has come on nicely in the ruck. Two
goals also for Phil Matera. Not many Crows worth mentioning, Ricciuto
had 29 disposals and Bickley 30 which I was surprised to learn. Scott
Welsh kicked 3 goals and didn't do too badly, Simon Goodwin wasn't the
worst and young Cicolella had 15 touches. Jarman in his 200th had 16
kicks and bagged 3 goals, a decent effort swamped amongst the deluge.
Vardy also booted 3. Ayres chose his moment. "Saturday night was a dose
of reality for our players. People's expectations of us as a group have
been too high. Twice we came from sixth to win it, and like Collingwood,
we may not have been the best team in the competition...last night was
embarrassing, totally unacceptable and I believe damaging to the
football club." Off to the Gabba next week and you'll get short odds on
0-5. No quote available from Judgey.
At Football Park:
Port Adelaide 4.4 10.7 16.9 23.11.149
Brisbane 3.3 8.6 9.13 15.16.106
The Power broke their duck in emphatic fashion with the added joy of
sending the Crows to the bottom. A pity only 24,459 turned up to see it,
a new record low after their first home game against Freo a fortnight
back. Still, you'd expect your lowest home gates in any season against
those two and the slow start didn't help. Brisbane have ended the
nightmarish run of away games now, although Matthews would’ve expected
more than one win. In selection Port lost Nick Stevens suspended 2 for
hitting Rohan Smith and Steinberner was out with a hammy, Paxman was a
late withdrawal ('flu) and dropped Brosnan. Incoming were Derek Murray,
Danny Morton, Mark Harwood and ex-Demon defender Matthew Bishop, making
his Port debut. Brisbane had Akermanis return and also picked Richard
Champion and forward Tim Notting for their first games of the
millennium, out went Bolton, Brett Voss and Stefan Carey. Surprised he
lasted this long.
Didn't see it as I was ripping my hair out at Colonial, but by all
accounts Port were far more direct this time and attacked the ball
aggressively for four quarters. With Primus and Lyle driving from the
centre they went forward often and found a new avenue to goals in Peter
Burgoyne. The maligned Mick Wilson fired in the second quarter with 9
kicks, Brisbane stayed in touch through Lappin and Black in the middle,
McRae and Lynch working hard in attack. Third quarter sealed it for the
home side, Harwood coming off the bench to boot 3 goals and help create
a winning 38-point lead at the last change. Plenty of goals in the last
term, Port answering everything.
Burgoyne kicked 5 goals from 27 possessions as part of a winning group
of Port runners. Lyle (26 disposals) and Josh Francou (28, a goal) were
in there too and Wilson showed form at last with 22 touches. Probably
most heartening was the form of Matt Primus, 19 disposals and 6 marks as
the winning ruckman. Wanganeen was solid as usual with 21 touches in the
back pocket and Bishop made a good start in defence. Harwood and Matthew
Bode each kicked 3 goals, Francis, Morton, Montgomery and Tredrea kicked
2 each. Brisbane's better players were classy midfielder Simon Black (37
disposals with 24 kicks, 2 goals) and experienced winger Nigel Lappin
(24 touches, a goal). Leppitsch did a reasonable job at full back and
fellow defender Akermanis (21 disposals) boxed on. At the sharp end
McRae (3 goals) and AL Lynch (10 marks, 3 goals) were solid
contributors. Dan Bradshaw also kicked 3 goals, from 4 kicks. Matthews
refused to blame the fixture. "We've got a lot of work to do, I think I
can safely say that what was is no longer (eh?). Today we had some good
performers but even they were getting high stats, but not effective
ones. We've got to start picking the side on the here and now. That
might mean picking guys out of lower levels." A relieved Williams said
"I thought it was just what we'd been looking for. We've trained pretty
hard the last couple of weeks. To kick 23 goals was great for us."
At the MCG:
Melbourne 2.4 9.6 16.11 25.15.165
St. Kilda 4.2 6.6 9.6 11.9.75
Troubled times for Timmy Watson as the Saints joined the Cows as the
only winless side after four games. This was not a good one. Melbourne
look to have improved and are going alright. The Dees had a big
membership drive during the week, they've lost 5,000 members from last
year - that's 25%. A phone poll of those not rejoining identified home
games at Colonial - Melbourne have three - as the main deterrent. One
watches the footbawwll at the MCC, what hey? In picking the Demons had a
new player, tough defender Matthew Whelan from Darwin via the SANFL. St.
Kilda got tough by dropping Matthew Young and brought in youngsters Fred
Campbell, an ex-Sydney small man making his Saint debut, and another
first-gamer, speedy winger Troy Schwarze. Schwarze was drafted as a
16-year-old two years ago.
St. Kilda began alright, as has been the pattern Everitt and Loewe took
a series of marks in attack and kicked some goals, Hall got an early one
too as the Saints began brightly. But Hall and Shane Wakelin were off by
quarter-time injured, Hall with a corky and Wakelin concussed. Demon
White started jumping all over Monky in the middle, Woewodin, Powell and
Anthony McDonald wrested control on the ground while Yze collected stats
too. Robertson and Green came off the bench to provide some life in
attack, with Schwarz struggling. And Jeff Farmer was back to his
livewire best against poor old Burkey. Farmer seems to reserve his
better efforts for the Saints, even managing a trademark big grab.
I'd thought Watson and Ayres were clueless buffoons and Frawley an
honest struggler. But in fact, they're geniuses (or is it genii?).
Because the key to success in the modern AFL is finishing last. Look at
the Pies soaring after collecting the spoon six months ago. Think back
last year to the Lions. And the Demons of 98. Bottom rung guarantees a
huge year upcoming and the above-named gents have clearly looked at
their resources and boldly decided against busting a gut for mid-table
mediocrity, taking the challenging route downwards. You can't succeed
without knowing failure and at Footy Park, Moorabbin and Punt Road,
they're endeavoring to become experts at losing.
Brawling over the broadcast rights continued. Carlton and the MCC said
they'd forgo legal action for cash compensation - $11 million a year
(ten for the MCC). The AFL said get knotted and threatened loss of
points, dividend money and two years of draft picks to any club locking
out Channel Seven. Demon president Gutnick lashed the AFL's "divide and
conquer" policies. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks weighed in, on the
AFL's side. I wish Ian Collins would come back and give everyone a good
slapping.
Have people seen those footy masks Dipper advertises on the teev?
They're absolute rippers. Rubber headgear fashioned after the club's
nickname. I must have the Port Power one. My workmate Slogger suggested
the players should be made to wear them. A great idea.
At Colonial:
North Melbourne 4.1 7.5 13.8 15.14.104
Geelong 5.2 8.5 10.6 15.9.99
Grandstand ending to this good game, Cat Clint Bizzell launched a
massive torp which curved the wrong side of the post as the siren
sounded which saw the Roos home by 5 points, rather than a draw. The
Roos picked Geelong defector Leigh Colbert for the first time, Winston
Abraham returned and forward Kent Kingsley got a run. Exiting was Mick
Martyn, done on video for whacking Ben Holland. It was Mick's second
suspension this year. Craig Sholl had a hammy and the divisive Ryan
Pagan was dropped. The Catters regained Gary Hocking and recalled Carl
Steinfort. Jason Snell will miss for an extended period with strained
knee ligaments and Danny O'Brien was dropped.
This was the first Colonial game featuring two Victorian clubs and a
decent 34,600 turned up. It's been interesting to note that the middle
tier of seats, reserved for AFL members and corporate types, has been
consistently empty since the opening night. Carey started at centre
half-back, a move intended to dam the flood of goals the Roos have
conceded so far, with Colbert at full forward. Colbert kicked 2 goals in
the first quarter amid vociferous booing from the Cat fans and plenty of
verbals from ex-teammates. But with Steve King winning in the ruck the
Cats did alright, Stoneham and Burns got some goals. Norf big man
McKernan started marking in the second quartier but Pagan had to switch
him into the ruck as King continued to dominate. The Poos got going in
the third quarter as Lange and Harvey came to the party with two goals
each and Abraham sausaged to put them in front. Cat coach Bomber
Thompson swung Ben Graham to full forward for the last stanza and he
booted two in two minutes two further goals put 'em 2 points ahead but
Grant conjured a great snap to send the Sydneyroos ahead again. They
were 12 points up when Burns majored and it was six the difference when
Mooney gathered the ball in the centre and handpassed to running
Bizzell, who steadied and smacked the ball about 80m with his torpedo -
if you believe the ground markings, which many don't. A huge kick by any
standard, but it missed and Norf were home.
Hyperactive rover Peter Bell responded to a poor game last week with a
better effort, with disposals and a goal. Carey's move to defence was a
success as he had 32 possessions and 10 marks without conceding a goal
to Mooney or Mensch. Pickett was excellent down back too, Simpson a
lively midfielder with. McKernan improved as the game progressed to take
10 marks and boot 3 goals, Harvey kicked 3 as well and there were 2 each
for Lange and Colbert. Colbert spent much time on the bench after
quarter-time. Geelong back pocket Brad 'Nails' Sholl had 3 disposals and
ended up being tagged by Calthorpe, Kilpatrick () and ruckman King ()
were very good in the middle. Sanderson had touches off half-back and
Graham's 2 goals threatened to pinch it for the Cats. Stoneham kicked 3
goals, Burns, Bizzell and Houlihan scored 2 each. "We have been
concerned with the amount of points that have been scored against us and
we played more meaningful football tonight," was Pagan's analysis.
Thompson responded to his first loss positively. "I told the players we
were unhappy that we lost, but it was a great experience to play a game
like that and that people would have left he arena very proud of their
efforts." They'd have been even happier with a win.
At the MCG:
Hawthorn 2.0 7.3 11.3 14.6.90
Essendon 6.3 10.6 15.14 20.17.137
Jim Hird starred in his first full game for 3 years, by his own
reckoning, as the Bombers had another comfortable win over one of last
years' also-rans. In selection the Hawkers regained Jon Hay from injury
and Luke McCabe from suspension, they replaced Angelo Lekkas and Nathan
Thompson, both out with ankle injuries. Despite their perfect record the
Bombers made two non-compulsory changes. Mark Mercuri was back after his
bereavment, Michael Prior and Gary Moorcroft were elevated from the
twos. Dropped were Sean Denham and the unlucky Blake Caracella,
Ramanauskas was a late withdrawal with illness.
Hawks had the audacity to kick the first two goals, Holland from a mark
and Barlow, before the Bommers slapped 'em down. Hird lurked near the
goals for their first, then Mercuri's long shot was marked in the
goalsquare by Alessio. Poor disposal by Hawk Vandenberg led to the Dons'
fourth goal and Lloyd's first, Hird centred for Barnes to take a big
grab and convert, Croad was caught in possession leading to a snapped
major for Lucas. Mick Long was very fired up for some reason, dishing
out verbals and physicality throughout the first half. Hawk Chick was
reported for striking him. Ben Dixon came off the bench to boot two
second-quarter goals for the Horks and they got within 2 goals, but each
time they got close the Dons responded through the riches of their
forward line. Despite Hay beating Lloyd, there was always a Lucas,
Barnes, Hird or Mercuri to dob a steadier. Likewise in the third term, a
couple of goals from Joel Smith again narrowed the gap to dangerous
levels before Lloyd escaped Hay's attention to bag consecutive goals.
Hirdy danced about with the ball on a string and various Dons spent the
last quarter riding hapless Hawks for speccies.
Hird had 22 kicks, 8 handpasses, took 10 marks and booted 2 goals. The
Hawks tried Crawford on him, a successful move of past years, but he had
no effect and neither did three others. John Barnes played very well
again, 10 marks and 22 touches with 2 goals as he won the ruck against
ageing Salmon and the too-small Barker. Scott Lucas punted 5 goals with
8 marks and the busy Jason Johnson had 10 touches in the first quarter
on the way to 21 for the game. There were plenty of other handy
contributions: Lloyd's 4 goals; Long's 24 disposals and goal; Mercuri
slotted back in with 26 handlings and a goal; Misiti swanned about for
27 touches. They're going alright. Horforn full back Jon Hay took 9
marks and had 20 kicks and against any other team might've kept his
opponent goalless, if not for the regularity and accuracy of the Don
deliveries. Jade Rawlings took 13 marks and had 24 touches in defence
and half-forward Kris Barlow was industrious with 19 kicks, 12 marks and
2 goals. Battling Anthony Rock had 23 disposals in the middle. Crawford
got 30 touches and a goal and Dixon was efficient, bagging 4 goals from
8 kicks. Holland and Smith kicked 2 goals each. They were outclassed,
like the Dockers, Tigers and Power before them. Schwab admitted as much.
"They were just too good...they are a quality side with too many good
players. Time will tell how good that forward line is, measured against
the best." At least the Hawkers' goal kicking is very good. Sheeds
played it down but you can tell he loves it. "We were very, very pleased
with the way we worked through the game and we probably could have
kicked a few more goals than we did. You only get a good footy team
together for so long, and we've got one coming up." They're looking
forward to next week, I'd imagine.
At Colonial:
Footscray 6.6 10.7 12.9 14.14.98
Carlton 3.2 5.3 7.8 8.11.59
Afterwards Wallace said "I didn't have to fire the lads up, just tell
them to read the newspaper." He's referring to good old Johnny Elliott,
who added to last week's "tragic history" jibe by calling Footscray
counterpart David Smorgon an "AFL sycophant". On the ground Footscray
won easily over a very ordinary Carlton, despite the Doggies finishing
with an empty bench. The Dogs dropped youngsters Jim Plunkett and Josh
Mahoney for experienced Russian Steves Kolyniuk and Kretiuk. Carlton
picked Steve Silvagni but he didn't play, Franchina came in for forward
flanker Simon Fletcher. Bulldog defender Danny Southern played his 100th
game.
The build-up contributed to a rugged game, but when it came to using the
ball the Pups were much better. The Blues' own stats showed them
committing 40 'clangers' - kicks or handpasses directly to the
opposition - compared to the Pups' 11. Carlton got the first goal from
Hotton, Dimattina answered for the Bulldogs after Wills knocked the ball
forward and was knocked out for his trouble. Wills didn't return. Allan
goaled for Carlton and they led briefly before consecutive Bulldog goals
from Trent Bartlett, playing at full forward. Both came from good leads
and marks, the second kicked from a tight angle. Brad Johnson snapped a
ripper off one step to put the Pups 16 points up. Allan drifted down to
mark in the goalsquare and get another for Carlton but then the busy
Simon Garlick kicked two, the first a free for in-the-back and the next
a mark and 50m penalty for a shove, both against a frustrated Mick
Mansfield. Dogs opened the second term with three quick goals, defender
Todd Curley converted a big mark over the pack, West snapped a ripper
following some tough scrapping and Wynd slotted a free kick from 20m.
Footscray by 39 points and in retrospect it was over. Bulldog forward
Chris Grant departed clutching his right shoulder and was rushed to
hospital, turned out he'd pinched a nerve in his neck and lost all
feeling in the right arm. A week at the most, they reckon. Grant's
opponent Koutoufides switched to the middle and McKay, almost the Blues'
best on the day, kicked a long goal. Bartlett answered it from a softish
free against the formless Sexton before Whitnall passed to Hamill for a
Blue major just before half time.
The second half was average at best. Carlton got plenty of the ball but
had nothing up forward, Footscray plodded on. Koutoufides, under an
injury cloud at the start, didn't appear for the second half. Carlton
steamed out and had two rushed behinds before Dimattina raced forward,
was tripped and passed the free to Cox for an easy goal. Johnson found
leading Bartlett who dobbed his fourth and the Dogs were cruising 49
points up. To the Blues' credit they knuckled down, Hickmott soccered a
sausage and Hamill got one from a good grab. Ten minutes of scrappy
footy in the final quarter prior to the first goal, Garlick scooped the
ball on the half volley and was surprised to be paid a mark. Blue
Whitnall kicked his first goal a bit later before Bartlett ended the
scoring, weaving cleverly around Hickmott to slot on the run. Delighted
Doggy fans chanted "Elliott's a w***er" 'til the siren.
Trent Bartlett hasn't played much in his 5-year career to date but he's
making up for it. He booted 5 goals from 19 kicks with 6 marks. Garlick
had only 10 kicks but his 3 goals were handy in a low-scoring game. West
had the better of Ratten in the middle with 24 disposals and a goal and
Darcy was effective around the ground with 21 touches. Wynd won
hit-outs. Dimattina's usual speed and 13 long kicks were damaging. Dan
Southern celebrated his milestone by beating Whitnall and Liberatore
tagged Bradley out of it. Carlton's best were ruckman Matt Allan with 16
disposals, 8 marks and 2 goals and McKay with 20 possies and a goal.
Hamill did alright in attack to kick 2 goals from 19 touches and
Camporeale racked up 31 touches but was of limited effectiveness. As
were Lappin (18) and Whitnall (12 marks up near the wing, a goal). The
coaching picture at Carlton is a bit strange. Assistant Wayne Brittain
gives the on-field addresses and does the match-ups while Parkin stands
by. Parko just seems to do the press. "We haven't either been allowed
to, or haven't played the kind of footy we had for five or six weeks."
And they've got the Bombers next week. "I don't think you want any side
to dominate you in this competition, and having been beaten three times
in a row (by Carlton), it was fairly important for us not to let that
happen again." Thus said Plough. Big game against the Pies next.
At the SCG:
Sydney 3.2 7.6 12.9 15.11.101
Collingwood 3.3 7.6 12.9 15.16.106
A very good game, the best so far. The Maggies announced themselves as
the real deal with a thoroughly deserved win, their first in 5 years
over the Swans despite a controversial ending when a Schwass goal denied
by an unsighted goal ump. Although a friend at the ground assures me it
was touched well short of the line. Malthouse's stamp is evident with
lots of short foot-passing and a strong discipline to use the ball
effectively. He even got the flighty Glenn Freeborn to produce an
effective stopping effort on Sydney's key player, Mick O'Loughlin.
Swans' Dale Lewis will miss two months with a broken arm, the same
injury he copped at almost the same stage last season. Nic Fosdike
replaced him. The Pies had two compulsory changes, Mal Michael twisted
an ankle and Gav Brown missed with his hamstring strain, in came
experienced forward Shane Watson and runner Tyson Lane.
It was tight all the way. A terrific centering kick from Buckley to
Freeborn saw the latter open the scoring. Fitzgerald marked at the other
end but lost it due to some light scuffling afterwards. Their first goal
came from a free kick a bit later, Goodes from a sharp angle. Pie Ukovic
got sandwiched which ended his game and Allison majored from Luff's
pass, Sydney by 7 points. Tony Rocca pumped a long goal following a good
grab for the Maggies before Stafford produced a very good effort to set
up a goal for Saddington. ARocca and Nick Davis missed shots then
Tarrant wisely stayed down at a marking contest and trotted in to put
the Pies a point up at the first break. Second quarter opened with a
heavy mid-air collision between Leo Barry and Ben Kinnear, Barry copped
a whack on the knee and that was his night. Just swelling though, no bad
damage. Sav Rocca sprayed a set shot horribly on the full. Cresswell hit
the leading Stafford, gol and Swannies by 5. Stafford was playing
against Josh Fraser and in the time-honoured patronism of footy
commentators, Fraser learned a lot. Pies hit back when Lane copied
Buckley's earlier example and centred the ball, Adkins marked and
converted. Goals and the lead swapped again, Jon Stevens with a very
good running goal then O'Bree with a superb pump from 50m. Chris Tarrant
kicked consecutive goals, reading the game very well and the Pies led by
13 with the last 3 six-pointers. Siddey tied it up at half-time with a
cool-headed slot from Saddington and Luff's strong grab right on the
siren
Great third quarter as both teams had periods of ascendency. Pies
Tarrant and Williams behinded from easy shots before three consecutive
goals. Sav Rocca led, marked and kicked very well from the flank, it was
his 500th career goal. Little brother walloped one through from 55m and
Orchard chased the ball doggedly to slot a low kick from the boundary
line, Colleywood led by 18 points. The Bloods responded with the next
five majors. Stafford marked and goaled, some dithering in the Swans'
forward line before Ben Mathews snaggled one. Sav Rocca was caught in
possession and the Bloods produced a textbook rebound for Allison's
goal, the Pies led by a point. From the bounce Luff took a good grab and
Allison received a goalsquare free as his lead was blocked, he put the
Swans ahead. Cresswell pumped one through from 50m and it was Swons by
11, the crowd roaring and chanting "Sid-er-nee", the character of the
young Pies being challenged. And they answered, Williams lofted a beauty
of a snap off the left, Lockyer and Tarrant combined to set up Lane for
a very good shot on the penultimate siren. Peggers again.
Nervous opening to the last quarter, the Pies behinded thrice including
another poor Willo set shot before Stafford goaled from a free kick,
held by Fraser, and Sydney led by 3 points. Stafford majored again a
minute later and it seemed Siddey would prevail. But another terrific
left-foot snap from Paul Williams brought the Magpiss back. TV's Paul
Roos told us Collingwood had gone into their attacking 50m "fifty-six
times to three." Tarrant, playing very well, marked on the wing and had
Seymour slap the ball away, 50m penalty and he punted the Maggies 3
points to the good. Williams and Buckley missed shots which looked
costly when Allison passed for Seymour to convert and tie the scores
again. Then came controversy, Schwass marked 50m out and thumped a long
kick, the goal umpire positioned himself stupidly under the pack and got
hammered. After consulting field and boundary umps, he slapped the post.
It mightn't have been a goal, but it did not hit the post. Schwass
shouted "cafe" angrily. Swans by a point with over 2 minutes left, and
former Swan Anthony Rocca settled it with a mark and very good kick from
55m.
Team effort once more from the Maggies, none better than Paul Williams
who ran hard for 32 disposals and kicked 2 goals, he also missed 4
times, 3 from set shots. Chris Tarrant, who almost quit the club over
summer, kicked 4 goals and had 19 possessions up forward, moving around
nicely. Buckley had trouble with tags but still had 26 disposals, Tarkyn
Lockyer (22 disposals) and Scott Burns (20) were very good mopping up in
defence. Anthony Rocca mightn't get the ball much but he's very
dangerous when he does, 3 goals including the match-winner with 15
disposals and 7 marks. And mustn't forget Freeborn, 20 disposals and a
goal to O'Loughlin's 17. Prestigiacomo won praise for a disciplined game
at full back with much comparison to his Sydney counterpart, Dunkley.
Many thought Dunkley to be Sydney's best, Sav Rocca spent most of the
game on the bench and Dunkley had 15 touches of his own as the defensive
bulwark. Stafford booted 4 goals and had 20 disposals against Fraser and
Schwass fired after an early benching to end with a hefty 35 touches.
Jason Saddington gave Buckley an early run-around and ended with 18
disposals and 2 goals, Allison poached effectively for 3 goals. Can't
find a quote from Eade, but Malthouse said "You rarely...win games
through a move. The players win games of football. The players won today
(sic). They won last week because they've got a fresh approach, a
winning approach and they've been prepared to stick to what they've been
talking about."
At the WACA:
West Coast 4.3 13.5 22.9 29.13.187
Adelaide 2.4 4.6 6.8 10.13.73
Scott Cummings booted a club record fourteen goals in this utter
massacre. Ayresey might've been more use on the ground against the
Weegle spearhead than in the coaching box. Come to think of it, he'd be
more use as a bookend than...ah, let's be positive and congratulate
Cummo and the Eegle lads for their tremendous display. At selection the
Wiggles lost Guy McKenna to injury and dropped Laurie Bellotti for
Michael Braun, a late withdrawl last week, and debutant Darren Glass, a
teenage CHB from Perth. The winless Camrys lost key defender Nathan
Bassett with a knee injury and dropped new boy Byrne and big man Marsh.
Mark Stevens resumed from injury, Peter Vardy and Andrew Eccles were
recalled. There'd been some positive build-up for the visitors as Darren
Jarman, Grand Final hero and all-round champion, played his 200th game.
Weagles' Fraser Gehrig played his 100th.
Didn't see the closest bit, the start. It were 2.2 each, Cummings
already had one and we immediately saw him get two more, Banfield
supplying both with a foot then hand pass. All slaughter starts in the
middle and the same here, Gardiner leapt and palmed perfectly while
Cousins, Braun, Banfield and the young Chad Fletcher racked up touches.
Wirrpunda repelled rare Crow attacks. Rintoul opened the second quarter
with snapshot, in reply Jarman swooped for a casual over-the-shoulder
left foot goal. The Crows were only 11 points down. From the bounce
after Jarman's goal Braun found Cummings on the lead, goal. Cousins
punted long and Pete Matera held a strong goalsquare grab. Camry
spearhead Welsh goaled, reducing the margin to 17 points. Fletcher hit
leading Cummings again, he majored as the fun started. Cummings marked
over Mark Stevens, his minder, for another, then Jones intercepted a
certain White goal to claim it for hisself. Cows' Burton failed
miserably in trying to touch a wobbly Turnbull shot. Next goal came from
Cousins passing to Fletcher, then Phil Matera put the locals 53 points
up at the big break.
Ben Hart replaced Stevens as Cummings's opponent for the third quarter,
he lasted just over a minute and two goals from big Scotty. Nigel Smart
went to full back. Gardiner golled, then Phil Matera outmarked his man
Edwards from Braun's kick. All this happened in the first five minutes,
the difference now 78 points. Slight lull featuring a behind from
Adellaid's Burton before Cummings plucked one over Smart and slotted for
his ninth goal, a personal best. From the restart Cousins showed
excellent determination and skill for a lovely solo goal. Cummings
outmarked Smart again and that was it for the chrome-domed battler, he
was dragged and Ken McGregor parked alongside Scotty. Immediately
Cummings led to Cousins's pass and booted the Eagles 103 points clear.
The Corollas exploded back into contention with two late goals, Jarman
ran right in to make sure and Welsh set one up for Vardy. West Coast
responded to the challenge with two quick goals to start the last
stanza, Gehrig blasted a set shot from 60m and Peter Matera with the
other. The Crows got three consecutive goals now as it seemed the Weegs
were relaxing, but only briefly. Gardiner found Cummings for his twelfth
and Peter Sumich's club record of thirteen faced certain extinction. The
footy gods teased as Phil Matera ignored Cummings and missed, Welsh got
one for the Cressidas and Cummings behinded for the first time.
Wirrpunda was given a run up forward and kicked two in two minutes as
the Crows gave up, but finally Cummings equalled the record with a
banana-kick following a mark between the goal and point-posts. Thirty
seconds later Phil Matera honoured his lead and through went number
fourteen. The siren went and the Crows were happy, 'cause they could get
off.
Cummings took 15 marks and booted 14.1, not a bad effort. When Sumich
kicked the previous record he ended with 13.10 or something. Left-footer
- unreliable. Ben Cousins had 34 touches and a goal, also part of a
dominant midfield were Peter Matera (29 disposals, 2 goals), Drew
Banfield (26), Michael Braun (30) and Chad Fletcher (22, a goal). David
Wirrpunda (27 disposals, 8 marks) was brilliant in a back pocket again
and had the 2 late goals. Gardiner has come on nicely in the ruck. Two
goals also for Phil Matera. Not many Crows worth mentioning, Ricciuto
had 29 disposals and Bickley 30 which I was surprised to learn. Scott
Welsh kicked 3 goals and didn't do too badly, Simon Goodwin wasn't the
worst and young Cicolella had 15 touches. Jarman in his 200th had 16
kicks and bagged 3 goals, a decent effort swamped amongst the deluge.
Vardy also booted 3. Ayres chose his moment. "Saturday night was a dose
of reality for our players. People's expectations of us as a group have
been too high. Twice we came from sixth to win it, and like Collingwood,
we may not have been the best team in the competition...last night was
embarrassing, totally unacceptable and I believe damaging to the
football club." Off to the Gabba next week and you'll get short odds on
0-5. No quote available from Judgey.
At Football Park:
Port Adelaide 4.4 10.7 16.9 23.11.149
Brisbane 3.3 8.6 9.13 15.16.106
The Power broke their duck in emphatic fashion with the added joy of
sending the Crows to the bottom. A pity only 24,459 turned up to see it,
a new record low after their first home game against Freo a fortnight
back. Still, you'd expect your lowest home gates in any season against
those two and the slow start didn't help. Brisbane have ended the
nightmarish run of away games now, although Matthews would’ve expected
more than one win. In selection Port lost Nick Stevens suspended 2 for
hitting Rohan Smith and Steinberner was out with a hammy, Paxman was a
late withdrawal ('flu) and dropped Brosnan. Incoming were Derek Murray,
Danny Morton, Mark Harwood and ex-Demon defender Matthew Bishop, making
his Port debut. Brisbane had Akermanis return and also picked Richard
Champion and forward Tim Notting for their first games of the
millennium, out went Bolton, Brett Voss and Stefan Carey. Surprised he
lasted this long.
Didn't see it as I was ripping my hair out at Colonial, but by all
accounts Port were far more direct this time and attacked the ball
aggressively for four quarters. With Primus and Lyle driving from the
centre they went forward often and found a new avenue to goals in Peter
Burgoyne. The maligned Mick Wilson fired in the second quarter with 9
kicks, Brisbane stayed in touch through Lappin and Black in the middle,
McRae and Lynch working hard in attack. Third quarter sealed it for the
home side, Harwood coming off the bench to boot 3 goals and help create
a winning 38-point lead at the last change. Plenty of goals in the last
term, Port answering everything.
Burgoyne kicked 5 goals from 27 possessions as part of a winning group
of Port runners. Lyle (26 disposals) and Josh Francou (28, a goal) were
in there too and Wilson showed form at last with 22 touches. Probably
most heartening was the form of Matt Primus, 19 disposals and 6 marks as
the winning ruckman. Wanganeen was solid as usual with 21 touches in the
back pocket and Bishop made a good start in defence. Harwood and Matthew
Bode each kicked 3 goals, Francis, Morton, Montgomery and Tredrea kicked
2 each. Brisbane's better players were classy midfielder Simon Black (37
disposals with 24 kicks, 2 goals) and experienced winger Nigel Lappin
(24 touches, a goal). Leppitsch did a reasonable job at full back and
fellow defender Akermanis (21 disposals) boxed on. At the sharp end
McRae (3 goals) and AL Lynch (10 marks, 3 goals) were solid
contributors. Dan Bradshaw also kicked 3 goals, from 4 kicks. Matthews
refused to blame the fixture. "We've got a lot of work to do, I think I
can safely say that what was is no longer (eh?). Today we had some good
performers but even they were getting high stats, but not effective
ones. We've got to start picking the side on the here and now. That
might mean picking guys out of lower levels." A relieved Williams said
"I thought it was just what we'd been looking for. We've trained pretty
hard the last couple of weeks. To kick 23 goals was great for us."
At the MCG:
Melbourne 2.4 9.6 16.11 25.15.165
St. Kilda 4.2 6.6 9.6 11.9.75
Troubled times for Timmy Watson as the Saints joined the Cows as the
only winless side after four games. This was not a good one. Melbourne
look to have improved and are going alright. The Dees had a big
membership drive during the week, they've lost 5,000 members from last
year - that's 25%. A phone poll of those not rejoining identified home
games at Colonial - Melbourne have three - as the main deterrent. One
watches the footbawwll at the MCC, what hey? In picking the Demons had a
new player, tough defender Matthew Whelan from Darwin via the SANFL. St.
Kilda got tough by dropping Matthew Young and brought in youngsters Fred
Campbell, an ex-Sydney small man making his Saint debut, and another
first-gamer, speedy winger Troy Schwarze. Schwarze was drafted as a
16-year-old two years ago.
St. Kilda began alright, as has been the pattern Everitt and Loewe took
a series of marks in attack and kicked some goals, Hall got an early one
too as the Saints began brightly. But Hall and Shane Wakelin were off by
quarter-time injured, Hall with a corky and Wakelin concussed. Demon
White started jumping all over Monky in the middle, Woewodin, Powell and
Anthony McDonald wrested control on the ground while Yze collected stats
too. Robertson and Green came off the bench to provide some life in
attack, with Schwarz struggling. And Jeff Farmer was back to his
livewire best against poor old Burkey. Farmer seems to reserve his
better efforts for the Saints, even managing a trademark big grab.