AFL Round 6 got off to a cracking start as the GWS Giants slipped past the Western Bulldogs 75-73 thanks to a pair of late goals. The Giants got revenge for their narrow defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs last year as Jeremy Cameron booted four goals, while Jon Patton and Toby Greene were good for three a piece. The Giants built leads in the first and second term, only to see the Bulldogs fight back and hold an advantage at three quarter time of less than a goal. In the end the Bulldogs sloppiness in front of goal did them in, despite getting the ball forward and having the advantage in inside 50’s they were just 9/19 and were not great marking for set shots at goal.
Josh Dunkley and Toby McLean’s six combined behinds being emblematic of their troubles. Jake Stringer and Marcus Bontempelli were good for three goals each to help the Dogs compete while Luke Dalhaus and Jack Macrae were disposal leaders, notching over 25 each, and Jason Johannisen was again key to the Bulldogs backline. For GWS Dylan Shiel and Callan Ward led the midfield combining for 56 disposals, while the backline led by Zac Williams was able to keep the Bulldogs contained. Having weapons up front like Patton and Greene makes GWS one of the most dangerous teams in the competition this year as they moved to 5-1 and second on the ladder hoping to stay healthy in the weeks to come, the Bulldogs slipping to 7th at 4-2.
Adelaide Crows Alone Atop the Ladder after Cats Fall to Collingwood
The Adelaide Crows dominated the now 5-1 Richmond Tigers after trailing at first quarter time. The Crows built a lead of more than four goals by the half, and continued their momentum over the final two quarters prevailing 140-64, a margin of 76 points, as the Crows separated clearly from a Richmond side that still looks to be a quality team. The Tigers were competitive in the first quarter, matching the pace and goal kicking prowess of the Crows, but in the end Adelaide broke down their defense, a backline that is one of the best in the AFL, and at times made it look like a group of amateurs. The Crows plainly know how to punish teams when they see a weakness.
Rory Sloane (33 disposals and 3 goals) was best on ground, besting his midfield counterpart Dustin Martin (25 disposals, 1 goal). Tex Walker kicked five goals, while Tom Lynch and Charlie Cameron also had multi-goal games for the Crows, who had 12 goal scorers and were getting production all over the ground. Sam Jacobs also bested his counterpart Toby Nankervis in the ruck, and Nankervis may get a suspension from the MRP. Continuing the matchup trend of how Adelaide was simply better than Richmond position by position, Matt Crouch tallied 38 disposals to Trent Cotchin’s 26. Andy Otten was also trouble for the Tigers, who for their part have to look at fresh in Oleg Markov (2 goals) as a rare bright spot on their list. Jack Riewoldt found himself limited to just a pair of goals as well, coming back to earth after a massive game last week.
Richmond is still in the top four after round 6, and may not be easy to dislodge as outside of Adelaide and GWS, the rest of the AFL’s potential top 8 have not yet sorted themselves out. The Geelong Cats flirting with defeat in recent weeks finally caught up to them, as Collingwood again responded to criticism and earned their second win of the season to move to 2-4. The Magpies held a lead at halftime and it only got bigger from there, Geelong was thoroughly dominated through the midfield, and if Collingwood had better goal kicking the 107-78 margin would have been worse than it was. Collingwood had a true team performance as they excelled at counter attacking and keeping the ball inside 50, only Darcy Moore and Alex Fasolo were multi-goal scorers as 13 Magpies kicked it at least once between the sticks. Captain Scott Pendlebury (33 disposals), Steele Sidebottom (23 disposals), and Taylor Adams (36 disposals) were key for Collingwood, while Cats star Patrick Dangerfield was limited to just 21 disposals and a goal, posting yet another underwhelming game.
Harry Taylor was also limited, along with usual Cats leaders Steve Motlop and Tom Hawkins. The Cats (5-1), are still in a good position to finish top 4 but they have proven be vulnerable and were exposed in round 6 as lacking midfield class and having holes in the defence.
Port Adelaide Keeps on Rolling
The Port Adelaide Power took control early against the Brisbane Lions and won 150-67, benefiting from the worst showing for the Lions this season, their lack of effort lamented by coach Chris Fagan. The Power punished sloppy play from Brisbane, as Jarman Impey, Charlie Dixon, Robbie Gray, Jackson Trengove, and Sam Powell-Pepper had multi-goal games. Chad Wingard (31 disposals) was a maestro for the power in the midfield, while Brad Ebert (25 disposals) had another great game, and Powell-Pepper bounced back this week with 25 disposals and 2 goals. The Lions core of Tom Rockliff, Dayne Beams, Stefan Martin, and Dayne Zorko were off, Stefan Martin was also not quite as good as usual in the ruck, but young gun Eric Hipwood (2 goals) was still somewhat dangerous for the Lions, who at 1-5 have to think about how to avoid the wooden spoon already. The Power dominated inside 50’s 67-38.
Hawthorn and Sydney Get Shelled Again
St. Kilda handed Hawthorn their first loss in Launceston in five years, as the Saints thumped the Hawks in front of their own excited Tassie fans 130-55, pulling away in the third term, as the Hawks lost touch and again ended up embarrassed. The Hawks have lost five of their first six games and only Tom Mitchell (35 disposals), and Luke Hodge (29 disposals) were somewhat respectable in their defeat. Besides struggling to kick goals yet again, the Hawks were punished by St. Kilda’s aggressive movement through the ground. Eight Saints kicked goals, and seven of those were multi-goal scorers, highlighted by Nick Riewoldt (4 goals), and Josh Bruce (3 goals). The Hawks defence was left in shambles, and they struggled to control possession and get the ball forward, they were also outworked in the tackle count. Expect some major list changes by Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson for round 7, while the young Saints moved to an even 3-3, a record befitting of their up and down performances this year.
Carlton‘s kids made good on their promise, playing a fantastic second half to drop Sydney to the bottom of the ladder at 0-6. The Blues won their second game of the season 97-78 thanks to big goals from the likes of Matthew Wright, Levi Casboult, and ruckman Matthew Kreuzer. Sydney, beyond struggling in the midfield, was again awful at taking advantage of their inside 50’s as Sam Docherty (39 disposals), Kade Simpson (31 disposals), Caleb Marchbank (21 disposals), and new in Alex Silvagni locked down the likes of Buddy Franklin and Sam Reid, limiting Franklin to just one goal. Gary Rohan came down with a concussion for the Swans, adding to their list issues as coach John Longmire is quickly running out of time to get things sorted out. For Carlton, the future keeps looking brighter.
Eagles Dominate Fremantle in the Western Derby
It was a rather underwhelming Western Derby as West Coast built a six goal lead after first quarter time and never looked back, prevailing 103-62 over Fremantle, who looked beleaguered against the Eagles midfield class and ability to snap goals. The Eagles dominated marks inside 50, disposals, and contested possessions as Josh Kennedy rushed back into form booting six goals, Marc LeCras and Josh Hill adding three more each. Andrew Gaff, Elliot Yeo, Chris Masten, and Matt Priddis were key in terms of keeping the footy, notching more than 30 disposals each, while Luke Shuey and Sam Mitchell were also good. Lachie Neal (29 disposals) and Cam McCarthy (3 goals) can be singled out for having good performances for the Dockers in a losing effort. Ed Langdon also tallied 32 disposals, while young gun Harley Balic was productive. Nat Fyfe by contrast was not at his best. The Eagles are best in the west, and every other team in the competition should fear facing them at Domain Stadium.
Goal kicking Woes Doom Essendon to Defeat against Melbourne
Essendon was narrowly leading Melbourne at the half, but in the end their goal-kicking woes did them end as the Demons were triumphant in Jordan Lewis’ return winning 112-74. Lewis, Nathan Jones, and Clayton Oliver all tallied more than 30 disposals as Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett, and Mitch Hannan picked up the slack in Jesse Hogan’s absence, tallying fourteen of Melbourne’s seventeen goals between them. Joe Daniher’s one goal, six behind day singlehandedly changed the game in a negative way for the Bombers, as his yips returned after what had been a great season through five rounds for the young forward. Absent anyone else stepping up to make up for Daniher’s miserable showing, it was Melbourne that moved into 8th and ahead of Essendon on the ladder as four teams sit at 3-3.
North Melbourne Wins First Game of the Season
For excitement’s sake North Melbourne‘s 107-94 win over Gold Coast Suns was one of the best three matches of the weekend. Neither side looks likely to make the top 8 at this point, but it was a huge relief for the entire North Melbourne side to get their first win of the season and move to 1-5, particularly after they trailed at half time. North finally did the little things right to finish the game out and avoid slipping from the lead late, despite the Suns making a determined push until the final siren. North Melbourne finally won the final term against an opponent, as Ben Brown kicked six goals, better than the Suns Tom Lynch, who kicked three goals. The Kangaroos also had nine other goal scorers, including Shaun Higgins, who was solid in his return and led the way with 28 disposals. Taylor Garner, Nathan Hrovat, and captain Jack Ziebell were also big for North. Gary Ablett (45 disposals) had his best game of the season, but the little master’s strong performance wasn’t enough to overcome a lack of consistency, and at times shaky decision making by other Suns players who surrendered too many goal scoring opportunities to North in the second half.
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