AFL Round 13 is in the books, and here is your look at how things went for the teams that played over the weekened.
AFL Round 13: Adelaide Crows Season on Life Support
Port Adelaide Heaps the Pain on the Western Bulldogs
Port Adelaide is looking good as they scored an easy 132-75 home win against the struggling Western Bulldogs largely thanks to a massive first quarter lead. The Dogs suffered a rash of injuries, including to Brownlow contender Jack Macrae and captain Easton Wood that further put a damper on their evening. Ollie Wines and Chad Wingard both posted over 30 disposals for the Power while Robbie Gray, Tom Rockliff and Charlie Dixon combined for 9 goals that made the difference. All in all it was a great night for Port’s stars as they seem to be firing at the right time. The Dogs got 3 goals from Ed Richards but have little else to take joy from in this game.
Swans Move Into Tie For First With West Coast Win
Sydney pulled clear late against the West Coast Eagles at home to win 72-57 and move into a 3 way tie for first in the ladder on a points earned basis. The Swans midfield controlled the run of play as Josh P. Kennedy, Jake Lloyd and Oli Florent stepped up, while Lance Franklin added a pair of goals in a relatively low scoring contest.
The West Coast forward line was stifled but Elliot Yeo was best on ground and Jack Redden was also solid for an Eagles side that are still clear contenders for the flag.
Fremantle Keeps Finals Hopes Alive with Carlton Drubbing
Carlton suffered another blowout defeat as Fremantle beat them at Etihad 103-46. The win is a critical road win for a Freo side that could still make finals if they catch a run of form. The Dockers dominated scoring chances as Nat Fyfe and Lachie Neale led the way with 5 goals and 63 disposals between them. Patrick Cripps and Kade Simpson were great for Carlton but yet again they could not score against another AFL side.
Saints Come Back to Surprise Suns
The Gold Coast Suns looked well on their way to a confidence boosting home win at the end of the third term. However, they kicked nary a point in the final term and surrendered a 31 point lead to lose 80-78 against fellow stragglers St. Kilda. The Saints kicked 5 goals and 3 behinds in the final term as Seb Ross showed leadership in the midfield and young Josh Battle added 3 goals to secure a massive win. Jack Steven was also good for the Saints while the Suns had relatively poor performances on the ground besides 3 goals from Tom Lynch and Alex Sexton respectively.
Richmond Stays Top With Geelong Win
Richmond defended their MCG fortress with an 83-65 win over a solid Geelong side in a hard fought Sunday game. Geelong made a strong push to come back late in the third term but Richmond won the final term and with it the game. Kane Lambert led the Tiger disposal count but it was their forward line that was the key with Jack Riewoldt, Jason Castagna and Dan Butler combining for six goals while Daniel Rioli also had impact. Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Tom Hawkins led the Cats but they couldn’t crack the MCG code against Richmond.
Adelaide Loses 4th Straight
Despite trailing by only 4 points at the half the Adelaide Crows imploded at the MCG to lose 88-32 against Hawthorn. The Crows kicked just one second half goal as Hawthorn racked up scoring chances and put the Crows finals hopes on life support thanks to 40 disposals from Tom Mitchell and 3 goals from the powerful leg of James Sicily. Shaun Burgoyne also added a goal in his 350th game while Jaeger O’Meara was at 30 disposals.
The Crows got good games from Matt Crouch and Bryce Gibbs, plus a pair of goals from Sam Jacobs, but again their forward line was unable to create and failed to score enough to make it a competitive game. With a tough schedule ahead the Crows appear less likely to make finals than the likes of Fremantle, Hawthorn, and North Melbourne, all sides expected to be well below Adelaide at the start of the season.
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