AFL Round 16 is in the books, here is your look at all that went down.
Geelong Upsets Sydney
On Thursday night Geelong staved off Sydney for a massive road upset 71-59. Geelong generated scoring chances for their forwards as Tim Kelly and Tom Hawkins combined for 4 goals. Kelly has had a breakout season as a mature age rookie for the Cats and he’s helped strengthen their spine in games like this. Mitch Duncan posted 32 disposals and Joel Selwood was a roving terror in the midfield.
Sydney relied on Lance Franklin who booted 4 goals while Jake Lloyd had another 30+ disposal game. Callum Sinclair was also great from the ruck but without Isaac Heeney and with Dan Hannebery limited Sydney was missing enough to lose this game.
Adelaide and Essendon in Deep Trouble after Defeats
Stuck on 28 points after defeats this round, Adelaide and Essendon are in deep trouble in their efforts to make finals. The reigning finalists Adelaide were crushed in an MCG Grand Final rematch with Richmond 103-56. These sides have had divergent seasons as Dustin Martin had one of his best games with 30 disposals and 2 goals while the Richmond forward line had five other players who booted a pair of goals. Jack Graham applied pressure leading the tackle count while Kane Lambert posted 33 disposals.
Matt Crouch and Rory Laird were rare brightspots for Adelaide, while Josh Jenkins had 3 goals, but they lacked the consistency as a side yet again.
Collingwood played a strong final term to pull away to a 78-52 win against Essendon. Collingwood has won 7 straight games, and this time their clearances and contested possession made the difference. Scott Pendlebury was a standout with 34 disposals and 9 tackles, while Brodie Grundy continued his All-Australian season in the ruck and Jordan de Goey and Steele Sidebottom combined for 5 goals. Essendon got great performances from Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett, and Devon Smith, the usual suspects while Mitch Brown and Shaun McKernan combined for 5 goals. That said, they got themselves in a hole early in the season and don’t appear likely to climb out from it.
Brisbane Piles It On Against Carlton
Brisbane fans should be feeling good about the future after a 120-55 beatdown of Carlton, the last place side in the competition. Brisbane was utterly dominant against the likely wooden spooners as Dayne Beams posted 40 disposals and Alex Witherden had 31. Eric Hipwood kicked 6 fantastic goals as well. Carlton has fallen off a cliff, with the Curnow’s their only standouts.
Comfortable Wins for Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Melbourne, and North Melbourne
Port Adelaide continued their strong run of results with an 86-50 win against St. Kilda. Port got 30 disposals from Tom Rockliff while Charlie Dixon kicked 4 goals. David Armitage was best on ground for the Saints. Hawthorn prevailed 122-59 against the Western Bulldogs. The Hawks are in the top 8 thanks to 6 goals from Luke Breust, 30 disposals from Isaac Smith, and 8 goals combined for Jack Gunston and Jarryd Roughhead. Jason Johannisen and Mitch Wallis were best on ground for the Bulldogs.
Melbourne finished off Fremantle’s faint finals hopes with a 102-48 victory. Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw carried the Demons as they contributions all over the ground in terms of goals. Oliver and Jesse Hogan combined for 4. Stephen Hill was best on ground for Freo but they were limited as a side, with Lachie Neale especially poor. North Melbourne is 9th on the ladder after a 95-58 win of the second worst side in the competition, Gold Coast. North Melbourne’s attack was on point as Ben Brown kicked 4 goals. Scott Thompson and Ben Cunnington combined for 61 disposals in the midfield. Jarryd Lyons and Jarrod Witts were best on ground for the Suns.
West Coast Eagles Send GWS Giants Out of the Top 8
The West Coast Eagles edged GWS 86-75 to turn around their fortunes after a recent skid. The Giants slip to 10th on the ladder after the Eagles made a late push to win the contest. Andrew Gaff was fantastic for the Eagles while Luke Shuey, Jack Redden, and Elliot Yeo were all over 30 disposals. Five Eagles kicked a pair of goals including Willie Rioli and Jeremy McGovern. Stephen Coniglio and Adam Tomlinson were standouts for the Giants, but they’ll need to step it up next week.
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