Hawks cause 2023’s biggest boilover; Blues show new colours; Tigers, Suns are done: Key takeouts from round 21

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

Western Bulldogs d Richmond

The Dogs are building, and the Tigers are done. There was a finality about Friday night’s result at Marvel Stadium for the Tigers, who lacked leadership when it mattered. The Bulldogs, led by Marcus Bontempelli, inflicted most of the damage in the first quarter, slamming on nine of the first 10 goals – four of them off the boot of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. Little that Richmond tried had an impact. They lost the contested possession count by 38 by night’s end, but also had 20 less tackles. Even if the Tigers win their final three matches, they’ll need some results to go their way if they’re to make finals. The Dogs, however, have put themselves in the box seat for a home elimination final. Bontempelli kicked three and probably locked away three Brownlow votes too, but he wasn’t a lone hand. Tom Liberatore and Adam Treloar were also influential, while Liam Jones was a helpful inclusion in defence. An ugly incident between a spectator and Marlion Pickett is being investigated by the AFL. – Damien Ractliffe

Bomber Darcy Parish did slot a goal for Essendon against West Coast, but his foot skills still need some work.Credit: Getty

Essendon d West Coast

Darcy Parish is a fine midfielder. An All-Australian jacket in 2021 tells you that much. When it comes to extracting the ball in the clinches and giving off by hand, he is up there with the best. But for a player who gets the ball as often as he does, his kicking must be better. Of his 17 kicks, only seven were effective. Several of his mistakes were under little pressure. Others were blind kicks that laced out Eagles players. Perhaps his teammates had run to the wrong spot, but the out-of-contract Parish must improve his kicking if he wants to command top dollar at The Hangar. Amid the doom and gloom of a horror year, Adam Simpson has something to work with. The Eagles have stripped it back to the basics since their 171-point debacle in Sydney. They may lack polish, but they are defending with more vigour, running harder and using the ball with more dare. With Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo back, their defence held up resolutely to Essendon’s 55 inside 50s. Andrew Gaff’s resurgence continued with 23 disposals on a wing after returns of 24, 30 and 25 since being made the sub in a bid to find a circuit-breaker. If their senior players stay sound, next week’s Western Derby should be a closer game than many would have thought a few weeks ago. – Andrew Wu

Adelaide d Gold Coast

In what was the archetypal “eight-point game” , the Crows held sway from the outset. Once they led by almost five goals at quarter-time, the game was as good as done and dusted, and so were the Gold Coast Suns’ slim finals hopes. Although Adelaide’s inaccuracy in the third quarter (they kicked 0.7) gave the Suns a sniff, the reality was the 29-point margin at the first break was only reduced to 28 points come the final siren. The win gives the Crows (10 wins) the jump on the Suns (nine), and their healthy percentage (117.1) will be an asset in their quest to sneak into the finals. One of the toughest assignments in the AFL awaits them on Saturday – Brisbane in Brisbane. If Matthew Nicks could somehow conjure an upset win from that match, his team’s destiny would likely rest in its own hands as it hosts Sydney and then travels west in the final round to play bottom-placed West Coast. Gold Coast, on the other hand, can now confidently confirm their bookings for the end-of-season trip – if they get to Europe quickly enough the players might even be able to catch up with their prospective 2024 coach, Damien Hardwick. A week after being hailed for his coaching efforts against the Lions, interim coach Steven King was helpless as the Suns failed to kick a goal until the 12-minute mark of the second term. To make matters worse, defender Wil Powell was stretchered off the ground in the final quarter with what seemed a serious leg injury. He must be developing a dislike for the Adelaide Oval, given he dislocated his ankle at the same venue against the Crows last season, and his club is yet to win a game from 11 attempts there. – Greg Dundas

Wil Powell was one of Gold Coast’s best players before hurting his leg – his second serious injury at the Adelaide Oval.Credit: Getty

Hawthorn d Collingwood

The Magpies aren’t the first premiership favourite to have a late-season stumble, but it will be intriguing to watch how they rebound after back-to-back defeats for the first time this season. The Blues and now the Hawks have denied the Collingwood their creativity through the centre corridor, while the Hawks silenced Nick Daicos like no other side this season. Held to a season-low five touches, having averaged a competition-high 32, Daicos was sent to full-forward in a bid to shed master tagger Finn Maginness. It didn’t work, and he finished the match on the bench injured. The Magpies didn’t have a tall marking target after dropping Mason Cox, but Jamie Elliott still had a moment of brilliance. Does this need to be revisited? What certainly must improve is their work at centre bounces, for they were crunched 18-3 in clearances. That’s not going to get the job done in a grand final, should they get there. For the Hawks, this was the upset of the season. Mitch Lewis is an emerging star at full-forward, while skipper James Sicily already in defence. His creativity across half-back, particularly when allowed to roam free, was a sight to behold. Ned Reeves was excellent in the ruck, and the Hawks appear to have found another tall forward in mid-season draftee Brandon Ryan. It’s been a rebuilding season for the Hawks, but the framework is clear. – Jon Pierik

Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott boots a delightful goal on the run from the pocket against Hawthorn.Credit: Fox Footy

Geelong d Port Adelaide

The Cats have kept their finals hopes alive, and a fourth loss in a row added further pain to Port Adelaide’s run to September. They were far from disgraced, however, the Power, who lost Jeremy Finlayson and Miles Bergman to illness before the match. Without Charlie Dixon and Aliir Aliir, they found new ways to be competitive, with Willie Rioli kicking four and Ryan Burton holding his own against Jeremy Cameron. The midfield brigade of Zak Butters, Connor Rozee and Jason Horne-Francis have been influential all year, but in the end, Geelong had more contributors at the pointy ends of the ground. Gryan Miers continued his career-best season in attack, while Tom Stewart looks likely to earn a fifth All-Australian jacket.

The Cats now need just two wins from their final three home and away games – they play the Magpies, Saints and Dogs – to play finals. The Power are facing a tough task to hold their spot in the top two. – Damien Ractliffe

Sydney d GWS

The Swans had to turn their attention to how their forward line would look as soon as Lance Franklin announced his retirement last week, and would have been pleased by the combination of Hayden McLean and Joel Amartey against GWS Giants on Saturday. McLean kicked four goals and Amarty two, while the likes of Isaac Heeney and best-on-ground Errol Gulden both found room to kick two goals a piece. “They’ve been as good as any team defensively – they’ve been brilliant,” Swans coach John Longmire said of the Giants’ defence. “So Joel kicking a couple early and Hayden hitting the scoreboard – we had a number of goal kickers – and kicking straight helps. We’ve played Hayden early in the year and kept persisting because he has a big tank and can play a couple of roles; forward or in the ruck. We keep going with him as we think he has something to offer.” Longmire added that moving quickly and stopping the Giants setting up their defence was essential to the win, while Giants coach Adam Kingsley felt his defence, uncharacteristically, couldn’t match the work rate of Sydney’s forwards. Tom Green’s return with 38 possessions shows he remains a difference-maker in midfield, but the Giants lost Finn Callaghan after his calf became sore during warm-ups. He will be assessed before they decide whether he plays next round. – Roy Ward

Melbourne d North Melbourne

Just as Melbourne’s midfield prepares to get back one of its superstars, it’s forward line has to again reset following an injury to Harrison Petty. Demons coach Simon Goodwin touted Clayton Oliver’s return – as long as he can train fully this week – after a tricky hamstring injury. But Petty went down during his club’s win over North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday, and the club says it is a mid-foot injury; the type of injury that has caused problems for him in the past. Petty was fitting in perfectly alongside Jacob van Rooyen, with his marking, physical pressure and accurate goal kicking helping win matches. “He’s got a mid-foot injury, and we are not 100 per cent sure what it is,” Goodwin said on Sunday. “Fingers are crossed, but it’s looking like he will be out for a little bit of time. It’s not looking like it will be short-term.” Brodie Grundy has been training and playing as a forward since being left out of the side, but Goodwin said it was too soon to say he would come in for Petty. For North, the sight of former skipper Jack Ziebell having 32 possessions and making a difference all over the field will warm their hearts. Ziebell is retiring at the end of the season, but typically, he is not going out without giving every effort possible for his team. – Roy Ward

Blake Acres kicks a goal for Carlton against his former side.Credit: Getty Images

Carlton d St Kilda

Sunday’s match was the type the Blues used to lose, especially when it mattered down the stretch last season. This time, even without stars Sam Walsh, Harry McKay and Adam Cerra, Michael Voss′ team could rely on the likes of Nic Newman, Zac Fisher, Paddy Dow and Blake Acres to perform when needed. None of them is a household name but Carlton’s resurgence ploughs on, to the point one more win might just be enough for them to book a long-awaited finals berth. Voss is now fielding questions about whether he dares to dream about winning the flag, as premature as that might be. Things sure have turned around at Ikon Park.

The Saints looked terrific in the first half and poised to cause a major boilover that would have changed the narrative about the club. Instead, however close they came, St Kilda seem destined to miss finals again after being well-entrenched in the top eight for a second-year running. At the same time, Brad Crouch, Callum Wilkie and Max King still have time to carry their team to September. But the Saints must beat Richmond this weekend. – Marc McGowan

Brisbane Lions d Fremantle

A narrow victory over Fremantle leaves the Lions within touching distance of a home final – specifically, third on the ladder and just 0.11 per cent behind Melbourne. It wasn’t the Lions’ prettiest win of the year, and it was done without several of their big guns firing, but it was done away from their Gabba fortress. That should help build belief, regardless of where the first final is played. Lachie Neale was one star who was below his best, but his last quarter was enormous and helped drag his team over the line. The Dockers were gutsy, with much to like in the performances of forwards Sam Sturt and Jye Amiss. Luke Jackson was massive in a solo ruck performance that again showed his long-term value, and Caleb Serong was a clear best on ground. But it wasn’t enough, and the club will lament a wasted season after a maiden finals appearance under coach Justin Longmuir last year. – Andrew Stafford

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article