THEY SAID IT: “Confidence and belief comes from repetition, and we’re now producing repetition in these types of games and that should give the boys great confidence and great belief.” – Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley after a fifth consecutive win, 4 of them by 14 factors or much less.
PLAYER(S) OF THE ROUND: Brisbane coach Chris Fagan described Josh Dunkley’s outing towards Carlton as probably the greatest video games he had ever seen. Not solely did Dunkley decide up 33 possessions and lay 13 tackles, however he stored reigning Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps quiet in an excellent shutdown function. Dunkley’s former Western Bulldogs teammate Marcus Bontempelli additionally had an enormous week, main his aspect to victory over GWS with 32 disposals, seven tackles and career-high tallies for clearances (14) and contested possessions (25).
THE MOMENT: Gold Coast may have snatched a share of the spoils and compelled the season’s second draw however Darcy Macpherson’s set shot from 40 metres by no means seemed on track. It floated to the proper of the large sticks with lower than 20 seconds left on the clock, leaving Melbourne 5 factors in entrance. Jack Viney minimize off the Suns’ remaining kick ahead to seal the Demons’ slender win.
TALKING POINT: Will Carlton get it collectively beneath Michael Voss? After lacking the top-eight in heartbreaking vogue final yr, the Blues appeared primed to finish their finals drought this season. But Carlton have slumped to 3 defeats from their final 4 begins – all towards finals contenders. The warmth shall be on at Ikon Park this week with a tricky run of fixtures forward.
STATS THAT MATTER: North Melbourne have been held goalless for all the first half of a sport for the primary time in virtually 44 years as they suffered a 30-point loss to St Kilda. The Kangaroos managed 0.7 within the opening two phrases at Marvel Stadium on Sunday – the identical rating they posted towards Essendon at Windy Hill in spherical 12, 1979.
TRIBUNAL WATCH: Carlton defender Nic Newman capped a grimy evening on the exhilarating Charlie Cameron by being supplied a one-game ban for putting the Lions’ Lachie Neale. Melbourne younger gun Jacob van Rooyen’s clumsy spoil on Charlie Ballard price him a two-week suspension, whereas Geelong’s Brad Close and Hawthorn’s Tyler Brockman are going through one-match tough conduct bans due to harmful tackles. Port Adelaide’s Junior Rioli faces scrutiny for behind-play contact which concussed Essendon’s Jordan Ridley, although Rioli wasn’t trying on the Bomber defender when he tried to make a block.
INJURIES: J Culley (WC, knee), P Dangerfield (Geel, hamstring), N Murray (Ade, concussion), C Ballard (GC, concussion), A Treloar (WB, hamstring), L Schultz (Frem, shoulder). J Ridley (Ess, concussion), T Jonas (PA, chest)
WHAT’S NEXT: Richmond’s resurgence shall be examined in a Friday evening blockbuster towards Geelong and North Melbourne host Port Adelaide in Hobart within the first sport in Tasmania because the island state was awarded the competitors’s nineteenth licence. Saturday evening’s Brisbane-Essendon and Carlton-Bulldogs encounters look spicy, whereas the Crows host St Kilda in Adelaide and ladder leaders Collingwood tackle GWS.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
