THEY SAID IT: “In the end you’re trying to pull a rabbit out of your hat and give it a silver bullet” – St Kilda coach Ross Lyon pulls out a basic line after his staff’s disappointing 26-point loss to Gold Coast.
PLAYER OF THE ROUND: A shared effort between Carlton duo Charlie Curnow and Jack Silvagni. Curnow took 11 marks – 5 of which had been contested – on the best way to 3 objectives within the shock 50-point win over Port Adelaide. Silvagni was simply as spectacular with a career-high 4 objectives to go along with 19 disposals and 10 hitouts.
THE MOMENT: Jake Melksham was the unlikely hero in Melbourne’s much more unlikely one-point victory over the Brisbane Lions. Down by 25 factors halfway via the ultimate quarter, the Demons pulled off one of many greatest heists in current AFL historical past. Melksham nailed a set shot with 30 seconds remaining to place Melbourne in entrance in arguably the sport of the season.
TALKING POINT: Wasn’t Carlton’s season shot a month in the past? And that is a foul method for Port’s club-record profitable streak to finish. Curiously, there wasn’t a lot distinction in the important thing stats and Port even received the within 50s 62-59. But they by no means appeared like having the ability to overhaul Carlton’s robust begin. Even extra impressively for the resurgent Blues was the actual fact they received so simply with out Harry McKay, who hobbled off within the first time period.
STATS THAT MATTER: There had been 61,157 followers had been available to witness Collingwood’s 46-point thumping of Fremantle – the most important home-and-away crowd the Dockers have ever performed in entrance of. The earlier seven highest attendances at Fremantle home-and-away matches had all been Western Derby encounters on the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium.
TRIBUNAL WATCH: Carlton’s Jordan Boyd is going through a ban of at the very least three matches after being despatched on to the AFL Tribunal for his dump sort out on Port Adelaide’s Darcy Byrne-Jones. Adelaide ahead Josh Rachele was slapped with a two-match ban for placing GWS ahead Jack Buckley. Essendon captain Zach Merrett was fined $1500 for staging for a free kick. Richmond’s Dustin Martin may very well be in bother for an off-the-ball elbow to the mid-riff of West Coast’s Alex Witherden. Sydney co-captain Dane Rampe copped a two-match ban for an off-the-ball bump on Lachlan McNeil.
INJURIES: S Darcy (Frem, ankle), B Walker (Frem, knee), B Frampton (Coll, corked thigh), J Laverde (Ess, ankle), H McKay (Carl, knee), Z Butters (PA, groin), D Byrne-Jones (PA, concussion), L Melican (Syd, hamstring), J O’Donnell (WB, concussion), C Zurhaar (NM, ankle), C Coleman-Jones (NM, concussion), G Wardlaw (NM, hamstring), J Archer (NM, hamstring), F Greene (Haw, knee), R Ginbey (WC, hamstring)
WHAT’S NEXT: The greatest match of spherical 19 shall be in Adelaide on Saturday evening when Collingwood and Port face off in a top-of-the-table conflict. Essendon and the Bulldogs kick issues off on Friday evening, with either side determined to bounce again from losses. Carlton shall be banking on an enormous share booster after they host West Coast on Saturday. Brisbane and Geelong will meet on the Gabba later that day in a match that the Cats have to win to remain in contact with the highest 4. GWS’ unlikely cost to the finals will obtain a check after they host Gold Coast on Sunday.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
