Round 10 AFL Review

Friday
Sydney 11.7.73 defeated by Collingwood 11.14.80

Well, talk about the perfect game to come out and play the best game of his career. The Sydney Swan's Sam Reid put in a brilliant performance while up against the much-vaunted backline of the Magpies, tallying 15 disposals, 9 marks, 7 hit-outs to go with his 6 goals straight. While having Franklin back meant he got to play against Collingwood's second defender, he certainly made the most of his opportunities.
I don't think that ot can be much of a coincidence that Swan's playmaker Josh Kennedy (22 disp and 3 tackles up to three-quarter time) goes off injured, and the Pies manage to get on top of the game with a four goal to one last quarter.
Collingwood was pretty lucky to get away with this win, but having seven more shots on goal than their opponents shows that they were in front pretty much everywhere but this didn't translate enough to the scoreboard. At the end of the day, that is the only stat that really matters, and the Pies did enough to get the win and keep their streak alive and well.

Saturday
Hawthorn 12.8.80 defeated Port Adelaide 6.13.49

Down in a chilly Tasmania, we had the Hawks coming up against Port Power, and with both teams sitting right on the edge of the Top 8 it was a very important game for both teams to get the win. With Ben McEvoy out with an injury, and tall forward Mitchell Lewis not having recovered from a concussion last round, it was looking like the Power may be able to stretch Hawthorn through their height advantage. Instead, it was Hawthorn's ruck duo of Ceglar (20 disp, 7 marks and 15 hit-outs) and debutant Pittonet (8 disp, 4 tackles and 29 hit-outs) that stood tall against the experienced Ryder (9 disp, 4 marks and 24 hit-outs) from the Power. Then there was Jack Gunston. The Hawk key-forward put on a clinic, ending the match with 21 disp, 9 marks, 2 hit-outs and 6 goals. His highest goal haul for a few years.
Both teams had a player leave the game in the third term and not return. For the Hawks, it was defender Jack Scrimshaw and for the Power, it was midfielder Tom Rockliff. Hopefully neither injury is too serious.

Western Bulldogs 13.12.90 defeated by North Melbourne 18.7.115
After finding out their coach would be leaving after this game, the North Melbourne players came out and made a real statement to the footy world! After having done little, leading into this game, so far this season, the Kangaroo players responded to the news of Brad Scott's departure in the best way they could, by coming together strongly and getting a big win for the club.
While the Bulldogs weren't poor, they just couldn't match the intent of their opponents in this match and, after an evenly fought first quarter, fell behind the Kangaroos over the next three quarters, thirteen goals to eight.
Once again, Josh Dunkley (29 disp, 6 marks and 6 tackles) was great for the Doggies, while for North, Todd Goldstein (28 disp, 7 marks and 57 hit-outs) really did show Tim English (11 disp, 5 marks, 7 hit-outs, but he did kick 2 goals) how to ruck at AFL level!

Adelaide 10.13.73 defeated by West Coast 13.7.85
At a ground where they seem to enjoy playing, the West Coast Eagles have snatched a come-from-behind win over a Crows outfit that would be very disappointed in managing to snatch a loss from the jaws of victory; okay, that may be a bit harsh, but they were certainly the more impressive team up to half-time! To sum up this see-sawing match, here are the scores at the end of each quarter...
Adelaide   - 2.2, 7.8, 9.10, 10.13
West Coast - 3.3, 3.4, 8.6, 13.7
We had an even first quarter. Adelaide dominated the second quarter. The Eagles make a strong comeback in the third and then keep the ball rolling to win the fourth quarter and the match. I don't know what was in the water bottles in the Eagle's rooms at half-time, but if it finds its way onto supermarket shelves, I'm buying up big!

Gold Coast 9.10.64 defeated by Geelong 13.13.91
After a really enthralling first three quarters, where the scoreboard saw the Suns just two points away from the ladder leaders, the young Sun players weren't able to keep up with the movement and class of their opponents on the Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon.
While the Suns lead both the hit-outs and clearance stats this week, the Cats won on pretty much every other game statistic, including the very important 'inside 50s', where Geelong was up 58 to the Sun's 45. This, in turn, meant they had more shots on goal and were in a position to get a winning score and, while they kicked as many points as goals, they did.
It looks like Gary Ablett has hit another player this week, his third such charge over his last four matches. And yes, it was a closed fist, not an open hand! If he gets off this one as well, I think any player who goes up before the AFL's tribunal should wear a Gary Ablett mask. Hey, it sure won't hurt their chances!

Richmond 10.13.73 defeated Essendon 6.14.50

In a match that was largely played in the rain, the Richmond Tigers have had a comfortable win over the Essendon Bombers at the MCG in the AFL's annual Dreamtime at the G. While the match itself may not have hit any great heights for either team, the spectacle of the Dreamtime match never fails to deliver on honouring Australia's First Nations people.
With their squadron of quality smalls, the Tigers were better suited to the wet and slippery conditions, where the ball hit the ground a lot more than was marked. When Jake Stringer went down, in the second quarter, for the Bombers, their best avenue to goal was taken from them and the Tigers drew away with a four goal to one, third quarter.
By the final quarter, Richmond's youngsters were starting to look tired and the Bombers had enough quality to pounce on the opportunity to get some respectability back into the scoreline, winning the last quarter four goals to two. In the wash-up, I'm sure all players are glad they were a part of the occasion and then glad that it was over.

Sunday
Melbourne 10.8.68 defeated by GWS Giants 14.10.94

In a match that pretty much went to 'plan', we saw the GWS Giants jump out of the blocks to build up a big lead over a Melbourne Demons side that has an injury list that seems to grow by the week - to have a look at the official AFL Injury List page, and see how your team's players are faring across the first ten rounds of the season, head to https://www.afl.com.au/news/injury-list
For Melbourne supporters, seeing your team kick a single goal across the first two quarters of the match would have had you searching out warmer confines to watch the rest of the match, and fortunately for them, and the team, things improved as the match went on; the Demons actually outscored the Giants 9 goals to 8 across the second half. At the end of the day, the Giants built up a big lead, were pretty pleased with the situation, and did enough to ensure the win without risking any players to injury on their hoodoo ground.

St. Kilda 9.14.68 defeated Carlton 8.7.55

As it was a really ordinary afternoon in Melbourne on Sunday, both teams would have been grateful for the shelter the roof at Marvel Stadium offered them. After an early burst from Carlton, the Saints managed to steady the ship and go about the business of pegging-back the deficit. In a very low scoring match, the inaccurate Saints managed to do just this, getting in front of their opponents for good in the final minutes of the second quarter. From there, St Kilda managed to survive a couple of worrying moments to run out worthy winners in a match that never really hit any great highs; much like watching a singer on the Voice trying to match the vocals talent of Adele!
For the Saints, they would be super happy with the development of ruckman Rowan Marshal, who finished with 13 disposals, 3 marks, 6 tackles and a game-high 34 hit-outs, eclipsing the experienced Kreuzer of Carlton.

Fremantle 10.13.73 defeated Brisbane 10.12.72
Sunday evening saw the Fremantle Dockers take on the Brisbane Lions at their home ground of Optus Stadium in Perth and what an exciting game it gave us to end Round 10. After being down a couple of goals to start the fourth quarter, the Dockers rose to the challenge of reeling in the visitors! Wave after wave of attacking moves saw the Fremantle Dockers 'point' there way past the travelling Lions, winning the match by a single point. It really was a great fightback by the Docker team, where they kept their feline opponents under siege for a good twenty minutes, and if they had've kicked straighter Fremantle could have helped the coaching staff have a more relaxing time. Of course, the same is very true for the Lions who should have built a larger lead while they were on top but missed some shots they should have got. At a guess, both teams will be having plenty of goal kicking practice in the week to come.

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