Round 7 AFL Review

Thursday
Geelong Cats 5.5.35 defeated by Collingwood 8.9.57In his first game back from suspension, Collingwood's Jordan DeGoey proved the difference between the two teams as Collingwood kicked off their stint in the WA Hub with a 22-point win at Optus Stadium on Thursday night. At the other end of the ground, the Pies defence again showed that they are the tightest backline unit in the AFL this season. To make matters worse for the Cats, skipper Joel Selwood left in the first quarter with a hamstring concern, while up-and-coming Jordan Clark went off with a shoulder injury in the third. Things may have been different with those two players on the field, but either way, the Pies got the job done.

Friday
Essendon 7.9.51 defeated by Western Bulldogs 14.9.93
On the back of a second-half eight-goal to three effort by the Western Bulldogs, they have brought the Bombers back to the turf with their 42-point win on Friday night on the Gold Coast. The Bomber's brain trust will have been worried by their team's inability to kick a goal across nearly three-quarters of football, (from late in the first quarter until midway through the last quarter) while the Doggies pilled on eleven goals. In a look to the Bulldogs getting their mojo through the middle back, they had 35 more contested possessions than their opponents.

Saturday
GWS Giants 10.8.68 defeated by Brisbane Lions 13.10.88
Who would have thought that the GWS Giants would be outside the Top 8 as we near the halfway mark of the 2020 season? I don't think it would have been too many people, but that is just where they find themselves after their 20 point defeat by the Brisbane Lions on Saturday afternoon. While the Lions kicked the first four goals of the match, the Giants didn't let them get away, getting the margin back to two goals for the start of the last quarter, but that's where the comeback ended, as the Lions outscored their opponents by a goal to seal the win.

Sydney Swans 9.5.59 defeated by Gold Coast Suns 11.14.80
Saturday afternoon saw the injury-ravaged Sydney Swans come up against the improved Gold Coast at the SCG. To have a look at one important stat, the Suns Inside 50 disposal efficiency was at 58.5%, compared to the Swans who were at 33% around the goals. With the quality players they have missing, it is easy to see why the Swans would struggle in this area, and they did! While the Swans put in the best goal celebration, the Sun's Day put in the best goal for the match, and possibly the round, with a great snap when just inches inside the boundary line.

Richmond 11.11.77 defeated North Melbourne 2.11.23
At Metricon Stadium on Saturday night, the Tigers met the Kangaroos in a match between the 8th placed Richmond and the 16th placed North Melbourne. From the moment the first whistle blew, the Tigers were the better performing team, keeping the Kangas scoreless until the three-minute mark of the second quarter. While the Kangaroos started getting more of the ball, using it better and kicking a couple of goals to end the half, the break seemed to help the Tige's more! Have the Tigers remembered how to play footy, or is it that the Kangas have forgotten?

Sunday
Carlton 9.7.61 defeated by Port Adelaide 9.10.64
In their three-point loss to Port Adelaide at the Gabba on Sunday, the Carlton Blues really showed the footy world that they have made big improvements on their 2019 version, and should be a team that everyone else is a bit more worried about coming up against for the rest of 2020! While Carlton pushed Port out of their comfort zone, by making them go wide and through many hands, the current No #1 team still managed to find a way to win, with Robbie Gray getting the Power the win with a goal after the siren.

Hawthorn 7.6.48 defeated by Melbourne 14.7.91
In our second game of Sunday, this time at GIANTS Stadium, we have Hawthorn playing host to a Melbourne team who has started playing better football, but can they continue it against the brown and yellow? With their often vaunted engine room starting to build up some steam, the Demon's midfielders made their Hawk counterparts often look slow and even disinterested as they, along with Max Gawn, had more disposals, clearances and hitouts. The worrying thing for the Hawks was that even when going forward, their lack of quality up forward was very noticible. Two wins in a row for the Demons.

Fremantle 5.2.35 defeated by West Coast Eagles 9.8.62
Past the halfway mark of the second quarter, this match between the Eagles and their cross-town rivals, the Fremantle Dockers, was level pegging. Both teams were right in the match, with the teams having kicked three goals apiece, and then it all changed. From that point on, West Coast went on to kick six goals, while Fremantle managed just two more goals for the rest of the match; in a funny twist, Eagle forward Josh Kennedy fell just one goal shy of matching the goal tally of the opposition. The Dockers next meet the Cats, while the Eagles come up against the Magpies.

Monday
Adelaide Crows 8.7.55 defeated by St. Kilda 12.6.78
In a game that stayed close until the last quarter, the Saints managed to put on a burst to get some distance between themselves and the Crows for a solid 23-point win at Adelaide Oval on Monday night. When you look at the stats for this game, the result doesn't make a lot of sense! The Crows had more Disposals, more Inside 50s, more Free kicks and better disposal efficiency, 39 more handballs (perhaps they need to kick the ball more...?), and yet here we are, with St. Kilda jumping from 10th on the ladder to a very respectable 6th place, while Adelaide stays grounded in last place.