quentinRound 20 AFL Premiership Season Review
August 19th 2010 13:07
Coming into Round 20, there were a lot of matches which were going to have a direct impact on the make up of the top 8 however by the end of the weekend, it looked like the top 8 had been sealed.
The round kicked off on a Friday night at the MCG and it was fierce rivals Collingwood and Essendon playing. The Bombers still had a silly chance of making the finals while the Pies were looking at securing top spot. Sadly, only 1 team turned up and it was Collingwood pretty well locking in top spot with an astonishing 98 point win. There were so many impressive players that it was hard to know where to start and for those actually interested, Travis Cloke looked like he'd shaken off his worrying kicking with 5.1 only to miss his last 4 shots at goal and end up with 5.5. As for Essendon, not a lot to smile about and another week of questions looming about Matthew Knights' future
Essendon 10.4.64 lost to Collingwood 24.18.162
Saturday saw another match between bitter rivals at the MCG and again an absolute fizzer of a game. It was Carlton vs Richmond and they played according to ladder positions with Carlton absolutely dominating. If truth be told, this could've been a lot worse with Carlton having a massive 41 shots on goal to 17. Carlton have recently developed a real killer instinct in last quarters with 10 goals last week vs Essendon and now 9 vs Richmond as they blew the margin out to a massive 89 points with 13 goal kickers. Chris Judd was exceptional for Carlton with 30 disposals and 12 clearances while no-one from Richmond really stood up
Carlton 23.18.156 defeated Richmond 10.7.67
Meanwhile over the other side of the country, a Sandilands-less Fremantle took on Sydney in a match which was crucial in terms of both sides positions in the final 8. Sadly Freo found out how hard it was to win without Sandilands as they got dominated in the 3 key areas of the game. Possessions were 377-299 Sydney's way, clearances were 40-28 Sydney's way and Inside 50s were 55-32 Sydney's way. Despite this clear advantage against a tired Fremantle, Sydney weren't able to put them away and in fact ended up short on the bench following Ben McGlynn's fractured eye socket after a accidental knee from Freo ruckman Zach Clarke. It was a close and exciting tussle which was only decided in the last 2 minutes of play when Sydney booted the last 2 goals of the game
Fremantle 13.9.87 lost to Sydney 14.12.96
Saturday night saw 2nd take on 4th with Geelong tangling with the Western Bulldogs. It looked like a distinct disadvantage especially with the Bullies being decimated by a winter flu however they started off with 3 of the first 4 goals. Sadly Channel 10 commentator Tim Lane then had to put the jinx on by declaring that "Geelong's run was officially over." From this point, the game was an absolute shambles. The Bulldogs fell apart and Geelong just did as they pleased booting 24 of the last 30 goals, including an astonishing 10 goal burst in the second quarter. It's kinda redundant to mention better players but the Bulldogs were absolutely dreadful.
Western Bulldogs 9.6.60 lost to Geelong 25.11.161
Amazingly the closest match of the round occured in what was one of the worst games of the season. It was a typical wet Saturday night which only means that it was in Adelaide and it was Port Adelaide taking on West Coast. The Eagles needed a win to avoid the spoon while the Power were looking for a win to boost the claims of Matthew Primus for a senior coaching gig. It was played in front of the lowest crowd ever at AAMI Stadium with just 14,000 watching and they were treated to a game with inaccuracy and woeful football. The Power had the game in their keeping leading by almost 4 goals in the last quarter but the Eagles came very hard and in fact, levelled the scores. Despite chances, they couldn't land the knockout blow and David Rodan from Port proved to be the hero with a scrambled point with 30 seconds to go
Port Adelaide 8.13.61 defeated West Coast 8.12.60
The early match on Sunday afternoon took us up to Brisbane and it was the Lions taking on Adelaide. This was as close to a dead-rubber as you'll ever see with both teams out of contention however for Adelaide it didn't seem like it as they lost both Bernie Vince and Chris Knights to injury before half-time. Despite that, this will rank as one of their best wins after trailing by 15 points at quarter-time. The game ebbed and flowed and I suppose at the end of the day, the only reason Adelaide were able to stay in the game and ultimately win was due to Brisbane's inaccuracy. Kurt Tippett had a superb game for Adelaide with 5 goals while Mitch Clark matched Tippett's output with 5 for the Lions. At the end of the day, the one thing we learnt here was that bad kicking is bad football
Brisbane 13.19.97 lost to Adelaide 15.14.104
Meanwhile at the MCG, it was a match between a fast-finishing Melbourne and a suddenly wobbly Hawthorn. This was as close to a finals like match as you'll see and despite the margin being a little wider than it should (21 points), I am of the belief that this was one of the better games played. It was a strange game in that it was played under Melbourne's 4 seasons in one day system with wind, rain and sun making an appearance but the game was a very high standard. The Hawks had the edge in talent but the Demons just kept coming and it was looking likely to be a ripper of a last quarter. Sadly the yound Demons stopped while the Hawks did just enough to extend their margin and finish off Melbourne's faint finals hopes.
Hawthorn 15.9.99 defeated Melbourne 12.6.78
Over at Etihad for the twilight game and the scenario for North Melbourne was simple. Repeat their win of Round 21 last year against the Saints and they'd still be a chance for finals, lose and their season may very well come to an end. They started off very well and led by 7 points at quarter time but that was where the game came to an end. The Saints with Nick Riewoldt leading the way, went berserk with 15 goals to 6 after quarter time to cruise to a very easy 52 point win. The forementioned Riewoldt returned to form with a blistering 7 goal effort. The most bizarre incident of the season occured as well with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon seen hitting the match-up or statistics board repeatedly at three-quarter time. The poor runner who held that board would be feeling sorry for homself but Lyon emerged with an injured hand from that exchange with the board.
North Melbourne 9.9.63 lost to St Kilda 17.13.115
So at the end of Round 20, the ladder sits as follows (team, played, points, percentage)
Collingwood 20 66 145.8
Geelong 20 60 146.9
St Kilda 20 58 124.5
Western Bulldogs 20 52 129.5
Fremantle 20 48 110.4
Carlton 20 44 111.8
Sydney 20 44 104.2
Hawthorn 20 42 104.6
----------------------------- -------------------
North Melbourne 20 36 84.9
Melbourne 20 34 96.0
Adelaide 20 32 92.6
Port Adelaide 20 32 78.6
Essendon 20 28 81.1
Brisbane 20 24 81.3
Richmond 20 24 71.4
West Coast 20 16 77.5
The only 2 that can sneak in are Melbourne and North Melbourne and they both need some strange scenarios to occur
North need to win their last 2 games (West Coast and Melbourne) and have the Hawks lose their last 2 (Fremantle and Collingwood) which could be feasible if Freo weren't missing 13 of their best 22 players.
As for Melbourne, they need to win their last 2 (Port Adelaide and North Melbourne) and have the Hawks lose their last 2 (Fremantle and Collingwood) . They also need a 150 point swing (i.e. Getting their percentage over 100 by winning the last 2 by 70 points combined and having the Hawks percentage slip under 100 by losing their last 2 by 80 points combined)
In effect it looks like the finals are sealed and only the matchups to be decided.
So ends the Round 20 Review
The round kicked off on a Friday night at the MCG and it was fierce rivals Collingwood and Essendon playing. The Bombers still had a silly chance of making the finals while the Pies were looking at securing top spot. Sadly, only 1 team turned up and it was Collingwood pretty well locking in top spot with an astonishing 98 point win. There were so many impressive players that it was hard to know where to start and for those actually interested, Travis Cloke looked like he'd shaken off his worrying kicking with 5.1 only to miss his last 4 shots at goal and end up with 5.5. As for Essendon, not a lot to smile about and another week of questions looming about Matthew Knights' future
Saturday saw another match between bitter rivals at the MCG and again an absolute fizzer of a game. It was Carlton vs Richmond and they played according to ladder positions with Carlton absolutely dominating. If truth be told, this could've been a lot worse with Carlton having a massive 41 shots on goal to 17. Carlton have recently developed a real killer instinct in last quarters with 10 goals last week vs Essendon and now 9 vs Richmond as they blew the margin out to a massive 89 points with 13 goal kickers. Chris Judd was exceptional for Carlton with 30 disposals and 12 clearances while no-one from Richmond really stood up
Carlton 23.18.156 defeated Richmond 10.7.67
Meanwhile over the other side of the country, a Sandilands-less Fremantle took on Sydney in a match which was crucial in terms of both sides positions in the final 8. Sadly Freo found out how hard it was to win without Sandilands as they got dominated in the 3 key areas of the game. Possessions were 377-299 Sydney's way, clearances were 40-28 Sydney's way and Inside 50s were 55-32 Sydney's way. Despite this clear advantage against a tired Fremantle, Sydney weren't able to put them away and in fact ended up short on the bench following Ben McGlynn's fractured eye socket after a accidental knee from Freo ruckman Zach Clarke. It was a close and exciting tussle which was only decided in the last 2 minutes of play when Sydney booted the last 2 goals of the game
Saturday night saw 2nd take on 4th with Geelong tangling with the Western Bulldogs. It looked like a distinct disadvantage especially with the Bullies being decimated by a winter flu however they started off with 3 of the first 4 goals. Sadly Channel 10 commentator Tim Lane then had to put the jinx on by declaring that "Geelong's run was officially over." From this point, the game was an absolute shambles. The Bulldogs fell apart and Geelong just did as they pleased booting 24 of the last 30 goals, including an astonishing 10 goal burst in the second quarter. It's kinda redundant to mention better players but the Bulldogs were absolutely dreadful.
Western Bulldogs 9.6.60 lost to Geelong 25.11.161
Amazingly the closest match of the round occured in what was one of the worst games of the season. It was a typical wet Saturday night which only means that it was in Adelaide and it was Port Adelaide taking on West Coast. The Eagles needed a win to avoid the spoon while the Power were looking for a win to boost the claims of Matthew Primus for a senior coaching gig. It was played in front of the lowest crowd ever at AAMI Stadium with just 14,000 watching and they were treated to a game with inaccuracy and woeful football. The Power had the game in their keeping leading by almost 4 goals in the last quarter but the Eagles came very hard and in fact, levelled the scores. Despite chances, they couldn't land the knockout blow and David Rodan from Port proved to be the hero with a scrambled point with 30 seconds to go
Port Adelaide 8.13.61 defeated West Coast 8.12.60
The early match on Sunday afternoon took us up to Brisbane and it was the Lions taking on Adelaide. This was as close to a dead-rubber as you'll ever see with both teams out of contention however for Adelaide it didn't seem like it as they lost both Bernie Vince and Chris Knights to injury before half-time. Despite that, this will rank as one of their best wins after trailing by 15 points at quarter-time. The game ebbed and flowed and I suppose at the end of the day, the only reason Adelaide were able to stay in the game and ultimately win was due to Brisbane's inaccuracy. Kurt Tippett had a superb game for Adelaide with 5 goals while Mitch Clark matched Tippett's output with 5 for the Lions. At the end of the day, the one thing we learnt here was that bad kicking is bad football
Brisbane 13.19.97 lost to Adelaide 15.14.104
Meanwhile at the MCG, it was a match between a fast-finishing Melbourne and a suddenly wobbly Hawthorn. This was as close to a finals like match as you'll see and despite the margin being a little wider than it should (21 points), I am of the belief that this was one of the better games played. It was a strange game in that it was played under Melbourne's 4 seasons in one day system with wind, rain and sun making an appearance but the game was a very high standard. The Hawks had the edge in talent but the Demons just kept coming and it was looking likely to be a ripper of a last quarter. Sadly the yound Demons stopped while the Hawks did just enough to extend their margin and finish off Melbourne's faint finals hopes.
Hawthorn 15.9.99 defeated Melbourne 12.6.78
Over at Etihad for the twilight game and the scenario for North Melbourne was simple. Repeat their win of Round 21 last year against the Saints and they'd still be a chance for finals, lose and their season may very well come to an end. They started off very well and led by 7 points at quarter time but that was where the game came to an end. The Saints with Nick Riewoldt leading the way, went berserk with 15 goals to 6 after quarter time to cruise to a very easy 52 point win. The forementioned Riewoldt returned to form with a blistering 7 goal effort. The most bizarre incident of the season occured as well with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon seen hitting the match-up or statistics board repeatedly at three-quarter time. The poor runner who held that board would be feeling sorry for homself but Lyon emerged with an injured hand from that exchange with the board.
North Melbourne 9.9.63 lost to St Kilda 17.13.115
So at the end of Round 20, the ladder sits as follows (team, played, points, percentage)
Collingwood 20 66 145.8
Geelong 20 60 146.9
St Kilda 20 58 124.5
Western Bulldogs 20 52 129.5
Fremantle 20 48 110.4
Carlton 20 44 111.8
Sydney 20 44 104.2
Hawthorn 20 42 104.6
----------------------------- -------------------
North Melbourne 20 36 84.9
Melbourne 20 34 96.0
Adelaide 20 32 92.6
Port Adelaide 20 32 78.6
Essendon 20 28 81.1
Brisbane 20 24 81.3
Richmond 20 24 71.4
West Coast 20 16 77.5
The only 2 that can sneak in are Melbourne and North Melbourne and they both need some strange scenarios to occur
North need to win their last 2 games (West Coast and Melbourne) and have the Hawks lose their last 2 (Fremantle and Collingwood) which could be feasible if Freo weren't missing 13 of their best 22 players.
As for Melbourne, they need to win their last 2 (Port Adelaide and North Melbourne) and have the Hawks lose their last 2 (Fremantle and Collingwood) . They also need a 150 point swing (i.e. Getting their percentage over 100 by winning the last 2 by 70 points combined and having the Hawks percentage slip under 100 by losing their last 2 by 80 points combined)
In effect it looks like the finals are sealed and only the matchups to be decided.
So ends the Round 20 Review
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