The last of the three AFL bye rounds brought some of the best and worst footy we’ve seen this year.
West Coast breathed life back into their season with a comfortable win over Geelong in Perth. Despite both teams missing their power forwards, the Eagles were the team to find more avenues to goal and handed the Cats their seventh straight post-bye loss.
Etihad Stadium on Friday night hosted one of the worst games in recent memory, with St Kilda handing North Melbourne a 17-point loss, a margin which massively flattered the losers. Diabolical skills (particularly from the Roos) and a flat atmosphere resulted in a game that the few who attended will be keen to quickly forget.
Richmond’s season of close calls continued on Saturday with a nine-point loss to Sydney at the MCG. Despite dominating the first half, the Swans kept in touch and stormed home to keep their finals hopes alive. Port Adelaide also recorded a solid victory over a competitive Brisbane Lions outfit at Adelaide Oval.
Carlton notched up another impressive performance with an away win over Gold Coast on Saturday night. Bryce Gibbs played the best game of his career, racking up 43 touches and kicking two goals, while Liam Jones’ fairytale career resurgence added another chapter, this week by keeping Tom Lynch goalless. The loss was soured even more for the Suns by a horrific leg injury to veteran Michael Barlow.
Finally on Sunday, Melbourne dished out a thumping to the Western Bulldogs and stormed into fifth position on the AFL ladder. The Dees dominated the Dogs all over the field from siren to siren and now have a first finals appearance in more than a decade in their sights. The Doggies’ hangover from hell lingers on – Luke Beveridge needs some Berrocas and Panadols down at Whitten Oval quick smart, or his team could be the first premier to miss the finals since Hawthorn in 2009.
