Well, the high-low double ended up being Hawthorn/Essendon, as we predicted. You don’t have to be a descendant of Einstein to nab that one, but I’ll take the pats on the back anyway. Hey, it was 6-1 odds! Our player multi also got up. Sam Mitchell was a late out, so that first leg was voided prior to Friday night’s game, however, Robbie Gray and Tom Rockliff got the possessions needed to get us the double disposal multi.
There were some real lopsided results this round and that played havoc with our team multi-bets. Oh well, we can’t win ‘em all!
Here we go…
Oh Yes!
Hawthorn beat Essendon by a triple digit margin, as they should. After all, they’re Hawthorn! They’re still traveling nicely. A four-peat? I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
The Western Bulldogs took the four points from Port Adelaide on their home ground, the so-called “fortress.” It was a rough, tough, hard fought contest all day long. It was one of the best games of the season. Both teams desperately wanted that win, and no player, from either side, stopped trying to get it. It was a back-and-forth slog that ended with the Doggies being three points up at the final siren.
Only Patrick Dangerfield could overshadow a 38 possession game by teammate, Joel Selwood, by racking up 48 possessions of his own! He’s a freak! Just give him the Brownlow now. Three votes isn’t enough for that performance.
So, Geelong aren’t too old after all. Even without Tom Hawkins, the Cats were all over North Melbourne. Winning the ball out of the middle with lightning pace, Dangerfield and Selwood combined to play their best game of the year. Goldstein is clearly not fit, Ben Brown is inconsistent and way too slow in the chase, and with in-game injuries to Swallow, Del Santo, Atley, Nahas and Cunnington, with those soldiers down, it took a massive toll on the Roos. North have a Friday night game against Hawthorn looming. Are we about to see a loosening grip on first place? Is the Roos’ reign over?
Adelaide won in the west! The so-called “flat track bullies” were in control of the game all afternoon on their home deck, but for some unknown reason they all decided to stop playing for a quarter and a half and Adelaide rolled right over the top of them to get the win. Eddie Betts kicked five goals!
Nick Riewoldt will play on in 2017! If he retains the captaincy of St. Kilda next season, as he should, he’ll go down in history as the game’s longest serving skipper.
Dustin Martin gets best on ground and he wills his Tigers over the line against a much-improved Gold Coast Suns at the MCG. Richmond showed some grit when they could have easily given up. They didn’t give up. They dug in. It was good to see.
The baby Giants get a massive 42-point win over their big brother, the Swans, and in their 100th AFL game, it was an emphatic statement. What better way to celebrate! The Giants have officially arrived! Can they go all the way and win the premiership? Yep!
Melbourne won their first Queen’s Birthday clash since 2007. Max Gawn was a deserving winner of the Neale Daniher medal.
Once again, the “Big Freeze” was a big success! Millions raised for a cure. The ice bath slide gave us all a good laugh. Neale Daniher smiling at the warmth and embracement from the public was worth the price of admission alone.
Fremantle’s Lachie Weller will get the Round 12 Rising Star nod. That will make back-to-back nominations for the Dockers.
Oh No!
Fremantle crushed Brisbane by 83 points! Now, what’s wrong with this? A whole lot…if you’re a Lions fan that is! After ten losses, Fremantle have now won two games in a row, and by big margins at that. They’re not even fielding their best team, yet they still got a big win – yet again. This particular game was at the Gabba, so it was a Brisbane home game. The effort from the Lions was so listless, so poor, so pathetic, that members were leaving at half time. Those fans who gave them filthy looks for ditching their team, you know, the loyal fans who decided to stick it out, well, they all left at the third break. The only way Brisbane have a chance of turning this around is to sack coach, Justin Leppitsch. Enough is enough! Prior to this game, both Leigh Matthews and Greg Swann have come out publicly to back him for the remainder of his contract, which is 18 months more. If this is the case, sack them too! Brisbane need a massive clean out and the fans need to vote with their feet now. Don’t go to games! Just don’t turn up. You have better things to do, like darning your grandfather’s socks for instance, and washing your hair, than to sit and watch the below par effort this team is putting in. Former Lion, Alastair Lynch, who was commentating Saturday’s game, said their effort was “below AFL standard.” Yep! It is…way, way, way below. The Lions face the Eagles next. Can you just imagine how that’s going to end?
After just one game in the senior team, struggling Collingwood forward, Travis Cloke, was again sent back to the VFL on Saturday. The Casey ground was a mud bath, but the Pies got a solid 40-point win. Cloke ended up with 13 possessions, two goals and eight tackles. Again, he was “serviceable.”
When Geelong’s Daniel Menzel skidded into the boundary line and hit the fence, everyone sucked in a breath and didn’t let go until he got up. After four knee reconstructions and a comeback to end all comebacks, no one wants to see him go down again. He kicked four goals, and he did play out the game, but scans on his ankle will be taken this week. Yes, the ankle…NOT the knee! Phew! That fake turf on Etihad’s boundary line needs to go! It’s caused too many near misses as it is. As the ol’ saying goes, “someday, somebody’s gonna get hurt!”
If Essendon welcome back James Hird to the club in any way, shape or form, they’d be madder than a cow with mad cow disease! I don’t even know what that means, but it’s the first thing that came in to my head when I heard that may be a possibility. The damage has been done. Hird forever muddied an esteemed club’s history, along with his own “golden boy” reputation, and they will not be able to move on with him back in the fold. His financial (and mental) state is by his own creation. He’s reaped what he’s sown and the sympathy train has left the station.
Clearly, Carlton have bought into the talk about everyone expecting them to win no more than six games this year. You see, getting six wins would be considered an improvement. Against all the odds, the Blues have achieved that milestone by mid-season and new coach Brendan Bolton has cult-like status as a guru of all things footy. As a result of an unexpected winning streak, Carlton went into their round 12 match as clear favourites against a St. Kilda team that’s up and down like a yo-yo. The Saints are depleted with injuries, including Captain, Nick Riewoldt, but despite a crippled St. Kilda outfit taking the field, the Blues never looked likely. They were on the back foot all day. Too many unforced errors from both sides made for a very messy game, but the Saints were far better in the end. Newsflash: Brendan Bolton’s job is safer than houses, but his halo is now slightly tarnished!
The Giants made the Swans look leg weary. Speaking of legs…serious leg injuries to both Tippet and Rohan are a massive concern for the premiership favourites.
Nic Natinui is out for up to 8-weeks after minor surgery on his Achilles.
Collingwood coach, Nathan Buckley, played three, count ‘em, three, ruckman in the Queen’s Birthday clash. I still can’t get my head around that one. The Pies were just too tall and too slow. The selection committee didn’t foresee this issue on paper? It was a disorganised, lacklustre Collingwood team that went down to Melbourne by a massive 46 points! Collingwood have only won 6 of their last 23 games. Is Buckley’s noose tightening yet? If not, it should be!
The second half of the season is going to be extremely unpredictable, mainly because of mounting long-term injuries for almost all teams in the competition.
The top eight is set, they said? No! No! Noooooo…way!
We’ll be back at the end of the week with all of our tips and best bets for the first bye round of the year.
