Hi everyone,
Phew, I am quite worn out from watching a lot of the Olympics over these last two weeks. Hasn’t it been fantastic to see Australia achieve our best Olympic record to date?
On the field: There were a few very close finishes this week, starting with the Friday night game between Collingwood and Sydney at the SCG. The ‘Pies were desperate for a win to keep their season alive, while the Swans were desperate to arrest their serious form slump of recent weeks. Collingwood was the better team for most of the game and had a 27-point lead early in the final quarter. Then the wheels fell off! The Swans booted the last five goals to snatch a thrilling 3-point victory. Another questionable umpiring ‘non-call’ also hurt Collingwood’s chances very late in the game when a 50-metre penalty against the Swans was not given.
On Saturday, GWS stunned hometown Brisbane with a stirring second-half rally. The Giants kicking accuracy helped them overcome a 30-point quarter-time deficit and they absolutely steamrolled the Lions after half-time. It was the first loss in eleven games for Brisbane, while the Giants are approaching the finals in ominous form, just as they did a year ago. Final score: GWS 13.4.82 defeated Brisbane 8-16.64. The West Coast Eagles also recorded a stunning comeback victory over North Melbourne in Tasmania. The Eagles’ rookie sensation Harley Reid was in the thick of the action, taking a hanger and helping his team rally for a thrilling 5-point victory. Geelong travelled to Optus Stadium in Perth to take on the Freo Dockers, with a place in the top 4 at stake. The Dockers have been hard to beat at home this year, but the Cats came away with the points after a 10.13.73 to 9.8.62 win. On Saturday night, Melbourne fought very hard to defeat Port Adelaide at the MCG, but for the second time in three weeks, fell just two points short in a very low-scoring game. The win leaves Port in second spot, narrowly ahead of GWS on percentage. Essendon’s season is as good as finished after they lost to Gold Coast by one point at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. It was the first away win of the season for the Suns and couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Bombers.
On Sunday, Carlton’s sharp nosedive continued when they lost for the fifth time in the last six games. Hawthorn inflicted much pain on the Blues, crushing them by a whopping 74 points at the MCG. After losing their first five games of the season, coach Sam Mitchell’s Hawks have now moved up to eighth place on the ladder with every likelihood of playing in September. Carlton is heading in the opposite direction. St Kilda defeated Richmond by 48 points at Marvel in a game that had no bearing on the ladder. In the final game, the Western Bulldogs were brought back to earth after they copped a shellacking from the Crows at the Adelaide Oval.
With two rounds to play, the top 8 include Sydney (60), Port Adelaide, GWS, Geelong (all on 56), Brisbane (54), Fremantle (50), Western Bulldogs, and Hawthorn (48). Carlton is also on 48 points, with Essendon on 46 and Collingwood on 44. Mathematically, they still have a chance, but the current form of these teams suggests they won’t play in September.
Tipping
It was a tough week for tipsters, with many of the favourites losing. The average score for the site was about 4.2 out of 9. Congrats to VicPark, who was our top tipster this round with 6. CK Magic has had his lead reduced to a point. There are 18 games remaining, and our likely top three finishers will come from the following. Those wishing to catch our leaders will have to throw caution to the wind when tipping these last two rounds!
Leaderboard after Round 22
CK Magic1 127
John Trajanovski 126
Grumpy Swimmer 125
Ingilby 125
W Pete 124
Big D 124
Four Peat Magic 123
Warragul Lynda 123
Gebster 123
Naples Road 123
Lucky Lady 123
Have a great week, everyone.
Don