Hi everyone,
After the most extended season in AFL history (thanks to the introduction of Round Zero at the start of the year), the make-up of the final eight boiled down to the final three games on Sunday.
The Scenario: The scheduling ensured that no games would overlap. The Bulldogs hosted GWS in Ballarat. A solid win by the Giants would move them up to second, and if the Doggies lost, they would be in danger of dropping out of the eight. A win to the Bulldogs would see them play Hawthorn in an Elimination Final. Carlton needed to beat St Kilda to ensure they held on to eighth spot – a loss to the Saints would leave the door open for Freo to overtake the Blues and possibly the Bulldogs. Wins to Carlton and the Western Bulldogs would mean Fremantle could not make the eight. Fremantle hosted Port Adelaide in the final game at Optus Stadium. Depending on the GWS result, Port Adelaide would be keen to maintain the second spot on the ladder with a win, but otherwise, they had little to play for. So what unfolded?
On the field: the first six games of this week’s final round went to script. None of these games were close and two of them were completely one-sided. Collingwood finished an otherwise disappointing season with a comfortable 46-point victory over Melbourne. The Gold Coast won their second straight game in Melbourne with a 28-point victory over Richmond at the MCG. Unfortunately, it was too late for the ‘Pies or Suns to reach this year’s finals. Hawthorn and Geelong recorded crushing, percentage-boosting wins over North Melbourne and West Coast by 124 points and 93 points, respectively! The Hawks’ second-half surge has been so impressive – they are playing for one another and brimming with confidence. Geelong’s form has been up and down this season, but they are still a team to be reckoned with. In the Saturday night games, Brisbane defeated Essendon by 20 points, while Sydney had a 31-point victory over Adelaide. The Swans finished top of the ladder on 68 points, while the Lions secured the fifth spot and earned one home final with their win.
Sunday’s games
The GWS Giants were forced to make three late changes to their team. The Western Bulldogs indicated their intentions from the start in a game where the announcers indicated the breeze was worth 6-7 goals! The Giants were kicking with the wind in the opening term but couldn’t take serious advantage. The Bulldogs defense was relentless and they restricted the visitors to just three goals for the quarter. The Doggies booted six goals in the second quarter to open up a 17-point halftime lead. In the second half, WB continued to repel the Giants, who never got closer than 11 points, before the Bullies broke the game open late to win by 37 points. An undermanned Carlton faced a big challenge against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. The Blues fell behind by 20 points midway through the third quarter, but another inspirational performance from Patrick Cripps saw them claw their way back into the contest. The stadium erupted when they hit the front deep into time-on in the final quarter. Both teams were feeling the pressure and missed set shots for a goal. To the dismay of Blues’ fans, the Saint’s Jack Higgins kicked an incredible goal with 12 seconds remaining to give St Kilda a last-gasp victory 76-74.
The door was open for Fremantle to grab the final spot in the eight. Port Adelaide had already locked up the second spot on the ladder once GWS lost their game. Freo were playing at home and a win or draw would see them play in this year’s finals. Unfortunately for Freo supporters, their team was not up to the task and lost this vital game by 20 points. The result meant Carlton retained the eighth position despite their heartbreaking loss a few hours earlier.
Tipping
Our champion tipster for season 2024 is John Trajanovski, who finished on 139 total tips, a point clear of the Grumpy Swimmer and CK Magic 1. Congratulations, John, on achieving such a close win. Special mention to last year’s champ, the Grumpy Swimmer, who nearly made it back-to-back titles.
Also, congratulations to Tucker Browne, Strength through Loyalty, Barb31, Bart03, Annabanannna and Pauline Dallimore, all of whom managed a perfect score of 9 in the final round. Very well done. Pauline wins the $20.00 dining credit at the club by being the closest on the margin game.
Here is our final Leaderboard for Season 2024, showing total tips and cumulative margins (in brackets)
Leaderboard
John Trajanovski 139 (725)
Grumpy Swimmer 138 (591)
CK Magic 1 138 (660)
Gebster 137 (636)
Warragul Lynda 137 (637)
Big D 137 (701)
Lucky Lady 137 (702)
Four Peat Magic 136 (618)
Janb1000 135 (623)
W Pete 135 (632)
Barb31 135 (648)
Bruce McBriar 135 (704)
Thanks again, everyone, for participating this year. Let’s plan to do it again next season.
Cheers.