I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend. On the field, the form guide went out the window in many games.
On the field: The two Queensland teams struggled to cope with the pressure of sitting 1-2 at the start of the round. Last Thursday night, Collingwood traveled to the Gabba and demolished the reigning premiers, Brisbane, by 52 points – the final score was Collingwood 16.9.105 defeating Brisbane 7.11.53. On Saturday, previously unbeaten Gold Coast were given a reality check, losing by 11 points to lowly Richmond at Marvel Stadium. The Tigers were all over their opponents for most of the game but had to hang on when the Suns booted the final five goals. Essendon trailed early versus West Coast in Perth, but fought back and then held on to win a squeaker 11.11.77 to 11.9.75. Tragically for the ‘Dons, ruckman Sam Draper suffered a ruptured achilles in the final quarter, an injury which adds to the club’s long list of injured players.
Carlton had a thumping 82-point victory over North Melbourne on Good Friday. Adelaide and GWS played what may well prove to be the lowest-scoring game of the season, with the Crows winning 7.10.52 to 4.10.34. The Melbourne Demons had their first win for the year when they narrowly defeated Fremantle by 10 points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon. Kozzy Pickett’s five goals for the Dees proved decisive in this game.
On Sunday, Port Adelaide proved that they could apply sustained pressure for a second straight week, when they outhustled and out-tackled the hometown Sydney Swans at the SCG. PA’s midfielder Zak Butters showed his prodigious talents in this game as the Power jumped clear early and never looked in danger of losing. The Swans kicked three late majors to make for a close scoreline… PA 13.7.85 defeated Sydney 10.17.77. In the Sunday night game, the Western Bulldogs celebrated the return of their captain Marcus Bontempelli, by running riot over St Kilda. Final score was Bulldogs 18.19.127 defeated St Kilda 8.8.56.
The final game was the annual Easter Monday clash between Geelong and Hawthorn. The game did not disappoint and was a tight contest. The Cats had their noses in front for most of the game, but the Hawks drew level late in the fourth before the Cats kicked 1.1 to win by 7 points. Final score: Geelong 12.14.86 edged Hawthorn 11.13.79.
Tipping
It was a tough week for tipsters, with scores ranging from 2 to 6. Congratulations to Courtney Lynch, Tragic Demon and Naples Road, who were our top tipsters this round with 6. Here is our leaderboard after six rounds.
Leaderboard
Heaver 13 40
Super Storm 40
CD Saint 40
Don Warner 38
The Urq 38
Warragul Lynda 38
Big D 38
Valerderos 1964 38
Richard Jones 37
Lenny Hayes is God 37
LamboM 73 37
Connor 103 37
Flying Doctor 37
Matt Blakey 37
Martin Hunt 37
Tucker Browne 37
Bruce McBriar 37
We have another long weekend coming up. The first game will be on ANZAC Eve, with Melbourne playing Richmond at the MCG, followed by Collingwood vs. Essendon and Fremantle vs. Adelaide on ANZAC Day.