Hi everyone,
It’s been a sad week for our AFL community. The passing of former Essendon captain and Melbourne coach, Neale Daniher has hit hard. Neale’s advocacy work for Motor Neuron Disease and his personal battle with it since his diagnosis in 2013 was nothing short of remarkable. RIP.
Brad Scott became the second coaching casualty of the season when he was let go by Essendon on Monday with 18 months remaining on his contract. The Bombers had only won one game this season when Scott was shown the door.
On the field
The two closest games this round were decided by 4 points. On Friday night, Carlton recorded their third straight win (this time over Geelong) under caretaker coach Josh Fraser before 60,000+ spectators at the MCG. The Blues have suddenly found belief and the energy to run out their games. They clawed back from a 20-point deficit in the second quarter and matched it with a quality opponent right to the end. There were a few lead changes in this game, which was ultimately decided when Patrick Cripps took a huge pack mark in the Blues’ forward line and kicked truly with just over a minute remaining. The Bulldogs hosted the Magpies at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. Both teams have been cruelled by injuries this season. The trend in this game saw the Doggies edge ahead to a 3-4 goal lead, with Collingwood fighting back to within a kick. The final score was Western Bulldogs 14.13.97 defeated Collingwood 13.15.93. The Maggies were surging at the end, but a strong mark by the Dogs’ Michael Selwood repelled their final chance.
In other games, Hawthorn disposed of St Kilda by 58 points on Thursday night, while Sydney crushed Richmond by 19 goals at the SCG. The game between the defending premiers, Brisbane and ladder leaders Fremantle at the Gabba was highly anticipated. The Dockers showed real poise with a strong 25-point win over last year’s champs. At one point in the third quarter, Freo led by as much as 50 points before being pegged back a little in the final term. On Sunday, very accurate kicking by GWS helped secure a comfortable win over the Melbourne Demons at Traeger Park in Alice Springs. The Giants booted 19.5.119 to Melbourne’s 9.16.70, winning by 49 points. The Dees’ Kosy Pickett kicked an amazing goal from the boundary line with just under 2 minutes to play in the first quarter that will likely rank as a contender for goal of the year. Have a look at it if you can.
In the final game, Essendon travelled to Perth to play the Eagles. The Bombers were unable to deliver a win to interim coach Dean Solomon in his first game, as West Coast got its fourth win of the season.
Tipping
We have reached the halfway point of the season. This week starts a five-week period of byes, so we should have a better chance to record a perfect round with our tipping. Right? It didn’t work out this week, though a few tipsters did predict a Blues victory. Congrats to Greg Hayes, Maggies25, Grumpy Swimmer, Crippa Rippa, Ingilby, CD Saint, Yehno, Thrice Winner, Janb100, Dazzling Don, GPD49er, Romo and Flying Doctor, who all managed a top score of 6 out of 7 for the round. Very well done. There has been a significant shake-up near/at the top of our leaderboard. The Flying Doctor has surged to a two-point lead and several new names have moved up into contention. Our top 10 are listed below, with the total cumulative margins for our leading tipsters shown in brackets.
Ladder Leaders at the halfway – it’s close!
Flying Doctor 82 (301)
John Naughton 80 (271)
Romo 80 (286)
Jeremy 80 (315)
GPD 49er 79 (335)
Dazzling Don 78 (259)
Janb100 78 (297)
WJC Tipping 78 (297)
Tedwood 78 (303)
Big D 78 (309)
Adelaide will host Geelong to begin Round 13 this Thursday night. Welcome to winter footy!
Don