We saw a league first this week: Collingwood and Hawthorn drew both their home-and-away games in the same season. What are the chances…? There were plenty of momentum and lead changes in this game. There was a flurry of goals in the first half of the final quarter, but only two goals in the final 10 minutes. The Hawks’ D’Arcy Moore marked inside 50 and had a set shot for goal as time expired. Any score would have given Hawthorn the win, but his kick fell short and was not fisted through as the siren sounded.
On the field
Fremantle clinched top spot on the ladder for only the second time in the club’s history, with a hard-fought 24-point victory over the Adelaide Crows at Perth Stadium. The Crows really pressured the Dockers well into the final term, but the home team booted the final five goals of the game to win 16.16.112 to 13.10.88. The loss dropped the Crows to seventh place, and they will probably stay there next week as they trail Geelong by 5 percentage points – both teams have won 14 games this season. On Friday night, the Saints kept their finals’ hopes alive with a 49-point win over Richmond.
North Melbourne pressed Geelong all day in their game at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. However, the Cats staged a strong rally after trailing by 39 points in the second quarter and in the final quarter, with the game on the line, Patrick Dangerfield and the experienced Cats maintained their long winning streak against the ‘Roos, which dates back to 2016. Final score: Geelong 125 defeated North Melbourne 110. In the latest Q-Clash, defending premiers Brisbane had a seven-goal victory over the Gold Coast at The Gabba. The Lions’ victory, combined with the Hawthorn draw, has moved Brisbane up to third, with a percentage 2 points greater than the fourth-placed Hawks. Both teams have away games in the final round and plenty to play for. Brisbane face Collingwood at the MCG, while Hawthorn take on the Eagles in Perth.
Melbourne had a thumping 76-point victory over Port at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, and could move up to fourth next week if one of either the Lions or Hawks falters in the final round. The Dees are playing inspired footy and will have a tough game against the Bulldogs next Saturday.
On Sunday, GWS made light work of the visiting WCE at Engie Stadium, winning by nine goals. Carlton played the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium as they sought to lock up a finals spot. It was a high-drama game with major ramifications for the Wild Card Round. There were plenty of lead changes and momentum shifts, and the score was deadlocked a number of times during this enthralling contest. The game finished in a draw 12.10.82 apiece. The draw marked the first time since 1977 that we have had two draws in the same round. Blues’ fans had their hearts in their mouths as they watched their team claw back a 7-point deficit late in the contest. The draw (which earned each team 2 points) means the Blues’ magic carpet ride under interim coach Josh Fraser will continue to the Finals and eliminated St Kilda and GWS from contention. In the final game, Sydney defeated Essendon by 6 goals to remain in second spot on the ladder.
Tipping
Lots of tipsters tipped a perfect round this week – two drawn games boosted the perfection rate since every tipster receives a point! Congrats to all of you. Many were very close on the margin game, but Gazza (Gary Cole) was the only one to precisely tip the margin. Congrats, Gary. You win a $20.00 dining credit at the club.
There was essentially no change to last week’s leaderboard since our first 18 tipsters recorded a perfect round. We now have one round remaining. GPD49er still holds the lead, but he doesn’t have the best margin, so he needs to keep ahead of his pursuers in Round 24 to claim the title. Good luck to everyone in contention.
Ladder Leaders after Round 23
GPD49er 150 (660)
John Naughton 149 (612)
Jeremy 149 (623)
Big D 148 (598)
Tedwood 148 (616)
Flying Doctor 148 (638)
Croc Junior 147 (561)
Cazza SG 147 (575)
Pauline Dallimore 147 (600)
Richard Jones 147 (602)
St Kilda will host the Gold Coast to start Round 24 this coming Friday night. The outcome will not affect the Final 10. Please place your tips.
Don