Round 9 started on Friday night at The Dome. Essendon again went into the match undermanned – James Hird, Dustin Fletcher, Adam Ramanauskas and Matthew Lloyd were all sidelined with injury. Port set up the 50-point win in the second quarter when they went on a six-goal spree in ten minutes. Essendon fought back to come within two and a half goals in the early stages of the last quarter but in the end Port was just too strong. A seven-goal performance from Warren Tredrea was clearly the difference between the two sides.
With its 30-point win against Melbourne on Saturday at the MCG, Fremantle has almost guaranteed itself a finals berth. The West Australian team is comfortably sitting in fourth spot on the AFL ladder with a healthy 6:3 win loss ratio. Justin Longmuir and Matthew Carr were clearly Fremantle’s best performers.
Brisbane Lions continued to show why they have been the powerhouse team in the competition for the past two seasons. Carlton outscored the Lions in the first half and went into the main break with a two-goal lead. However, that was not enough to overcome the Lions and they went into fourth gear in the second half. They slammed on 17-goals to Carlton’s three to win by 77-points.
Collingwood posted its fifth win for the season when they defeated St.Kilda by 65-points on Saturday night at The Dome. An eight goal to nil first quarter by the Magpies set up the win. Chris Tarrant was in fantastic form finishing with six goals for the game.
The West Coast mid-field set-up the 52-point win against Richmond yesterday at Subiaco. Ben Cousins led the charge on the undermanned Tigers and a seven goal final term by West Coast put the result beyond doubt. The win puts West Coast in second position on the AFL ladder.
The Kangaroos continued their impressive record at Manuka Oval yesterday when they took the four points against Sydney. The Kangaroos small brigade led by Brent Harvey and Anthony Stevens set-up the 25-point win. Geelong won its second game for the season when they were too strong for the struggling Hawks. The margin was 31-points in the end. Joel Corey racked up a career high 31 disposals for his team and also kicked one goal.
The Western Bulldogs gave Adelaide a scare yesterday at AAMI Stadium. The Bulldogs led the Crows all game and looked to be on track to record the upset of the round and perhaps the season. Adelaide turned on the heat in the final term and kicked seven goals to the Bulldogs one to record a 16-point victory.
Next week:
Friday, May 30th
Port Adelaide v Collingwood (A)
Saturday, May 31st
Fremantle v Carlton (S)
Western Bulldogs v Kangaroos (D)
Richmond v Sydney (MCG)
Melbourne v Brisbane Lions (G)
Sunday, June 1st
Geelong v Adelaide (SS)
Essendon v West Coast (D)
St.Kilda v Hawthorn (MCG)
