West Coast set up victory over the Lions thanks to a superb first half from rising star Chris Judd. The youngster was superb kicking five goals and was simply too fast and too strong for his opposition. His second half was quieter but the damage was done. Ben Cousins and Michael Gardiner also starred for the winners while Alastair Lynch was a stand-out for the losers kicking eight of his sides’ 13 goals.
Question marks are again being raised about Collingwood after it suffered a 33-point loss to Hawthorn. The Magpies looked a shadow of the side that reached last season’s Grand Final and they now face an uphill battle to make the final eight. Nick Holland was in devastating form for the winners along with Shane Crawford and youngster Michael Osborne. Josh Fraser was the stand-out for Collingwood.
Melbourne’s season went from bad to worse when it suffered a humiliating 73-point loss to Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Adelaide kicked six goals in the first and last quarters to seal the Demons’ fate with Mark Ricciuto the star for the Crows. Ian Perrie was another good player and he finished with six goals. Brad Green was one of the few Melbourne players worth a mention.
Geelong continued to show it was capable of mixing it with the best sides in the competition but again failed to get over the line, going down to the Dockers at Subiaco by 16 points. Matthew Pavlich was brilliant for the home side up forward while Paul Hasleby and Peter Bell dominated the midfield. Cameron Ling and Tom Harley could hold their heads high for the visitors.
Richmond’s season continued to slide after it went down to Carlton by seven points. Anthony Koutoufides was sensational for the Blues as was Justin Murphy and recalled ruckman Matthew Allan. Greg Tivendale battled hard for the Tigers but his side just couldn’t match the desperation of the Blues in the second half.
St Kilda came back to earth with an almighty thud, going down to Port Adelaide by 42 points at York Park in Launceston. Port blew the game apart with a six-goal to one first quarter. Brett Montgomery was outstanding for the winners across the half back line with Brendan Lade and Nick Stevens solid contributors. Lenny Hayes and Robert Harvey tried hard for the Saints.
Sydney put the foot on the accelerator in the second half of its game against the Western Bulldogs to ensure a convincing 64-point win. The game was tight at halftime with the Bulldogs holding an eight-point lead. However the Swans slammed on 12 goals to one in the second half to run out easy winners. Barry Hall was magnificent for the winners as was Jude Bolton while daniel Giansiracusa and Mitchell Hahn were best for the Dogs.
