Brisbane Lions d Carlton
After two decades in the doldrums, the Carlton community is restless and angry. Questions are being raised about Michael Voss’ game plan. They can’t turn their inside muscle into outside run. So much still hinges on Patrick Cripps. Their defence is shaky under pressure and if Adam Saad‘s off they cannot rebound with any punch. Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay are not being given every chance to showcase their talents. Why can’t their leaders stand up when the going gets tough? With the exception of Curnow, their elite players are down. A team with two Coleman medallists, a Brownlow Medallist, three other All-Australians (Saad, Sam Walsh and Sam Docherty) and Jacob Weitering should be further advanced. These are testing times not just for the team but every level of the club, which cannot afford another year out of September and the inevitable speculation over the coach that comes with it. Eight seasons into the rebuild, the 8-2 false dawn is the best they have to show for it. Brisbane gave a draft bounty to the Western Bulldogs for Josh Dunkley, but it is proving to be a smart bit of business. Dunkley, who cost last year’s pick 21, first- and second-round selections plus loose change, is exactly the type of player the Lions need: a two-way running, hard-nosed midfielder who can shut down an opponent while also finding the ball. And he can kick a goal as well. The Lions’ midfield now has a harder edge and increased depth. That they could dominate the Blues with only 20 disposals to Lachie Neale bodes well for their tilt at an elusive grand final berth. – Andrew Wu
The Blues have lost three of their last four matches.Credit: AFL Photos
Richmond d West Coast
The Tigers have their second win of the season, but just what it means will only be known after they face Geelong in an MCG blockbuster on Friday night. Should the Tigers win, or the result be close, this victory over the Eagles will indicate they have regained momentum. But should the Cats win heavily, this victory will be seen in the same light as the Blues’ 108-point thumping of the bottom-placed Eagles in round seven. What will give the Tigers confidence is, as Damien Hardwick noted on Saturday evening, that midfielders Dion Prestia, Tim Taranto, Shai Bolton, Jacob Hopper and Jayden Short, along with Dustin Martin, the latter more of a high half-forward, are reunited. Prestia, returning to the side, was brilliant against the Eagles. His three goals late in the third term all but ended the contest. Bolton was dynamic all afternoon, while Taranto and Hopper have surely ended ridiculous assertions that the Tigers should not have pursued the former GWS pair. The big if for the Tigers is whether they can truly compete while Tom Lynch is sidelined. For the Eagles, it was another tale of woe. Their injury list now numbers 19 players, typifying a season gone wrong. Oscar Allen, however, reinforced why he was missed last season. He booted four of the Eagles’ eight goals, and has been one of the few beacons of light in a season where coach Adam Simpson finds his future a major discussion point. – Jon Pierik
Geelong d Adelaide
Geelong won their fifth match on end in a tight tussle down the highway, improving their record from 0-3 to 5-3, but an injury to captain Patrick Dangerfield soured the result. Dangerfield said the hamstring strain was on the minor side, but he adds to a growing injury list at the Cattery, joining the likes of Cam Guthrie, Jack Henry, Sam De Koning, Tyson Stengle and Gary Rohan on the sidelines. Chris Scott said that means the Cats must continue to bank wins, while getting more games into their younger players, who will ultimately provide them with depth come the pointy end of the season. Max Holmes missed last year’s grand final but stepped up in the second half to fill the midfield void left by Dangerfield, while Esava Ratugolea is perhaps the most improved player in the competition, holding his own at full-back in the absence of Henry and De Koning. The Crows lost no admirers, but continue a tricky run of matches, with St Kilda, the Bulldogs and Brisbane to come, and if they’re to show how much they’ve really improved this season, they’ll want to get back into the winner’s stall soon. – Damien Ractliffe
Melbourne d Gold Coast
The Demons’ pre-game banner spoke of “just getting it done”, and that’s what they (very narrowly) did – they’ll be happy to take the four points and run. They will appeal the match review officer’s decision to suspend key forward Jacob van Rooyen for two matches for striking after he collected Suns’ defender Charlie Ballard in an awkward attempt to spoil late in the last quarter. It will be an interesting case in the debate surrounding the AFL’s determination to protect the head. Meanwhile, Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew wasn’t risking saying anything he shouldn’t after the game, but the Suns were desperately unlucky to fall short against Melbourne – yes, Darcy Macpherson had the opportunity to force at least a draw with less than a minute to play, but the Suns weren’t helped by some contentious umpiring in the last quarter, either. But perhaps the biggest takeout was the arrival of Noah Anderson among the AFL’s absolute elite after a game that was almost beyond belief. – Andrew Stafford
Western Bulldogs d GWS
The Bulldogs may have been at less than peak performance in their win over GWS, but no such accusations could be levelled at skipper Marcus Bontempelli. “The Bont” had, by his coach Luke Beveridge’s description, an unbelievable first half –10 clearances, 15 contested possessions, six inside 50s and a goal. He finished with career-high clearances (14) and contested possessions (25). Beveridge said after the game that the win had been a good one, but the Dogs have plenty to work on. Their next chance to do so will be against the struggling Blues, but they may have to do it without midfielder Adam Treloar, who was subbed out with hamstring tightness. It was another gallant effort for the Giants, especially without their star captain Toby Greene. But coach Adam Kingsley lamented another performance where his side let the game get away, unable to swing momentum and keep the margin close enough to run down. One bright spot for the Giants, who suffered yet another loss in Canberra, was the performance of Tom Green, who had 38 touches and three goals. – Claire Siracusa
Brilliant performance: Marcus Bontempelli dominated, especially in the first half.Credit: AFL Photos
Fremantle d Hawthorn
Though Fremantle, who finished an impressive fifth last season, have been one of the most disappointing teams of 2023 so far, their clinical win over the hapless Hawks shows just how far Sam Mitchell’s men have to go to climb back to on-field relevance. The Dockers needed to prove that they could not only handle the young Hawks, but do so with conviction. This was the Dockers’ time to make a move, and that’s exactly what Justin Longmuir’s group achieved in ex-skipper Nat Fyfe’s return from injury. The two-time Brownlow medallist made it through the second half of the match unscathed after being subbed in during the third term but it was Luke Jackson who stole the show – booting two goals in easily his best showing for his new side since his high-profile switch from Melbourne. Much of the talk surrounding Jackson since his move has been around whether he could make a meaningful impact inside forward 50, and he went some way to quieting the doubters – albeit against a Hawks side in complete rebuild mode. The Dockers moved the ball with a much more positive intent than that which had frustrated their fans to date this season. But for the Hawks, it was the same old story – inefficiency going forward was costly, as was a lack of discipline. Mitchell couldn’t hide his frustration after the game. “We really shot ourselves in the foot,” he said.– Russell Bennett
Port Adelaide d Essendon
Port Adelaide’s capacity to overcome mid-match adversity and close out tight games is fast becoming their 2023 trademark, and it also has them destined for a certain bounceback to finals action. Knocking firmly on the door of the top four, the Power are riding a five-game winning streak, four of which have been decided by 14 points or fewer. In stark contrast, Port missed last year’s major round after being weighed down by a dire 2-8 record in close contests. They should extend their winning streak to six against North Melbourne in Hobart, even if they are without the services of Junior Rioli, who will likely face MRO scrutiny for his clash with Jordan Ridley, which left the key Bombers backman concussed. The absence of Ridley from the midway stage of the second term onwards played a crucial role in the result. Essendon’s back line had to “borrow” the dangerous Kyle Langford from full forward before eventually being snowed under by the Power’s constant blasts into attack. With their depleted defensive stocks diminished further – as Ridley joins Jayden Laverde and James Stewart on the sidelines – the Bombers face an even taller task to avoid a fourth successive defeat this Saturday against red-hot Brisbane at the Gabba. – Steve Barrett
Brody Mihocek kicks a stunner for the Magpies late in their win.Credit: Channel Seven
Collingwood d Sydney
Bad kicking is bad football it’s a simple adage that stands the test of time because it’s true. For Sydney, it was the main reason they could not do more than annoy the Magpies. They won the possession count by more than 100 but could not convert that into goals because too many players squandered opportunities to kick goals from set shots. It was not only set shots but their last kick inside 50 was often rushed when the build-up had been deliberate. Collingwood kicked five goals to Sydney’s one to reinforce the reputation they are building of being hard to keep up with when the game is to be decided late. Nick Daicos was kept quiet but lifted in the last quarter to gain 10 disposals while Brody Mihocek battled until late in the third quarter before bobbing up to kick four goals, three in the final term including a miracle scissor kick. Sydney are battling to put wins on the board but their effort was good, and they are still a finals contender, albeit one playing catch-up footy. – Peter Ryan
St Kilda d North Melbourne
Saints coach Ross Lyon said it perfectly post-match when he told reporters three times within about 30 seconds how frustrated he was with his team’s performance – and that was after a win. His Roos counterpart Alastair Clarkson joked that even King Charles’ coronation would have been a better watch than the ugly, error-filled match the teams dished up. There are greater challenges ahead for St Kilda, who next face Adelaide interstate. Banking wins is important, but they will need to be far better against the Crows. The big positive was captain Jack Steele’s third-quarter explosion with 11 disposals and six clearances, in his third game back from a broken collarbone, and Max King (shoulder) could return to the senior side as soon as this weekend. The Saints’ defence is standing up magnificently, but King is the key to unlocking their offensive potential. As for North Melbourne, expect plenty of low-scoring encounters to come. Clarkson was happy they kept the game close for so long after a string of heavy defeats. Nick Larkey is playing almost a lone hand in attack in Charlie Comben’s absence, but will need more support from Cam Zurhaar and Griffin Logue if they are to cause any upsets. They haven’t scored more than 54 points in any of the past three rounds.
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