AFL: Crows captain Jordan Dawson has spoken about the prospect of Izak Rankine potentially missing Finals
WHAT'S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.The Crows came away with one of the all-time victories over Collingwood to break their nine-year curse against the Pies.
The three-point win secured Adelaide a top-two finish – but the match wasn’t without moments of controversy. The biggest being a late free kick missed against Riley Thilthorpe for kicking the ball away in the final minute. But Adelaide’s backline were the real heroes of the night as they repelled their worst-ever -34 inside 50 count. “I cannot fathom that you can get beaten in the inside 50s 71-37 and find a way to win the game,” Jason Dunstall said. “Extraordinary.” The Crows also conceded more than 50 clearances on a wet night, losing that count by -12, and finishing -5 for marks inside 50. Yet they still found a way to be in front on the final siren.It’s always Jordan Dawson who stands up when Adelaide need a leader. While his stats aren’t super high, the 23 disposals, seven clearances – three from the centre, and seven tackles all contributed in a big way to the Crows win. Darcy Fogarty’s two early goals kept Adelaide in it at a time the Pies were pressing. Riley Thilthorpe had a quiet night until the final quarter when he lifted and secured the match-winning goal for his side.The Crows just couldn’t clear their defensive half in the first and third quarters. They butchered exit kicks time and time again as the Pies pounced – Adelaide ending up fortunate Collingwood couldn’t make the most of their opportunities. Taylor Walker went at less than 39% efficiency in the slippery conditions, Mark Keane had some shaky moments down back while a couple of unpenalised throws will need to be tidied.The reigning premiers had entered Friday night’s blockbuster knowing a loss would leave them vulnerable to missing the top eight. And like the experienced side they are, Brisbane found another gear to not only take it to the Dockers on their home turf, but put the challengers away in a dominant display. While Chris Fagan described his side’s 57-point win as a “big relief”, the result fired a warning shot to the rest of the competition that the Lions are not to be ignored. They led from start to finish in Perth. And they dominated the uncontested game, finishing +98 for marks, while also recording 14 marks inside 50, and 12 contested – up from their season average of 8 per game.Zac Bailey was the difference in a tight first half with two goals – including a miracle snap over his head. He finished his night with 28 disposals, three clearances and more than 440m gained. Hugh McCluggage racked up 28 touches, eight clearances and a goal, while Ryan Lester broke his two-year goal drought and then saved another down the other end with a brilliant chase-down of Josh Treacy. Young Logan Morris continued his hot form with 4.2 from 12 disposals.Eric Hipwood failed to trouble scorers on a night where the Lions dominated. Brisbane were also well beaten in the middle as Freo racked up a 14-7 centre clearance count. But the Lions more than made up for it around the ground to finish with a +13 stoppage count.The Blues may well end their season on a high note after dispatching Port Adelaide on Saturday. They dominated territory all afternoon at Marvel Stadium, recording 65 inside-50s to Port’s 38. Carlton was also prolific at the contest, posting 11 more clearances and 36 more contested possessions than the visitors.In his first game back since Round 13, Sam Walsh wasted no time reacquainting himself at the AFL level, accumulating 28 disposals, nine score involvements and two goal assists from just 66 per cent game time. Coleman medallist Harry McKay booted a whopping seven goals and notched a staggering 15 score involvements. George Hewett collected 35 disposals and had 11 clearances. Frankie Evans continued his career-best form with eight more score involvements and two goals.The Blues committed two more turnovers and laid 11 fewer tackles but given they had far more of the footy and led the whole way through, that’s little surprise, and there aren’t too many negatives to report here.Collingwood did everything right except put their dominance on the scoreboard. And in the end, it cost them four points. The Magpies came out firing at Adelaide Oval, silencing the record crowd with a five-goal to one opening term. But from there, they only managed one goal in the next 80 minutes. They peppered the Adelaide backline for no joy as AFL great Jason Dunstall could not believe Collingwood managed just five goals from 50+ inside 50 entries. By full time, they registered 71 but with an efficiency of just 31% inside, they wasted their opportunities. Stats show that since Round 18, Collingwood are the AFL’s worst for goals per inside 50 – and that trend rolled on against the Crows. Impressively, the Pies laid 32 tackles inside 50 – when their season average sits at 12.Nick Daicos came close to being the Magpies hero when his big goal from outside 50 brought the margin back to just three points with minutes to play. He finished his night with 29 disposals, eight clearances and mor than 550m gained. Scott Pendlebury was off to a hot start with 11 touches in the first term, Darcy Cameron impressed in the wet with 24 touches, 30 hit-outs, seven clearances and a goal. Steele Sidebottom showed elite foot skills to find targets with his 21 touches.The Pies attack end just didn’t function. Whether that was the wet conditions that came in after quarter time or just inefficiency, Dan McStay, Lachie Schultz and Brody Mihocek all failed to kick a goal despite the ball living in their attack, Tim Membrey failed to score after quarter time, and Jordan De Goey looked underdone for his 11 touches and one behind.An 11th straight loss for the Bombers. Yet Friday night’s showing against St Kilda was probably their most inspired showing since their mid-season bye. In a game that came to life late, the baby Bombers seriously threatened to pull off a huge upset against a more experienced St Kilda outfit. They led for most of the final term, before late goals to Mason Wood and Cooper Sharman ensured St Kilda got out of jail with a two-point win. An unlikely thriller – yet for Bombers fans, not a familiar result.Despite missing a last-gasp shot at goal with the seconds remaining, Mason Redman produced arguably his finest game of the season. He finished with 36 disposals, 12 marks, nine intercepts, nine rebound 50s and 796m gained, while he went at 90 per cent efficiency by foot. Sam Durham and Andrew McGrath were strong at the coalface, Archie Roberts continued his strong bid for the Rising Star award and Kyle Langford played with great presence close to goal.Despite controlling the tempo of the game – the Bombers recorded 110-78 uncontested marks – they couldn’t quite capitalise on the scoreboard, especially from their defensive half. And the inexperience of the young Bombers was ultimately telling when the game was up for grabs. But their effort and intent couldn’t be questioned on Friday night.Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon called it pre-game: “It’s now or never for the Fremantle Dockers. It’s time for them to grow up as a footy side”. But unfortunately for Justin Longmuir’s men, they were put to the sword by a fired up Lions outfit in a Friday night blockbuster – and never recovered from a slow start. The Dockers coughed up 47 uncontested marks in the opening term alone; a season low for the home side. Aside from a second quarter spark, the Dockers butchered chances in front of goal and struggled to find exits from defence. Their midfield was well beaten by the reigning premiers , leaving plenty of questions over whether the side is ready for the intensity of finals.Jordan Clark appeared the only player who could get Fremantle out of trouble in their back half. He finished with 24 touches, and more than 580m gained. Andy Brayshaw played his part with 22 disposals, a team-high six tackles and a goal while Caleb Serong racked up eight clearances – but was well held after the Josh Dunkley clamp was applied. Josh Treacy was the pick of Freo’s forwards with an equal team-high seven marks and two goals, but like his teammates was inconsistent and guilty of turnovers.Freo’s attack end failed to fire – from their woeful goal accuracy to the disappearance of stars Jye Amiss and Pat Voss when it mattered. Neither of their big men hit the scoreboard. Luke Jackson managed just 11 touches and a goal – despite playing predominantly as a midfielder. Nathan O’Driscoll and Heath Chapman had little impact with five and seven disposals respectively. Shai Bolton had a rare off night too, racking up just nine touches and failing to trouble scorers.It wasn’t pretty at times, but ultimately Geelong recorded a comfortable win against a stubborn Sydney outfit and all-but secured a top-two finish. Shrugging off a slow start, the Cats showed why they’ll be a force in September with a dominant second half that saw them completely blow the Swans off the park. Once Geelong ramped up its defensive pressure hit in the second half, the Swans had no answers and scored just three goals after the main break.With Jeremy Cameron held goalless, Geelong needed someone to spark a charge – and it was Shannon Neale that answered the call. The 203cm hulking forward kicked four first-half majors, which laid the platform for the Cats’ second-half surge. ball-magnet Bailey Smith notched another 30-disposal game to go with nine score involvements, Tom Stewart controlled the backline and Tyson Stengle showcased his quality with three show-stopping goals. Shaun Mannagh and Gryan Miers were both influential forward of centre, too.Geelong had a top-two chance to play for, but you wouldn’t have known it going off the start of the game as the Swans’ hot run and handball game was too much to handle. Sydney had opened up a 20-point margin in seemingly the blink of an eye. The Cats ultimately lifted their pressure, got their turnover game going and kicked away from the Swans – but they can’t afford a similarly sluggish in September.A disappointing loss for the Suns against GWS in a game Damien Hardwick’s side never really got going. Gold Coast felt constantly under siege and had barely any of its usual highlight chains of play. And it could prove costly with finals spots so tight as the Suns. Despite the club still being on track to play on the September stage for the first time ahead of games against Port Adelaide and Essendon , Gold Coast’s top four chances took a hit.Noah Anderson was among the Suns’ prime movers in the midfield, tallying a game-high 32 disposals 911 contested) with eight clearances, eight score involvements and 728 metres gained. Touk Miller , eight clearances, six tackles and 585 metres gained. Tom Green set the tone early at the coalface, also picking up 29 disposals with nine score involvements and eight clearances in a head-to-head battle with Matt Rowell.Can’t really fault the Giants’ performance, effectively executing a plan on the road. Kieren Briggs is still curiously down on his best form after emerging as one of the brightest rucks in the league last season.The Hawks kept the Demons at bay to tick another box on their way to the finals. They kept Melbourne to just four goals through the first three quarters, cruising to their 15th win of the season. Stoppage remains a key improvement area, particularly in the continued absence of Will Day, but Sam Mitchell’s side continues to deliver in other key areas of the ground.Jack Gunston continued his extraordinary season with seven more goals to go with a game-high 13 score involvements as the highest-rated player on the ground. He is surely in the All-Australian picture. Dylan Moore had one of his best performances of the season, accruing 32 disposals, two goals, six score involvements and nine marks.The Hawks were poor at centre-bounce, going -7 for centre clearances as the Demons wound up winning the inside-50 count 56-49. They were also edged for contested possessions. Typically, Hawthorn stood tall defensively, but Mitchell would clearly prefer for his side to win the territory battle instead of relying on its back six to consistently stand up against repeat entries.Melbourne suffered its second-straight loss under caretaker coach Troy Chaplin on a day it couldn’t find the connecting piece going inside 50. The Demons created enough forward-half chances to give themselves a chance at being competitive, but with just two goals to their name at the main change, it was always going to be hard against a finals-contending outfit in Hawthorn.Max Gawn typically put his best foot forward for the Demons in a losing effort, gathering 27 disposals and notching 12 intercepts to be Melbourne’s highest-rated player on Saturday. Clayton Oliver had one of his highest-rated games of the season, recording 28 possessions, eight clearances, five score involvements and a goal.In a familiar tale, the Demons weren’t able to finish their work. Granted, they came up against one of the league’s best defensive units, but despite recording 56 inside-50s to Hawthorn’s 49, the Dees went at a 33.9 per cent efficiency clip to the Hawks’ 55.1 per cent. Chaplin’s side had just two goals to its name at half-time.It was a winnable fixture for the Roos, and they capitalised with their biggest score in a game in six years. And it was their fifth win for the season; their best winning return in a campaign since 2019. For all the heat Alastair Clarkson has copped recently, Sunday’s result ensured there’ll have been tangible improvement from this group to take away from this season.It was Harry Sheezel’s day in Hobart, equalling the all-time disposal record with 54 possessions on Sunday. Sheezel also kicked two goals from four scoring shots, had 15 score involvements and 683 metres gained. Luke Davies-Uniacke matched Sheezel’s 15 score involvements from his 40 disposals and 10 clearances; putting together one of his best performances as a Kangaroo to finish as the highest-rated player on the ground. Tristan Xerri was a warrior in a beastly battle with Richmond captain Toby Nankervis, laying 16 tackles.The Roos allowed the Tigers a six-goal final term to somewhat dampen an otherwise stellar defensive performance, but there’s really not a lot to complain about. The club will cross its fingers that Cam Zurhaar’s knee injury isn’t serious.It’s proving to be quite the unsavoury end to Ken Hinkley’s Port Adelaide tenure, ahead of his finale against Gold Coast this Friday night. The Power were killed by the Blues — a side that’s also being touted as a bounce-back candidate next year — in an utterly uninspiring display on Saturday, with few positives to take back to Alberton.Jack Whitlock kicked three goals in just his third game as the shining light for Port Adelaide in a losing cause. Ruckman Jordon Sweet posted a team-best 10 score involvements. And while Zak Butters had a team-best 29 disposals, he gained just 183 metres from them, and 18 of the 29 were handballs.Port Adelaide recorded just 38 inside-50s to Carlton’s 65 and was -11 for clearances, -36 for contested possessions and -13 for tackles inside 50. The Power conceded 13 first-half goals to a side that has struggled to find the connecting piece going forward all year. The Blues scored 35 points from forward-half turnovers alone.An extremely disappointing afternoon for the Richmond faithful, particularly after what was a promising start to the game. The Tigers were thoroughly outplayed after quarter-time in a fixture they would’ve gone in thinking they were a real chance to come away with the four points. And to add injury to insult, star interceptor Nick Vlastuin’s year is done with a broken leg.Skipper Toby Nankervis battled all afternoon against one of the AFL’s top ruckmen in Tristan Xerri, finishing as Richmond’s highest-rated player with 21 disposals, five score involvements and five intercepts. Spearhead Tom Lynch looked sure to be the gamebreaker but was well-held from quarter-time onwards. He still finished with three goals and a team-high seven score involvements.The Tigers registered 20 fewer entries than the Kangaroos, telling the story of the dominance the hosts were able to impose after the visitors jumped out to an early lead. Staggeringly, Richmond allowed North Melbourne 431 disposals to its 297. For context, the Roos have averaged 357 disposals per game for the year. Adem Yze’s side did next to nothing to stop the Roos’ uncontested game, with the Kangas recording 113 more uncontested possessions for the match. And perhaps worst of all, Yze’s coaching staff elected not to put a hard tag on Harry Sheezel, who virtually did as he pleased en route to an equal-best all-time 54 disposals. The Tigers allowed the Roos to post their best score in six years.St Kilda posted its fourth win in a row – but only just – against a massively depleted but desperate Essendon on Friday night. The result continued St Kilda’s run of heart-stoppers, having beaten Melbourne , North Melbourne and Richmond in the previous three rounds. So while the Saints have got the results in recent weeks, they still haven’t been convincing.Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera’s incredible late-season form surge is going to make Brownlow night must-watch viewing. The superstar Saint was the No. 1 rated player on the ground, booting one goal from 24 disposals, 11 contested possessions, six score involvements, five inside 50s and 577m gained. Marcus Windhager and Max Hall were both influential, while Cooper Sharman and Jack Higgins booted three goals each.While the Saints showed great grit and spirit, it was a struggle all night. They wont he clearance count but didn’t fully capitalise on their dominance. Mattaes Phillipou had just four touches from 71 per cent game time as he continues to work his way back into form, while Jack Macrae has one of his quieter games of the year.If there was a team capable of knocking the Cats over during their ‘softer’ run home, it was the Swans. But, despite a positive start to Sunday’s game, the Swans had no answers from halfway through the second term onwards, conceding 12 of the last 16 goals of the game to go down by 43 points. After a genuine back-end season resurgence, this was a humbling result for the Swans.In the absence of Brodie Grundy, Peter Ladhams was mightily impressive in a losing side. He booted 2.1 from 17 disposals, 13 contested possessions and a game-high 10 clearances, while six of his 35 hit-outs went to a teammate’s advantage. Elsewhere, Nick Blakey provided ample drive from the back-half, amassing 23 disposals, 11 rebound 50s, five intercept marks and 732m gained. Angus Sheldrick and Tom Papley can also hold their heads high.While Dean Cox’s side showed glimpses of promise, the capitulation was jarring. The Swans won the clearance count by +10, but they consistently committed poor turnovers, which saw the Cats pounce at the other end. Cox post-game reiterating his philosophy to “never be cute with the ball” to his players via his presser. Errol Gulden, Sam Wicks, Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner were among the culprits. Elsewhere, Will Hayward was held goalless from eight touches, while Braeden Campbell went at just 33 per cent by foot.One more week, Eagles fans. The end of the season can’t come quick enough. On Sunday, West Coast recorded both its biggest loss and lowest score of the year, with a 94-point pummelling at the hands of the Western Bulldogs. Outside of the expansion teams, the Eagles are the first non-expansion team to be 1-21 since Fitzroy in their final season of 1996. Another defeat next week to Sydney will see West Coast earn an unwanted slice of history by becoming the league’s first ever 1-22 team.On a poor day for the Eagles, Jack Graham tried hard in the middle, finishing with 20 disposals, 10 tackles, eight contested possessions and seven clearances, while going at 100 per cent efficiency by foot. Mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy had 25 touches – the seventh time he’s had 20-plus disposals in a game.Where do you start? The Eagles conceded 31 scores – including 19 goals – from 58 entries, while kicking just four goals from 42 inside 50s themselves. They matched the Dogs at clearance, but the points scored from stoppages were heavily in favour of the Bulldogs. Overall, West Coast was just genuinely uncompetitive – again. One more week, Eagles fans.The Bulldogs were at their merciless best on Sunday, shellacking West Coast by 94 points in a percentage-boosting win. It was the Bulldogs’ second-biggest win ever over West Coast and their 12th win over a bottom-10 team. The Dogs have now won 16 of their past 17 quarters, so they’re hitting form at the right time of the year. Yet it’ll ultimately be meaningless if they don’t beat Fremantle next week, for a loss would see them miss finals – unless the Suns flop in their final two games.When the game was up for grabs, skipper Marcus Bontempelli was brilliant, amassing 14 disposals, five clearances and a goal in the first half alone. He’d ultimately finished with 2.2 from 31 disposals, 12 score involvements, 10 clearances and nine inside 50s. But while Bontempelli was the star again, the Dogs had an even spread of contributors, with seven different players kicking two-plus goals. Ed Richards and Sam Davidson, like Bontempelli, helped set up the Bulldogs’ commanding performance in the first half, while Bailey Dale finished the match with 34 disposals.Outside of missing several gettable shots at goal in the first quarter – which meant their quarter-time lead should have been much bigger than 28 points – it was a near-flawless performance from the Dogs, who’ve set up a blockbuster do-or-die clash with Fremantle at Marvel Stadium.
Disappointing Loss Head Coach Bounce-Back Candidate Stellar Defensive Performance Another Fine Day Luke Jackson Exit Kicks Uncontested Marks Final-Round Showdown Reigning Premiers Max Gawn St Kilda Josh Dunkley Hawthorn Hawks Game Time Harry Mckay Brilliant Chase-Down Jack Gunston Max Hall Non-Expansion Team Stoppage Count Touk Miller Port Adelaide Power Gold Coast Suns Disappointing Afternoon Ben Waterworth Six-Goal Final Players Kicking Two-Plus Final Season Braeden Campbell Dylan Moore Two-Point Win Victoria Crows Captain Sam Wicks Real Heroes Slow Start Scoring Shots Tom Stewart Final Minute Expansion Teams Home Side Justin Longmuir Andrew Mcgrath Comfortable Win Tom Lynch Troy Chaplin Woeful Goal Accuracy Final Term Kyle Langford Western Australia Steele Sidebottom Richmond Tigers Jack Jovanovski Archie Roberts Dan Mcstay Toby Nankervis Noah Anderson Port Adelaide Brodie Grundy Adelaide Crows Kicking Two-Plus Goals South Australia Hobart Opening Term Back-End Season Resurgence Ryan Lester Score Involvements Mark Keane Jordan De Goey Quarter Time Tom Mccarthy Ben Cotton Final Siren Dominant Victory Damien Hardwick Ken Hinkley Quieter Games Jordan Clark Points Scored Goal Assists Lachie Schultz Frankie Evans F. Longmuir Catherine Healey Scott Pendlebury Adam Kingsley Hugh Mccluggage Centre Clearance Western Bulldogs Australia Losing Stoppage Clearance Queensland Sam Durham Highest-Rated Player Two-Year Goal Drought Handball Game Jeremy Cameron Quarter Spark Sam Davidson Worst Players Second-Straight Loss Darcy Fogarty Melbourne Alastair Clarkson Dean Cox Marcus Bontempelli Jason Dunstall Late-Season Form Surge REPORT CARD Quarter-Time Lead Top-Two Finish Night Must-Watch Viewing Finals Contenders Isaac Heeney Andy Brayshaw Jack Higgins Jye Amiss Tangible Improvement Elite Foot Skills Clearance Count Gold Coast Glaring Fails Extraordinary Season Warning Shot Chris Fagan Tasmania Matt Rowell Perth Alex Pearce Season Average Sits Defensive Pressure Hit Real Chance Tim Membrey Uncontested Game Australian Football League Defensive Units Garry Lyon Jack Graham Jack Whitlock George Hewett Nick Vlastuin Michael Voss Tristan Xerri Mason Redman Incredible Late-Season Form Career-Best Form Knee Injury Fremantle Dockers Harvey Thomas Jake Stringer Highlight Chains Taylor Walker Jordan Dawson Angus Sheldrick Melbourne Demons Oceania Sydney Swans Josh Treacy Chad Warner Darcy Cameron Collingwood Magpies Penultimate Weekend Connecting Piece Jarrod Witts Brisbane Lions Key Improvement Area Footy Side Cooper Sharman Home Turf Dominant Display Jesse Hogan Australia And New Zealand Contested Possessions Eric Hipwood Near-Flawless Performance Sam Walsh Positive Start Clayton Oliver Territory Battle Mason Wood Brad Scott Sam Mitchell Attack End Jack Macrae
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