Round 9 was a round of close finishes and upsets, with most tipsters having a shocker. An inspired Collingwood trounced the previously undefeated Cats, remarkably West Coast made easy work of the Crows, while a Brad Johnson miss after the siren handed North Melbourne a win and the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
Friday night saw Collingwood host the unbeaten Geelong, and from the opening bounce it was the Magpies that controlled proceedings. Despite Geelong’s highly fancied midfield of Gary Ablett Jnr. (127), Jimmy Bartel (88), Joel Corey (90), Cameron Ling (70) and Joel Selwood (64), it was the dominance of the Collingwood midfield that proved the difference. Dane Swan (123) was as nonchalant as ever, while Tarkyn Lockyer (122), Heath Shaw (116) and Alan Didak (111) provided the spark. While consecutive wins for the Magpies have them back in the top eight, Geelong have been knocked off their perch by Hawthorn.
Fremantle showed some fight against the Blues but in the end it was only Carlton’s inaccuracy that kept the Dockers in the running. The win takes Carlton to within striking distance of the top half of the ladder, unfamiliar ground for many of the youngsters. Nick Stevens’ season continues to go from strength to strength. His 121 makes that his fourth score of a hundred of more in a row. Adam Bentick fell well short of my predicted 200. His pathetic tackle rate (5) was not even close to the 44 I had hoped for, so his score of 107 was very disappointing. Oh well, there’s always next week. Matthew Pavlich (94) was best in a team that is quickly becoming the team to stay away from when selecting Dream Team players.
Public Warning: While Kepler Bradley’s score of 69 puts his break even this week at -13, I urge you all to stay strong and not succumb to temptation. No matter how much financial sense it makes to pick him up for next week, just remember, it’s Kepler Bradley. What would your friends think of you?
Port Adelaide was valiant in defeat against Sydney, with the Swans coming away 11-point winners. Brett Kirk (115) and Jude Bolton (111) racked up plenty of the ball. For the Power, Brett Ebert (104) had his best game for the season, while it was the young brigade of Travis Boak (106), Danyle Pearce (103) and Steven Salopek (100) that stood up in the midfield. Chadwick scored 91 with one hand in his return match. Just goes to show what he could do with two.
Despite a third-quarter charge from Essendon, Richmond was too good, easing to a 38 point win. With half the Bombers team scoring 50 or less, there wasn’t much to yell about. David Hille (111) dominated the ruck dual, while late goals to Matty Lloyd flattered his score of 81. The Nathan’s: Brown and Foley each racked up 122, while Big Richo (107) had another great game. I really can’t see much value in the Bombers but for the Tigers, there are definitely plenty of prospects for Dream Team coaches; Richo is in arguably career-best form, Brett Deledio has finally found some consistency, while youngsters, Trent Cotchin and Shane Edwards are definitely worth a look.
In one of the upsets of the season so far, Adelaide’s run of wins came to an end against the lowly Eagles. In a Dream Team Coach’s dream, Scott Thompson and Andrew Embley went head-to-head scoring 153 and 130, respectively. The Eagles held sway through the midfield with Brad Ebert (135) signaling his emergence, while Matt Priddis (123), Chad Fletcher (112) and Matt Rosa (110) all got plenty of it. For Adelaide, Graham Johncock (114) was solid, while Jason Porplyzia (99) continues to impress.
Just Wondering: When did David Wirrpunda become David Wirrpanda? The change has commentators baffled, and The Battler wondering “Where’s my panda?”
Up at the Gabba, six goals each to Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw helped Brisbane to a resounding 46 point win. Brown (142) was in blistering form, taking 15 marks and booting 6.3. Simon Black (106) and Josh Drummond (105) made solid contributions, while for the Saints, Robert Harvey top scored with 103.
Investment: After a shocking start to the season: Jono Brown has dropped to just $317,800, small change really for a player of his quality. He’s hit some good form and with two home matches to come against the Kangaroos and Fremantle, expect that price to sky rocket in a few weeks. Breakeven: -16
Melbourne was valiant in defeat to ladder-leaders, Hawthorn, losing by just 19 points. Surprisingly it was the Melbourne players that made the running, with Brock McLean (127), Matthew Bate (125) and Brent Moloney (106) leading the way. For the Hawks, Chance Bateman (102) was the only player to break the ton, while Sam Mitchell (97) continued with his good year.
Ticking time bomb: Stuart Dew’s hamstring continues to be a problem. He tweaked it again this week and despite his good form early in the season, you just can’t trust that hammy to hold out for the rest of the season.
The final game of the round proved to be one of the matches of the season with the four points coming down to a Brad Johnson shot at goal after the siren. The usually accurate Johnson, shanked it handing North Melbourne a 3-point win. For the Doggies, Adam Cooney (113) continues along his merry way, while Jason Akermanis (111) and Brad Johnson (108) proved too good for the Kangaroos defense. For the Roos, Adam Simpson top-scored with an even 100, while Brady Rawlings (95) and Nathan Thompson (91) played well.
Top Performers in Round 9
Scott Thompson 153
Jonathan Brown 142
Brad Ebert 135
Andrew Embley 130
Brock McLean 127
Shocker of the Week
After a dominant performance last week, Brett Burton had his wings clipped by Brett Jones on Saturday night. The Birdman could only manage 0.1 from his 5 touches and a pathetic 19 points for my Dream Team.
Would love to hear some feedback. Leave a comment if you want to discuss the round just gone, the weekend ahead or just wondering what breed of dog would suit you and your family. All the best Dream Team Coaches!