Luke's Footy Page
Luke's Footy Page
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Port Adelaide vs Collingwood | Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide | Geelong vs Sydney | Essendon vs Hawthorn | Fremantle vs St.Kilda | Brisbane vs West Coast | Carlton vs Richmond | Kangaroos vs Melbourne |
Hello and welcome to my football website. We are starting to get this place up to scratch in terms of football news, opinion and information, after a quiet period in recent months. There will now be news, results, statistics and information placed on the site on a weekly basis, with more to come in the coming weeks. It is pretty basic at the minute, but is growing in information by the day.
In the meantime, visit:
Collingwood Indepth: A blog I endeavour to update on a daily basis
Today's AFL News
Weekly Review: Round 20:
By Luke Mason
When the sun begins to shine a little longer, and the flowers begin to blossom, it is apparent that September is nearly upon us, and so it was little wonder that some high quality football was staged in the 20th week of the season.
The round began on Friday at AAMI Stadium, Port Adelaide playing host to a Collingwood side desperate to snap out of its slumber and regain its early season form. It looked like doing just that in the opening quarter, outscoring the Power by 19 points. That lead was whittled down to a mere ten points come the main break, the home side infact snatching the lead for much of the second half.
Enter Nathan Buckley and small forward Alan Didak, who stepped up when the game was there to be won. In the final, hectic seven minutes, Buckley wracked up the leather at will, as well as hauling in one of the best marks of his career inside fifty. Then, with just over a minute to play, tough-as-teak Magpie Scott Burns missed what is normally an elementary goal for a player of his calibre, the Pies forced to rely on the ice-cool Alan Didak’s cool head under pressure to book a ticket for finals action.
Match Records: First occasion the Magpies have beaten the Power twice in a season since they first met back in 1997...Ryan Willits debuts (Northern Under 18’s, TAC Cup).
The following afternoon saw the MCG stage an epic contest, with two finals aspirants, the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide, going hammer and tong in a topsy-turvy game.
The Crows broke to a 35 point lead midway through the third quarter, before the men from Footscray rapidly pegged them back to be within a point at three quarter time. From then on, the match followed a goal for goal pattern, the Dogs sent into the lead late by a Jordan McMahon bomb, before Adam Cooney place the icing on the cake with his fifth goal. Perennial Brownlow Medal favourite Scott West did his prospects a world of good in sniffing out a career high 45 disposals.
Match Records: Scott West a career high 45 possessions...Adam Cooney a career high 33 disposals and five goals...Dylan Addison debuted for the Western Bulldogs (NSW/ACT U/18)...the first time the two sides have met at the MCG this century.
Down the highway at Skilled Stadium, Geelong showed their fans what might have been had they held their collective nerve throughout the course of the season in recording a handsome 27 point victory over Sydney, led by defensive pair Jarred Rooke and Matthew Scarlett, who gave rival Barry Hall a right royal touch up.
Match Records: Geelong’s first victory over the Swans since Nick Davis’ infamous deeds in the final term of the 2005 Semi Final.
That night over in the West, Fremantle announced to all that they are the real McCoy in 2006, an emphatic 58 point rubbing of a flat St.Kilda placing the exclamation mark on their finals hopes. Defender Luke McPharlin gave Saints full forward Fraser Gehrig a nightmare return to Subiaco with 28 disposals from the backline, while the win was set up by four first term goals to the Wizard, Jeff Farmer. Poor old Robert Harvey, having turned 35 today, must have wondered whether the flag is still a possibility, carrying the candle with 27 possessions.
Match Records: Fremantle’s second greatest winning margin over St.Kilda (the best being 71 points in round ten, 1995).
In club legend James Hird’s tribute match, Essendon fans flocked to Telstra Dome to celebrate the career of the skipper, who has announce that he will play on in 2007. They received a rude shock in the form of the Hawks, who bounced out of the blocks early to carve out an amazing 62 point half time lead, with youngsters Jarred Roughead and Lance Franklin in the thick of the action, and that much vaunted midfield of Shane Crawford, Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge giving them plenty of supply.
To their credit, the Bombers fought back hard in the second half, the Hawks with their foot off the pedal still doing enough to run out three goal victors.
Match Records: One of the highest first half scores (Hawks best 20.7 (127) vs North Melbourne 6.8 (44), Round 16 1982).
On Sunday, West Coast overcame the Brisbane at the Gabba by 62 points, cruising home in the second half. Burly full forward Quentin Lynch showed how far he has progressed as a footballer in bagging a career high eight goals, while midfielders Ben Cousins and Michael Braun were treated to a picnic.
Match Records: Debut for Irish rookie Colm Begley passes successfully, the Irishman finding seven possessions and holding two marks...Brownlow favourite Daniel Kerr limited to only four disposals by Troy Selwood
It was a shootout at the Dome, with Richmond comprehensively outgunning Carlton by 45 points in an entertaining contest. After the Blues got the early jump, Tigers forward Matthew Richardson, Greg Stafford and Troy Simmonds capitalised on the long kicking of midfielders Kane Johnson and Andrew Raines to notch up their tenth win of the season.
Match Records: Debut for rookie listed Blue Jesse D Smith (Calder Cannons U/18) after two years on the list.
Across the road at the MCG, the Kangaroos were unable to hold on to a 27 point lead established midway through the second term, allowing Melbourne to creep back into the contest to record an unlikely win. The Demons were led by the eight goal return of their skipper David Neitz, while onballers Brock McLean and James McDonald played their part.
Match Records: Second time this season that Neitz has booted eight goals...North blew a 27 point lead...Ed Lower scored his first goal in league football.
The race for September is now all but over, with the final eight seemingly set in stone, only Geelong and perhaps Richmond with mathematical chances of sneaking into the finals action.
Next week promises to be a beauty, with plenty of results set to help shape the form of the eight, the match of the round surely the Western Derby between West Coast and Fremantle on Sunday afternoon, with top four finishes riding on the result.
Hero of the week: Alan Didak, for his last gasp goal to give the Magpies their 12th win of the season.
Villain: Cameron Mooney, the big hairy Cat was again reported for a needless indiscretion, this time the victim Sydney’s Amon Buchanan.
Match of the week: Undoubtedly the Bulldogs come from behind effort against the Crows. Remarkably, the Bulldogs had only 24 fit players to choose from.
Player of the week: Scott West and his 45 touches of the Sherrin narrowly shade the efforts of Adam Cooney, Nathan Buckley, Shaun Burgoyne, Kane Johnson and Quentin Lynch.
Latest News:
Malthouse defends Tarrant:
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said yesterday star forward Chris Tarrant had finally succumbed to his shin splints problem and would miss tonight's match against Port Adelaide
Chris Tarrant talk irks Malthouse - Herald Sun
Tarrant to miss with shin splints - AFL.com.au
Malthouse shows concern for tired players:
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse believes the issue of fatigued players will need to be addressed by the AFL.
Survival of the fittest in finals, says Malthouse
Malthouse concerned for tired players - AFL.com.au
Buckley to break club captaincy record:
Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley will captain his side for the record 154th occasion tonight against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
Buckley skips to milestone - AFL.com.au
Buckley can see finish line - Herald Sun
Buckley still enjoying captaincy - The Age
Koutoufides to play on:
Carlton champion Anthony Koutoufides was called to an early-morning meeting in the city yesterday and less than an hour later agreed to a drastically revised one-year deal for next season.
Koutoufides signs deal for $250,000 - Herald Sun
Kouta to kick on, but not as Carlton's skipper - The Age
Koutoufidies to play on - AFL.com.au
Hird to continue into '07:
Essendon champion James Hird has announced he will play on at Essendon in 2007.
We can win '07 flag: Hird - AFL.com.au
One more year for Hird - AFL.com.au
Hird ready to play on with aspirations of a premiership - The Age
Sheedy won't protect Hird in last year - Herald Sun
Glen Archer to play on into 2007:
North Melbourne's Shinboner of the Century Glen Archer has announced he will go on once again in 2007.
Archer to play in 2007 - AFL.com.au
Kangaroos to nurse Archer - Herald Sun
Kangaroos' aim is to allow Archer to keep his spring
Brown's year at a premature end:
Injury plauged Tiger Nathan Brown has called time on his season following continued leg soreness.
Brown's year ends, surgery likely today - The Age
Early end for Brown - Herald Sun
Clubs to pocket $1 Million per season:
The AFL is proposing to distribute a figure in the order of $1 million per year to each AFL club over the course of the next five seasons.
Show us more cash, clubs tell commission - The Age
Hawthorn re-sign trio:
Hawthorn have re-signed ruck duo Robert Campbell and Simon Taylor to two year deals, while veteran forward Ben Dixon will saddle up for another season.
Hawks trio re-sign - AFL.com.au
Giansiracusa again sidelined:
Gun Bulldog wingman Daniel Giansiracusa will miss this Saturday's crucial bout with the Crows due to hamstring problems.
Giansiracusa to miss - Herald Sun
Connolly, Dockers, composed ahead of September:
Buoyent Dockers coach Chris Connolly is looking for the club to remain calm having sewn up a finals spot with three weeks remaining.
Connolly keeps calm ahead of finals - The Age
Canberra to lose one AFL Game:
While they will still see AFL action with thanks to the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne, the ACT will host one game less in the coming seasons than it has in recent times under a long-standing deal with the Kangaroos
Canberra stripped of one AFL game - The Age
Hawthorn coach fined:
Hawks coach Alistair Clarkson has been slapped with a $5000 fine for communication with an umpire whilst flying back to Victoria a fortnight ago.
Clarkson fined for air-rage - The Australian
Clubs to top up on rookies:
All AFL clubs are likely to have to take a full complement of players on their rookie list next year in exchange for at least $5 million each.
Clubs to fill rookie lists in strings-attached deal - The Age
League Ladder
| Rank | Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Draws | Percentage | Points |
| 1 | Adelaide | 19 | 15 | 4 | - | 148% | 60 |
| 2 | West Coast | 19 | 15 | 4 | - | 117% | 60 |
| 3 | Sydney | 19 | 12 | 7 | - | 123% | 48 |