St.Kilda pulled off their biggest triumph of the season after coming from behind to stun ladder leaders Sydney, in a thrilling encounter, under the lid at Marvel Stadium.
Jack Higgins’s goal, midway through the fourth, proved decisive although the outcome could have been very different when Swans forward Logan McDonald marked around 50 metres out, directly in front, with just over a minute left on the clock.
However, for a second consecutive week, the 22-year-old, who signed a four-year extension with the club through to 2028, failed to make the most of the opportunity and missed the target; much to the relief and delight of the vocal home supporters.
Speaking in the presser, Saints coach Ross Lyon (pictured below) said “I thought our ability to let go of errors and stay in the moment and next moment was really important.”
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“We try to stay evidence based – we have worked on a few facets of our game that I thought came to the fore today. I thought we got some reward against a great ball moving team with our persistence and perseverance.”
“It’s unlikely and probably impossible to play finals, but how we go about it now and try to prepare and compete and review, set standards for future success.”
gary rohan 200th appearance
Geelong looks to be heading back to their best, an ominous sign and gave in-form Hawthorn a reality check by putting them away in convincing fashion by 51 points.
The Cats proved too strong for the opposition in every area – Jeremy Cameron, Brad Close and Gary Rohan, in his 200th appearance, amongst the goalscorers whilst skipper Patrick Dangerfield impressed as he continues his return from injury.
It is amazing how quickly fortunes can change in footy – just a fortnight ago, Port Adelaide and, in particular, their coach Ken Hinkley were firmly under the spotlight.
They won ugly in the last round, but that certainly wasn’t the case this weekend as they produced a strong showing to thrash a disappointing Western Bulldogs.
The Power fans are known for being fickle but must have enjoyed this one – Mitch Georgiades had an afternoon out by grabbing a career-high five-goal haul.
Bombers pass litmus test
Essendon passed a real litmus test, recovering from a slow start, as they came back strong to run over the top of Collingwood before a huge crowd of 81,711 at the MCG.
Coming in on the back of three defeats from the last four, they did the damage on the scoreboard in the middle of the contest. Then in the latter stages, as the Magpies looked to mount a late charge, were able to see it out well defensively.
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Zach Merrett and Jye Caldwell played key roles for the Bombers whilst Sam Durham (pictured above, right) starred after being given the unenviable task of tagging superstar Nick Daicos (pictured above, left).
The perfect result for vice-captain Andrew McGrath (pictured below), in his 150th career match, who told the club’s website “It’s super exciting; the energy in the rooms is pretty electric.”
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“We always have close games against Collingwood, we respect them very much; they’re a class outfit and have been for a long period of time. So to play your milestone game against a quality side on a big occasion is pretty special.”
He went on “It felt like we were able to pull them apart and get some really good entries which we’ve been working on. We gave our forwards a really good opportunity tonight and executed it on the scoreboard really well.”
Last year’s runners-up Brisbane are currently the form team of the comp, making it five straight successes, but certainly didn’t have it all their way against Adelaide.
The Lions, looking for another crack at winning the grand prize, have the opportunity of a double chance, top-four finish, firmly in their sights with the Gabba becoming a real fortress, once more, having lost their opening three games there earlier in 2024.
Justin Longmuir 100th game at the helm
Justin Longmuir (pictured below) celebrated his 100th game in charge of Fremantle by watching his squad cruise to a percentage-boosting triumph over Richmond in wet conditions.
Forward Joshua Treacy, nicknamed ‘The Big Cohuna’, continued his fine form by chalking up a career-high five snags for the Dockers that led for most of the evening.
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joe fonti dream debut
Greater Western Sydney moved back into the all-important eight after claiming one of the biggest scalps of their campaign by defeating Carlton in a high-scoring affair.
It wasn’t looking good early as they trailed by as much as 39 points, in the first quarter, before responding with a really devastating patch, during which they scored the next 14 out of 16 goals that laid the foundations for them to get the job done.
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It was a big day for defender Joe Fonti, who earned a very late call-up to the team, as he came in to replace Lachie Ash (corked calf) and make his debut for the Giants.
Speaking in the rooms, the 19-year-old (pictured below with his family) said “Definitely a dream come true and couldn’t have done it with a better group of boys. It was relieving to get that first disposal out of the way early and then could just the focus on the rest of the game.”
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“We were down pretty badly but I just concentrated on playing my part, being ruthless defensively and trying to stop their momentum which got us going forward.”
He added “It was definitely a very important game considering we had just fallen out of the eight. So to get the job done today means a lot to everybody and hopefully we can carry our momentum from this game into the next and then finals time.”
Jacob van Rooyen booted an equal career-high four majors for Melbourne that led from start to finish and romped away to a comfortable win over lowly West Coast.
Having done the damage in front of the big sticks, early on, the 21-year-old then showed his versatility by dropping back into the ruck, in the latter stages, to cover for the influential Max Gawn who was forced off and subbed out with a right ankle issue.
kangas move off the bottom
North Melbourne moved off the bottom of the ladder, for the first time this season, after managing to hold out and also continue Gold Coast’s terrible run on the road.
Paul Curtis scored what proved to be the winner for the Kangas who almost had their hearts broken at the end. Ben Ainsworth marked and could have snatched it for the visitors, with 80 seconds remaining, but hooked his kick to the right for just a behind.
The defeat means the Suns have lost every away game in 2024, in complete contrast to the form on their home deck, with coach Damien Hardwick pulling no punches in a fiery press conference as he exclaimed “I’m angry, we have to grow the f*** up!”.
Round 17 Results
Collingwood 12.8 (80)
Essendon 13.14 (92)
North Melbourne 13.9 (87)
Gold Coast 12.11 (83)
Port Adelaide 15.12 (102)
Western Bulldogs 8.6 (54)
Geelong 16.14 (110)
Hawthorn 9.5 (59)
GWS 18.8 (116)
Carlton 16.8 (104)
Fremantle 16.9 (105)
Richmond 7.12 (54)
Melbourne 17.10 (112)
West Coast 8.10 (58)
St.Kilda 13.6 (84)
Sydney 11.16 (82)
Brisbane 14.13 (97)
Adelaide 13.8 (86)
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