Callum Ah Chee was the hero, kicking a superb winner on the run from 45 yards out (see picture below), as Brisbane came from behind to defeat leaders Sydney at a sun-drenched Gabba.
In an encounter that many pundits see as a preview for this year’s Grand Final, it certainly lived up to all its pre-match billing and will go down as an instant classic.
It ebbed and flowed, both teams having periods of momentum behind them, with the lead changing hands four times, in the final term, as it went right down to the wire.
Speaking post-siren to ABC Grandstand, Lions coach Chris Fagan said “It does a lot for the culture of your footy club, just that resilience to hang in there and never give up. Not that we’ve ever been a team that’s given up but it just reinforces that.”
“It was like one of those games, Federer and Nadal playing a game of tennis. One team would be on top and then the other team would get on top.”
“The players showed an incredibly strong will to win and a strong mindset. Things hadn’t gone our way since the first quarter really, so to turn it around like that is a great sign. In the last quarter we had a lot of shots, ten-to-three and, in the end, we deserved to win, marginally. I really liked the character that we showed.”
Blues cut the gap at the top
That loss for the Swans allowed Carlton to close the gap, at the top, although they were pushed by a plucky North Melbourne outfit before securing victory.
The Blues found themselves behind, at the half-time interval, but responded with a very impressive showing in the third quarter, in which they hit the scoreboard, with captain Patrick Cripps and Charlie Curnow catalysts for leading the fightback.
The Western Bulldogs put the rest of the competition on notice by producing an emphatic display, which saw them lead all night and dominate a lacklustre Geelong.
The Cats have proved to be a real bogey outfit for the Doggies over the years, including a run of losing eleven in a row, but there was no danger of that continuing.
For the first time, under Chris Scott’s reign, the hosts were kept goalless in the first term at GMHBA Stadium and it was also his biggest-ever defeat at the venue.
Luke Bruest makes AFL/VFL history
Jack Ginnivan came back to haunt his old club, playing a pivotal role, as a red-hot Hawthorn made a real statement by thrashing Collingwood, in the rain, at the MCG.
The 21-year-old (pictured below), who was allowed to leave the reigning Premiers in the summer, was a thorn in their side all afternoon with a superb performance that included a career-high 31 disposals, 11 score involvements, five tackles and two goals.
It was also a big day for Luke Bruest, a 5× Hawks leading goalkicker, 3× AFL premiership and 2× All-Australian forward, as he made his 293rd appearance and, in doing so, broke the games record for an AFL/VFL player drafted as a rookie.
Speaking on his achievement to the radio station SEN, ‘Punky’ (pictured above) said “It’s probably not something you set out to break when you first start playing AFL footy.”
“I’m a big goal setter, when I first started playing it was all about playing the most games as a rookie for Hawthorn. So Brad Sewell was that mark at the time and obviously played alongside Sewelly, he was a great player as well.”
He went on “He was sort of the first guy I wanted to run down and then I guess once I got his record, it was then shift it and rewrite it to being the most in the AFL.”
“It’s sort of crept up on me a little bit, I thought it was over 300 so I thought I had to get over that 300 mark to get it. You don’t really think about it when you got a game to prep for and maybe when I’m done playing, I’ll appreciate it a little bit more.”
dockers prove too strong for demons
Michael Walters and Jy Amiss kicked four goals apiece as Fremantle strengthened their big push, for a top-four finish, with a dominating effort to see off Melbourne.
They made a fast start, increased their lead at every change, were ahead for the whole afternoon and rarely challenged in romping home to a 56-point success.
The only disappointment for the Dockers was the sight of skipper Alex Pearce, playing his first game back in over a month, as he picked up a knock on his recently fractured left forearm and was substituted out – young key defender Josh Draper his replacement.
crows defeat bombers in a thriller
Josh Rachele scored the winner, with less than a minute remaining, as Adelaide came storming home to beat Essendon in a shoot-out style, high-scoring thriller.
The Crows gaining revenge on the Bombers, who had beaten them in a close one earlier in the season down in South Australia, to claim their third triumph on the road.
Ben Keays put in a fine display, with a career-high five snags, whilst there were some real heroics right at the death. Mitch Hinge (pictured above), back in the line-up after a week out with adductor soreness, got a hand on a Nic Martin effort to put it through for a touched behind – it ensured the South Australians finished on the right side of the ledger.
Jesse Hogan (pictured below) kept up his rich vein of scoring form, with another four-goal haul, as Greater Western Sydney finished very well to comfortably see off Gold Coast.
It takes the Giants forward’s tally to 49 equals his best-ever season haul, in an eleven career, and elevates him to second place on the Coleman Medal Table.
This result signals yet another defeat on the road for the Suns who possess the worst away record, having lost all nine games, and just cannot win outside of Queensland.
brad hill 250th
Key forward Tim Membury, set to be out of contract and a free agent at the end of the season, booted a season-high five majors as St.Kilda thrashed West Coast.
The Saints welcomed back three-time Premiership and Doig medallist Bradley Hill (pictured below) to become just the 17th First Nations player in VFL/AFL history to play 250 games.
It completes a big week for the 31-year-old who, earlier in the week, put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension to be at the club through until the end of 2027.
Speaking to the club’s website on that deal, he said “I’m very happy to continue my time at Moorabbin. I’ve been at the club for a few years now and am as committed as ever to doing all I can to see us succeed.”
He added “The more my career has gone on, I’ve tried to embrace my position as a leader and help drive us forward. I really believe in the direction we’re headed and am keen to play my role in getting us there.”
Despite having a pretty shocking night in front of the big sticks, registering 20 behinds, Port Adelaide still had more than enough to defeat bottom-side Richmond.
It was left to forward Charlie Dixon, making his 150th start for the club, to show everyone how it is done by scoring four snags for the Power, who now sit in fifth.
Round 19 Results
Essendon 17.11 (113)
Adelaide 17.12 (115)
GWS 14.5 (89)
Gold Coast 6.14 (50)
St.Kilda 17.11 (113)
West Coast 6.5 (41)
Hawthorn 20.13 (133)
Collingwood 9.13 (67)
Geelong 7.6 (48)
Western Bulldogs 13.17 (95)
Port Adelaide 16.20 (116)
Richmond 11.9 (75)
Brisbane 11.13 (79)
Sydney 11.11 (77)
Fremantle 17.14 (116)
Melbourne 10.6 (66)
Carlton 16.11 (107)
North Melbourne 14.4 (88)
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Image Credit: Deposit Photos
