3 minute read
Geelong and Collingwood continued their winning ways, Melbourne lost again and Sydney prevailed in a thriller in round nine of the AFL season.
WHAT HAPPENED IN ROUND NINE OF THE AFL:
THEY SAID IT: "Nah, I'd say the one in round 23 in the WAFL on Schoey (Will Schofield) was better." - Liam Ryan's huge grab on Max Gawn is going to take some beating for mark of the year but the nonchalant West Coast dynamo didn't rate it his personal best.
STATS THAT MATTER: Sydney are now three for three at Blundstone Arena after beating North Melbourne on Saturday night.
MAN OF THE ROUND: Lachie Neale has long been a very good player but right now he is among the AFL's elite and the Lions are in the top-four mix. Neale was again enormous in Saturday's clash with Adelaide, dragging Brisbane over the line by a point.
KEY MOMENTS: West Coast's Ryan and Geelong defender Tom Stewart both took huge grabs in their teams' respective wins over Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. Callum Mills' sensational rundown tackle on North Melbourne's Shaun Higgins was a highlight of the Swans' five-point win in Hobart.
TALKING POINT: Another low-scoring round would be cause for concern at AFL House. Pacesetters Geelong, Collingwood and GWS were the only teams to crack the 100 point mark, while Essendon's 8.12 (60) to 7.11 (53) victory over Essendon was hardly one for the ages.
TRIBUNAL WATCH: West Coast backman Lewis Jetta has been offered a one-game suspension for a heavy tackle which concussed Melbourne forward Tim Smith. Carlton skipper Marc Murphy was hospitalised after being kneed in the ribs by Shane Mumford in an incident that could cost the GWS ruckman. Collingwood's Travis Varcoe and Sydney's Luke Parker will also be looked at for high-contact incidents.
KEY INJURIES: Patrick Dangerfield (Geel, ankle), Rhys Stanley (Geel, groin), Josh Kennedy (Syd, quad), Jordan De Goey (Coll, shin), Darcy Moore (Coll, ankle), Luke Hodge (Bris, concussion), Ben McEvoy (Hawks, ankle), James Frawley (Hawks, hamstring), Marc Murphy (Carl, ribs), Zac Williams (GWS, hamstring).
WHAT'S NEXT: Collingwood will be gunning for their seventh straight win when they launch the Sir Doug Nicholls indigenous round against Sydney at the SCG on Friday night. Adelaide's Saturday twilight clash with West Coast shapes as a ripper, while the annual Dreamtime at the 'G clash between Richmond and Essendon will draw a big crowd.
