Face of Nation : Geelong has maintained its two-match buffer at the top of the ladder following a 27-point win over Sydney at the SCG. Cats spearhead Tom Hawkins marked his 250th AFL match with his first five-goal haul of the season, as the visitors won 16.11 (107) to 12.8 (80). After struggling in recent weeks to post high scores, Geelong kicked more than 100 points for the first time since round 12.
The teams were level at half-time, but the Cats kicked away in the third quarter, booting four goals to one. Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea gave Geelong strong marking targets and Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan and Jordan Clark all contributed a couple of goals.
The Cats’ midfield were able to get on top after the first quarter, with Tim Kelly tallying a game-high 31 touches and Duncan and Joel Selwood also prominent. Geelong won the clearances by 18 and the contested possessions by 31. Sydney youngster Jordan Dawson continued his breakout season, kicking a career-best three goals and Isaac Heeney also booted three for the home team.
The Swans came out full of urgency and energy, kicking three of the first four goals. The Cats fought back to level at the main break, booting five goals to three in the second quarter. They took control in the third quarter and carved out a 22-point lead going into the final term.
Sydney twice pulled the deficit back to 16 points in the last quarter, but Geelong countered both times, kicking six goals to five in the term. It was 15th-placed Sydney’s fourth-straight loss, with the Swans dropping to 6-12 for the season. Goals in the dying seconds by Cale Hooker and Jake Stringer have secured Essendon a narrow 10-point win over Gold Coast.
The Bombers were two points behind with just more than a minute to play in Carrara when Hooker slotted a set-shot to put the visitors in front. From the resulting centre bounce, Jake Stringer came away with the football and booted it from inside the centre square, his shot bouncing through to seal the 16.10 (106) to 15.6 (96) win.
The goal was Stringer’s fourth in a best-on-ground display by the Essendon forward and secured the Bombers their fifth-straight win. Defeat, the Suns’ 14th in a row, was harsh on the hosts who thought they might have secured a massive upset when Chris Burgess scored with two and half minutes to play to put Gold Coast ahead.
The Dockers were equal to the task for the most part, trailing by just a goal late in the term, but the Bulldogs slammed through three unanswered majors to record their highest first-quarter score this season to lead by 23 points. Rory Lobb kicked truly to open the second quarter but that would be his side’s only major for the term.
Coming off last week’s five-goal effort, Dale took his tally to four but the highlight of the quarter was debutant Rhylee West’s first goal in senior company. The son of Bullogs great Scott West swooped on a loose ball in the shadows of half-time, shrugged a tackler and snapped brilliantly off his left boot to put the Bulldogs up by 43 points at the main break.
Morris’s departure appeared to take the wind out of the Bulldogs’ sails for a period in the third quarter, with Michael Walters and Darcy Tucker capitalising on their side’s new-found momentum. But the gap was 44 points at three-quarter time, as the Bulldogs cruised to their ninth win of the season to improve their record to 9-9.
