We saw the first draw and several premiership challengers struggle to keep their run of good form. St Kilda win their 16th win in a row and the only time that has happened in the past, the team has won the premiership. The others teams where Collingwood (1929), Carlton (1995), Essendon (2000) & Brisbane (2001).

Brave Ted Richards backed into Fevola & punctered his lung & broke a rib.

Western Bulldogs defeated Essendon by 33 points

It was not the free goal scoring shoot out we all expected and if it was not for Essendon kicking straight it would have been a bigger margin (Essendon 15 scoring shots to the Dogs 28). In the second quarter the Dogs struggled with the pace of the Dons and they opened up a 2 goal lead. However the third quarter saw the Dogs kick into gear with 6 goals and 11 goals for the second half while Essendon only managed 5.

Again Lloyd & Lucas showed indifferent form and Hahn kicking 5 for the Dogs along with Welsh providing a nice foil with 3. Again Lake marked everything down back and the usual suspects of Cooney, Griffen & Cross got plenty of possessions. Interesting to note that Cooney is getting most of his disposals down back and he does not run and bounce the ball as much as last year.

Ryder again struggled against a superior ruck division and some of the young Essendon players look tired as the season comes to an end.

Geelong defeated Melbourne by 46 points

Geelong did something they have not done for the last 2 years and that was play around with the side and get some versitility in the players. Coach Thompson played Corey CHB on Bate, Mackie on the wing, Ablett FF (3 goals) & put Hawkins in the ruck along with Taylor. This meant that their was no room for Blake and Hawkins played his best game for Geelong (8 marks, 16 disposals, 5 tackles & 1 goal).

Ablett again dominated with 40 possessions along with Selwood & Chapman with over 30 each. Davey had an off day and must find the ball for himself without getting soft disposals off his team (number one for received kicks/ handballs) and McLean also had a day to forget. Moloney stepped up against his old side along with Bate with 3 goals.

As much as Melbourne tried Geelong just were too good and with a 7 goal opening term, the game was over. However they stuck with the Cats for the rest of the game and Geelong only outscored them by 2 points for the rest of the game.

Carlton defeated Sydney by 61 points

Sydney where 9 points down at three quarter time and they had done good sticking with the Blues who are looking to secure a top 8 finish for the first time since 2000. Jesse White kicked 4 first half goals, O’Keefe continued his second half good form season with 33 possessions & 2 goals & Jolly continued his push for All Australian honours with 42 hit outs.

Fevola kicked 5 along with Fishers 3 second half goals the Blues pushed for a percentage booster as they kicked 9 goals 2 behinds to 4 behinds in the last quarter. The ability to get percentage is only going to important as Carlton are one game behind Collingwood, Adelaide & Brisbane but have a better percentage than these 3 teams.

Who is the premier CHF? Brown or Riewoldt or Buddy?

Brisbane defeated Fremantle by 15 points

The difference between these two teams was Jonathon Brown, he was amazing with 5 pack marks and kicked 3 goals. In the first half it was actually Fremantle who played the better wet water football with kicking it long and led for most of the first half.

It was not until the 3rd quarter after Voss restructured his team (Brown to FF) that they managed to get in front with 4 goals. Fremantle only had 3 inside 50ms for that quarter and the game was over.

Hawthorn defeated Collingwood by 45 points

A few weeks ago, we called for Hodge to be moved into the midfield as they are a much better side with his play in the middle. What ever made Clarkson move him in the middle, it has already payed off with two wins against North and now top four side Collingwood who had won their previous 7 games.

It was the Hawks of old with Nuggety McGlynn irritating the in-form Magpie Alan Didak & Didak was largely ineffective. Franklin continued his form of two weeks with 24 possessions & nine shots at goals. Swan & Shaw had over 30 possessions for Pies with Lockyer kicking 3 goals.

The question is: Are the Hawks back and what about Collingwood? Do we just wipe this game off or do we start to worry about them coming into the finals?

Port Adelaide defeated West Coast by 36 points

The question must be asked about West Coast and if they are tanking or do they really have something wrong with their heads as the team that lost to an out of form Port was not the same as the team that run the undefeated St Kilda for 3.5 quarters to the line.

Masten continued his good form with 38 possessions but the story of the day was ex-Geelong player Davenport who in the first quarter had 2 opponents, 2 goals & 6 inside 50ms with over 10 possessions, he killed it. Seaby & Naitanui failed against Lade & Brogan who often rucked at the stoppages at the same time which only confused the West Coast hierarchy.

While Port are back in the hunt for finals, I think its safe to say even with their soft draw they will only make up the numbers if they make the finals. You just never know with Port.

Richmond drew with North Melbourne

This match has a trophy called “the Eureka” after the famous Eureka Stockade but one writer labeled it the “Nathan Buckley” match as surely he used the game to see which club he would rather coach at.

In the first half, Richmond played football and they looked the best side but then their demons came back as they let a seven goal lead slip. This then shows that with North and their “Shine Boner spirit” they are never out of a match and they just need some young talent. So which club would you coach at?

The game itself was interesting, Richmond became outsiders when Cousins & Cotchin where left out of the side but it was Richmond who came out of the blocks faster and set up a handy quarter time (and then half time) lead. However McIntosh, Harvey & Harding got the side back into the match and if it was not for Mortons second goal in the last 90 seconds it would’ve been a famous North win.

Nahas continues his exciting play up forward along with Newman & Tambling who where the Tigers best.

St Kilda defeated Adelaide by 57 points

St Kilda has now beaten every other top 8 side so surely the must now be taken seriously. Not have they just beaten these teams, many of them they have smashed! You can now add Adelaide to that list who they have beaten twice with Adelaide one of the in form sides of the competition.

Justin Koschitzke split his webbing on his hand & it would be a big blow if he where to miss any footy

Nick Riewoldt leading the way up forward with 19 possessions and four goals to come out on top in an intriguing duel with Nathan Bock, who managed 28 possessions and 12 marks. Maybe Bock should have concentrated more on Nick than his own disposal game. Ray (39 possessions), Gram (34), Hayes (34) and Goddard (33) all had over 30 possessions. Kosi’s hand injury is a worry as he adds so much to their forward line.

Adelaide’s forward line went missing with only Tippett & Stevens kicking multiple goals with Knights, Dangerfield & Porplyzia only getting 2 between them.

Final Contenders after Round 16

1. St Kilda – 64 points, 169.8%
2. Geelong – 56 points, 138.97%
3. Western Bulldogs – 44 points, 128.72%
4. Collingwood – 40 points, 112.21%
5. Brisbane – 40 points, 108.98%
6. Adelaide – 40 points, 107.16%
7. Carlton – 36 points, 112.43%
8. Essendon – 32 points, 101.34%
9. Port Adelaide – 32 points, 94.54%
10. Hawthorn – 32 points, 92.65%

Round 16 Talking Points

Please give us your thoughts in the comments section below or add your own round 16 talking points. The questions will asked in bold and my response will be un-bold under them.

Your input and comments help us make Kick2Kick a better website..

1. Can we safely say after Adelaide & Collingwood loosing its back down to Geelong & maybe the Dogs to challenge St Kilda premiership?
   • Yes! Adelaide & Collingwood will always be their and abouts but challenging St Kilda or Geelong? No, team not flexible enough.
2. Will Port or the Hawks sneak into the finals? Or will the ladder stay as it is?
   • Port has the easiest run home while the Hawks have a tough run (Tues will release the contenders run home reviewed). Think the Hawks problem is their defense & the fixtures while Ports is much more mental. I doubt both will make the finals, they need to win at least one extra game than Essendon as their percentage is a few 10 goals wins behind.
3. Are West Coast tanking and why do they play so much worse away?
   • Tanking no but serious mental problems yes. Apparently they are getting some SAS training and they need it, as they are mentally weak away from home.
     
4. Should Geelong stick to Hawkins & Mumford as their new ruck division?
   • Yes, in the past they have lacked versatility or a second game plan but now Hawkins can give them a better possession ruckman style option. It also allows his development to be fast tracked.
5. Who is the premier CHF? Brown, Riewoldt or Buddy?
   • Brown imo. Riewoldt & Buddy are close but Brown because he has done it since 2002 & continues to do it when his side struggles.
6. Was the draw between Richmond & North a fitting result?
   • Could I be bold enough to say these two are the most disappointing of the year and the result fits that you cannot seperate the two teams at the end of the day.

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