In round 11, we saw almost every winner get out to a quick lead before being pegged back in a weekend where the struggling teams found some form.

St Kilda defeated Richmond by 38 points

St Kilda bounced out of the blocks by kicking 6 goals before Richmond could get one on the board and while it was a comfortable win, it was a gutsy effort by Richmond. Milne kicked 5 goals and is really keeping his side in the top four in St Nicks absence with Kosi again struggling in his 150th.

Jack Riewoldt again kicked a bag for Richmond and after some indifferent form at the start of the season, he is playing brilliantly and his contested marking is a real treat to watch.

Carlton defeated Melbourne by 41 points

Carlton did what St Kilda did and kicked a bag before Melbourne could catch their breathe and get settled in and while they managed to sneak back to an 18 point deficit it was game over. Gysberts again led disposals for his team with 27 along with Moloney, Morton and Grimes their best. Green again lead his teams goal kicking with three while Bate, Watts & Sylvia continue to struggle up forward.

Judd was kept to 16 possessions to 3/4 time been held quiet by Demons captain McDonald but then he stepped up a blistering final quarter to help Carlton step up and break the game apart. Houlihan had four goals but the interesting talking point would be Betts taking the side of his Indeginous opposition than his team mates who ruffled Davey’s feathers.

Adelaide defeated Fremantle by 23 points

Fremantle were robbed and it cost them the game. The first decision was when Ballantyne soccered a ball in the goal square and then Fyfe finished it off but after being talked out of it by the crowd they over turned the decision. Then Adelaide went back and kicked an easy goal from the kick off and the game was lost. So what could have been a two goal game became a four goal game!

Do not take it away from Adelaide though as they did beat Fremantle at their own game, they out tackled and pressured Fremantle into a fumbling mess. While Edwards had 30+ possessions and 2 goals, the biggest brightest lights was Thompson returning to form but also the young guys in Sloane, Mackay, Davis, Walker and Petrenko who stepped up.

The question must be asked, do Adelaide need a player to retire to play with spirit?

North Melbourne defeated Brisbane by 1 point

North lead all match except for a gap of 2 odd minutes in the last five minutes of the final quarter when they managed to steal the lead. Then one of the unknown Kangaroo youngsters Levi Greenwood kicked a floater that had to be guided by the football gods as no way should that have sneaked through the goals.

Hansen at CHF took several solid contested marks which will please the Roos as they cannot continue to rely on ruckman playing forward. Harvey continues to shine in his old age but along with Hansen, Swallow, Lower, Ziebell and Batsinac all young kids are showing the necessary promise.

Voss’ team have some serious issues at the moment, they lost five games in a row and should have lost last week. As seen in the second halfs of both games they can play brilliant exciting football but they really need to close the gap of their best and worst football.

Geelong defeated West Coast by 24 points

West Coast hit Geelong hard with a game plan that will please their fans but have them scratching their head wondering why they cannot play like that each week.

It took several whacks by Enright & JPod for the precious Geelong midfielders to stop having a cry about their treatment and to get on top of their opponents. Cox and Nit Nat dominated the ruck contest with Blake again struggling and Hawkins out. At the end of the day it was down to Harly in the backline, Chapman smashing the game apart with 35 odd possessions and Byrnes down forward with four goals to sneak away to a solid win.

Kennedy and LeCras again kicked the majority of their teams goals but this week they had McKinley kick three and Beau Waters playing his best game in his short injury hit career.

Hawthorn defeated Port Adelaide by 11 points

This game was a perfect example of how both teams are struggling this year to play consistent football for four quarters and week in/ week out. Yes both have had winning streaks but both have had big loosing streaks and lost games against under performing sides.

Port are really struggling to kick a goal with only two in a half following their debacle last weekend. Being 5 goals behind they decided to turn it on with a brilliant third quarter to get back into the game and even managing to sneak in front briefly.

Hodge can be a brilliant kick but then he has times when his pin point kicking goes missing with 1 goal and 5 behinds. Osborne stepped up in Buddys absence with two goals and brilliant plays.

Sydney defeated Essendon by 9 points

Sydney are a side to reckon with when playing at the SCG and when their opponents loose key players before and during the match. After four losses in a row Sydney got some good fortune in a good old fashioned slog.

The game saw 15 lead changes and the biggest lead all game was the end game margin. Mumford is fast showing why Geelong was dirty on him leaving and that allowed Bolton and O’Keefe to step up and match Watson in a great midfield battle.

This is a game that got away for Essendon as they where just making up some ground and with Geelong next week, it could be the start of another losing streak.

Collingwood defeated Western Bulldogs by 10 points

Will the real Collingwood and Bulldog team please stand up? I thought these two are the ones who would challenge Geelong?

Collingwood played some game breaking football with a second and third quarter goal feast and kicked 13 goals yet could only manage 1.4 in a quarter when the Dogs put pressure on them.

Didak and Davis kicked three each but I liked the games of Brown who played Lake well and was able to kick two of his own. Swan and Pendlebury both managed over 30 possessions with Thomas (28 possessions) continuing his good season of form.

For the Dogs it was a game to forget for Lake who was well held along with Gia and Higgins injured himself on the crap Dome turf. Boyd, Cooney had plenty of the ball with Hall kicking four, I also liked the game of Minson who managed to kick 3 resting forward.

Top Ladder after Round 11

1. Geelong: 36 points – 152.56%
2. Collingwood: 32 points – 127.91%
3. St Kilda: 32 points – 125.19%
4. Fremantle: 32 points – 122.51%
5. Carlton: 28 points – 116.32%
6. Western Bulldogs: 24 points – 123.31%
7. Sydney: 24 points – 107.26%
8. Hawthorn: 20 points – 96.87%

Round 11 Talking points

1. Will Waite be suspended for bumming Bate? What about Enrights late bump on Adam Selwood & Sandilands bump while in a marking contest?
   • To me Enright is the only player who could be in any trouble as the rest of the bumps are fair.
2. Has the AFL gone soft with every bump being sighted by the Match Review?
   • Yes
3. Is it just sour grapes that the big money earners in Judd & Riewoldt are sooking about the rugby players getting big bucks?
   • I find it laughable that Judd would have an opinion on this situation as he was payed the most by third party deals before them.
4. Is it fair that the AFL would help out Essendon with extra money for his salary if they sign Inglis like they have with Gold Coast  GWS?
   • No, if Essendon or some other established club wants a piece of the rugby pie, they should have to pay for the ‘extra’ out of their own pocket.
5. It seems like no team (besides Geelong) can play solid football week in/ week out with most teams either in a loosing streak or just snapping out of one. Does this make the season exciting?
   • Think it would be more exciting if every team including Geelong had the same form slumps, that would make it exciting.
6. What do you think of Betts friendly pat after his team mates ruffled Davey’s feathers?
   • I do think its a storm in a tea cup but I think the friendly pat should have waited until after the game.
7. Are Carlton more of a realistic chance of making an impact in the finals than the Bulldogs?
   • One Kick2Kick fan says their premiership window has been closed and in looking a their form so far, you get the feeling he may be right. To me they lack leadership from one of the next generation players (Higgins, Cooney, Gia, Murphy etc) who can stand up and win the game of his own foot.

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