Chris McDermott’s Team of the week: Crows, Eagles start to fly higher
RECAP BLOG: This weeks’s team has an All-Australian feel to it after some excellent performances in Round 17 from several players who have put their names in the selectors’ notebooks for the 2018 team.
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The AFL’s biggest stars came out to play in round 17 as the stakes lifted noticeably and some of the premiership contenders were handed a reality check.
The Crows gave Geelong a wake-up call and finished what was a significant week for the club on the best possible note.
Rory Sloane went from star off-the-field to shero on-the-fieldo and inspired his team to a gutsy win by gathering plenty of the ball and kicking a long-bomb goal that sent the big crowd at Adelaide Oval into a frenzy.
Rory Laird continued his sensational season and did his All-Australian chances no harm grabbing a career-high 43 disposals at 86 percent
The Crows had three players in this week’s team, with returning forward Tom Lynch’s four goals and traditional hard-working performance enough to earn him a place in attack.
In what was a disappointing outing for the Cats, key-forward Tom Hawkins was their only player to make the TOTW with a dominant performance in attack kicking four goals.
It was a far different story for the Power, turning what looked to be a regulation win into a shock and costly defeat.
The Power lost Paddy Ryder and Robbie Gray to injury and only Jared Polec’ s hard running game off a wing was enough to earn a berth this week.
Polec ran long and hard gathering 26 possessions, four rebounds and three inside 50’s trying to inspire his team but it fell on deaf ears.
It was a weekend for the small forwards with Swans Ben Ronke back to his best kicking five goals and North Melbourne skipper Jack Ziebell doing likewise for the Kangaroos.
Melbourne bigman Max Gawn turned Brownlow medal favourite after a three-vote performance against the Western Bulldogs while Brisbane journeyman Josh Walker makes the team for the first time in his career after his strong performance in defence in the Lions win over Hawthorn.
The TOTW defence looks the strongest it has all season with West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern at centre-half back after his best-on-ground performance against Collingwood gathering 22 disposals and taking 12 marks.
Eagles team-mate Shannon Hurn is in a back pocket as he closed in on All Australian selection with 25 disposals, 11 marks and eight rebounds.while Essendon’s Michael Hurley holds down fullback after another strong game against the Gold Coast Suns.
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