Chris McDermott’s Team of the Week Round 21: Jack Riewoldt the ripper
JACK Riewoldt played the starring role, but there is double trouble for opponents in the Richmond forward line. See who made this week’s team of the week, including two Crows and a Power regular and blog live with Bone at 12.30pm today.
BOY oh boy. It took until Round 21, but Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt has turned back the clock to produce one of the great games from a full forward for many years. Maybe a decade.
Riewoldt had an incredible 26 disposals for his 10.6 haul with one goal assist, while taking 14 marks, 12 of them inside 50
Lucky he didn’t kick straight. For the Gold Coast that is.
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It was one of the best individual performances of the season. If not the best.
Richmond remains the clear premiership favourites and clearly has more options to score than any other team.
If Riewoldt doesn’t get you Josh Caddy will.
Caddy also makes this weeks team playing great foil to Riewoldt, and kicking 4.2.
Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey was back near his best again after his four-goal haul while Essendon livewire Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti secured his place kicking five as his team easily disposed of the Saints.
On the home front, Crows defenders Alex Keath and Brodie Smith and Port Adelaide hard nut Tom Jonas all made this week’s team despite heartbreaking losses that have dented their finals hopes.
The Crows’ season is over after their loss to GWS but Alex Keath makes the team for round 21 after a sound defensive job on Jeremy Cameron, holding the key forward to just two very lucky, almost fluky goals.
Brodie Smith earned his place on a half back flank in just his second game back from a knee reconstruction gathering 29 possessions at just under 80 per cent efficiency.
The Power’s season rests on a knife’s edge after their loss to the West Coast on the last kick of the game.
Tom Jonas was a rock in defence, chopping off Eagles attacks at will but he lacked enough support around him to influence the result.
In other significant performances, Patrick Dangerfield was back to his best with 40 possessions, a round high 26 of them contested but it wasn’t enough to secure an important win for the Cats against Hawks.
Shaun Burgoyne was at his versatile best for the Hawks laying an amazing 13 tackles, while teammate James Worpel — this week’s AFL Rising Star — also makes the team following up his excellent game last week with another courageous, match-winning effort against Geelong.
Special mention to Swans utility Isaac Heeney after his brilliant last quarter against Melbourne.
Heeney went to defence and took the mark of the season as Sydney held on grimly despite a host of injuries — including another devastating knee injury to Alex Johnson — to hang on by just nine points.
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