AFL 2024: Key SuperCoach takeaways, relive all the action from Super Sunday, round 23
Maybe we shouldn’t be in such a rush to offload our SuperCoach cash cows next year after forgotten cheapies exploded on Sunday. See the key takeaways and relive all the action.
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It was a day of thrashings in the AFL world as Hawthorn’s 63-point win over Richmond proved to be the narrowest margin of the day on Sunday.
With finals on the line for all of the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Carlton, all three sides were emphatic.
The Dogs trounced North by 96 points at Marvel while Carlton rallied despite its lengthy injury list and lack of tall timber to run riot against the Eagles in a 65-point victory.
The Three Takeaways
GRAND SAM
Forwards will be even harder to pick in SuperCoach next year than they were this year with the likes of Isaac Heeney, Sam Flanders and Dayne Zorko set to lose FWD status.
But keep Sam Darcy in mind. Still just 21, the 208cm father-son’s talent was on full display in a seven-goal starring role against the Kangaroos. Unfortunately his ownership is now under 20,000 after peaking mid-season at over 80,000.
MASS EXODUS
After another week of carnage, many coaches would have wished they had saved more trades during the year. Hanging onto players like Darcy, Joel Freijah (136 points) and Massimo D’Ambrosio (110) would have delivered a double bonus. D’Ambrosio’s ownership peaked at 106,000 in round 4 but now stands at 29,000. Many of those trades came after back-to-back scores of 44 and 52 in rounds 8 and 9, but since then he has scored under 90 twice in 13 games and gone 110, 100, 110 in his past three. They would be very handy numbers in a sudden death SuperCoachfinal.
CLASSY CRIPPS
If Carlton’s season is on the line, you may as well go ahead and chuck the ‘c’ on Patrick Cripps. The Blues needed a hero against West Coast and Cripps stood head and shoulders above the rest to finish with 35 disposals, 21 contested possessions, 12 score involvements and 10 clearances. Oh, and did we mention 142 SuperCoach points?
Given the inconsistent form of plenty of top-line midfielders this season, you could’ve done far worse than pick Cripps for the run home. Since round 16 he has surpassed 140 on three occasions and only dropped below 114 twice. His ownership sits at just 10 per cent which is a far cry from years gone by.
Scroll down to recap all the Sunday action and analysis from our live blog.
7:20pm: FULL-TIME EAGLES VS BLUES
It was a barnstorming blitz from the boys in navy blue as they crushed West Coast by 65 points on their own turf despite carrying a 17-man injury list.
The back-to-back first AFL goals of Jaxon Binns and Ashton Moir in the final quarter were some of the many highlights.
Patrick Cripps put the Blues on his back in a display so typical of the skipper that bleeds navy blue given his side’s season was on the line. It was another monster score of 143 in a high-scoring SuperCoach round.
Harley Reid showed glimpses of his brilliance but it was a real ‘almost’ game from the young gun. Twice he blazed out of the centre square only to kick a behind - and burn a few forwards in the process - but he’s going to be a serious player and finished on 97 SuperCoach points.
Sam Walsh put in a solid shift for 99 points, while Elliott Yeo finished on 115 and Zac Williams 80 after leaving the field late with what turned out to be a hamstring complaint.
7:01pm: MOIRGNIFICANT
I’ve been sitting on the above pun for some time given it’s also the name of my SuperCoach team, but that was some finish from debutant Ashton Moir. He took his first steps onto an AFL field just minutes earlier but he looks to be right at home, directing the Sherrin between the sticks after taking a swing at it in mid-air for his first AFL goal. Spectacular!
On a sour note for Carlton, Zac Williams has headed down to the room clutching at his back and it appears he’ll play no further part today. The last thing the Blues need is another injury. He had been is discomfort since at least the third term.
6:57pm: BINNS!
The onslaught continues and Jaxon Binns has kicked his first AFL goal fo r the Blues. It was a beauty too as he launched it on the run from 45 metres out and it swung back perfectly.
The lead is out to 61 points for Carlton and they’ve conceded just one goal since the first quarter. What a showing from an injury-ravaged group that were the supposed outsiders heading into the clash.
Carlton's Jaxon Binns kicks his first AFL goal!
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) August 18, 2024
📺 Watch #AFLEaglesBlues LIVE on ch. 504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/C09CBVNLUI
âœï¸ BLOG https://t.co/rz2ThDKJFf
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/YUhiJ6Ebyipic.twitter.com/XsVUXekl69
TOP BINNS! #AFLEaglesBlues
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) August 18, 2024
6:49pm: DURDIN SUBBED OUT
Ashton Moir has been injected into the game for his AFL debut after Corey Durdin was subbed out with a shoulder injury.
Moir was presented his jersey by Blues great Stephen Kernahan pre-game.
Special 💙
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) August 18, 2024
Sticks and David Rhys-Jones presented our debutants with their playing guernseys pre-game pic.twitter.com/4DKB5cDuSx
6:45pm: THREE-QUARTER-TIME EAGLES VS BLUES
Patrick Cripps had 30 disposals and 19 contested possessions. No, that’s not his full-time stat line, rather his three-quarter-time one. He also has a whopping 119 SuperCoach points already. What a performance.
Popular SuperCoach options Sam Walsh (75 points), Harley Reid (76), Elliott Yeo (83) and Zac Williams (70) are all tracking okay.
6:37pm: DURDIN INJURY
Blues livewire Corey Durdin has been taken into the rooms with what appears to be a dislocated shoulder. He looks to be in significant pain.
6:35pm: EAGLES MAKE SUB
Jack Williams has been subbed out in place of speedster Jack Petruccelle. It was a tactical move.
6:33pm: BLUE BONANZA
After Brodie Kemp’s third major the Blues have kicked the past five goals of the game and it would take nothing short of a disaster to lose from here.
Matt Owies also has three goals and Carlton’s lead is beyond 55 points.
It's a Blues Fest in Perth 🔵
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) August 18, 2024
📺 Watch #AFLEaglesBlues LIVE on ch. 504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/C09CBVNLUI
âœï¸ BLOG https://t.co/rz2ThDKJFf
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/YUhiJ6Ebyipic.twitter.com/I7Et9aivDW
6:18pm: PERFECT BOUNCE
The Blues have responded to West Coast’s quick start this quarter with two goals of their own in less than two minutes through Zac Williams and then Matt Owies.
Owies snapped out of the pack from 40 metres out and his kick dribbled with a deft bend enough to work its way around the Eagles defender yet squeeze inside the post.
Carlton lead by 35 points.
6:11pm: CRIPPS BREAKS DROUGHT
West Coast has its first goal since the 17-minute mark of the opening term thanks to a centimetre-perfect finish from Jamie Cripps in his 250th game. The Eagles have come out all guns blazing after Harley Reid burst out of the centre square from the first bounce but could only manage a behind.
6:09pm: LIVE LADDER
Carlton is in the eight on the live ladder, knocking Fremantle into ninth spot if it can go on and win this.Today’s two winners - the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn - also leapfrogged the Dockers, who look like they will have to beat Port Adelaide in the final game of the home-and-away season to make the eight.
A Blues win is bad news for Collingwood, effectively knocking them out of the finals unless they can make up a huge percentage gap next week.
6:00pm: FULL-TIME: HAWKS BY PLENTY
This is the kind of ceiling game Dylan Moore’s owners were hoping for in prelim final week.Hawthorn had this one in the bag after a breathtaking first-quarter blitz when they kicked seven goals in six minutes.
The only sour note is a suspected collarbone injury to Will Day, who was subbed out early in the game with just 10 SuperCoach points.
5:50pm: HALF-TIME EAGLES VS BLUES
Patrick Cripps and George Hewett were at the fore of Carlton’s charge as the Blues held West Coast scoreless in the second term.
Cripps had 21 disposals and 85 SuperCoach points while Hewett has 20 and 70.
Harley Reid - despite one out of bounds on the full clanger - has stood tall for the Eagles thus far and has 59 SuperCoach points, while Carlton’s Sam Walsh had a quieter second term and is sitting on 52 points.
Elliot Yeo has 46 points, Zac Williams has 39.
5:48pm: ANOTHER HAWK DOWN
Jai Newcombe is the latest Hawthorn casualty, getting up very sore after Noah Balta planted a knee in his back in a marking contest. He takes a seat on the bench, but only after setting up the Hawks’ 17th goal with a bomb to Jack Gunston in the goalsquare.
Jack Scrimshaw is also done for the day with a finger concern.
5:46pm: EAGLE PAIN
West Coast had the ball at the top of the 50m arc and their first points of the quarter beckoned - until Jack Darling cleaned up Mitch McGovern off the ball and a free kick was awarded to Carlton.
Everything that can go wrong, is going wrong for the Eagles it feels.
5:40pm: FIVE IN A ROW
Carlton is on fire, with Matt Owies the benefactor of a downfield free kick and he converted the set shot from 35m out coolly. The Eagles have been their own worst enemy at times biting off more than they can chew with their ball movement.
That goal made it eight scoring shots to zero for Carlton in the second term and the lead is out to 25 points. West Coast are still yet to register a point since the 17-minute mark of the first term.
5:34pm: BLUE GRIT
After a slow start the Blues have rallied with their season on the line. Over a quarter has now elapsed since Jake Waterman kicked West Coast’s second midway through the opening term. Since that point the Eagles have been scoreless while Carlton has kicked four goals and nine total scores.
Patrick Cripps - as he so often does - has put the team on his back and already has 19 disposals and 67 SuperCoach points with seven minutes to play until half-time. Warrior.
5:30pm: THREE QUARTER-TIME HAWKS VS TIGERS
Richmond got the margin back to 34 points but Hawthorn kicked the last two goals of the third quarter to extend the margin.
Dylan Moore going large is the big story from a SuperCoach perspective.
5:18pm: KEMP ON FIRE
After slotting a major just before the break, Brodie Kemp has kicked another goal early in the second term to extend the Blues’ lead to eight points and join Jake Waterman as a dual goal-kicker early in the Optus Stadium clash.
5:15pm: QUARTER-TIME EAGLES VS BLUES
Carlton has rallied late to take a two-point lead into quarter-time after Brodie Kemp’s goal in the fading moments of the quarter.
For much of the opening term Carlton were kicking the footy high inside 50 and hoping but adapted to their lack of targets late in the term and cashed in on some smarter entries.
Patrick Cripps was rewarded for his red-hot start in SuperCoach after racking up five touches in the opening minutes to finish the quarter on 33 points at Optus Stadium. His right-hand man Sam Walsh also enjoyed a strong start to match Cripps on 33.
Cripps’ opposing number nine Harley Reid has been going toe-to-toe with the midfield bull in a tantalising match-up and has 24 points, as does Elliott Yeo.
5:03pm: BLUES FIRE
With a touch over four minutes to play in the opening quarter Carlton finally has its first goal of the day against West Coast.
Carlton’s inside 50 entries have been poor for the most part against West Coast as the lack of tall timber - with Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow and Tom De Koning all missing - has allowed the Eagles to pluck off their high-ball entries with ease.
Matt Kennedy was the opening goal-scorer and the goal came courtesy of a chaotic surge mentality where the ball was willed forward until it found Kennedy in enough space to dribble it through.
5:01pm: WHERE’S SICILY?
James Sicily’s past three scores against Richmond are 147, 171 and 141. Early in the third quarter he has 18 points to his name. The ball hasn’t been in Hawthorn’s defence a lot but he can’t get near it.
And to make his day even dirtier Jacob Bauer just jumped over the top of him to take this spectacular grab.
Jacob Bauer got UP!#AFLHawksTigerspic.twitter.com/J37MNoogpy
— AFL (@AFL) August 18, 2024
4:58pm: WATERMAN DOUBLES UP
Jake Waterman has added a second goal to his and the Eagles tally this afternoon.
Carlton had one nice passage of end-to-end play early but aside from that its worrying signs for the Blues early who trail by two goals.
4:52pm: WATERMAN GOAL
The Eagles have the first goal of the game courtesy of a classy set shot finish from Jake Waterman. The goal was Waterman’s 50th of the season and the Eagles now have a five-point lead over Carlton early.
Almost nine minutes of play have elapsed in the opening term and both sides had wasted early opportunities.
4:45pm: GO TIME FOR BLUES
Carlton’s must-win game against the Eagles is underway in Perth, with Patrick Cripps and Harley Reid going head-to-head in the centre square.
There are no late changes to either team. Jack Petruccelle is West Coast’s sub while Ashton Moir has the vest for Carlton.
4:33pm: HALFTIME AT THE MCG
Richmond actually had the momentum for the second half of that quarter, kicking the last four goals of the half. A flying shot by Shai Bolton on the siren that just missed could have made things interesting. But this is still Hawthorn’s game to lose.
4:17pm: TIGERS PUTTING UP A FIGHT
You couldn’t call it a comeback but at least Richmond is making a game of it in the second term. Noah Balta has kicked the last two goals of the game, and the margin is only two points more than it was at the first change.
Jai Newcombe is on track to crack 100 SuperCoach points by halftime and Dylan Moore is also having a huge game for his 34,000 owners in SuperCoach prelim final week.
4:00pm: QUARTER-TIME AT THE MCG
Hawthorn takes a 50-point lead into the first change after an absolutely dominant first quarter. The only bad news was Will Day being subbed out after hurting his shoulder.
Not many Tigers on this list!
3:50pm: DOGS WIN BY PLENTY
Sam Darcy has missed a shot after the siren from 50, but the Bulldogs have done their finals hope a massive boost after accounting for the Roos by 96 points under the lid at Marvel.
Darcy was lining up for goal number eight and a three-figure margin, but the miss doesn’t take anything away from a dominant performance from both Darcy and the Dogs.
Adam Treloar had another 30 touches, while Ed Richards, Marcus Bontempelli and Joel Freijah also dominated, setting up a mouth-watering clash with the GWS next weekend in Ballarat.
3:47pm: HAWKS EYE PERCENTAGE BOOST
Hawthorn is playing at a level that will make other finalists nervous, with this result almost beyond doubt well before quarter-time. Some early stats:
Inside 50s 19-4, scoring shots 11-1, centre clearances 8-1, marks inside 50 8-0.
Jai Newcombe has 70 SuperCoach points. Dion Prestia is the leading Tiger with 31.
The Hawks have kicked seven goals in six minutes of game time 🔥#AFLHawksTigerspic.twitter.com/eIrImHa7JZ
— AFL (@AFL) August 18, 2024
3:40pm: DOGS TAKE MARGIN OVER 100
Rory Lobb appears done for the day at Marvel Stadium, just sitting an on an exercise bike ticking the legs over after picking up a few knocks. Sensing the occasion, Luke Beveridge has kept Sam Darcy forward in a hunt for more goals and has thrust Buku Khamis into the ruck. Darcy has seven goals and has come to the bench for a spell.
3:30pm: HAWKS INJURY ALERT
A big story early at the MCG with Will Day going down into the rooms with a shoulder injury. He copped some friendly fire from Jai Newcombe in the middle.
Things are looking much better on the scoreboard for the Hawks. Richmond kicked the first goal of the game through Rhyan Mansell but the Hawks have gone bang, bang, bang, bang in quick time since then.
3:15pm: THREE QUARTER-TIME
What a performance from Sam Darcy. He kicked three goals in that quarter to take his tally to six for the game, four of them from huge contested marks. He is still just 21 and could be anything. Not bad for a father-son pick!
One player who has missed the Dogs party is Bailey Dale. He has had a great season but bombed last week with just 45 SuperCoach points, and he’s on 43 at three quarter-time from 10 disposals. Is the return of Caleb Daniel to the side hurting his numbers?
Since quarter-time the Dogs have kicked 11.12 to North Melbourne’s 1.1. Ouch.
3:05pm: KANGAROOS CARNAGE
Miller Bergman, who was subbed on for Charlie Comben (concussion), is out of the game with concussion.
Comben has been taken to hospital,.North says it’s a precautionary move.
2:57pm: SAM DARCY WOW
Sam Darcy is tearing this game to shreds.
He has just taken two huge marks and converted both to make it SIX goals for the day – and we still have some time to play until three quarter-time.
He leads all SuperCoach scorers with 110 points, while Ed Richards is also having a huge game.
The scoreboard is getting very ugly if you’re a North Melbourne fan – the Kangaroos’ last goal came at the 25-minute mark of the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Rhylee West has been subbed off. Jack Macrae is into the game.
2:30pm: HALFTIME
If you’re one of the 37,000 SuperCoaches who traded out Zac Fisher in the past month, look away now. He missed most of that time but he would be amazing cover now for injured stars including teammate Harry Sheezel, and Fisher is making the most of Sheezel’s absence with an equal game-high 19 disposals in the first half.
Marcus Bontempelli just missed the top 10 with 48 points at halftime.
2:25pm: FINAL TEAMS FOR HAWKS v TIGERS
There are no late changes for the second game of the day.
Luke Breust will start as Hawthorn’s sub again while Kamdyn McIntosh is Richmond’s starting sub.
2:17pm: WHO NEEDS PREMOS?
Two popular mid-season rookies – who most SuperCoaches traded out weeks ago with the aim of attaining a full-premium team – are dominating the SuperCoach scoring at Marvel Stadium.
Joel Freijah has 15 disposals and 74 SuperCoach points approaching halftime, while Sam Darcy just slotted his third goal to go with six marks and 70 SuperCoach points.
2:05pm: BONT LIFTING
Marcus Bontempelli has found another gear in the second quarter, moving to 35 SuperCoach points – but it’s a day of almosts so far.
After hitting the post in the first term he sprayed a snap from close range this quarter and had a good case for a free kick denied after a clumsy Kangaroos spoil at the top of the goalsquare.
He also missed points for a score assist after a perfect pass to Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, who kicked it out on the full.
Ugle-Hagan has taken the game of the scruff of the neck since then, kicking three second-quarter goals to give the Dogs a healthy lead.
Meanwhile, Charlie Comben has been subbed off with concussion after that huge first-quarter collision. Miller Bergman is on the ground.
1:47pm: QUARTER-TIME
The Bulldogs are winning the hitouts 9-7 but that isn’t stopping Tristan Xerri powering to another big SuperCoach score. He already has six disposals, three tackles, two contested marks and a goal.
Marcus Bontempelli has been strangely quiet with just four touches so far.
1:31pm: BONT BLOWS HIS LINES
Marcus Bontempelli is the captain of choice for 44 per cent of SuperCoaches ranked in the top 10 per cent of the overall rankings – and he’s had a slow start with just three disposals, including a shot on goal that hit the post.
Just the nine SuperCoach points for Bont closing on quarter-time. Joel Freijah is the leading scorer on the ground with 34.
1:28pm: COMBEN CLEANED UP
Charlie Comben is playing on but I don’t know how after he was knocked into next week by Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Comben was running back with the flight of the ball and ran headlong into a charging Ugle-Hagan – who had his eyes on the footy.
Will keep an eye on that to see if the docs want to take another look at the North defender.
UPDATE: Trainers are now helping Comben off the ground – with what looks like a leg injury.
big collision between Ugle-Hagan and Comben going back with the flight #AFLDogsRoospic.twitter.com/7Yet5IN9Sf
— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) August 18, 2024
Quick question: How is Comben still alive after that collision #AFLDogsNorth
— Ricky Mangidis (@rickm18) August 18, 2024
1:18pm: XERRI RIPE
Tristan Xerri hasn’t had it all his own way in the early ruck stoushes – so he wanders forward and outmarks Lobb and Liam Jones 15m out from goal, and slots it.
North Melbourne has started well.
1:11pm: FIRST BOUNCE
Rory Lobb is taking the first centre bounce of the game against Tristan Xerri.
Lobb has been excellent in a new role as an intercept defender in recent weeks but has been sent to the centre square to cover for Tim English.
Sam Darcy is stationed deep forward – and that is working early with a big contested mark and goal.
Sam Darcy held on! 🙌@VirginAustralia | #AFLDogsRoospic.twitter.com/S0AD2KOHpG
— AFL (@AFL) August 18, 2024
12:30pm: WHAT IT ALL MEANS
The top four and top eight are still wide open with 12 games left to play in the home-and-away season.
Geelong and Brisbane both missed chances to lock in a top-four spot yesterday while Fremantle could still miss the finals altogether after losing to GWS.
The Dockers face Port Adelaide in the final game of the season next weekend and will likely go into that game outside the eight, with the Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Carlton all favoured to overtake them today.
Given the Bulldogs’ excellent percentage, they can guarantee a top-eight spot if they defeat North Melbourne. Lose today and they would likely have to beat GWS in Ballarat next week to make it.
Hawthorn is in a similar position although with a weaker percentage, potentially making the Hawks vulnerable if Carlton scores a big win over West Coast – but given the Blues’ injury list, just getting the four points will be difficult enough. A fixture against North Melbourne next week would also give Hawk fans confidence, while the Blues final challenge is against St Kilda – which just knocked off the Cats.
That leaves Collingwood. The Magpies’ season is alive with a round to go after another insane comeback win against the Lions. A lot would have to go right for the premiers to play finals – but it’s far from impossible.
The Pies can’t afford for Carlton to win another game, so there will be a lot of Collingwood fans barracking hard for West Coast today, and the Saints next week. Then all they need to do is take care of Melbourne next Friday night – and hope the Dockers lose to the Power at home.
Easy, right?
12:20pm: FINAL TEAMS
There are no late changes for the Dogs or Roos.
Jack Macrae has been putting up some ridiculous numbers in the VFL, and has been rewarded by being named the Bulldogs’ sub.
Miller Bergman will start as the sub for North Melbourne.
Originally published as AFL 2024: Key SuperCoach takeaways, relive all the action from Super Sunday, round 23
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