Every AFL finals contenders’ worst loss of 2018
EVERY AFL club has a loss in 2018 that could cost them a crucial finals seeding or even a spot in the eight, but for Essendon fans, this one hurt more than most. WORST LOSSES
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FROM Round 1 stinkers that no one’s given a second thought to after-the-siren misses that cost dearly, these are the losses (and a draw) the AFL’s remaining finals contenders will rue most.
UNLUCKY: THE FOOTY STARS CRUELLED BY INJURY
COMMENTARY: SAINTS’ LINE IN THE SAND, CHRIS SCOTT’S WHACK
*Richmond and West Coast get a pass mark. They are the deserved top two right now and you’re never going to win them all.
GWS Giants
Round 5: St Kilda 10.13 (73) drew with GWS 9.19 (73)
Top-of-the-table before the game, GWS sputtered in front of goal, booting 19 behinds in a dismal effort against a Saints’ side that had won just one of its first four games. The Giants went up by three goals midway through the final term and then went to sleep, a late Jade Gresham snag stealing a share of the points. The controversy came on virtually the last contest of the game when Jake Carlisle was manhandled by Giants captain Phil Davis, but the umpire kept his whistle in his pocket, denying the Saints a chance to win it. The draw could well cost the Giants a home final.
Hawthorn
Round 9: Brisbane 20.9 (129) d Hawthorn 11.7 (73)
Round 17: Hawthorn 9.11 (65) lost to Brisbane 15.8 (98)
The Hawks were whacked by Brisbane in their first clash in Round 9, led by defected four-time premiership captain Luke Hodge. But it was the Tassie debacle that really sticks out. Hodge missed the game and the Lions had won in Tasmania only once in eight attempts. But the Hawks were brought undone by another ex-man in Lions coach Chris Fagan, who picked apart Alastair Clarkson’s game plan with ruthless efficiency. Had the Hawks dealt with a side that, for all intents and purposes, it should have had no problems with, top-two could have been almost assured.
Collingwood
Round 20: Sydney 11.7 (73) d Collingwood 10.11 (71)
The Pies have had a remarkable season, given the injury woes that have robbed them of a swag of stars and forced them to blood a number of kids — the majority of whom have stood up under pressure. There is no shame in losing to Sydney, but the two-point result — on a last minute goal from young Swan Tom McCartin — dropped the Pies from third to sixth. The loss has so much gravity, because it could be the difference between a top-four finish and missing the finals completely.
Sydney
Round 18: Sydney 8.16 (64) lost to Gold Coast 12.16 (88)
In what might just be the biggest boilover in AFL history, Sydney booted six of the first seven goals of the match to take a 29-point lead into quarter time. They then stayed in the SCG sheds as Gold Coast — which had never beaten Sydney in eight previous tries — had their way, booting 11 goals to two after the first break, holding Lance Franklin goalless in the process. A win would have pulled the Swans a game clear in fourth. Instead, they went out and lost to the Bombers the next week and fell out of the top 8. As if the loss wasn’t bad enough, the Suns went out next week and lost to bottom-of-the-table Carlton — at home.
Melbourne
Round 15: Melbourne 18.9 (117) lost to St Kilda 18.11 (119)
The Dees have had a couple of bad ones, surrendering a five-goal lead against the Cats in Round 18 and then kicking themselves out of the clash against Sydney on the weekend, but the two-point loss ranks as the one that could prove most disastrous to their top four — or even finals hopes. The Demons were thoroughly outclassed by a Saint Kilda side that had just snapped an 11-week losing streak. Three late goals made it interesting, but the result was deserved. Very Melbourne-y.
Dishonourable mentions:
Round 18: Geelong 16.4 (100) beat Melbourne 14.14 (98)
Round 21: Melbourne 10.18 (78) lost to Sydney 13.9 (87)
Port Adelaide
Round 17: Dockers 8.11 (59) d Port 7.8 (50)
Port has played some pretty ugly footy in 2018, prizing defence over kicking goals, but this one against the Dockers takes the cake. Port butchered the footy throughout as the Dockers opened up a 22 point with 15 minutes to go in the match. The Power charged late, but the game was already cooked, leaving Ken Hinkley’s men to rue a missed opportunity to bed down a spot in the top 4. Port had excuses — Robbie Gray was knocked out in a tackle by Ryan Nyhuis and Paddy Ryder hurt his hip — but a side with top-four aspirations should deal with a Dockers’ side that is treading water in the bottom half.
Geelong
Round 15: Bulldogs 16.7 (103) d Geelong 15.11 (101)
The Cats have been an enigma this season, looking at times like a premiership contender and at others a bottom-feeder. But a Harry Taylor after-the-siren miss threatens to ruin their aspirations. The Dogs had lost their past five and were expected to be no match for the Cats. But it was quite the opposite from the first bounce, as the Dogs matched Geelong’s star-studded midfield and basically went goal-for-goal in one of the most entertaining clashes of the season. A Gary Ablett goal with 30 seconds to go reduced the margin to two points and gave the Cats a sniff and then Taylor plucked one, but his set shot from 40m out went awry. The Cats, right now, are a game out of the top eight and face a scenario where even if they win their last two clashes, they could still miss the finals. #Regret
North Melbourne
Round 1: Suns 7.13 (55) d North 5.9 (39)
Who says Round 1 doesn’t mean anything? The only thing anyone remembers about this season-opener is the monsoonal Cairns weather that turned Cazalys Stadium into a swimming pool. In a game where goals were nearly impossible to come by, the Kangas allowed the Suns to boot four in the second quarter, before they did the same in the third, setting up a grand stand finish. But there was nothing grand about it for the Roos, who failed to kick a goal after the last break. North is a game out of the top eight and, while the weekend’s loss to the Dogs was a brutal blow, the Round 1 result that no one’s given a second thought could prove fatal.
Dishonourable mention:
Round 21: North 12.13 (85) lost to Bulldogs 13.14 (92)
Essendon
Round 8: Carlton 14.7 (91) d Essendon 10.18 (78)
Well, where do you start with the Bombers? Losing to Freo and the Bulldogs is bad, but that Round 8 stinker against the old enemy will stick with red and black fans for a long, long time. Carlton had started the season 0-7 and were not expected to trouble the Dons. But trouble them, they did, controlling the game from start to finish, a Charlie Curnow masterclass busting things open in the third term, leading to Essendon fans burning club merchandise. The loss spurred the Bombers, who came out and beat Geelong and then GWS in the ensuing weeks to kickstart their season. Essendon is now a game and percentage out of the eight. Win all three of those games and they are third...
#burnthesash pic.twitter.com/E26TAx12nI
— adrian (@ajs071) May 12, 2018
Dishonourable mentions:
Round Two: Dockers 16.10 (106) d Essendon 14.6 (90)
Round Three: Bulldogs 14.20 (104) d Essendon 12.11 (83)
Adelaide
Round 12: Dockers 10.11 (71) d Adelaide 9.14 (68)
From Grand Finalists to missing the finals all together. That’s the reality for Adelaide. But a different result against Fremantle in Round 12 and they would have still been in the mix. The unlikely Brennan Cox destroyed the Crows, booting four goals from 19 touches and ripping down seven marks as the Dockers screamed out of the blocks with a five-goal-to-one opening term and then held off a late Crows fightback.
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Originally published as Every AFL finals contenders’ worst loss of 2018