AFL Saturday: Roos, Pies make history with ‘awful’ display Etihad Stadium

TWO AFL sides are responsible for an ugly piece of history after failing to impress in a messy Round 20 clash.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 05: Ben Cunnington of the Kangaroos marks infront of Brayden Maynard of the Magpies during the round 20 AFL match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Collingwood Magpies at Etihad Stadium on August 5, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

• Eddie in awe: ‘This is unbelievable’
• Woeful display makes history
• Giants’ ‘unbelievable’ blitz
• ‘What a ridiculous thing to say’

Live: AFL Saturday

Welcome to AFL Saturday, our coverage of today’s games:

GWS 14.13 (97) defeated Melbourne 10.2 (62)

Essendon 11.18 (84) defeated Carlton 11.10 (76)

Western Bulldogs 14.19 (103) defeated Brisbane Lions 13.11 (89)

Collingwood 16.15 (111) defeated North Melbourne 7.15 (57)

Fremantle 12.18 (90) defeated Gold Coast 10.7 (67)

North Melbourne and Collingwood have made history, becoming the culprits of the most innacurate half of footy ever played at Etihad Stadium. Collingwood eventually rose above the mess and took charge with a huge 16.15 (111) — 7.15 (57) win.

GWS kept second place with a solid win over Melbourne, and the Bulldogs escaped a scare from the Brisbane Lions.

Essendon survived a shaky Carlton comeback and Fremantle took a steady victory over the struggling Gold Coast in the West.

10:16pm

Fremantle down Gold Coast

Gold Coast couldn’t catch the Dockers tonight.

Coach Rodney Eade’s hopes of winning a contract extension at Gold Coast have suffered another blow after the Suns’ 23-point AFL loss to Fremantle in Perth. Dockers forward Cameron McCarthy booted four goals to guide Fremantle to the 12.18 (90) to 10.7 (67) win on Saturday night in front of 27,050 fans. It was McCarthy’s biggest haul since crossing at the end of last year from GWS to Fremantle.

Gold Coast were dealt a blow before the match when midfielder David Swallow was forced out with a tight groin.

And their quest to win in Perth became even harder when midfielder Aaron Hall was cut down by a hamstring injury in the second quarter.

Fremantle trio Nat Fyfe, Brad Hill and Lachie Neale starred through the midfield, while Luke Ryan finished with nine intercept marks playing as a loose man in defence.

The Suns have lost their past five games, and seven of their past eight. Gold Coast have already announced they will conduct a comprehensive review of the entire football program, and it appears unlikely out-of-contract Eade will win a new deal.

Dockers coach Ross Lyon forgot the surname of Peter Wright during the week. But the Gold Coast forward put his name firmly into the spotlight in the opening term with two quality goals.

Wright’s first came from a tricky set shot near the boundary line. And he had his second courtesy of a clever one-handed mark while running back with the flight of the ball.

The Suns led by one point at quarter-time, but Fremantle controlled play in the second term to open up a 16-point lead at the long break.

Fremantle suffered an injury blow in the third term when Brady Grey succumbed to a hamstring issue.

The margin ballooned out to 28 points when McCarthy soccered through his fourth goal late in the third quarter.

Fremantle’s winning margin would have been much bigger if they had made the most of their chances in front of goal.

— with AAP

10:06pm

North Melbourne downed by Collingwood in messy clash

Etihad Stadium saw some inaccurate kicking tonight.

Collingwood scored an emphatic 54-point win at Etihad Stadium and star North Melbourne forward Ben Brown was hospitalised on a disastrous Saturday night for the Kangaroos.

The match - a 16.15 (111) to 7.15 (57) win to the Magpies - was stopped for several minutes in the second quarter after Brown was knocked out in a Brodie Grundy tackle.

The Magpies’ ruckman received a free kick for holding the ball, but Brown’s head hit the turf in the tackle. It will draw comparisons to the one that led to Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield being suspended.

Tackling will be in the spotlight again this week.

Ben Brown is being taken off on the stretcher following this tackle from Brodie Grundy. #AFLNorthPies pic.twitter.com/rLs7khDITw

— AFL (@AFL) August 5, 2017

Adam Treloar also hit his head on the turf in a Jack Ziebell tackle, but the Pies’ star was able to continue the game and was important with 34 possessions and a brilliant goal.

To make matters worse for North, midfield bull Ben Cunnington (28 disposals) will come under scrutiny from the match review panel for a high bump on Tyson Goldsack.

The Magpies didn’t escape unscathed either, former Kangaroo Levi Greenwood leaving the game with a knee injury in the second term.

Daniel Wells (five possessions) didn’t fare well in his first game against his old side, the veteran midfielder finishing on the bench with a leg injury that restricted him for most of the night.

Brad Scott’s side scored a gutsy win last week over Melbourne, but they could muster just one goal in the first half of an error-riddled affair that Collingwood led by 26 points at halftime.

The Pies were also well below their best but they lifted in the second half. With skipper Scott Pendlebury still sidelined with a broken finger, Taylor Adams was influential with 30 touches and two goals.

Ziebell showed great courage to return from a jarring collision in the second quarter and finished with 22 disposals and a career-high five goals.

— with AAP

9:10pm

Woeful display makes history

North Melbourne’s clash against Collingwood has been a struggle.

Both sides kicked far below the league’s standard, skewing a number of shots away from goal. As a result, the match has now earned a shameful accolade.

The first half of the Kangaroos vs Magpies Round 20, 2017 will go down as the most inaccurate two quarters of football played at Etihad Stadium.

6.20 (23%) is the most inaccurate 1st half of any #AFL game at @EtihadStadiumAU #AFLNorthPies

— Swamp (@sirswampthing) August 5, 2017

I'm warming to this game. If you're going to be awful, be historically, putrid, mother couldn't love it awful.#AFLRoosPies

— Richard Hinds (@rdhinds) August 5, 2017

If there's been a worse spectacle than the first 2/3 of North Melb v Collingwood this year, I haven't seen it. #AFLRoosPies

— Jake Niall (@JakeNiallFOX) August 5, 2017

7:11pm

Dogs escape embarrassment

The Western Bulldogs have overcome an injury to skipper Easton Wood to edge past Brisbane by 14 points and move into the AFL top eight.

After enjoying a 28-point lead at Saturday’s first break, the Bulldogs were 11 points down at three-quarter time but battled back to win 14.19 (103) to 13.11 (89) in front of 16,148 fans at the Gabba.

Marcus Bontempelli, who was as culpable as anyone for kicking inaccuracy, booted two majors in the final term to help the Bulldogs to victory over the Lions. Early on, it seemed like the Bulldogs would romp to a win as a tame Chris Fagan side slipped 6.6 (42) to 2.2 (14) behind.

Despite losing the clearance battle 45-30 and the inside-50 count 64-37, the Lions dominated the scoring in the middle quarters.

A big contributing factor to the Lions’ 23 scoring shots from their meagre inside-50 total was the absence of the Bulldogs premiership captain Wood. He limped off the ground with a hamstring injury midway through the first quarter after a tackle from Jarrod Berry.

The Lions took the lead in the third quarter as Lewis Taylor came to the fore creating one goal for Tom Rockliff and then kicking one from 50 metres. Daniel Rich’s big boot from outside the 50, after a handball from Berry on the mark, gave the hosts an 11-point lead going into the final term, but it was to prove in vain.

With their season on the line, the defending champions rallied in the final quarter, with Jack Redpath and Liam Picken kicking their third goals of the game.

— with AAP

4:49pm

Essendon dodge huge bullet

Dyson Heppell’s Bombers very nearly had egg on their faces.

Essendon have kept their AFL finals hopes alive with a riveting eight-point win over arch rivals Carlton at the MCG.

The second-last Blues rallied from a poor first quarter and led well into the last, but Essendon hit back on Saturday afternoon to win 11.18 (84) to 11.10 (76).

Livewire Essendon forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti had a massive last quarter and deservedly kicked the goal with a minute left that ensured the win. A superb pass from James Stewart found McDonald-Tipungwuti on his own and he ran into an open goal.

A couple of minutes earlier, after missing two set shots in the last term, Cale Hooker had kicked the goal that put Essendon in front.

Essendon booted the last three goals of the match, with two of them going to McDonald-Tipungwuti.

The win, a massive relief for Essendon, put them back into seventh place. Carlton led by two goals midway through the last quarter and were left ruing a couple of missed shots at goal, including Levi Casboult’s chance with two minutes left that would have put them back in front.

But the rebuilding Blues lost no fans as they gave Essendon an almighty fright. The Bombers, far from convincing, will pay a price for the win, with forward Orazio Fantasia injuring a hamstring and Zach Merrett certain to come under match review panel scrutiny for a gut punch.

Captain Dyson Heppell was best for the Bombers with a game-high 34 disposals, while Blues defender Liam Jones shut down star Essendon forward Joe Daniher. The Essendon spearhead kicked the first two goals of the game and the Bombers made a flying start, racing to a 28-point lead late in the first quarter. But they lost Fantasia to injury and he will be out of action for much of this month.

With Jones tightening up on Daniher, the Blues stopped Essendon’s run in the second term and put the game on their terms.

The Blues went on a six-goal run to take the lead for the first time during the third quarter.

In that time, Essendon kicked a wasteful 0.11.

Adding to Essendon’s problems, Merrett gut-punched Lachie Plowman in the second quarter.

Jobe Watson’s quiet form continued and the former captain missed a second-term snap that he normally would have nailed in his sleep.

After the Bombers finally kicked two goals in the third quarter to regain the lead, Carlton hit back with the last two of the term and led by three points at the final change.

— with AAP

4:30pm

Giants crush Demons

Josh Kelly was on fire on Saturday.

Greater Western Sydney have consolidated their spot in the AFL’s top four with a first-quarter onslaught to set up a 35-point victory over Melbourne. The Giants outclassed the Demons, winning 14.13 (97) to 10.2 (62) in front of 14,274 fans on Saturday afternoon at Manuka Oval.

It’s a costly loss for Melbourne, who could drop out of the top eight by the end of the round, while GWS jump to second.

The Giants’ tackling was sensational, with their high-pressure game choking the Dees who lacked creativity in attack.

There were concerning signs for GWS early, with Melbourne booting the first three goals of the match.

But their momentum was arrested by two freakish goals, with Stephen Coniglio’s left-foot banana from the boundary opening their account before Tom Scully benefited from a wicked off-break.

That sparked an avalanche, with GWS using a favourable breeze to pile on eight majors to give them their highest-scoring first quarter in the club’s short history.

The Giants switched their focus to defence in the second term without the aid of the breeze, playing with an extra man in the backline as the pace disappeared from the contest.

Despite dominating possession, the Dees struggled to break them down and went into the main break trailing by six goals.

GWS kept Melbourne at arm’s length in a dour second half, with any hopes of a comeback snuffed out by the Giants’ strong defensive efforts. The Demons’ forwards had a miserable day with Jack Watts and Jeff Garlett not registering a kick in the first half.

Giants midfield star Josh Kelly played stints up forward and finished with three goals and 27 disposals, while veteran Steve Johnson and Devon Smith kicked two apiece.

Callan Ward and Dylan Shiel showed toughness at the contest, while racking up 29 and 25 touches respectively.

Former Richmond star Brett Deledio celebrated his AFL comeback with a last- quarter goal in an otherwise quiet return.

To add to the Demons’ pain, Jake Melksham could face a suspension for a high bump.

Giants ruckman Shane Mumford will also come under scrutiny from the match review panel over two incidents.

He flung debutant Corey Maynard into the turf in a heavy tackle in the second quarter, before collecting Max Gawn with his shoulder in the third. GWS have won all three matches this year in Canberra.

— with AAP

4.10pm

‘Unbelievable’: Blues surge ahead

When Matthew Kreuzer booted a goal midway through the third quarter, Carlton had kicked the last six goals of the game to move into the lead for the first time in the day.

“This is unbelievable from Carlton!” Eddie McGuire yelled in commentary. But Essendon finally kicked back into gear as Ben Howlett and Dyson Heppell slotted the Sherrin through the big sticks to give the Dons their first majors since the opening term.

Teenager Jack Silvagni then found himself on his own in the centre square and took two bounces before kicking straight to put the Blues back in front. Charlie Curnow kicked his first goal for the afternoon not long after and Carlton went into three-quarter time up 9.5 (59) to 7.14 (56).

1pm

‘He’ll regret it, what a ridiculous thing to say’

Eddie McGuire (right) and Luke Darcy (middle right) had

Former Western Bulldogs star Luke Darcy hasn’t taken kindly to a sledge dished out to him by Eddie McGuire during Fox Footy’s coverage of Sydney’s win over Geelong on Friday night.

Darcy once wore leather gloves when covering a game for Channel Seven in Geelong and McGuire was quick bring the incident up while talking to the ex-Dog’s former teammate Brad Johnson, who was doing TV work at last night’s game.

“Good to see, despite how cold it is down there mate, you’re not wearing gloves like that soft ruckman Luke Darcy you used to play with,” McGuire joked.

Darcy and McGuire co-host radio show The Hot Breakfast on Triple M Melbourne, so the crack was obviously all in good fun.

“That’s an attack on my character!” Darcy laughed during a Triple M broadcast on Saturday.

“That won’t end well for Ed. I think he knows who the biggest player in this town is.

“I think he’ll regret that. What a ridiculous thing to say.

“You wear one pair of gloves, mate, and it stays with you.”

Perhaps McGuire was getting his revenge on Darcy after he and fellow radio co-host Mick Molloy kept ribbing the Collingwood president when a rumour sprung up earlier in the week suggesting former Pies coach Mick Malthouse was in the running to return to the club as director of coaching.

McGuire unequivocally shut down that rumour, calling it “nonsense”, but for several minutes Molloy and Darcy kept joking he was hiding the truth and there was actually a chance Malthouse would be back at Collingwood.

12.30pm

Sydney sounds a warning

The Swans were always a step ahead of Geelong on Friday night.

Sydney sounded the latest in a string of ominous warnings to the AFL competition with an emphatic 46-point win over Geelong at Simonds Stadium. In a performance reminiscent of last year’s preliminary final display, the Swans blitzed the Cats early on their way to a 16.11 (107) to 8.13 (61) win.

John Longmire’s men have now won 11 of their past 13 games and look capable of going deep into September after starting the season with six defeats in a row. They managed Friday night’s win without injured skipper Josh Kennedy and with star forward Lance Franklin held to just one goal by Tom Lonergan.

“Right across the board we had a lot of players who contributed at a good level,” Longmire said. “There were no real absolute standouts.

“So it was a very even performance but clearly that first quarter was important.”

The Cats had won 15 of their past 16 games at their home ground going into the clash, with the Swans beating them last year. But the visitors made themselves right at home, kicking five goals in a row to help set up a 32-point lead at the first break.

The margin stretched to 37 points midway through the second term before Geelong mustered a fightback with three straight goals.

But Sydney regrouped at halftime and was able to keep the Cats at arm’s length in the third quarter before finishing strongly.

The Swans host Fremantle next Saturday.

Kennedy will need a strong week on the track to press his claims for a return from a hamstring injury.

“He’s definitely not ruled out, which is a good thing,” Longmire said. “He ran on Wednesday at training so we’re hopeful of getting him back but we’re not sure until we see what he does during the week at training.”

— AAP