Richmond down Magpies, Brisbane stun Port
Richmond have put three worrying weeks behind them with a pulsating five-point AFL win over Collingwood at the MCG, while Brisbane upset highly touted Port Adelaide.
The Tigers broke their three-game losing streak with an absorbing 16.9 (105) to 15.10 (100) upset victory on Sunday in front of 59,034 fans.
It remains to be seen whether this proves the turning point for the inconsistent Tigers.
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But it was clearly their best win so far in a season full of expectations for the club.
Captain Trent Cotchin was best afield with 32 possessions, while Brett Deledio kicked two crucial last-term goals and Brandon Ellis also starred.
It was an outstanding contest with 10 lead changes.
Richmond broke a seven-game losing streak against Collingwood that went back to 2007.
Goals to Ty Vickery and Jack Riewoldt late in the last term and a miss by Ellis gave Richmond a crucial 11-point buffer.
Collingwood’s Jarrod Witts marked with seconds left and kicked truly as the final siren sounded.
Dane Swan was best for the Magpies with 32 possessions and two goals.
Meanwhile the Brisbane Lions ground out a second consecutive win, defeating Port Adelaide by 37 points at the Gabba.
Brisbane proved last weekend’s nine-point win over Carlton was no fluke with a 15.12 (102) to 8.17 (65) result in front of an appreciative home crowd of 15,957.
The win sees Brisbane move off the bottom of the ladder to sit at 2-4, with Port Adelaide now 3-3 for the season after previously winning three of their first four games.
Dayne Beams (32 disposals and one goal), Daniel Rich (23 disposals and nine clearances) led the way for the Lions who were assisted by Port’s wastefulness in front of goal, with the visitors kicking 17 behinds.
Travis Boak (27 disposals) and Robbie Gray (25 disposals and one goal) toiled hard for the Power, while veteran Kane Cornes had 13 disposals and kicked one goal in his penultimate match before retirement.
Elsewhere, Nat Fyfe played a starring role but was also reported as Fremantle overcame the Western Bulldogs by 13 points in a thriller at Etihad Stadium.
The Brownlow Medal favourite clattered into the legs of Koby Stevens late in the third quarter of the 15.11 (101) to 14.4 (88) and went into the umpire’s book for tripping.
Led by a career-best seven-goal haul from Tory Dickson, the Bulldogs looked set to record a stunning upset when they drew level with the Dockers with six minutes left in a tense final term.
But a Michael Walters goal with 1:11 left on the clock stretched his side’s lead to seven points, with skipper Matthew Pavlich putting the result beyond doubt, kicking his fifth major, inside the last minute.
Fyfe gathered 30 possessions, had 10 clearances and kicked three goals, but faces a nervous wait to see how the match review panel assesses his clumsy attempt to tackle Stevens.
The unbeaten Dockers looked set to cement their hold on top spot with ease after they bounced out of the blocks with six of the first seven goals of the game to lead by 34 points early in the second quarter.
One week after the Bulldogs gave up a 55-point lead to lose to St Kilda, they launched a determined counter-attack of their own.
They started the last quarter 22 points in arrears, but kicked the first three goals to set up the thrilling finale.
With veteran ruckman Will Minson still cooling his heels in the VFL, Ayce Cordy was complemented by Tom Boyd and Marcus Bontempelli in the ruck against Aaron Sandilands and Zac Clarke.
The Bulldogs trio proved no match for the seasoned Fremantle pair, who finished with 50 and 14 hitouts respectively in a lopsided 69-13 team tally.
– with AAP