Well, I didn’t go so well with the crystal ball last week did I? There were results that some would say were upsets. The only ones who wouldn’t agree are the die hard fans of those teams who “upset” the opposition.
So, which upset was the biggest of the round? I’d say the Suns beating the Eagles convincingly was definitely the upset of the round. Last year’s number 1 draft pick Matthew Rowell had a field day with 26 disposals, 14 of those contested, 5 clearances, 2 goals, 6 score involvements, 7 tackles and 3 Brownlow Votes for sure!
The next biggest upset was the Kangaroos beating the Giants in Sydney. Young Roo Cameron Zurhaar kicked 3 goals and my pre-game prediction of Cameron and Brown having a field day didn’t eventuate. The Kangaroos won the contested possession stat along with the clearance and inside 50 stats too. New full time coach Rhys Shaw will be pleased with the way the Kangas were hard at the footy all day. The 22 free kicks they received also helped out a tad. For the Giants, Cal Ward had his first game since Round 4 last year and will be better for the game time. The Giants are still my favourites for the flag.
St Kilda smashed the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium. Jack Billings and ex-Swan Zak Jones starred on the day. Billings kicked 3 goals and Jones racked up 29 possessions and 6 clearances. Marcus Bontempelli tried hard but his disposal efficiency was poor resulting in 5 clangers.
The other results in the round were Essendon Bombers beating Sydney Swans as I predicted last week by a solitary goal. McKernan and “The Package” Jake Stringer kicked 3 goals apiece. Lloyd and Parker and ex-Lion Taylor tried hard but it wasn’t enough. A 25-13 free kick tally for the Swans still didn’t affect the result thank goodness. If there was a crowd at the SCG, the parochial and somewhat misguided Bloods fans would’ve been fuming at a wasted afternoon at the footy.
My Cats smashed the Hawks in the second half and won by 10 goals. In Patty Dangerfield’s 250th, it was his skipper Joel Selwood who had an exceptional game in the guts. Parfitt and Narkle impressed in their midfield rotation and a 36 year old Gary Ablett Jnr turned back the clock with a brilliant display. For the Hawks, Bruest, Puopolo and Patton were ordinary. I’d be surprised if Clarko doesn’t make wholesale changes after such an insipid effort against their fiercest rivals over the past decade or so.
My hometown team the Brisbane Lions beat the Fremantle Dockers by a couple of goals. Cameron and Neale were standouts for the Lions. Charlie Cameron booting 4 goals and Lachie Neale racking up possessions like a man possessed against his former club. I feel for Nat Fyfe because there is only so much one man can do. Michael Waters and James Aish need to keep playing at this level for the Dockers to have any chance of making the finals in 2020.
The Melbourne Demons managed to hold off a fast finishing Carlton Blues outfit. After leading by as many as seven goals in the second quarter, they did enough to win. Max Gawn, Christian Petracca and Jayden Hunt were the difference with Hunt’s three goals coming from only four kicks. The injury to Nic Newman didn’t help the Blues chances of winning.
In the South Australian Showdown, Port Adelaide Power wore their “traditional” prison bar guernsey that you normally associate with the SANFL’s Port Adelaide Magpies, to beat the Adelaide Crows. The young talent of the Power side shone through and easily accounted for the Crows.
In the first game of the round, Richmond and Collingwood kicked 10 goals between them to share the points at the MCG. Tom Lynch kicked 3 goals and had the chance to win the game for the Tigers but couldn’t kick the distance from about 40 metres. How can someone who plays professional footy and is paid big money to kick goals not make the distance? It would’ve been his 4th goal, the Tigers would’ve won in a close match and Uncle Oyster’s pre-game prediction would’ve rang true. It was a dour affair with the skills you’d associate with the likes of Dusty Martin and Scott Pendlebury were not entirely present on the night. Hearing names like Brown and Diacos playing for the Magpies brought back memories of their 1990 Premiership winning side. Is this a future omen perhaps? Time will tell!
For those people who enjoy the occasional flutter on the footy, here are your winning selections for Round 3:
Richmond, GWS, Nth Melbourne, Collingwood, Brisbane, Geelong, Suns, Essendon, Port Adelaide.
Here’s hoping that the ring rust will disappear and we see some great games of footy this week. With each passing week, we’re closer to having crowds at all the venues around the country. Yes it’s great watching the footy on the television but nothing quite matches being as the ground. I promise never to take watching footy at the stadiums for granted ever again. If you have a chance to support your team at the game, do it! Do it!
Til next time, remember, if you have a shot on goal and you’re less than 40 metres from goal, kick through the ball and don’t stab at it like a certain #19 did for the Tigers.
Oyster#77
