THE Brisbane Lions will face an in-form Collingwood in familiar circumstances on Saturday night, after the Mapgies accounted for traditional rivals Essendon by 29 points on the weekend.
Two years ago, the Lions entertained Collingwood at the Gabba in round 15, on the back of four successive wins.
And in 2006, the Lions travelled to the MCG to play the Pies, having strung together three victories on the trot.
Sunday’s 117-point triumph over Carlton made it three in succession for the Lions, although the Collingwood side they will face this weekend is arguably better than it has been in either of the past two seasons.
Anthony Rocca and Leon Davis kicked four goals apiece against the Bombers, while emerging forward Travis Cloke booted three majors and Tarkyn Lockyer was best afield.
In the round’s other games, Geelong’s winning streak stretched to 11 games with a 75-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle stayed in the finals hunt by beating Adelaide by 25 points at AAMI Stadium.
West Coast star Ben Cousins made an amazing return in the Eagles’ 12-point win over Sydney, in-form St Kilda eclipsed Hawthorn by 17 points and Port Adelaide emerged 55-point victors against Richmond.
The Kangaroos defeated Melbourne by 64 points in Sunday’s twilight fixture at Docklands.
As far as performance of the round goes, Lions star Jonathan Brown has obvious claims with his club-record 10 goals against the Blues, but would face stiff opposition from Cousins.
In his first game of the season, after much-publicised personal issues, the Brownlow Medal winner had 38 disposals against Sydney, one shy of a personal best.
The run-in to the finals promises to be an intriguing one, with only four points between eighth-placed Sydney and 13th-placed Fremantle.
Geelong 20.18 (138) d Western Bulldogs 9.9 (63)
If anyone needed further proof that Geelong was a true premiership contender, then it arrived on Friday night. The Cats can roughshod over the Bulldogs, amassing 20 more scoring shots and kicking 13 goals to four in a dominant first half.
Collingwood 18.14 (122) d Essendon 14.9 (93)
Collingwood had by far the better of the first half, then withstood a determined Bombers' comeback in the third quarter. Crucial goals from Anthony Rocca and Dale Thomas helped the Pies get home, with the strong marking of key forwards Rocca and Travis Cloke a feature of the win.
Fremantle 20.6 (126) d Adelaide 15.11 (101)
Rumours of Matthew Pavlich returning home to Adelaide at season’s end have abounded, but on Saturday the Fremantle captain haunted the Crows. Pavlich booted five goals as the brave Dockers overcame a tumultuous week to stay in finals contention.
West Coast 16.16 (112) d Sydney 15.10 (100)
Ben Cousins returned to the AFL with a “lazy” 38 touches, as West Coast bounced back to form. The Eagles went ahead by as many as 41 points early in the last quarter, but like all Sydney-West Coast matches, there was a sting in the tail and a late Swan flurry made it interesting for the final few minutes.
St Kilda 14.11 (95) d Hawthorn 11.12 (78)
A month after appearing out of the finals race, St Kilda has now firmed as a likely September participant. The Saints are looking more polished by the week and are now only out of the eight on percentage.
Port Adelaide 24.11 (155) d Richmond 15.10 (100)
Brett Ebert, Shaun Burgoyne and Daniel Motlop combined for 15 goals as the Power spoiled Matthew Richardson’s 250th celebrations and moved to fourth on the standings. Richardson kicked four goals but managed only three possessions to half-time.
Kangaroos 19.12 (126) d Melbourne 9.8 (62)
The unfashionable Kangaroos now sit outright second on the ladder after a 64-point win over Melbourne. With Corey Jones kicking four goals and Brent Harvey three in another best-on-ground performance, Dean Laidley’s side led comfortably at every change.
