THE BRISBANE Lions will take on a Melbourne side with its new and undefeated coach after the Demons accounted for Carlton in a free-scoring contest at the MCG on Sunday.

With little-known assistant Mark Riley taking the helm in the wake of Neale Daniher’s departure, Melbourne made the Blues pay for some inaccurate kicking in a 23-point win - its third of the year.

The Demons assumed control of the contest in the third term, in which Russell Robertson kicked three of his five goals and Carlton virtually kicked itself out of a promising position with a haul of 2.7.

Matthew Bate and James McDonald were best afield for Melbourne, which lost Cameron Bruce pre-game with a hamstring strain and then Queensland youngster Ricky Petterd to a collapsed lung suffered in a first-quarter collision.

The round began on Friday night with Geelong cementing its position at the top of the table with a 50-point win over Essendon.

Collingwood returned to the winners’ circle by nine points in a tough encounter with St Kilda at the MCG, ex-Lion Jason Akermanis was prominent in the Western Bulldogs’ 20-point victory over Port Adelaide and Adelaide handed Hawthorn a 71-point reality check.

The Kangaroos’ march towards a likely finals berth continued with a 35-point defeat of Richmond, while Sydney all but ended Fremantle’s September aspirations and revitalised its own with a 28-point win at the SCG.

Brownlow Medal fancies Gary Ablett and Brent Harvey did their CVs no harm with excellent weekend outings, but for sheer accuracy the performance of the weekend belonged to the Kangaroos’ Drew Petrie.

Coming off seven straight goals against the Western Bulldogs, Petrie booted another 6.0 to help the Roos account for Richmond.

Geelong 19.19 (133) d Essendon 12.11 (83)
Geelong now boasts a nine-match winning streak after putting paid to Essendon in a clinical display. Gary Ablett did his Brownlow Medal chances no harm with another outstanding performance, while Essendon finished the game without ex-skipper and 250-gamer James Hird, who strained his calf just after Alwyn Davey broke his arm in the second term, leaving the Bombers with only 20 fit men for much of the match.

Adelaide 15.12 (102) d Hawthorn 4.7 (31)
Possessions often mean little in modern football, but Adelaide’s 417 disposals reflected its dominance. Tyson Edwards, Andrew McLeod, Scott Thompson, Simon Goodwin and Chris Knights combined for 184 of those disposals, as the Crows belied the damp, windy and cold conditions to thump the Hawks. Skipper Mark Ricciuto kicked four goals.

Collingwood 12.17 (89) d St Kilda 12.8 (80)
The Magpies returned to winning form in impressive fashion – leading throughout the first half, then running over St Kilda in the final quarter after the Saints had threatened to blow the game wide open in the third term. Youngster Dale Thomas was again superb for the Pies, kicking his two goals, including the sealer, in the final quarter when the game was there to be won.

Western Bulldogs 20.13 (133) d Port Adelaide 17.11 (113)
Former Lion Jason Akermanis produced his most influential performance as a Bulldog, kicking two crucial goals during time-on in the final quarter – just as the Power were threatening to finish over the top of Rodney Eade’s side. Led by best afield Matthew Boyd, the Bulldogs looked poised to win comfortably early in the final term, before Port captain Warren Tredrea’s three goals brought the Power within three points.

Sydney Swans 11.23 (89) d Fremantle 9.7 (61)
Sydney struggled to convert its around-the-ground dominance into goals but was far too strong for a Fremantle side that now looks destined to spend September looking on. On a cold and wet day at the SCG, the Swans dug deep to post a 28-point win, reinvigorate their own push for a top-eight spot and celebrate the twin milestones of Michael O’Loughlin and Adam Goodes: O’Loughlin notched a club record 261st game, with Goodes breaking the 200-game barrier.

Melbourne 19.10 (124) d Carlton 14.17 (101)
Carlton supporters were left cursing their side’s profligacy after the Blues helped hand ascendancy to Melbourne with some poor conversion. As Russell Robertson was pouncing to kick three of his five goals in 13 minutes of the third term, Carlton managed only 2.7 for the quarter –- allowing the Demons to take control. The Blues came again late but weren’t able to sustain their charge.

Kangaroos 14.20 (104) d Richmond 11.13 (179)
Excluding Drew Petrie’s 6.0, the Kangaroos were wayward in front of goal but still packed too much firepower for the battling Tigers. Brent Harvey was once again best on ground for the Roos, while Richmond got excellent service from its hard-working spearhead Matthew Richardson, who booted four majors.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.