THE BRISBANE Lions enter the Hall of Fame weekend within striking distance of the top eight, with most players set to enjoy some well-earned down time ahead of the round eight clash with improving Carlton.

Only four Lions are set to play in the Hall of Fame Tribute Match – Jonathan Brown, Luke Power and Daniel Bradshaw (Victoria) and Jamie Charman (Dream Team).

Saturday’s brave 27-point loss to Geelong leaves the Lions 3-4 for the season, only two points outside the top eight in 10th spot and in front of the 11th-placed Blues on percentage.

Carlton picked up its third win of the season on Friday night, taking care of the plunging West Coast Eagles by 37 points.

New skipper Chris Judd was amongst the Blues’ best in his first match against his former club, but it was Andrew Carrazzo who was best-on-ground, amassing 42 possessions.

The Eagles virtually gifted Carlton the game with six free kicks or 50m penalties in the first half that led directly to goals, contributing heavily to a 48-point half-time margin.

West Coast fought back and got within seven points, but Judd and Carlton ultimately had the answers.

In other weekend action, Fremantle had the ignominy of being the first side to lose to Melbourne in 2008, allowing the Demons to come from 50 points in arrears at half time and snatch a six-point victory.

Hawthorn reaffirmed its status as the side most likely to challenge Geelong with a 65-point thumping of Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs remain undefeated following an 18-point victory against Sydney and Port Adelaide belted Essendon by 64 points.

St Kilda edged out Richmond by three points in a Saturday night thriller and Adelaide accounted for North Melbourne by 34 points.

The current top eight, headed by reigning premier Geelong, features six sides that played finals last year. Port Adelaide and West Coast have been replaced, for the moment at least, by the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda – and on current form, only the Power look a chance of getting back in.

Carlton 17.9 (111) d West Coast 10.14 (74)
If West Coast had been more disciplined and accurate and had found an opponent for Andrew Carrazzo, they might have won this game. But that’s a lot of ‘ifs’ and, in truth, Carlton was the better side when it counted. The accurate Blues led by eight goals at half time, then rallied when the Eagles came at them in the second-half.

Hawthorn 24.10 (154) d Collingwood 13.11 (89)
Some pundits had tipped the Pies to end the Hawks’ unbeaten start to the season. Wishful thinking. Hawthorn held the ascendancy from the first bounce and with Jarryd Roughead (six), Lance Franklin (six) and Mark Williams (five) combining for 17 goals, ran away with the game in the second half. Collingwood tried hard but was nowhere near good enough.

St Kilda 17.8 (110) d Richmond 16.11 (107)
For the second week in a row a thrilling game was decided by the width of the post. And for the second week in a row, discussion about time-keeping will follow. Stephen Milne’s seven goals inspired the Saints, but Kelvin Moore’s poster with a minute left would have won it for Richmond. Tigers coach Terry Wallace has called for answers, after time appeared to be lost from the clock following Moore’s minor score. Saints star Nick Riewoldt could miss up to two months with a knee injury.

Adelaide 15.17 (107) d North Melbourne 11.8 (74)
The Crows further entrenched their top-four spot with a comfortable win over North Melbourne, fuelled by an eight-goal third quarter burst. Jason Porplyzia kicked four of those majors, but, in truth, Adelaide should already have had the game in its keep – only inaccuracy limited its half-time lead to 20 points.

Western Bulldogs 18.4 (112) d Sydney 14.10 (94)
The Bulldogs were uncannily accurate but thoroughly deserved their sixth win of the season. The Swans led by 15 points at quarter time, before the Bulldogs turned it around and outscored their hosts 15 goals to nine for the remainder of the game. Sydney had its chances in the third quarter and came again late, but was brought undone by ordinary conversion.

Melbourne 17.17 (119 d Fremantle 15.23 (113)
Talk about a game of two halves. The first belonged firmly to Fremantle, which kicked 11 of the first 14 goals and should probably have led by more than 50 points at half time. The second, however, was all Demons, as the home side outscored the Dockers 14 goals to four after the long break. Exciting youngster Austin Wonaeamirri led the way with four goals.

Port Adelaide 24.14 (158) d Essendon 15.4 (94)
As has often been the case this year, the Bombers were accurate but found wanting for firepower. Port, on the other hand, had no shortage of scoring options, led by the brilliant Daniel Motlop, whose seven goals came in the first 70 minutes of the game. The Power improved to 3-4 for the season, while Essendon has dropped to 2-5 after a promising start.