The Swans stole an early march on the Demons in Canberra to lead by an even five goals at quarter time.
But bottom-of-the-ladder Melbourne then matched it with Paul Roos’ charges in the second term and outscored them in the third before a late Swans surge saw the 2005 premiers notch a 40-point win.
Matthew Bate and Austin Wonaeamirri combined for seven goals for the Demons, with Brad Green (24 possessions) also prominent.
In other weekend results, North Melbourne notched up a shock 27-point win over Hawthorn, Richmond had the better of Port Adelaide by four points, and Geelong thumped West Coast by an astonishing 135 points.
Essendon produced an upset to end Carlton’s winning run with a 35-point victory, St Kilda scrapped its way to an eight-point win against Fremantle, and the Western Bulldogs eclipsed Collingwood by 10 points.
Lions star Luke Power is a prime contender for performance-of-the-week following his brilliant 40-possession effort against Adelaide, but stiff competition was provided by Geelong’s Gary Ablett.
The Brownlow Medal favourite amassed 37 possessions, six tackles and two goals in the rout of the hapless Eagles.
St Kilda 10.5 (65) d Fremantle 8.9 (57)
In a dour struggle, the Saints breathed new life into their finals aspirations as Fremantle failed to take advantage of a weight of last-quarter possession. Freo looked to have the momentum in the final term but St Kilda, led by skipper Nick Riewoldt, hung on for an important victory. Reiwoldt snapped a vital goal midway through the last quarter.
North Melbourne 15.13 (103) d Hawthorn 10.16 (76)
A week after being thrashed by Fremantle, North Melbourne produced one of the upsets of the season to account for the Hawks by 27 points. The Roos started quickly and kept on running, with Hawthorn looking a pale imitation of the team that had won 11 of its previous 12 games. Hawks star Buddy Franklin was restricted to a single goal.
Richmond 20.7 (127) d Port Adelaide 19.9 (123)
Richmond kept its finals hopes alive, but may have dashed those of Port Adelaide with a thrilling four-point win at Football Park. The Tigers led by 27 points early in the last quarter, only for the Power to roar back into contention and get within a straight kick with a minute remaining. Alas, it proved to be too little, too late and Richmond, which got 11 goals from the unlikely duo of Mitch Morton and Cleve Hughes, prevailed.
Geelong 28.14 (182) d West Coast 5.17 (47)
West Coast’s rapid descent continued as Geelong dished out an almighty hiding at Subiaco Oval. While there was little for the home fans to cheer about, the Cats had plenty of stars – from 37-possession hero Gary Ablett to Cameron Mooney and Paul Chapman, who kicked five goals apiece.
Sydney Swans 17.12 (114) d Melbourne 11.8 (74)
All in all it was a pretty good effort from the bottom-placed Demons, who showed they’ll provide a challenge next week for the Lions by pushing the Sydney Swans throughout the second and third quarters. In the end, the Swans simply packed too many guns for Melbourne – none bigger than Barry Hall, who booted five goals, including four in the first half.
Essendon 20.16 (136) d Carlton 15.11 (101)
Carlton’s stay in the top eight was short-lived, thanks to a fine four-quarter effort from the Lions’ round 15 opponent Essendon. Carlton’s Brendan Fevola continued his surge towards the top of the goal-kicking charts with another seven majors, but the Bombers cancelled that out with eight goals shared between Matthew Lloyd and Angus Monfries. The Blues hit the front briefly in the final term before Essendon regained the lead and put the result beyond doubt.
Western Bulldogs 15.9 (99) d Collingwood 13.11 (89)
The Bulldogs move to second place in the standings with a stirring win over a Collingwood side that appeared to have the game in its keeping for much of the first half. The Dogs looked slightly off the boil from the outset and the Pies took full advantage – taking a 23-point lead early in the third quarter. But Rodney Eade’s side quickly wiped that out by booting seven goals for the term and was never headed after taking a two-point lead into the final change.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
