West Coast beat Adelaide 10.7 (67) to 5.4 (34)
Fremantle beat St Kilda 12.7 (79) to 11.7 (73)
Nic Naitanui has had the last laugh with West Coast overpowering Adelaide in a 33-point AFL win in Brisbane to end their five-week Queensland hub stay on the up. Crows ruckman Reilly O’Brien was forced into damage control after accidentally tweeting match notes which described Naitanui as “lazy and unfit” earlier this week.
He started with promise but it quickly turned sour for the Crows, in a 10.7 (67) to 5.4 (34) West Coast win ahead of a return to Perth for next week’s western derby. O’Brien quickly apologised ahead of their Saturday afternoon meeting - admitting he had no choice but to walk the walk - and fared well individually with 19 disposals and nine marks in a losing team.
The Eagles’ big man won bragging rights, though, kicking a smart snapped goal from a stoppage before pointing to his direct opponent as the ball sailed into the near-empty Gabba stands. And his ruck craft orchestrated his side’s 29-17 domination of clearances, Tim Kelly (25 touches) the benefactor in his most-industrious game as an Eagle.
Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling helped the Eagles to four-straight goals before Chayce Jones replied for the Crows after winning a suspect holding-the-ball call. But the Eagles were red hot in the third quarter, Jack Redden streaking free to goal from 45m, before Darling’s accurate snap was desperately assisted by Liam Ryan, who lunged to knock back in play what looked a certain behind.
That quick-fire sequence broke the game open before Brayden Ainsworth kicked his first goal for the Eagles since 2018 to create a 34-point buffer. The Eagles’ second-straight win took them to 3-3, ensuring a promising end to a Gold Coast hub stay which began ominously with three-successive losses.
Winless this season, Adelaide had spent the week in South Australia but will end a month-long absence from their home stadium next weekend when they host St Kilda.
Earlier today, Fremantle’s Lachie Schultz kicked a goal with just over a minute remaining to secure a stunning six-point AFL win over St Kilda at Metricon Stadium. The Dockers trailed by 36 points at quarter-time on Saturday afternoon and lost Sean Darcy and Hayden Young to injury before halftime, but dug deep to kick eight-unanswered goals which set up the 12.7 (79) to 11.7 (73) win.
The Saints hit back with three goals in succession to tie the game up with just over two minutes left on the clock, but Schultz made no mistake from a set shot soon for a famous win. The Dockers were two players down when Darcy (head knock) and Young (ankle) left the game. Saints youngster Ben Long is set for a stint on the sidelines after being reported for a front-on bump on Darcy as he was bent over chasing a ground ball in the second quarter.
Michael Walters set the tone for a bad start for Fremantle when he kicked the ball the wrong way from the opening bounce. Nathan Wilson gave away a 50m penalty soon after, gifting St Kilda the first goal of the match through Tim Membrey. With their midfield well on top, the Saints’ forwards feasted on some poor defending to bang through seven majors to one to lead by six goals at the first break.
The Dockers were better early in the second term, but looked to have the job ahead of them when they lost Darcy. But as their lead ruckman nursed a sore head, Matt Taberner kicked a goal with three minutes left in the quarter to begin the eight-goal run.
St Kilda’s lead was 13 points at halftime, but their first-quarter run and carry was nowhere in evidence as they failed to register a score in the third term. The Dockers led by eight points at three-quarter time and by 19 when Nat Fyfe kicked his second goal with just under 10 minutes left. Membrey booted his third to spark the Saints, but Fremantle held their nerve to improve to a 2-4 record in their last match before leaving the Queensland hub to return to Perth.
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