Category: AFL

Swans Look for Grand Final Revenge in Etihad Blockbuster

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Like so many first rounds before it, the opening week of the AFL season contained its share of surprises.

Who would have thought that Port Adelaide might humble the Swans on their own turf in Sydney. The South Australians have been a disappointing team for the past few seasons, but maybe they have turned things around this time, or did they merely catch the slow starting Swans at the right time?

Essendon played on heart, desire and a desperate determination to make a statement when they saw off the Hawks at the MCG last Saturday night.

But was that a one off, players lifted by the hype and emotion of the occasion, or is it a harbinger of things to come for the red and black, who would love to confound the doubters and hit the headlines this season for the right reasons.

Premiers the Bulldogs were workmanlike in their win over Collingwood, while Adelaide made a statement of intent with their solid success over Greater Western Sydney.

Richmond, as they did in round one when they saw off Carlton, get proceedings underway on Thursday night at the MCG when they take on Collingwood.

The Tigers are the team that invariably flatter to deceive, but at $2.15 with Bet 365 and $2.16 with Betfair fixed odds they might be at a decent price to see off an odds-on Collingwood. The Magpies did well against the Premiers, but can they do so again? Average odds of $1.77 doesn’t look that tempting.

Can Swans Get Revenge?

Friday night sees a Grand Final rematch, with the Bulldogs hosting the Swans at Etihad Stadium.

The Doggies are $1.58 ((Bet 365), but the Swans might be the value here at $2.50 with Unibet. Yes, they were beaten in the title decider and yes, they will have to be better than last week. But John Longmire’s team don’t often lose two in a row.

Lions to Upset Bomber Bandwagon?

Elsewhere the Brisbane Lions, at $3.10 Unibet and $3.30 with Betfair fixed look over the odds against an Essendon team priced up at a general $1.40 (Sportsbet, Bet 365).

The Lions held on to win narrowly in a nerve-jangling finale against Gold Coast last weekend, but they will take plenty from that rare success. The Bombers will be buoyed by their win over the Hawks, but they effectively had a year to prepare for that and it was an emotional crescendo for them.

Can they back up again a week later? I am not so sure, certainly at the price on offer.

Five Bankers for Multi Bettors

It’s hard to see West Coast, at $1.17 (Bet 365) slipping up against Saint Kilda.

Value might be had in Hawthorn. Beaten by a pumped up Essendon last week, they have the chance to bounce back against decent opposition in the Crows. At $2.30 (Sportsbet) they might be worth a nibble.

GWS are in the same category as West Coast when they face Gold Coast at home. The latter are at $6.40 with Betfair fixed odds, and some might argue they should be longer.

Geelong, Melbourne and Port Adelaide are all favourites to get the job done at home and should do so, so definitely teams for multi punters looking to swell their take out.

Dogs Want To Sit on Shoulders of Giants

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The big men fly for the first time in the new AFL season on Thursday evening when the Blues meet the Tigers in their now traditional opening night stoush.

Once upon a time, this was a battle between two of the league’s genuine heavyweights, suburban superpowers who ruled the footy roost with only the likes of Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn as genuine challengers.

But that was a long time ago in a world far away – the 1970s and 80s in Richmond’s case, nearly two decades ago in Carlton’s. Now, these two struggle to even make the final eight, as their odds for the championship show all too clearly. Richmond is $51 to win the flag with Sportsbet, Carlton double the price at $101.

Still, there has to be a winner tomorrow night (we’ll discount the draw) and the Tigers, at $1.44 with Sportsbet, are certainly expected to do the business over a Carlton side in a state of rebuild under second season coach Brendan Bolton.

Magic Happened Once – Can it Again?

Last year’s AFL finals series gave us a storyline for the ages with the fairytale victory of the Western Bulldogs, the first Premiership for the club since 1954.

The Doggies did it the hard way, winning finals in Perth against West Coast and in the harbour city against the terrifically talented tyros of Greater Western Sydney. They then saw off the Swans in a nailbiter at the MCG.

Those experiences will have tempered the steel already developing in this still young side, and Luke Beveridge’s men ($1.46 at Sportsbet) should be too good for Collingwood on Friday night.

But will they be able to go back to back? Confidence will be strong in the kennel, and in Marcus Bonteompelli they surely have a Brownlow medallist and superstar of the future in their midfield. And they won last year despite having a series of injured stars, chief of which was captain Bob Murphy.

Giant Strides Towards a Flag?

But punters have fixed upon the prodigiously talented GWS as their flag favourites, reckoning that their experience last season, when they were so close to toppling the Bulldogs in the preliminary final, will be enough to see them take the next step.

GWS have a tough opening game in Adelaide against the Crows, who, at $2.62 might look like a bit of value in front of their own fans against the new challengers, who are odds on at $1.62 to take the points.

The league’s new boys are the outright favourites for the Premiership at $4.50 with the Bulldogs at $5.50 and last year’s defeated Grand Finalists Sydney at $7.00

Former champions Hawthorn have drifted in the futures market and can be backed now at $13 for the flag. The men from Glenferrie have been ruthless in trading and recruiting in the past and, like the Swans and Geelong, are not a club that likes to ”bottom’ before reloading for a tilt at the Premiership. They will be buoyed by the return of skipper Jarryd Roughead, missing last season after battling skin cancer, and if they get off to a quick start those outright odds may tumble.

Can the “Doggies” Break their 55 Year AFL Grand Final Drought?

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2016 AFL Grand Final – Sydney Swans vs Western Bulldogs

As sporting events go, Aussie Rules is as tough as they come. It is certainly no sport for weaklings or sensitive souls. So here we are once again at AFL Grand Final time, that “One day in September”, which ironically falls on October 1 this year. The venue is the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the most iconic of all sporting venues.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this will be just like any other AFL final…except it isn’t! For a start, the Western Bulldogs are taking part. So what’s so special about that? The record books show they haven’t participated in an AFL Grand Final since 1961, and that has been far too long between drinks for “Doggies” fans; they’re desperate to end the drought.

No Certainty for Sydney

The Swans have been finalists on a regular basis and they really seem to perform well in the big pressure games. So what can we expect? Firstly, the Sydney Swans have plenty of Grand Final experience. On the flip side they have also been known to blow up on the big occasions too. This season’s stats seem to suggest that this game could be close.

Sydney’s win over Geelong in last week’s preliminary final is an instructive game to take into consideration when looking for a winner in this match. Sure, Sydney won, but they failed in a couple of key areas. One being the inside 50’s. Geelong came out on top in that one 72-40.

Preferred Defence

What this does however is give the “Dogs” an insight into how Sydney are looking to defend. The big question is can they exploit that? The Swans have been one of the top teams this season when it comes to clearances. In fact, only the Greater Western Sydney Giants have bettered them. The Bulldogs have also performed well in this area. So what we have in this final is a battle in the midfield.

Who Will Win the Midfield?

The midfield is going to be the key. The experts, pundits and ex-players all seem to agree. Whoever wins the midfield on Saturday will win the game. Sydney has a formidable line up. Kennedy, Jack, Parker and Hannebery are as tough as they come. However the Dogs won the clearance battle last time out. Many believe they will do it again.

All this makes for one thing. An absolutely enthralling AFL Grand Final. So where is your money going, and where will the value be? Sun Bets have the Swans as clear favourites at 4/7. Do they deserve to be so short?

Time to Place a Wager

With the Dogs at 11/8 and showing some good game stats this season then many people will fancy those odds!

If these potential wagers don’t get you excited, then try these. You could get 6/1 with Sun Bets on Western Bulldogs overturning a half-time deficit and going on to win the game. If you fancy the Swans to win and be ahead at half time, then you may want to take a punt on the 4/5 being offered. So come on, are you a man or a mouse?

Do you go for the safer option and take odds on? Experience shows that favourites don’t always win these games. All it takes is for one player to underperform. This means that the underdog stands a great chance as long as they are not outclassed.

One thing is sure, the Western Bulldogs may be the underdogs in this clash, but they are certainly not outclassed. They have the personnel to win this match and upset the odds, and the stats back that up.

 

 

AFL Round 7 Results

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After last weeks round of shock upsets, the AFL settled down to a degree and pretty much ran the course predicted.  Upsets (while there were still a few) were replaced with huge scores, low scores and just two close contests (as exciting as they were).  Fremantle kept winning and at the other end of the table the Brisbane Lions finally hauled themselves off the bottom.

Here’s a quick run down of all the moments that matter in Round 7:

Essendon (12-10-82) v North Melbourne (13-15-93)

The North Melbourne Kangaroos did enough to get by a Dons side that has far too many wADA and drug scandal distractions to be expected to put together some decent footy.  But put together okay footy they did, matching the Kangaroos for much of the close Etihad Stadium that acted as a replay of last years elimination final.

The difference was Jack Ziebell who collected 29 disposals (15 of them contested), had 11 disposals and kicked 2 goals (including one from outside the 50) to help seal the 11 point win.  Goals also came from Petrie (2), Thomas (2), Waite (2) but the Roos will be keen to work on their kicking during the week as accuracy in front of goal was a little concerning.

The win means North Melbourne get to 4-3 for the season and the Bombers the opposite at 3-4.

Adelaide Crows (18-11-119) v St Kilda (10-13-73)

A brutal encounter at the Adelaide Oval may have robbed the league of two of its stars for a significant amount of time.  Both Nick Riewoldt and Matthew Jaensch appear to suffer serious injuries in contrasting nasty and innocuous challenges.

Injuries aside the match was relatively one-sided once the Crows were able to overcome a quick three goal start form the Saints.  Eddie Betts was the star of the match, kicking five goals for the third straight week (he had six in all here) and seeing his protege Charlie Cameron also kick three.

Josh Bruce was excellent in a losing side.  He again led the forward line with five goals and 12 marks.  His man bun was everywhere and kicking goals from some obscene angles.

Adelaide’s win takes them to second on the ladder, ahead of a tricky period which starts with GWS in Sydney then Fremantle at home before facing an unpredictable Carlton side who may have some players back by then.

Hawthorne (24-11-155) v Melbourne (7-8-50)

The Hawks came out as everyone expected and buried the Demons (of last week) with a huge win at the MCG.  Gearing up for next weeks Grand Final rematch against the Swans, the Hawks won by a mammoth 105 points and in the process gave Melbourne coach Paul Roo’s his biggest coaching defeat.

As the scoreline suggested the match was largely uncompetitive.  Hawthorne led at every quarter and kicked at least four majors in each of the four terms.  Jarryd Roughead was the most prolific of the Hawk’s front line with four goals, while Luke Breust (3) and Cyril Rioli (3) also got amongst the fun as did ten other goal kickers.

The reigning premiers were never going to be rolled over two weeks in a row, but nevertheless the 40,000 plus crowd will be disappointed by the Demons showing.  Schoolboy errors in the face of unrelenting pressure are excusable but unforced errors such as the failure of Cameron Pedersen to get the distance from 35m out, and his teammates failing to contest the resultant scramble.

Carlton (9-3-57) v GWS Giants (19-21-135)

The Greater Western Sydney Giants backed up their win over reigning premiers Hawthorne with another quality performance to comprehensively beat Carlton in Saturday’s twilight fixture at the Etihad Stadium.

The 78 point thrashing heaps more misery on a Blues team that could see coach Mick Malthouse fired by the end of the week.  The Giants registered their highest ever score thanks to five majors from the in form Jeremy Cameron.  But the real winning of the game was the Giants getting the better of a lopsided 78-32 inside the 50 count.

The result proves two things.  One, the Giants are actually shaping as a pretty decent side.  And two, Carlton are not.  Expect a few more renditions of the club song from the Giants as they continue to build on  their 2014 season, and expect plenty of turmoil for the Blues.

Sydney Swans (18-12-120) v Geelong Cats (11-11-77)

Lance Franklin was again wasteful in front of goal but still managed four goals to make amends for his donut last week.  His effort wasn’t the major talking point of the Swans 43 point win over Geelong however,   instead the arrival of Luke Parker to the upper echelon of Aussies Rules players took that honour.

Parker was the best midfielder on display and the catalyst of a dominant second half that saw the Swans kick10 goals to two and streak away.  Geelong actually led at halftime before being blown away by the Swans second half show.

Jarrad McVeigh celebrated his 250th game by marshalling the Swans defence in his usual professional manner.  He also added his second goal of the season and was carried off by his teammates in recognition of his longevity, loyalty and ongoing Swans contribution.

The Swans move up to third and will be hoping they can take Saturday’s form into next weeks epic encounter against the Hawks.

West Coast Eagles (21-9-135) v Gold Coast Suns (6-7-43)

The Eagles continued their dream run in 2015 with a relentless win over the Gold Coast Suns at a wet and miserable Domain Stadium.  The 92 point win means the Eagles early season march continues all the way to second on the competition ladder, and inflicted a damp and dreary mood on the Suns to match the conditions.

26,000 brave fans saw a number of records and almost records.  The Eagles had 12 goals in the third quarter which set a new club record, while the Suns narrowly avoided posting their lowest ever score.  That was largely due to four goals in the final term a much better effort than the solitary minor they managed in the second quarter.

Standouts were everywhere for the Eagels.  Matt Priddis gathered 39 disposals and kicked two goals; Elliot Yeo kicked 4 goals from 29 touches; Shannon Hurn was also involved, he had 25 touches and 12 marks; Chris Masten had 43 disposals; and Josh Kennedy kicked four goals.

Western Bulldogs (14-4-88) v Fremantle (15-11-101)

Fremantle’s unbeaten start to the season continued, but Sunday’s result was perhaps the closest of them all as they narrowly beat a dogged Western Bulldogs unit.  The win seventh straight may come with a hefty price tag mind you, with Brownlow Medal contender Nat Fyfe facing a possible suspension for tripping (slightly souring his 30 disposals performance).

The Dogs outlined exactly what it takes to defeat the Dockers without actually doing so.  They were accurate, disciplined and above all plucky as they fought back from 34 points adrift only to see late goals to Michael Walters and Matthew Pavlich break their hearts.

Tory Dickson was on target seven times for the Bulldogs, and captain Bob Murphy was at his snappy best, but the side were left to lament a ground ball that stifled a scoring chance to Mitch Wallis.

The Bulldogs drop to 8th bit should be able to regain a placing or two if they beat Melbourne next week like they should.

Richmond (16-9-105) v Collingwood (15-10-100)

It took 7 rounds to find an absolute classic and it might not be matched for the rest of the season.  The mid table clash between the Tigers and the Magpies served up a thrilling contest in one of the best games in recent memory with ebbs and flows, lead changes (ten to be exact) and only five points separating the sides at the final whistle.

The Tigers were able to grind out the narrow win despite an inside 50 deficit of 7.  They relied on big plays in the closing moments from Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio.  Cotchin was particularly influential in the final quarter, racking up 9 disposals, including 3 inside fifties, 6 contested possessions and 3 score involvements.  Deledio had 30 possessions (10 contested) and 13 marks for the game.

The win means the Tigers snap a worrying three game losing streak and are now just one win outside the top 8.

Travis Cloke and Dane Swan were the best from the beaten side.  Swan worked tirelessly all day, and while his stats didn’t quite match the Tigers’ best, he didn’t deserve to be on a losing side.

Brisbane Lions (15-12-102) v Port Adelaide (8-17-65)

The Brisbane Lions have gone back to back and dragged themselves off the bottom of the ladder with a win over an unenthused Power side at the Gabba on Sunday.

The scalp is an excellent result for a Lions side that reward 17,000 loyal fans, however some serious questions will need to be asked of a Port Adelaide side that failed to fight for loose ball or bring any energy or intensity to the contest.

A low scoring first quarter would have had the purists worried, but Brisbane exploded with six majors to take the lead (one they never relinquished) and control of the game.  The goals in that period were shared around, but Josh Green (3), Mitch Robinson (3), Allen Christensen (2) were the leaders in that respect for the match.

Port Adelaide have exactly a week to change their attitude and improve their intensity.  They meet the much improved Tigers who will be riding high over this weeks win over Collingwood and need a win to keep in touch with the leaders.

AFL Round 7 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Two months into the AFL season and we’re now starting to get a good handle of where the teams are at.  Fremantle obviously appear to be the team to beat, but with so many upsets thrown around last week, it’s getting harder to separate the mid table sides.  We’ll do our best to come back form our horror tipping show last week, and provide some better quality predictions this week in our AFL Round 7 Preview:

Essendon v North Melbourne

Essendon – $2.35

North Melbourne – $1.60

I doubt this one will be one for the purists but it is an important match for the two teams.  Essendon host North Melbourne in the Round 7 opener where both teams will be looking to stay in touch with the top 8 after up and down starts to the season.

North Melbourne are favourites on the back of their defeat of Richmond last week.  They should be too strong for an Essendon side that have gone backwards in recent weeks after a pleasing start to the season.  Although both teams are struggling to bring intensity in defence this season, their attack has also been disjointed so a winning score in the 80’s or early 90’s seems about right.

North Melbourne to win.

Adelaide Crows v St Kilda

Crows – $1.25

St Kilda – $4.15

Round 6’s surprise packages the Saints have it all to do against an Adelaide side that has been decimated by injury in recent weeks.  Both sides enter this one on the back of Round 6 wins.  As alluded to St Kilda recorded their biggest come from behind win in the history to beat the Western Bulldogs away from home. The Crows also enjoyed a win, their’s a comprehensive win over the Suns.

History is against St Kilda in this fixture.  They have lost their last four games against Adelaide, meaning it will take some special to overcome then on Saturday.  Perhaps the fact that the Crows are missing Rory Sloane is the slice of luck they need to in.

We doubt it.  The Crows to take this one out.

Hawthorne v Melbourne

Hawthorne – $1.08

Melbourne – $8.50

The Demons are about to see a demon unleashed on them this week.  Melbourne hosts an embarrassed Hawthorne side that suffered a shock loss to the Giants last week.  The result of which will be a revengeful monster that doesn’t bode well for Melbourne’s chances.

The Hawks very rarely suffer two losses in a row and despite still being without suspended duo Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis should have too much firepower for their opponents.  If they win on Saturday it will be their 12th straight victory over the 15th placed Demons.

Hawthorne to get through comfortably.

Carlton v GWS Giants

Carlton – $2.70

Giants – $1.48

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse is under huge pressure to get a result in his side’s match with the Greater Western Sydney Giants on Saturday.  The three time premiership winning coach has been lambasted in the media throughout the week after Carlton’s loss to Brisbane last week.  Malthouse calls the media comments “unsavoury”, but the media and greater AFL public are likely to determine his employment status over the coming weeks, so a win on Saturday is probably more needed than any other win in his glittering coaching career.

The Blues were so poor last week.  The opposite of the Giants, who enjoyed a ten point win adjacent reigning premiers Hawthorne.  The Giants are in the unfamiliar position of favourites, and we’re a little worried how they’ll respond to that.

Therefore, we’re giving the Blues the win (in a risky tip).

Sydney Swans v Geelong Cats

Swans – $1.27

Cats – $3.90

The Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium presents a stern test for an improving Geelong side in Saturday nights penultimate game.  The Cats returned to some form by destroying high flying Collingwood with one of the best half of footy we’ve seen this season.

But, the Swans are in some quality nick too. Currently 4th on the championship ladder and having enjoyed a comfortable win in last week’s action against Melbourne, the Swans should be too much for Geelong.

Isaac Heeney’s forced injury layoff is the only change to the Swans side.  In his place Dean Towers in a move that shouldn’t affect the play of the team too much.

Sydney to win.

West Coast Eagles v Gold Coast Suns

Eagles – $1.10

Suns – $7.50

The Suns have never beaten the West Coast Eagles, a statistic that is unlikely to change at Domain Stadium on Saturday.  The Eagles are always a difficult proposition at home, and currently sit second on the AFL ladder despite many pundits assuming they would struggle this year after key retirements in the back field.

However, they have proven themselves to be finals contenders with key wins in four of their last five games.  The Suns best chance of causing an upset is through the middle of the paddock, however that’s hard to fathom given the relative inexperience of their midfielders.  Gold Coast were better than the 31 point losing margin suggested last week but will find their Round 7 opponents too tricky.

West Coast to remain in the competitions top three with an easy win.

Western Bulldogs v Fremantle

Bulldogs – $3.65

Fremantle – $1.28

Fremantle are not only the early leaders of 2015, they’re also the team to beat the entire year after putting together six wins from as many games to start the season.  Getting plenty out of stars Nathan Fyfe, Aaron Sandilands and David Mundy, Fremantle have already established an 8 point lead at the top of the ladder.

While other sides that were tipped for success in 2015 stumble through the opening rounds, the Dockers look untouchable.  That should hold even against a Bulldogs side that are the surprise packages of this year’s action.  It’s somewhat remarkable that an unbeaten side is still only at $1.28 to get the job done – a testament to the Bulldogs play.

The Western Bulldogs have gone 4-2 to start the season, and should have beaten St Kilda last week when they led by as much as 50 points before letting it slip.

While we think this will be close, we can’t see Fremantle losing.  Dockers to get up.

Richmond v Collingwood

Richmond – $2.05

Collingwood – $1.75

A strange game to predict features a Tigers side that were tipped to finish well inside the top 4 this season, but are now languishing in 13th, playing a Collingwood side who were pathetic in last Friday’s loss to Geelong.

Ordinarily we’d give this to Collingwood, however the pressure on both sides could result in some desperation that makes it close and difficult to determine a winner.

Players aside the major talking point of the match will be the tactics and performance of the two coaches.  Damien Hardwick in charge of the Tigers, and Nathan Buckley at the helm of Collingwood are both under pressure (more so Hardwick) and it will be interesting how they ask their chargers to play in this one.

We think Collingwood should be okay.  They’ll win in by 15 points.

Brisbane Lions v Port Adelaide

Lions – $4.50

Port – $1.20

Brisbane enjoyed a win last week, their first of the 2015 campaign, but we can’t see them getting any points out of their Sunday showdown against the Power at the Gabba.  The Lions snuck a win over the under pressure Carlton side, mainly thanks to Tom Rockliff and new recruit Dayne Beams.

They’ll need plenty more out of their in form big men if the are to trouble a Power side who currently occupy 10th on the ladder with a 3-3 record.  That’s an okay return from a difficult opending draw, and they showed signs last week against the Eagles that they would compete with the better teams this year.

They were slightly unlucky to lose at home last week, however with Robbie Gray kicking goals for fun.  We think they’ll justify their favourite tags and beat the Lions.

 

AFL Round 6 Results

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

An unimaginable number of upsets gave bookie all sorts of headaches over the AFL weekend.  The upsets also made a mockery of our predictions – we struggled to four tips for the week.

All the action reviewed in our weekly piece titled AFL Round 6 Results below:

Collingwood (8-11-59) vs Geelong Cats (15-10-100)

A hot first half from the unfancied Geelong team helped them get the better of the Collingwood Pies at the MCG on Friday night.  In the first of many upsets in Round 6, the Cats jumped out of the gates and kicked the first seven goals of the match before surviving a brief comeback in the second stanza to win by 41 goals.

An incredible 425 possession form the Cats undid the Magpies and confounded them to their second loss of the season, no doubt incredibly flummoxed as to how they gave up 11 goals in the first half to their 2.

Mitch Duncan, Steven Motlop (3 goals) and Cory Gregson (3 goals) were all standouts for Gellong.  While Scott Pendlebury was excellent in a losing cause for Collingwood.

Geelong’s third win of the campaign gets them to three wins from six matches and up to 12th on the ladder, however they’re equal on points with Hawthorne who currently occupy 8th.

North Melbourne (16-13-109) vs Richmond (10-14-74)

A 16,000 strong crowd at Blundstone Arena saw North Melbourne get the better of Richmond in the first of Round 6’s Saturday games.

In a close first half only a goal separated the teams as both teams benefitted from a direct running game and tight control of the ruck.  However, six consecutive goals in the crucial third term sent North Melbourne on their way as Richmond suffered a monumental lapse in concentration.  They’ll need to get to the bottom of that ahead of their difficult upcoming fixtures against Collingwood, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Fremantle.

Lindsay Thomas will receive most of the praise for his five goal effort (from just nine attempts), but Shaun Higgins and Brent Harvey were also key contributors.

North move to 9th on the competition ladder but will face much more tougher matches than this one.  They were gifted 92 points from Richmond turnovers, a statistic that is unlikely to be offered by the competitions stronger teams.

Western Bulldogs (13-9-87) vs St Kilda (14-10-94)

St Kilda staged a dramatic comeback to shock almost everyone and beat the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.  The cellar dwellers were down by 55 points in the third quarter but amazingly kicked twelve goals to three in an incredible second half.  The comeback is the fifth biggest comeback in AFL history and will no doubt have had bookies seething.

The comeback may have been sparked by an all in brawl right on the stroke of halftime because directly after the break the teams showed up with wildly different energies.

St Kilda midfielder David Armitage was the star of the show.  He had a career best 45 possessions and 8 clearances.  Together with Jack Billings who kicked 4 goals, he was largely responsible for sparking the wild scenes.

GWS Giants (16-12-108) vs Hawthorn (14-14-98)

In another Round 6 match we failed to predict the Giants beat last year’s premiers by ten points in Sydney.

The win is arguably the Giants greatest ever in their short history and was delivered courtesy of an incredible second half that completely shocked the Hawks.  Jeremy Cameron was the hero at Spotless Stadium kicking seven goals to help reel in a 27 goal first half deficit.

Much like other games in the round the impetus came in a flurry.  GWS kicked five straight goals to finish the half and take an unexpected cushion into the second half.  They managed to hold on to that lead and with it two valuable completion points.  They are now ahead of Hawthorne six games into the season.

The Giants’ 2015 record resembles a symmetrical gang sign – WLWLW.  They’ll be hoping to turn this into a web address over the next few weeks.

Gold Coast Suns (11-12-78) vs Adelaide Crows (18-11-109)

Fellow league infants, the Gold Coast Suns, couldn’t replicate the amazing win of the Giants, instead suffering a large defeat at the hands of the Adelaide Crows.  The match was largely one-sided.  The undermanned Suns struggling to feature after conceding five straight goals in the first quarter.

After a number of their players were given bans for breaching the alcohol policies of the Club, the Suns were always destined to struggle, and that’s exactly how it panned out.  The Suns were simply not good enough.  The only silver lining was a last quarter win.

Eddie Betts had five goals, taking him to twenty for the season.  He’s currently second behind West Coast’s Josh Kennedy in the Coleman Medal race, and the Crows are back on track.

Melbourne (7-8-50) vs Sydney Swans (12-16-88)

Sydney atoned for last week’s shock loss to the Western Bulldogs by beating a wasteful Melbourne side in Melbourne on Saturday night.  The Swans got plenty of return from star forward Kurt Tippet (4 goals) but are facing six weeks without talented youngster Isaac Heeney who badly injured his knee.

The Swans crushed the haunting memories of last years grand final disappointment and reeled of seven goals to one in a first half that essentially killed off the contest.

Melbourne may cling to some positives from a gutsy second half.  They actually took the half out by two points in a display that had coach Paul Roos pleased his side didn’t lose by 100.

Fremantle (12-8-80) vs Essendon (7-10-52)

The Dockers kept up their unbeaten start to the season by beating the Bombers in a low scoring encounter at home on Saturday night.  A crowd of 37,000 packed Domain Stadium to see their ladder topping heroes get the better of an Essendon side that were expected to give them more trouble than they did.

The Bombers have gone away form their aggressive hard nosed footy and looked directionless at times in the face of constant Fremantle pressure.

Aaron Sandilands, was brilliant for the home side, registering 33 hit-outs, and he was aptly supported by the disposals of Lachie Neale (33), David Mundy (28) and Nat Fyfe (27).  That service was in stark contrast to the ball Fremantle had to deal with, but they were wrong around the stoppages.

A 54 goal three quarter lead was shortened in a fourth quarter that won’t concern the Dockers coach Ross Lyon too much.  It felt as though the Dockers were simply going through the motions, and that’s understandable after five consecutive wins and a handy lead in the sixth.

Carlton (11-9-75) vs Brisbane Lions (12-12-84)

Carlton lost to the Brisbane Lions in the battle of the early season wooden spoon.  The Lions were given little chance by the bookies ahead of their matchup, however overturned their $4.00 odds to grab a narrow victory over 17th placed Carlton.

The nine point win came courtesy of a brave second half as they built up a third quarter lead and held on to it during a tense finale.  The win gets them underway for the season and helped answer the critics who accused them of not caring about their results.

Dayne Beams and big off season recruit Allen Christensen were instrumental in winning quality ball for their unlikely attacking spearhead to kick the goals.  Daniel McStay was that unlikely spearhead – he kicked a career best 4 goals in what turned out to be a one on one battle with Brisbane’s Levi Casboult (4).

The drought breaking win will give Carlton some confidence ahead of their Round 7 home match against the Giants, whereas the Lions have now lost four in a row, amounting to huge pressure on coach Mick Malthouse.

Port Adelaide (10-8-68) vs West Coast Eagles (11-12-78)

The final match of the round at the Adelaide Oval continue the trend of Round 6 upsets as the West Coast Eagles got up over the more favourited home side.

The Eagles ripped the form book, and their pre match odds of $4.50, to shreds as they responded brilliantly to a fierce last quarter barrage by the Power.  Port gave it their all in an engrossing last quarter, but their all wasn’t enough to get past the Eagles desperate backline.

We had said before the game that the Eagles start to the season was a little misleading because of their favourable draw, however, on this evidence that is simply not true.  They are genuine contenders, and with a number of youngsters (Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo) starting to hit their straps they have the basis of a strong team for a number of seasons.

The Eagles remain near the top of their leaderboard after the win.  The four points gets them to second on percentage.  Port are in 10th, but with no cause for immediate panic.