Captain Max Gawn and Tom McDonald marked their 250th appearances for Melbourne by helping them produce a remarkable comeback to beat Carlton.
They trailed by as much as 43 points, at one stage, but kicked 14 goals in the second half to pull off one of the biggest turnarounds in their long club history.
Kysaiah Pickett (pictured below) was the catalyst for the Demons with a best on ground effort – a career-high 33 disposals, seven marks, six clearances, four tackles and a goal.
For the Blues, this stunning loss is just another example of their late fade-outs in matches, with coach Michael Voss saying he was “absolutely filthy” in his presser.
CROWS KARDINIA PARK HOODOO CONTINUES
Geelong ensured that Adelaide’s miserable run at GHMBA Stadium continued by coming out on top, in a real arm wrestle and surprisingly low scoring affair.
The Crows, who arrived at a venue where they hadn’t tasted success since 2003, were left ruing a poor opening despite managing to keep within touching distance.
Midfielder Bailey Smith (pictured above) was immense for the hosts with a real standout performance that included 40 disposals, ten tackles, six clearances and five score involvements.
Mark O’Connor (pictured below), born in County Kerry and who joined the Cats back in 2017, became just the sixth Irishman in AFL/VFL history to reach the 150-career game milestone.
It has already been quite a year for the 29-year-old who returned home, during the off-season, to play for Gaelic football side Dingle and help them win a first-ever All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship, defeating St Brigid’s, back in January.
lions up and running
Reigning Premiers Brisbane are on the board, at the third attempt, after kicking the last six goals to see off a plucky St.Kilda in what has become a real grudge match.
It all stems from off-field comments made by both clubs that have traded words over the AFL draft, the “nepo baby” sledge, and the big-money contracts given to players.
All this made for an intense, high-pressure spectacle that was very even until the final term when the Lions finally broke the Saints’ resistance and made it count.
They came away counting the cost of it, though, with both Darcy Gardiner (dislocated shoulder) and Noah Answerth (concussion) now on the injured list.
Eagles turn off the power
West Coast pulled off the shock of the weekend by recovering from a horror opening to then slowly work their way into it and get over the line to defeat Port Adelaide.
For coach Andrew McQualter (pictured below), this result represents his first victory on the road and is just the third since taking over the reins from Adam Simpson in September 2004.
Jake Waterman booted four snags for the visitors, whilst midfielder Willem Duursma, the youngest of four siblings all playing AFL/AFLW, showed just why he was rated as the number one draft pick by playing a key role with a very impressive showing.
The Power came hard towards the end, and with the ball coming into their defensive 50, under increasing pressure and just a point ahead, Jobe Shanahan stood up to take a spectacular contested mark and ensured that the Eagles got the chocolates.
Oscar Steene stars on debut
Tim Membury booted four majors as a strong finishing Collingwood were able to pull away and secure a comfortable success over an injury-hit Greater Western Sydney.
They actually lost out on a number of the statistics on the night, but made the most of their opportunities to make it count on the all-important one – the scoreboard.
Magpies coach Craig McRae was given a real boost, coming into this fixture, with the return of experienced defenders Jeremy Howe and club captain Darcy Moore.
However, it was the inclusion of debutant Oscar Steene that quite rightly attracted all the headlines – the 22-year-old, after waiting four years since being drafted from West Adelaide, came in and made a real impact with a superb display.
Although he ultimately finished on the losing side, Giants forward Jake ‘The Package’ Stringer (pictured below) celebrated a personal milestone by kicking his 400th career goal.
Inaugural Road Safety Game
Fremantle produced a powerful second-half showing, proving too strong for a young Richmond outfit in a 60-point belting, before a crowd of 35,245 at Optus Stadium.
In truth, they should have won by a much bigger margin, but had a horrid day in front of the big sticks to set a new, unwanted record of recording 25 behinds in a game.
If the first half proved to be competitive, with just a goal separating the two sides at the main interval, the second was anything but as the Dockers really stepped it up.
This fixture marked the inaugural Road Safety Game as Freo has teamed up with the RAC to advocate for all road users to play their role and make a game plan to get home safely. Tragically, last year, 184 lives were lost on the roads within the state.
KANGAS END TEN-YEAR BOMBERS DROUGHT
Xavier Duursma scored a career-high three majors as North Melbourne ended a ten-year losing streak against Essendon and heaped yet more misery on their advisory.
Defender Finn O’Sullivan played a pivotal role in his side’s triumph after being given the tagging job on Zach Merret. He nullified the Bombers’ star man really well and kept him to just ten disposals – his lowest possession tally in nearly eight years.
The Kangas could find themselves without ruckman Tristan Xerri; he has been sent straight to the tribunal by the MRO, after a rather unsavoury incident when, following a confrontation, he appeared to wipe his own blood on the face of Andrew McGrath.
Another bad day for the Bombers, which leaves them zip-three and firmly rooted at the bottom of the ladder, is only going to further increase the pressure on Brad Scott and the playing group during the week, with this being their 16th straight defeat.
Round 3 Results
Geelong 9.14 (68)
Adelaide 9.6 (60)
Collingwood 13.9 (87)
GWS 7.12 (54)
St.Kilda 11.14 (80)
Brisbane 17.11 (113)
Fremantle 13.25 (103)
Richmond 6.7 (43)
Essendon 9.15 (69)
North Melbourne 12.9 (81)
Port Adelaide 13.12 (90)
West Coast 13.14 (92)
Carlton 11.11 (77)
Melbourne 15.10 (100)
Bye: Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Sydney, Western Bulldogs
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