Farewells, last gasp wins and a couple of shellackings – what a round of Football it was. From an absolute drubbing to Port at the hands of North Melbourne, lead by a 10 goal haul from Ben Brown, to the absolute nail-biters at the GABBA and MCG – Let’s take a look at some of the standout performances across the round.
Charlie Cameron, Brisbane
Despite what Chris Scott would have you believe, Cameron was huge again. Six goals, and a huge part of the Lions come from behind win – His fifth coming with just three minutes remaining, and with the Lions down by 11 points. Neale (29 disposals and a goal), Lyons (28 touches, 11 tackles and a goal) were again prolific through the middle, and Hugh McCluggage is getting better and better, finishing with 27 disposals, six tackles and a goal.
Ben Brown, North Melbourne
Ben Brown is a very interesting piece of Machinery. Saturday night against the insipid Power the Ben Brown machine was primed and firing – kicking 10 goals in the modern game is rare, kicking 10 and only one behind is a bonafide Unicorn. Goldstein wound back the clock with an absolute ripper, amassing a career-high 34 disposals – a large portion of them contested.
Dustin Martin, Richmond
Dusty was at his Brownlow best in the thriller against the Eagles at the MCG. The Eagles held the ascendancy going into the second quarter with a 24 point lead, but Dusty was having none of that, taking the game by the scruff of the neck and helping the Tigers peg the lead back, and eventually take the win in an MCG belter. Dusty finished with 34 disposals, 27 of them kicks. Elliot Yeo was influential for the Eagles with 26 disposals and 15 clearances.
Josh Dunkley, Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are up and about, and it is in no small part due to this man’s recent form. The Giants held it together up until midway through the third, when the floodgates opened and ended in a 61 point win for the Dogs. Dunkley accumulated 31 disposals at 84% efficiency and laid 10 tackles. Young gun Patrick Lipinski was influential with 27 touches, while Tim Taranto continued his stellar year with 28 disposals.
Jarryd Roughead, Hawthorn
This football week has all been about Roughy, and rightly so. The man is a legend of the game and is universally loved across the nation – the league’s ‘top bloke’ was recalled to the seniors this week after a lengthy stint in the VFL. On Sunday against the lowly Suns it was to be Roughy’s send off game, a chance for a win and some celebration.
But then Roughy went out and kicked six. Football doesn’t care for romance or fairytale endings, but it seemed as though an exception would be made at Marvel stadium today as Roughy plundered the snags and the Hawks prevailed by 70 points. The win keeps their finals hopes alive – and Roughy’s bag means the selectors will have a headache this week, particularly if Mitchell Lewis is given the all-clear.
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