Australian Football

Round 12

Premiership Season 2015 - Round 12 Review

Total Crowd 179,854 (Avg 29,976)

Did round 12 mark the end of one golden era and the beginning of another? Only time will tell but the last game of the round may be looked at in future times as one that marked the true end of Geelong's golden era and perhaps the dawning - finally - of a new one for Melbourne. The Demons crashed the party that was Corey Enright's 300th match, winning for the first time at Kardinia Park in 10 years and doing so quite emphatically.

The second of the 'bye' rounds featured a Thursday night game between Adelaide and Hawthorn at the Adelaide Oval. The Crows stuck with the Hawks for much of the night but the reigning premier's experience proved to be too much in the end, Hawthorn winning by 29 points to keep knocking on the door of the top four.

Friday night saw Richmond hour West Coast at the MCG. The Tigers came into the match having won for in a row and were favoured to make it five but the Eagles reminded footy pundits of why they are sitting in the top four by matching it with Richmond and then holding the Tigers at bay in a dour last quarter that saw only one goal scored. The loss left Richmond precariously clinging to eighth spot on the ladder.

It was back to the 'G' on Saturday for what surprisingly turned out to be the match of the round. Bottom side Carlton got off to a good start against Port and the held the Power at bay for most of the afternoon before surviving a late comeback that saw Jay Schulz have a shot at goal that would have put them ahead. He just missed, and the Blues held on to win a thriller by four points and climb up from bottom place.

The Giants, suddenly decimated by injuries to big Shane Mumford, Stephen Coniglio, Phil Davis and Joel Patfull, struggled for most of the afternoon against North Melbourne at the Sydney Showground, with the Kangaroos winning by 56 points on the back of a six-goal-to-one first term. The Giants slipped to sixth as a result of the loss, while North are now only percentage way from a place in the eight.

Saturday night at Docklands saw the Western Bulldogs overcome a somewhat sluggish first half to explode away from Brisbane late in the third quarter and throughout the last to crush the Lions by 72 points. The Bulldogs' young brigade led the charge with five goals to Jake Stringer, four to Tom Boyd and three to Mitch Wallis. Jack Macrae also picked up 35 touches as the Dogs also moved to within percentage of a top-eight berth.

The round was completed with the match at Kardinia Park. The win was the Demons' fourth for the season from 12 games and still leaves them some way off the pace but the signs are good for the future. Geelong has six wins and remains a chance for the eight but there is an air of resignation about the Cats, who could miss the finals for the first time since 2006. 

LEADING GOALKICKERS AFTER ROUND 12

46 – Josh Kennedy (WCo)
35 - Jeremy Cameron (GWS)
34 - Lance Franklin (Syd)
33 - Eddie Betts (Adel)
31 - Travis Cloke (Coll)
29 – Josh Bruce (StK), Cam McCarthy (GWS)
28 - Jack Riewoldt (Rich)
27 - Taylor Walker (Adel)
26 - Luke Breust (Haw), Chad Wingard (Port)

R-12, Ladder