Australian Football

Round 15

Premiership Season 2015 - Round 15 Review

Total Crowd 258,601 (Avg 28,733)

Round 15 saw the AFL return to some sense of normality, with a full nine matches played for the first time in a month. After three bye weeks, in which only six games per week was played, round 15 saw the Adelaide v Geelong game abandoned after the tragic death of Crow coach Phil Walsh. This week, a full nine games over four days saw a thriller at the Adelaide Oval, an amazing comeback from the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn make top team Fremantle look second rate.

Thursday night gave us a low-scoring thriller which saw Port Adelaide jump out of the blocks only to have Collingwood rein it in during the second quarter. The Power managed to get back to a seven-point lead before just keeping the Magpies at bay during the second half it to win by three points and inflict on Collingwood its third narrow loss in a row.

Richmond's push towards a top four spot continues to gather momentum after the Tigers had a solid win over Carlton at the MCG on Friday night. The win wasn't as pretty or impressive as the Tigers' victories over Fremantle or Sydney but the best sides know how to win when not at their best and Richmond has done that in the last two weeks against GWS and the Blues. 

The MCG played host to another 'ugly' contest on Saturday as Essendon and Melbourne slugged it out in a dour affair. The Demons were left to rue some very poor kicking for goal as they knocked up a score of 7.18 to fall short of the Bombers' 10.9. Video of the game is unlikely to go into Essendon's highlights time capsule but the Dons would have been happy with any win after being pasted by 110 points at the hands of St Kilda a week earlier. 

The Western Bulldogs played their own ugly brand of football for three quarters against Gold Coast at Cairns on Saturday, with the Suns looking far the better side for much of the game. But the Dogs exploded into action in the last term, slamming on 10 goals to two, to turn a 37-point deficit into a remarkable 22-point win to move up to sixth on the ladder. 

Saturday night saw Geelong and Adelaide return to action after their round 14 match was cancelled. It wasn't a successful return for either side in pure footy terms, with Geelong in particular in the unusual position of not having played a match for 20 days after a bye in round 13. The Cats stayed with North Melbourne for just over a quarter, but the Kangaroos for right on top after that to win by 41 points and stay in touch with the eight. 

For the Adelaide Crows it was a particularly emotional and difficult night in the wake of the loss of their coach and the act of getting through the game itself was a huge victory in itself for the players as a tribute to Phil Walsh. In terms of the match itself, the Crows had a big first term and led at the first break before fading to lose by 56 points. Players were visibly emotional as they formed a tribute circle after the match. 

GWS kept its finals hopes alive with a comfortable win over St Kilda but victory came at a cost. The already injury-stricken Giants lost another soldier when Dylan Shiel suffered a torn meniscus in the second term. The injury is likely to see him miss more than six weeks, as he joins Shane Mumford, Joel Patfull and Phil Davis on the sidelines. Nevertheless, the Giants are back in the eight after the win and a first AFL finals series remains a realistic prospect. 

Perhaps the most significant result of the round was Hawthorn's win over Fremantle. For the Hawks to win was no great surprise at their York Park 'fortress', but the manner in which they one would have had other sides fearing a third Hawthorn flag in a row. The Hawks made the Dockers look second rate from go to whoa, and while Fremantle remains at the top of the ladder, Hawthorn are very much premiership favourites in the eyes of most. 

Brisbane and Sydney closed out the round with their match at the Gabba and while the outcome of the match was no surprise, the Swans were made to work harder for victory than many might have expected. As late as 25 minutes into the third quarter, the Lions led by six points before a three-goal burst of Buddy Franklin magic either side of three-quarter time saw Sydney home by 21 points and a game clear of Hawthorn in third place. 

As we turn for home in season 2015, the round 16 matches that loom as highlights include the Grand Final rematch between Sydney and Hawthorn at Stadium Australia, Collingwood versus West Coast at Docklands and what is sure to be a highly emotional Showdown between Port Adelaide and Adelaide. 

LEADING GOALKICKERS AFTER ROUND 15

50 – Josh Kennedy (WCo)
42 - Jeremy Cameron (GWS)
39 - Josh Bruce (StK), Jack Riewoldt (Rich), Lance Franklin (Syd)
37 - Eddie Betts (Adel)
34 - Luke Breust (Haw)
32 - Travis Cloke (Coll, Taylor Walker (Adel), Chad Wingard (Port)

R-15, Ladder