Australian Football

Round 16

Premiership Season 2016 - Round 16 Review

Total Crowd 235,019 (Avg 26,113)

The premiership race appears to be as wide open as it ever was, although a glance at the top two positions on the ladder might be enough to convince some otherwise. Those positions are occupied by the only two sides to have a won a flag in the last five years, Hawthorn and Sydney.

Nevertheless, there is still only a two-game gap between the top-placed Hawks and eighth-placed Kangaroos (who headed the ladder themselves only four weeks ago), and with the Hawks and Swans to meet this Thursday night, there's still likely to be plenty of movement within all parts of the top eight before the home and away season is put to bed.

Hawthorn maintained its place at the head of the ladder by virtue of a solid win over Port at the Adelaide Oval. Hawk coach added pre-game spice to the match, declaring the Hawks a more proven side at hard, tough footy than the Power. Port responded by bring a particularly aggressive brand of footy to Thursday's nights match, but Hawthorn was able to absorb and match that aggression and record a solid 22-point win. 

24 hours later, the Swans made a definitive football statement, easily defeating Geelong (the top side only three weeks ago) at the Cats' own dung-heap, Kardinia Park. The Swans were one song from the start, kicking the first three goals of the match and, although Geelong recovered to hit the front early in the second term, Sydney were clearly the more accomplished side on the night, winning all four quarters and the match by 38 points. 

The upset of the round occurred at the Sydney Showground on Saturday afternoon, with Collingwood putting GWS, another team that had claims to top place on the ladder, to the sword. The Giants looked every inch a top side in the first term, setting up a four-goal lead, but the Magpies blew them away in the second quarter with nine goals, and then backed that up with a solid second half that saw them win by 32 points.

Later that day at Carrara, a more predictable result eventuated as the Gold Coast Suns recorded a comfortable win over the hapless Brisbane Lions. The win came at great cost, though, with both Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli suffering season-ending injuries, Ablett re-injuring his troublesome shoulder and Rischitelli rupturing an ACL. Both will require surgery and won't be seen in action until some time in 2017. 

Another side with their eye on a top-of-the-ladder finish is the Western Bulldogs. The Giants' upset loss to Collingwood handed the Dogs a virtual gift of a place in the top four but the Doggies almost handed the gift back on Saturday night, struggling to overcome a tenacious Richmond outfit before eventually prevailing by 10 points. The Tigers were impressive, but the Dogs will need to improve on that performance if they are to maintain that top-four place.

The other Saturday night match pitted two bottom 10 sides, Melbourne and Fremantle, against each other at Marrara Oval in Darwin. The Demons looked by far the more accomplished side in the first half, setting up a 43-point lead at the long break, before a better effort from the Dockers in the second half cut Melbourne's final winning margin to 32.

Sunday's first match saw Adelaide at the MCG for the second week running and, for the second week running impressive victors, this time against a struggling Carlton outfit. The win was the seventh in a row for the Crows, the third-longest winning streak of their history, and kept them well in the hunt for a top-four, and perhaps top-two, place. 

Over in Perth, West Coast hosted North Melbourne at Subiaco. The Eagles had a rare home loss against Adelaide a few weeks ago, and they were not about to let another one slip through the grasp against North Melbourne. They won all of the first three quarters against the Roos, then coasted home to win by 32 points, their first win over a top side in 2016. 

Two lower-reach sides, Essendon and St Kilda, met at Docklands in what was the last - but by no means least - match of round 16. The two sides turned on a beauty, which, while riddled with errors, featured many great highlights and plenty of goals. The Dons looked likely to notch up their second win of the year midway through the final term but St Kilda rallied late to steal home by 11 points. 

With seven rounds remaining, Sydney versus Hawthorn on Thursday night looms as the crucial match of round 17. The other six top-eight sides should all win but after the Giants' upset loss and the Bulldogs' narrow escape this week, all six will be at pains to avoid any sign of complacency.

Leading goalkickers after round 16

53 - Lance Franklin, Syd (4); Josh Kennedy, WCo (4)
48 - Tom Lynch, GCo (5)
43 - Josh Jenkins, Adel (3)
41 - Eddie Betts, Adel (3)
38 - Jesse Hogan, Melb (4)
37 - Jack Riewoldt, Rich (2)
36 - Jack Gunston, Haw (3)
35 - Taylor Walker, Adel (1)
33 - Luke Breust, Haw (2); Tom Hawkins, Geel (2); Jake Stringer, WB (4); Jeremy Cameron, GWS (5)

R-16, Ladder