AFL

Well since there is no big AFL topic I thought I might start one.

I've got a couple of questions:

-should Carlton tank this sunday against the Dees?
I reckon they would be in their best interest to tank. I'd much rather have three picks in the top 20 of the draft than beat a team just above you and only get one pick in the top 20.

-How will Geelong go, can they maintain there form into the finals
I believe they can cause they've done it all year against the best and there is no reason why they won't keep it up.

I've gotta go now but i'll come back later and read your views.

-should Carlton tank this sunday against the Dees?

Or should melbourne tank? its one that can go either way

How will Geelong go, can they maintain there form into the finals

Theyll choke, i guarantee my man hood on it

I doubt you have anything to guarantee on Fitzy.

Theyll choke, i guarantee my man hood on it

Why will Geelong choke. They've beaten all these teams before.

Theyll choke, i guarantee my man hood on it

Why will Geelong choke. They've beaten all these teams before.

i think all the pressure and the feeling of finals footy will get to them and they will struggle

I doubt you have anything to guarantee on Fitzy.

nope, nuttin at all

Well the final 8 is decided and this is what it looks like.

Port Adelaide Power v West Coast Eagles, Friday, 7.50, AAMI Stadium

Hawthorn Hawks v Adelaide Crows, Saturday, 2.30, TD

Collingwood Magpies v Sydney Swans, Saturday, 7.30, MCG

Geelong Cats v Kangaroos, Sunday, 2.45, MCG


I was really looking forward to a possible Cats v Hawks Grand final, but now that seems unlikley. My tip is for the Cats to play the Eagles in the Grand Final. I think West Coast are a lot more experienced in this position than Port and should get up on the weekend. I also think the Cats, the Hawks and the Swans will all enjoy victories this weekend.

go roos! my boys had better beat the cats, if they do ill wear my kangaroos jersey for a year

Can West Coast and Geelong meet in the Final?

Can West Coast and Geelong meet in the Final?

Well if you think the Eagles can beat the Power, they would play the Roos , in the Preliminary Final, if the roos lost to the cats and beat the winner of Hawthorn v Adelaide. If Geelong make the Grand Final all they would have to do is beat the roos at home in Perth

However if they lose to the Power they would play the winner of the Pies and the Swans in the Semi's and if won there they would play the Cats most likley in the Preliminary Final.

If you go to the afl website there is a finals predictor.

Off to the Geelong game this Sunday.

If Geelong doesn't win the GF I'm coming after you fitzy. I've been waiting too long for us to cough up another one. I'm looking forward to the Roos game on the weekend, they are always a tough side because they are relentless, but I'm hoping we've got enough to get past them. The injury to Matty Egan is a big loss though. Hopefully with Bartel and Rooke back in we will cover his absence.

Eagles, Swans, Crows & Cats will win this weekend....

Is anyone suprised about the fact that there are no Collingwood players in the preliminary 40-man All Australian squad

You would have thought that at least one of their guys would be good enough to make it.

Well done to Joel Selwood by the way for winning a very deserving Rising Star award.

FINALS UPDATE

Last Night:

Port Adelaide 10.8.68 d West Coast 10.5.65

The Power staged a remarkable comback in a low scoring game. They were 4 goals down 22 minutes into the third term. The Power kicked three goals to finish of the third term and won it rom there by 3 points, in a match were Ben Cousins suffered a season ending hamstring injury.

The Eagles will now play the winner of the Collingwood v Sydney game tonight, at Subiaco next weekend in the semi finals.

last night was one of the best games ive seen all season, port played so good

last night was one of the best games ive seen all season, port played so good

Do you think they played 'so good' for the whole game or just the last quarter and a bit

FINALS UPDATE

Hawthorn 15.15.105 d Adelaide 15.12.102

I got this from the AFL website:

Hawks snatch thrilling win

AAP
Saturday, 8th September, 2007 5:07:00 pm
HAWTHORN’S Lance Franklin confirmed his superstar status by booting the Hawks to a three-point win over Adelaide in the first elimination final at Telstra Dome on Saturday afternoon.

Franklin kicked his seventh goal with seven seconds left in the game to give the Hawks a 15.15 (105) to 15.12 (102) win in their first finals campaign since 2001.

The final siren sounded just after the resultant centre bounce, which sparked scenes of mass jubilation for the brown and golds after an epic final which could have gone either way.

Thirteen minutes into the final quarter Franklin had given his side the lead for the first time since the very early minutes of the first term, which capped a stirring comeback by the Hawks, who trailed by as much as 31 points early in the second quarter.

Franklin's match-winning bomb came from 50 metres out on the left forward flank, the difficult side for a left-footer, after marking a short pass from teammate Rick Ladson.

The Hawks will now play the loser of Sunday's qualifying final between Geelong and the Kangaroos in a sudden-death semi-final, while Adelaide must again lick their wounds after another painful finals exit.

Hawthorn's victory also prolongs the career of captain Richie Vandenberg, who announced this week that this season would be his last.

But it is all over for Adelaide skipper Mark Ricciuto, who led his shattered teammates off the ground in his 312th and final game, a new club record for the Crows.

Franklin was one of a handful of key Hawks making their finals debut today, but the occasion clearly didn't hamper the key forward.

After a tough start to the game, where he dropped several marks and missed a couple of shots, Franklin got his side back in the match with a burst of three goals in five minutes during the second term.

The third of those goals came after Adelaide's Jason Torney was reported for contact on Franklin.

But Torney nearly had the last laugh, as he booted a goal from outside 50 metres on the run late in the game, which put the Crows in front.

Hawk Jarryd Roughead looked to have blown his side's chance of replying when he missed a set shot seconds later, until Franklin saved the day.

Adelaide began the game better and kicked the first three goals, and led by 19 points at quarter time, when Chris Knight's kick sailed through for a goal on the siren.

The Crows extended that lead to 31 points 12 minutes into the second term, and the Hawks' chances looked remote when gun midfielder Luke Hodge was assisted off with a leg injury.

But Hodge returned soon after, and the Hawk midfielders began influencing the outcome.

Brownlow medallist Shane Crawford was magnificent, Sam Mitchell busy through the centre and Clinton Young's long kicking assisted Franklin and Roughead.

Roughead booted three goals, while Ken McGregor and Scott Welsh each kicked four each for Adelaide.

In a frantic final quarter, several moments looked like deciding the outcome.

The Hawks booted the first two goals to close the margin to two points, but Jordan Lewis missed everything when he tried snapping a goal from just outside the goalsquare.

Welsh goaled to give Adelaide some breathing space, but Young and Franklin replied.

The Hawks missed several more shots until Torney's goal, but Franklin stamped himself a finals match-winner.

Adelaide's best included midfielders Scott Thompson, Tyson Edwards, McGregor - in his first game since round 18 - and Torney.

HAWTHORN 4.3 8.7 10.10 15.15 (105)

ADELAIDE 7.4 10.7 12.12 15.12 (102)

Goals: Hawthorn: L Franklin 7 J Roughead 3 J Lewis S Crawford C Bateman C Brown C Young. Adelaide: K McGregor 4 S Welsh 4 J Porplyzia 2 T Edwards N Gill N Van Berlo J Torney C Knights.

Best: Hawthorn: L Franklin S Crawford S Mitchell R Ladson L Hodge C Young. Adelaide: T Edwards S Thompson S Goodwin K McGregor N Bock S Welsh.

Umpires: H Kennedy B Allen R Chamberlain

Official crowd: 36,534 at Telstra Dome.

FINALS UPDATE

Collingwood v Sydney

Magpies cruise past Swans at MCG

Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network
Saturday, 8th September, 2007 11:15:00 p
COLLINGWOOD has ended the 2007 finals campaign of the Sydney Swans, defeating the Swans by 38 points in their second elimination final at the MCG.

The Magpies will travel to Perth to take on reigning premier West Coast after the 18.17 (125) to 13.9 (87) win over the team the Eagles beat by a point in last year’s Grand Final.

Collingwood set up the win with a six goal to one first term to lead by 31 points at quarter-time. The Swans kicked the last four goals of the first half to narrow the gap to 10 points at the major break, and when Michael O’Loughlin kicked a goal within a minute of the restart, the Swans were within four points.


Collingwood then kicked five goals without reply to take a 28-point lead into the last change, and kicked five goals to four in the final term to run out comfortable winners.

For the Magpies, Anthony Rocca starred with six goals after his night appeared to be over just before half time, when he hyper-extended his left knee in a marking contest and had to be carried from the field.


A booming goal from 50m three minutes into the second half showed that he wouldn’t be restricted for the rest of the game, and he ended up with 6.0 from 16 kicks and nine marks. Fellow power forward Sean Rusling kicked 3.2 from 13 kicks and eight marks, while Travis Cloke also kicked three goals. The three forwards took 26 marks between them in a commanding display.

Sean Pendlebury led the Magpies with 24 possessions, while Heath Shaw had 23 touches off half-back.

For the Swans, Adam Goodes was the outstanding player on the ground in the first half and finished with 29 touches and 11 marks, while Brett Kirk was tireless with 23 possessions. Nick Malceski had 23 touches, and Michael O’Loughlin was Sydney’s one shining light up forward, booting 4.1.

The Magpies led 13.12 (90) to 8.8 (62) at three-quarter time.

O’Loughlin kicked the first goal of the second half after just one minute to reduce Collingwood’s half time lead of 10 points even further before Collingwood steadied with three quick goals.


Rocca kicked a long goal from the boundary after three minutes, and when Dane Swan capitalised on a Sydney turnover with a goal of his own, Collingwood led by 16 points.

Rocca then took a mark on the goal line and unselfishly handballed to Rusling, with Rusling’s third goal of the night the third for the Magpies in less than four minutes.

Cloke made it four Pies goals in a row with a mark and booming kick from 50m after 13 minutes, restoring Collingwood’s lead to 28 points.

Neither team could manage another goal until the 24-minute mark, when Rocca bagged his fourth after a mark to extend the lead to 33 points. O’Loughlin then pegged one back for the Swans with 40 seconds remaining in the term.

The Magpies led by 10 points, 8.9 (57) to 7.5 (47), at half time.

Sydney kicked the final four goals of the second term, the last of them after the siren by Jude Bolton, to narrow a margin that looked set to spiral out of control midway through the quarter.

Sydney kicked the first two goals of the second term in the opening six minutes after successful snaps from Kirk and Nick Davis, with Davis’ goal coming with his first touch of the game after being held without a possession in the first term by James Clement. Collingwood responded with the next two goals, the first by Leon Davis after a mark inside 50, and the second from another mark close to goal by Rusling. Rusling’s second for the half saw Collingwood skip to a 33-point lead after 14 minutes in the term.

Nic Fosdike snuck inside 50 for Sydney and took an uncontested mark and goalled, bringing the Swans back to within 28 points at the 21-minute mark, and when Adam Schneider kicked a great goal on the run from just inside 50, Sydney had back-to-back majors and were within 22 points. Davis made it three in a row for the Swans when he converted a set shot from 45m, and suddenly the Magpies were only 15 points up. Fosdike’s goal after a mark just before the siren saw the Swans go to the rooms with all of the momentum despite being on the wrong side of a 10-point margin.

The Magpies led by 31 points, 6.5 (41) to 1.4 (10), at quarter-time. Collingwood had the last six scores of the term, with the Swans not scoring at all after the 20-minute mark.



COLLINGWOOD: 6.5 8.9 13.12 18.17 (125)
SYDNEY SWANS: 1.4 7.5 9.8 13.9 (87)

GOALS - Collingwood: A Rocca 6, S Rusling 3, T Cloke 3, A Didak, S Pendlebury, L Davis, D Swan, N Buckley, P Medhurst
Sydney Swans: M O'Loughlin 4, N Davis 2, N Malceski 2, B Kirk, N Fosdike, A Schneider, J. Bolton, B Hall.

BEST - Collingwood: A Rocca, N Buckley, S Rusling, T Cloke, D Swan, S Pendlebury, L Davis, A Didak, H Shaw.
Sydney Swans: A Goodes, M O'Loughlin, B Kirk, J Bolton, N Malceski.

Injuries: Nil

Reports: Nil


Umpires: McBurney, Stevic, McInerney.

Official crowd: 64,645 at the MCG

didn't see too much of the game but from what I saw the pies were winning convincingly, although the swans got within ten points at half-time. The pies will now play the Eagles next weekend at Subiaco.

Geelong v Kangaroos

Cats hand Kangas record thrashing
By Michael Winkler
with AAP
Sunday, 9th September, 2007 6:00:00 pm
GEELONG has sounded an ominous warning to its five surviving rivals, with a thumping victory over the Kangaroos in Sunday’s qualifying final.

The Cats won every quarter en route to victory by 106 points in front of 77,630 fans at the MCG. The winning margin was the greatest in Geelong's history in a finals match and the fifth-highest in VFL/AFL history.

The minor premiers’ plethora of forward targets posed constant problems for Dean Laidley’s men, illustrated by the Cats’ 41 scoring shots to 10.

Cameron Mooney and Paul Chapman kicked five goals each, Nathan Ablett three, while Gary Ablett and Brad Ottens added two apiece.

At the other end of the ground Geelong’s defence not only held the Kangaroo forwards in check but also provided immense drive. Matthew Scarlett was magnificent for the winners, well supported by Tom Harley and Andrew Mackie. The Kangaroos did not have a multiple goalkicker.

Geelong’s prolific on-ball brigade was irrepressible. Gary Ablett had 32 possessions in a superb display.

The returning Jimmy Bartel had 20 disposals up to half-time, while acclaimed rookie Joel Selwood started on the bench before asserting his influence.

The Kangaroos’ senior men were blanketed. Shannon Grant was quiet when it mattered, Glenn Archer had a day to forget, and Brent Harvey was silenced by Cameron Ling.

Adam Simpson had 29 touches, but the next best possession-winner for his side was 100-gamer Daniel Wells with 19.

The Roos were competitive in a hard-hitting opening, trailing by less than a straight kick at quarter time.

The fireworks started 40 minutes before the opening bounce, when Geelong forward Cam Mooney ran through the Kangaroos' huddle as the two sides crossed paths during a pre-game warm-up lap, sparking a brief scuffle.

That tone was continued early in the match, when Geelong big man Brad Ottens was reported for crashing into 'Roos' defender Michael Firrito, after the backman kicked a classy running goal.

The Cats kicked six goals in the second term to lead by 45 points at the long break, forcing Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley to mix his team around after half time to try to spark an unlikely comeback.

Forwards Corey Jones and Shannon Grant were thrown into defensive midfield roles, with Jones assigned to Ablett and Grant to Bartel, while Drew Petrie was moved into the ruck.

But it made little difference, with the Cats continuing to run amok, adding a further six goals in the premiership quarter to be up by 75 points at the last change.

The Roos’ unhappy day was exacerbated by Daniel Harris – who had enjoyed an excellent first quarter – suffering a suspected broken hand in the second term.

Geelong had 14 players with 18 or more disposals; the team had 414 to 280. Ablett led the way, with Bartel (29), James Kelly (29) and Darren Milburn (28).

The Cats also had an advantage of 121 marks to 64.

They took 20 marks inside 50 to the Kangaroos’ three.

Eight Roos had eight possessions or fewer, including Archer and Harvey.

Geelong will now enjoy a weekend off before reappearing for their preliminary final against the winner of next week’s West Coast-Collingwood semi-final at Subiaco Oval.

The Kangaroos will need to regroup rapidly before facing Hawthorn in a do-or-die semi-final at the MCG next Saturday night.

Geelong 3.5 10.10 16.16 23.18 (156)
Kangaroos 3.0 4.1 6.1 8.2 (50)

GOALS
Geelong: Mooney 5, Chapman 5, N Ablett 3, Enright 2, G Ablett 2, Ottens 2, Bartel, S Johnson, Stokes, Mackie
Kangaroos: McIntosh, Grant, Brown, Petrie, Firrito, Edwards, Harvey, Wells

BEST
Geelong: Scarlett, G Ablett, Chapman, Milburn, Bartel, Harley, J Selwood, Stoke, Hunt
Kangaroos: Rawlings, Firrito, Wells, Edwards, Simpson

Umpires: Margetts, McLaren, Jeffery

Official crowd: 77,630 at the MCG.

Another massive win by the Cats, don't see anyone geeting in their way this September, but you never know.

The roos will now play the hawks at the 'G' next week.

damn cats, i hate life

Well tonight the Eagles will take on the pies in the West, with the pies going in as suprise favourites because of the loss of Cousins and Judd to the Eagles. The Eagles now have their big three(Cousins, Judd and Kerr) down and out, with Judd the only real chance of being fit for next week should they get there.

I still reckon that West Coast will still get over the line. The loss of their core midfeilders just opens up a gap for Matty Priddis and Matty Rosa to spet and and star, and we all know that there capable of that. Don't forget that the Eagles still have Andrew Embly and Chad Fletcher to give them some experience in the midfield.

My tip is the Eagles to win by 3.

im goin for the eagles too, purely cause i dont want the pies to win

Well one of the most amazing games of footy ever

Collingwood won by 19 in extra-time, only the second time in history that a finals game has been decided in extra time

Matty Priddis steped up a notch and played a ripper of a game as I predicted.

This is the match report from the AFL website:

Game Score

West Coast Eagles 10.14 (74) lost to Collingwood 13.15 (93)


At a Glance
Hero: Alan Didak may not have had as many touches as Dane Swan (Didak collected 27 to Swan's 38) but his move to the midfield during the third quarter sparked the Pies' comeback. His goal from beyond 50, after a little bit of magic to get himself clear, put the Pies in front midway through the final term.
Goat: John Worsfold. Darren Glass dominated Anthony Rocca for the majority of the match. Practically the only exception was late in the third term, when Worsfold brought the All-Australian full back to the bench. During that time, Rocca kicked two goals to haul the Pies back into contention. Time will tell if there was an injury-related reason that prompted the move, but if not, it will haunt Woosha over the summer.
Turning point: The final minutes of the third term when Dean Cox joined Glass on the bench. In that time, the Magpies dominated the clearances and the Eagles' lead went from 22 points to four, allowing the Pies to enter the final term with a truckload of momentum.

Match Report
COLLINGWOOD staged an amazing comeback to beat West Coast by 19 points in extra time tonight in a pulsating semi-final at Subiaco.

The Magpies kicked 3.3 to two behinds in the two five-minute periods after full-time to win 13.15 (93) to 10.14 (74).

It was the first extra time in a final since the Kangaroos eventually beat Hawthorn by 23 in their 1994 qualifying final.

Collingwood will now play Geelong next Friday night in their preliminary final.

Alan Didak was best for Collingwood and Anthony Rocca kicked three goals, while
Dean Dox and Matt Priddis were best for the Eagles.

The Eagles went into the game missing three of the AFL's biggest names, with captain Chris Judd and fellow midfield stars Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr all injured.

Leading by three points at half-time, the Eagles kicked the next three goals to lead by 23 points more than halfway through the term.

Collingwood looked gone when veteran defender James Clement made his second clanger of the night, kicking into the man on the mark.

The ball then went to David Wirrpanda in the goal square, who goaled.

But just like last week, when the Eagles led by 24 points in the third term before Port Adelaide roared back, the game suddenly turned.

West Coast rested key defender Darren Glass and Cox late in the term and this opened the door for the Pies.

Travis Cloke goaled and Rocca took full advantage of Glass' absence, kicking two goals from strong marks.

Instead of being out of the game, the Magpies went into three-quarter-time only four points behind.

Didak goaled 15 minutes into the final term to put Collingwood in front for the first time since 20 minutes through the second quarter.

Dale Thomas put Collingwood ahead again by two points at 23 minutes, before behinds to Glass and Andrew Embley tied the scores.

The Eagles had threatened through the second term, leading by as much as 10 points, but Rocca kicked the last goal of the half to keep the game tight.

West Coast failed to kick a goal in the opening term, the first time that has happened at Subiaco and only the second time in Perth.

Collingwood suffered a massive pre-game blow when No.1 ruckman Josh Fraser was a late withdrawal, apparently with back tightness.

That meant second-string ruckmen Guy Richards and Chris Bryan had to go against likely All-Australian big man Cox and Mark Seaby.

The Eagles also had to make a late change, bringing in young midfielder Jamie McNamara for defender Beau Waters (hip).

Collingwood looked more dangerous early and gained a boost when West Coast key forward Ashley Hansen had to leave the field midway through the first term.

Hansen was returning from a fortnight out with a hamstring injury and did not return.

A poor kick from Cox resulted in the opening goal of the game, with former Fremantle forward Paul Medhurst taking full advantage of the turnover.

The Pies led by seven points at quarter-time, but Cox goaled in the opening minute of the second term.

Leaving aside Adelaide in 1999, who failed to make the top eight, West Coast tonight became the first defending premier to not win a final the following year since Carlton in 1996. Collingwood beat the Eagles in Perth for the first time since 1992.

Tonight also continued the extraordinary finals history between these two teams, following their draw in 1990 - Collingwood won the replay under the old system - and a two-point win to the Eagles in 1992.

Time On
Welcome back
Former Docker forward Paul Medhurst earned bronx cheers from the Eagles crowd in the opening minutes of the game when his first kick off the ground sailed out on the full. Medhurst's revenge came soon enough when a miss-kick by Dean Cox landed on his chest straight in front of goal. He slotted it through to post the first goal of the game after 20 minutes of play had produced a total of seven straight behinds.
The spark
After the Eagles' first ever goal-less opening quarter at Subiaco, and with key forward Ashley Hansen already on the bench with a re-injured hamstring, the reigning premiers were looking for something special to spark them. Last year's Norm Smith medallist Andrew Embley stepped up, accepting a handball on the outer wing and taking two bounces on the slippery Subiaco surface before splitting the middle with a shot from the 50 metre line.
Elevation versus desperation
Medhurst again made the highlights reel in the third quarter, riding the shoulders of Mark Nicoski to put in a late bid for mark of the year. But moments later a desperate clearance from Daniel Chick saw the Eagles surge forward to goal through Matt Priddis. With the Eagles threatening to blow apart the quarter, Anthony Rocca stood up with two goals in time-on to again put the game on a knife's edge.
Mad minute
An Andrew Embley behind put the scores level with little more than a minute left on the clock. Most of that remaining time was spent in Collingwood's forward line where a series of spoils, smothers and tackles by the Eagles kept the Magpies at bay. Eagles full-forward Quinten Lynch took his most important mark of the season deep in defence to repel the final desperate Magpie attack.
A time for heroes
Extra time in an AFL final for the first time since 1994 saw Collingwood's lesser lights stand up to be counted. Late inclusion Chris Bryan kicked the first goal of the period before Irish rookie Martin Clarke set up youngster Scott Pendlebury for an open goal. Dane Swan iced the victory with only seconds remaining.

WEST COAST 0.4 5.5 8.9 10.12 10.13 10.14 (74)
COLLINGWOOD 1.5 4.8 6.11 10.12 11.13 13.15 (93)
After one period of extra time
GOALS
Collingwood: A Rocca 3, P Medhurst 2, A Didak 2, D Swan 2, T Cloke, D Thomas, C Bryan, S Pendlebury.
West Coast: D Wirrpanda 2, M Le Cras 2, D Cox, A Embley, C Fletcher, Q Lynch, M Priddis, M Rosa.

BEST
Collingwood: A Didak, P Medhurst, S Pendlebury, D Swan, T Goldsack.
West Coast: D Cox, M Priddis, B Jones, D Chick, D Glass.

INJURIES
Collingwood: J Fraser (back) replaced in selected side by C Byrne, S Burns (ankle)
West Coast: B Waters (hip) replaced in selected side by J McNamara, A Hansen (hamstring)

Reports: None
Umpires: S McBurney, S Ryan, S McInerney.

Crowd: 43,627 at Subiaco Oval, Perth

Tonight the Hawks will take on the Roos at the 'G'. Sorry but I don't have time to give a preview.
PREDICTION Hawks by 27 points

last nights game was so good, im surprised the pies won though, they looked hell tired at the end of the 4th

Last night the Roos defeated the Hawks to set up a Preliminary final clash with Port Adelaide.

This is from the AFL website:

Roos win completes amazing turnaround

Brought to you by Adam Cooper,

AAP

Saturday, 15th September, 2007 10:18:00
THE KANGAROOS completed a superb transformation on Saturday night, bouncing into the preliminary finals after beating Hawthorn by 33 points in the first semi-final at the MCG.

The Roos continued their season-long knack of defying the doubters by winning 14.9 (93) to 8.12 (60) less than a week after being embarrassed by Geelong by 106 points in the qualifying final, and now sit among the final four.

It was the club's first victory in a final since 2000 and put them in next Saturday's preliminary final against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

Aaron Edwards, playing in the VFL this time a year ago, covered for the absence of the injured Corey Jones by booting four goals and taking a contender for mark of the year, while several other unheralded Kangaroos were excellent.

Brady Rawlings kept Hawk danger man Luke Hodge to eight touches and got 21 disposals himself, Josh Gibson did a good job on Lance Franklin despite the Hawk's three goals, and Daniel Harris worked hard in the centre square.

Veterans Brent Harvey and Glenn Archer also played their part after poor games against Geelong, the former by booting four second-half goals after a quiet start and upsetting a host of Hawks and the other by regularly cleaning up in defence.

The win means Archer will extend his career by at least another game, but it was the end of the line for Hawthorn skipper Richie Vandenberg, who led his side off to a warm reception from the crowd of 74,981.

The Kangaroos set the early pace through two goals to Edwards and led by eight points at the first two breaks, before dousing several Hawk charges in the second half through their better ball use in a tight game and their ability to exert great pressure on their opponents.

Hawthorn twice got close during the third term, but the Kangaroos held firm and landed two big blows, albeit with the aid of umpiring decisions.

First Edwards goaled after Trent Croad was penalised for chopping his arm and then Harvey slotted a goal just before the final change after Joel Smith gave away a 50-metre penalty with a late push.

Franklin reduced the margin to 11 points inside the first 30 seconds of the final quarter when he soccered a goal, but Harvey got under the skin of the Hawks again, firstly through a free kick and then with a brilliant snap which sealed the win.

Harvey, who later booted a third for the final quarter, may to come under match review scrutiny for a clash with Michael Osborne, while Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis is likely to be cited for making high contact on Harvey.

Lewis and Brad Sewell were among Hawthorn's better players, but the Hawks lacked the spark which carried them to a three-point win over Adelaide in last week's elimination final, especially with Franklin and Jarryd Roughead kept to a combined four goals and centre Sam Mitchell also down.

Completing a dirty night for Hawthorn, Brownlow medallist Shane Crawford was reported for striking Harris after connecting with an arm to the head late in the third quarter.

KANGAROOS 3.3 5.5 9.7 14.9 (93)
HAWTHORN 2.1 4.3 6.8 8.12 (60)


Goals
Kangaroos: A Edwards 4 B Harvey 4 H McIntosh S Grant D Wells A Swallow D Petrie S McMahon. Hawthorn: L Franklin 3 J Roughead J Lewis C Bateman B Guerra T Boyle.


Best
Kangaroos: B Rawlings D Harris J Gibson A Edwards H McIntosh B Harvey. Hawthorn: B Sewell J Lewis B Guerra T Croad C Bateman S Crawford.

Injuries: Nil.


Reports: S Crawford (Hawthorn) reported by field umpire M Vozzo for allegedly striking D Harris (Kangaroos) in the third quarter).

Umpires: M Vozzo B Rosebury S McLaren


Official crowd: 74,981 at the MCG.

roooooooooooooooooooooooooos
were goin all the way this year

roooooooooooooooooooooooooos
were goin all the way this year

As if. You'll struggle to kick a couple of goals.

as long as the the other team doesnt kick any goals
josh gibson>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>franklin