
The second weekend of triple-headers started at Docklands on Friday night, with defending champions Geelong
taking on Sydney and St Kilda.
The Swans and Saints were first up, and the first half was evenly contested. The Saints scored the first two goals,
but the Swans fought back to take the lead late in the half. But the second half was a different story, as the Swans
assumed complete control. Running the ball from end to end, the Swans kicked seven goals for the half in a
dominant display as they cruised to a comfortable 30-point win.
Rookie Harry Cunningham impressed for the Swans, while Jude Bolton and Adam Goodes were also prominent.
The Saints were well served by Jack Steven and Sam Fisher, but would have been disappointed with their second
half fade-out.
But there was no chance for the Swans to savour their first-up win, as they were immediately thrown back into
action to take on the Cats in the second game. A low-scoring opening half saw the defences tight, with both sides
managing only two scoring shots for the half, both goals as scores were level at the break. But the Cats shut the
Swans down in the second half, scoring the only two goals in a low-scoring second period to take out a first-up
win by 16 points.
But St Kilda turned the tables i the last game, taking out a 21-point win over the Cats. Jason Gram got the Saints
off to a flying start with an early super-goal; but although the Saints were getting plenty of the ball and creating
plenty of chances, inaccurate kicking would let them down. But the Cats were unable to capitalise, with their
forwards struggling for form and fitness as the Cats found themselves 18 points ahead at half time. The Cats
finally cracked a goal late in the game, with George Burbury landing a super-goal. But, resting most of their
premiership squad and giving their rookies a run, they were unable to keep up with the Saints.
And so honours were shared, with all teams enjoying a good hit-out in preparation for the season ahead.
Sydney 0.2.4 0.9.5 (59)
St Kilda 0.2.2 0.4.5 (29)
Goals : Sydney – H Cunningham 2, A Goodes 2, S Reid, M Pyke, N Malceski, M Morton, J Bolton. St
Kilda – A Saad, S Milne, N Riewoldt, R Stanley.
Best : Sydney – J Bolton, H Cunningham, A Goodes, J McVeigh, S Reid, N Smith. St Kilda – J
Steven, S Fisher, J Geary, T Ledger, A Saad, B McEvoy.
Injuries : Sydney – Nil. St Kilda - J Koschitzke (calf).
Reports – Nil.
Geelong 0.2.0 0.4.5 (29)
Sydney 0.2.0 0.2.1 (13)
Goals : Geelong – J Schroder, J Walker, G Burbury, S Motlop. Sydney – L Jetta, L Parker.
Best : Geelong – J Selwood, T Hunt, S Logan, G Horlin-Smith, J Walker, J Hunt. Sydney – H
Grundy, N Gordon, B McGlynn, L Jetta, M Pyke, J McVeigh.
Injuries : Geelong – Nil. Sydney – Nil.
Reports – Nil.
St Kilda 1.1.6 1.3.9 (36)
Geelong 0.0.3 1.0.6 (15)
Nine-Point Goals : St Kilda – J Gram. Geelong – G Burbury.
Goals : St Kilda - S Milne 2, T Milera. Geelong – Nil.
Best : St Kilda – C Jones, J Cripps, T Ledger, B Goddard, D Armitage, A Siposs. Geelong – J
Simpkin, H Taylor, S Hogan, M Duncan, J Stringer, J Bartel.
Injuries : St Kilda – Nil. Geelong – Nil.
Reports – Nil.
Crowd - 18,880 at Etihad Stadium.
A night of wild weather on the Gold Coast greeted the Suns, Lions and Demons for the Saturday night
triple header. Bad weather, a heavy ground and a slippery ball would keep scores down, but would also
keep scores close.
First up was Gold Coast v Melbourne. The Demons raced out of the block with two goals in the first three
minutes, but as the ball became greasier they struggled to adapt to the conditions. But the Suns lifted,
fighting back late in the half to lock scores up at 2.2 apiece at the break. The Suns took the lead early in the
second half, with draft pick Aaron Hall being influential with two goals in a best on ground performance.
The Demons surged late in the contest, but missed three shots that they would have converted in dryer
conditions; the Suns hanging on for a well-earned win.
Conditions were even worse in the second game. Todd Banfield kicked the only goal of the first half, as
the Demons were held scoreless to half time. Both sides were slip-sliding around the slippery oval, in a
game with plenty of desperation but little chance for players to exhibit their skills. The Demons lifted in the
second half, with Colin Sylvia goaling early and James Sellar kicking between the big sticks in the final
minute to give the Demons the lead. James Polkinghorne had a chance to steal the game back with the
last kick of the game, but his kick went agonisingly wide.
The final game, the mini Q-Clash, saw the Lions looking dangerous early but squandering chances.
Leading by three points at half time, the Lions extended their lead with a long bomb by Ryan Harwood that
was nearly a super-goal. But the Suns took control of the ball later in the contest, with Harley Bennell
goaling into the wind and then Liam Patrick having two set shots in the final minute; but both shots sailed
just wide and the Lions held on for a win. Each of the three teams had a win, and with all games being
decided by three points or less, it was the closest triple-header in the NAB Cup yet.
Gold Coast 0.2.2 0.4.2 (26)
Melbourne 0.2.2 0.3.5 (23)
Goals : Gold Coast – A Hall 2, M Rischitelli, J Fraser. Melbourne – M Clark, N Jones, C
Bartram.
Best : Gold Coast – A Hall, S Iles, M Rischitelli, M Weller, G Ablett, D Prestia. Melbourne – M
Clark, J Magner, N Jones, R Petterd, C Bartram, M Bate.
Injuries : Gold Coast – Nil. Melbourne – Nil.
Reports – Nil.
Melbourne 0.0.0 0.2.1 (13)
Brisbane 0.1.1 0.1.4 (10)
Goals : Melbourne – C Sylvia, J Sellar. Brisbane – T Banfield.
Best : Melbourne – M Bate, J Magner, N Jones, T Couch, J Howe, M Jamar. Brisbane – A
McGrath, E Yeo, R Lester, S Black, J Polkinghorne, C Stiller.
Injuries : Melbourne – Nil. Brisbane – Nil.
Reports – Nil.
Brisbane 0.1.4 0.2.6 (18)
Gold Coast 0.1.1 0.2.4 (16)
Goals : Brisbane – R Lester, R Harwood. Gold Coast – N Bock, H Bennell.
Best : Brisbane – J Hawksley, R Harwood, J Redden, R Bewick, J Polec, J Lisle. Gold Coast
– C Dixon, J Brennan, L Patrick, D Gorringe, D Prestia, J O’Meara.
Injuries : Brisbane – Nil. Gold Coast – Nil.
Reports – Nil.
Crowd – 5,150 at Metricon Stadium.
The NAB Cup triple-headers finished in Adelaide, with Port Adelaide, Carlton and Adelaide playing off in
scorching heat at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.
Port Adelaide did much of the front-running during the first half, but some appalling accuracy in front of
goals would cost them dearly. The Power kicked 2.7 for the half, squandering chances from close range
as if the players’ accuracy wilted in the heat. The Blues had barely been anywhere near their attacking 50
metre circle during the half, but a super-goal to Matthew Kreuzer on the stroke of half time reduced the
margin to four points. The Blues took the lead early in the second half, but late goals to Kane Cornes and
debutant Chad Wingard got the Power over the line for a first-up win.
The Blues backed up to take on Adelaide in the second game, and again the Blues held a lead late in the
game before being overtaken. The Crows started brightly, and a nine-pointer to Taylor Walker gave them
the lead, which they would maintain through the first half; a nine point lead at half time. But the Blues took
control early in the second half, kicking the first three goals to put themselves into prime position. But late
goals to Kurt Tippett, Taylor Walker and Ian Callinan restored the lead for the Crows, completing a nine-
point win and sending the Blues back to Victoria without a win.
Finally, the two South Australian teams were in action. After an extremely hot day, the pressure broke and
dark clouds rolled in during the first half. An early double to Jay Schulz for Port was cancelled out by goals
to Rory Sloane and Tim McIntyre. The Crows led by a point at half time, and the heavens opened in the
second half, making ball control difficult. Neither side could kick a goal during the second half, with the
Crows hanging on to take the game by the narrowest of margins to join West Coast and Collingwood as
the only undefeated teams after the first stage of the NAB Cup.
Port Adelaide 0.2.7 0.6.10 (46)
Carlton 1.1.0 1.5.1 (40)
Nine-Point Goals : Carlton – M Kreuzer.
Goals : Port Adelaide – K Cornes 2, J Westhoff, J Butcher, C Wingard, D Stewart. Carlton
– A Collins 2, B Gibbs, S Hampson, K Lucas.
Best : Port Adelaide – K Cornes, C Wingard, B Ebert, P Stewart, D Pearce, D Stewart.
Carlton – H Scotland, K Lucas, A Carrazzo, B Gibbs, M Watson, S Hampson.
Injuries : Port Adelaide – Nil. Carlton – Z Tuohy (groin).
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Pannell, Ritchie, Keating.
Adelaide 1.2.2 1.5.4 (43)
Carlton 0.2.2 0.5.4 (34)
Nine-Point Goals : Adelaide – T Walker.
Goals : Adelaide - T Walker, R Douglas, T Lynch, K Tippett, I Callinan. Carlton - Garlett 2,
S Hampson, D Buckley, M Kreuzer.
Best : Adelaide – S Thompson, N Van Berlo, T Lynch, B Smith, B Vince, R Douglas. Carlton –
B McLean, M Murphy, J Garlett, S Hampson, E Curnow, K Lucas.
Injuries : Adelaide – Nil. Carlton – Nil.
Reports – Nil. Umpires - Pannell, Ritchie, Fila (first half); Wenn, Haussen, Fleer (second
half).
Adelaide 0.2.2 0.2.6 (18)
Port Adelaide 0.2.1 0.2.5 (17)
Goals : Adelaide – R Sloane, T McIntyre. Port Adelaide – J Schulz 2.
Best : Adelaide – R Sloane, T McIntyre, S Jacobs, P Dangerfield, M Jaensch, N Van Berlo.
Port Adelaide - J Schulz, R Gray, Brad Ebert, H Hartlett, T Boak, D Pearce.
Injuries : Adelaide – Nil. Port Adelaide – Nil.
Reports - Nil. Umpires – Wenn, Haussen, Fleer.
Crowd - 12,532 at AAMI Stadium.
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West Coast
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Adelaide
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Collingwood
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Hawthorn
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Fremantle
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Sydney
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Port Adelaide
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Gold Coast
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Richmond
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Melbourne
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Brisbane
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Western Bulldogs
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Geelong
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St Kilda
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North Melbourne
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2
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1
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0
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1
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72
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94
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4
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76.60
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GWS Giants
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Carlton
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Essendon
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2
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0
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0
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2
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56
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113
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0
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49.56
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HARBOURSPORT PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
St Kilda v Sydney – J Bolton (Syd) 2.5, J Steven (St K) 2, H Cunningham (Syd) 2, S Fisher (St K) 1.5, A
Goodes (Syd) 1, J Geary (St K) 0.5, J McVeigh (Syd) 0.5.
Sydney v Geelong – J Selwood (Geel) 2.5, H Grundy (Syd) 2, T Hunt (Geel) 1.5, N Gordon (Syd) 1.5, S
Hogan (Geel) 1, B McGlynn (Syd) 1, G Horlin-Smith (Geel) 0.5.
Geelong v St Kilda – C Jones (St K) 2.5, J Simpkin (Geel) 2, J Cripps (St K) 1.5, H Taylor (Geel) 1.5, T
Ledger (St K) 1, S Hogan (Geel) 1, J Gram (St K) 1, B Goddard (St K) 0.5, G Burbury (Geel) 0.5.
Gold Coast v Melbourne – A Hall (GCst) 2, M Clark (Melb), S Iles (GCst) 1.5, J Megner (Melb) 1.5, M
Rischitelli (GCst) 1, N Jones (Melb) 1, M Weller (GCst) 0.5, R Petterd (Melb) 0.5.
Melbourne v Brisbane – M Bate (Melb) 2, A McGrath (Bris) 2, J Magner (Melb) 1.5, E Yeo (Bris) 1.5, N
Jones (Melb) 1, R Lester (Bris) 1, T Couch (Melb) 0.5, S Black (Bris) 0.5.
Brisbane v Gold Coast – J Hawksley (Bris) 2, C Dixon (GCst) 2, R Harwood (Bris) 1.5, J Brennan (GCst)
1.5, J Redden (Bris) 1, L Patrick (GCst) 1, R Bewick (Bris) 0.5, D Gorringe (GCst) 0.5.
Port Adelaide v Carlton – K Cornes (Port) 2, H Scotland (Carl) 2, C Wingard (Port) 1.5, K Lucas (Carl) 1.5,
Brad Ebert (Port) 1, A Carrazzo (Carl) 1, B Gibbs (Carl) 0.5, P Stewart (Port) 0.5, M Kreuzer (Carl) 0.5.
Carlton v Adelaide – S Thompson (Adel) 2.5, B McLean (Carl) 2, N Van Berlo (Adel) 1.5, M Murphy (Carl)
1.5, T Lynch (Adel) 1, J Garlett (Carl) 1, B Smith (Adel) 0.5, T Walker (Adel) 0.5.
Adelaide v Port Adelaide – R Sloane (Adel) 2, J Schulz (Port) 2, T McIntyre (Adel) 1.5, R Gray (Port) 1.5, S
Jacobs (Adel) 1, Brad Ebert (Port) 1, P Dangerfield (Adel) 0.5, H Hartlett (Port) 0.5.
WEEK 3 FIXTURES All times shown are Sydney time
Friday 2nd March Gold Coast v Geelong (8:40pm, Metricon Stadium) Saturday 3rd March Hawthorn v GWS Giants (3:40pm, Aurora Stadium) Sydney v Nth Melbourne (7:00pm, Bruce Purser Reserve NSW) Essendon v St Kilda (7:00pm, Wangaratta Vic) West Coast v Port Adelaide (7:10pm, Mandurah Oval, WA) Collingwood v Melbourne (7:40pm, Etihad Stadium) Adelaide v Brisbane (8:40pm, Alice Springs NT) Sunday 4th March Western Bulldogs v Carlton (5:40pm, Etihad Stadium) Fremantle v Richmond (8:10pm, Patersons Stadium)
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HARBOURSPORT PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Standings Lance Franklin (Haw) - 4 Matthew Boyd (WBul) - 4 Sam Mitchell (Haw) - 4 Jonathan Giles (GWS) - 3.5 James Magner (Melb) - 3 Clinton Jones (St K) - 2.5 Joel Selwood (Geel) - 2.5 Jude Bolton (Syd) - 2.5 Scott Thompson (Adel) - 2.5 Dale Thomas (Coll) - 2.5 Dean Cox (WCE) - 2.5 Gerrick Weedon (WCE) - 2.5 Heath Shaw (Coll) - 2.5
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