Round 3 Report
Western Bulldogs 10.7 (67)
Brisbane Lions 7.11 (53)
This was a bit of a "show me" match in a lot of different ways. Brisbane has basically had 3 good quarters to them in their first two matches, and sure do look like a paper tiger after everyone and their mother drooled over their list in the offseason. To date, Chris Fagan hasn't been able to translate that talented list into top form, and now they're in the bottom 6 with a massive match coming up at the Gabba against Collingwood. For the Bulldogs, they looked bad in their first two matches against Melbourne and St. Kilda, but got a big day from a couple of their big players to keep them off the bottom of the ladder. Sadly, the man that had to have a giant day was Jamarra Ugle Hagan, who dealt with some racial abuse in the match vs. the Saints, and responded with a five goal barrage and a celebration that pointed to his bare skin, evoking a similar moment from Nicky Winmar 30 years ago. 6 Dogs had at least 25 disposals, while Wil Ashcroft had a relatively tame match wtih 23 and 2 tackles.
Collingwood 8.15 (63)
Richmond 7.7 (49)
Hard to gather much out of a sloppy, rainy MCG. Collingwood have obviously emerged as favourites behind Nick Daicos' 33 disposals (big brother Josh was pretty good too, with 28 and a goal), and Richmond were without their talisman mid Dusty Martin. As I mentioned earlier, Collingwood have a big test this round, and a win at the Gabba should see the Pies installed as Premier favourites.
Hawthorn 11.14 (80)
North Melbourne 9.7 (61)
A trip to Tasmania + a young list + a Hawthorn side many have already surrendered to their wooden spoon fate = this. Don't get me wrong, Hawthorn are still bad, and no one knows what will happen once the AFL gets the Hawks' investigation report, but having a second home in Launceston may actually help make this team able to punch over its light weight from time to time. Harry Sheezel was still the engine in the back for the Roos, but no Luke Davies Uniacke, as it turns out, made this a bit too much for the youngsters.
GWS 9.10 (64)
Carlton 9.20 (74)
Carlton are damn lucky it was the Giants and not a better side they were going against. Ten more scoring plays but the same number of goals between the sides. Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty were monsters for the Blues (42! and 39! disposals), but Charlie Curnow misfired a bit (2.3) and only Jesse Motlop and Matthew Owies managed multiple goals for the Blues. On the other side, Tom Green was his usual efficient self (34 disposals, 4 tackles), but Toby Greene was largely absent (just one goal on the day), and the Giants outside of Green/Greene/Coniglio aren't good enough to overcome one of them having a bad day.
St. Kilda 14.8 (92)
Essendon 11.8 (74)
The Saints turned 150 in style, with two different five goal runs powering them to a big win over Essendon. Dan Butler and Jack Higgins kicked four each for the Saints, while only Archie Perkins, Jye Caldwell, and Dylan Shiel provided multiple majors for the Bombers. Both teams have had bright starts to 2023, but the Saints are now top of the ladder with the win.
Port Adelaide 13.8 (86)
Adelaide 18.9 (117)
Welcome home, Izak Rankine!
A close match going into the last term was blown open with a 7.1 fourth for the Crows, keyed by Rankine (four on the night) and Riley Thilthorpe (five on the night), and the Crows took advantage of a Port side that is looking much more mediocre than their first match vs. Brisbane would have us believe. The best part for Adelaide may be that this happened without Shane McAdam (suspension), Patrick Parnell (concussion), and Darcy Fogarty (leg). They're still a couple weeks away from playing outside Adelaide, so here's hoping they can keep Freo down.
Gold Coast 10.13 (73)
Geelong 7.12 (54)
Okay, Cats, we need to talk.
The team was built on its firepower, even if it was in its last days. Danger. Hawkins. Cameron. And while Jeremy continues to do the work (3.3), Dangerfield (1.0) and Hawkins (0.1) aren't, and that is a big problem. To be fair, it's not like the Suns boast many dangerous players, but when one of them puts up a day like Jack Lukosius (5.2), they don't need to be outstanding, just good enough to take advantage of their opportunities. And suddenly, the reigning Premiers are holding up the ladder.
Melbourne 21.8 (134)
Sydney 12.12 (84)
So, Brodie Grundy's gonna be okay without Max Gawn, turns out.
Grundy had 25 hitouts to keep the Dees dominant in the ruck, and hat tricks from Kade Chandler, Jacob van Rooyen, and Bayley Fritsch fired Melbourne to a comfortable, high paced win at the G. Buddy came back from his one match ban and did Buddy things (2.2), but the Swans were a clear second best on the day, derailing their perfect season.
Fremantle 16.12 (108)
West Coast 9.13 (67)
This is more like what the world expected of the two WA teams. Michael Walters' 4.1 paced a Dockers attack that had four other players with multiple goals, while only Oscar Allen (3.3) and Jack Darling (3.2) could say the same for the Eagles. In something of a familiar song for the Eagles, the second half was marred by injuries, as Freo were able to use their interchange bench much more freely (at one point in the fourth, the interchange count in the second half was 37 to 16).
So here's the ladder after Round 3:
| St. Kilda |
3 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
150.3 |
| Collingwood |
3 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
149.5 |
| Carlton |
2 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
108.8 |
| Melbourne |
2 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
136.8 |
| Sydney |
2 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
134.5 |
| Essendon |
2 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
129.1 |
| North Melbourne |
2 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
94.4 |
| Richmond |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
109.1 |
| Fremantle |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
112.1 |
| Greater Western Sydney |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
95.1 |
| Adelaide |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
94.3 |
| West Coast |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
90.2 |
| Port Adelaide |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
85.2 |
| Brisbane |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
79.3 |
| Gold Coast |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
78.7 |
| Western Bulldogs |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
66.5 |
| Hawthorn |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
60.1 |
| Geelong |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
83.0 |
