Michael Voss injured a finger in the loss to Sydney

Melbourne vs. Geelong
The Demons captain David Neitz has celebrated his 250th game in style. He kicked five majors and in the process notched up his 500th goal. They had a huge night with their hard fought contests being rewarded on the scoreboard. They held a 42-point lead midway through the second term and were able to fight off every advance the opposition made. The Cats will be disappointed in their inaccurate kicking which surely played a part in their loss to the Demons.

St Kilda vs. North Melbourne
The Kangaroos snatched victory from right under the Saints noses at the 24th minute of the final quarter. The Kangaroos have continued their winning streak for the season and have mirrored their start in 2004. They started their game well, but were out played when the Saints came together as a team and lead from the from just inside the second term until it was taken from them. The Saints were hurting without injured captain Nick Riewoldt and ruckman Justin Koschitzke, but this mustn’t deter from the way the game was played. The Kangaroos played hard with passion and conviction, which got them over the line.

Carlton vs. Collingwood
The Magpies Chris Tarrant has answering the critics in the best possible way. He has been under intense pressure and ended his tumultuous week with a five-goal haul at the MCG. The game saw a series of baffling umpiring decisions that swung both ways giving both sides advantages at crucial parts of the game. It was during a course of these decisions that saw the Blues advance to a four-goal lead, displeasing the crowd. The situation was to prove their downfall with the outraged crowd inspiring the Magpies and giving them the momentum that helped them seal the win.

Brisbane vs. Sydney
The Lions threw away a 32-point advantage at the end of the third quarter to go down to the Swans by a goal. It was a slow scoring game from the opening bounce, with hard fought matches all over the ground with both teams successfully shutting down any forward advances. It was in the third quarter that the Lions stepped up and punished the Swans and gained a four-goal advantage at the final change. The Lions were able to weave their magic and give their home crowd a thrilling match, but an unexpected Swans revival in the final quarter proved too much as the score started to level. The scores were level with just seconds to go when Barry Hall was paid a free kick after a high shot from Chris Scott. To the Swans delight the final siren sounded as Hall was lining up and he was able to give his side a win by 6-points.

Fremantle vs. West Coast
The Eagles are having a blistering start to the season registering their third straight win after downing fellow WA team Fremantle. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the side with a few nail-biting moments, but their endurance and stamina were able to subdue the Dockers. The momentum swung both ways at various times of the game, and for the second week in a row the Dockers have been defeated after having a final quarter lead.

Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide
Proud to have narrowly beaten their fellow grand finalists last round, they were thumped by their hometown rivals by 68-points. The Crows captain urged his team to keep attacking and lead by example. He was awarded with the best on field award, the Showdown Medal for his fine performance. They were magic on the field and spread the load through the team, having 11 goal kickers. They were also hard working and consistent which all paid off. A Power revival was expected but never came as the Crows shutdown their advances and quashed their opportunities. The Power will also be waiting on results of a knee injury on Chad Cornes that saw him leave the field.

Essendon vs. Hawthorn
Both sides were fighting to register their first win of the season and it was the Bombers who came away with the victory. The game started slowly with just one major being scored by each of the sides in the first term. The Hawks lack of experience up forward hurt them, but Jarryd Roughead showed promise in his first outing kicking two majors. The Bombers inaccuracy was a serious downfall with 17 behinds recorded, and could have cost them the game. The opening term saw high winds and torrential rain pelt the MCG. It was just a two-point win, but the Bombers were glad they could rain on the Hawks parade.

Western Bulldogs vs. Richmond
Richmond has been successful in notching up two consecutive wins after defeating the Bulldogs by 4-points. It was a lot worse than just a loss for the Bulldogs, with their full back Brian Harris suffering a knee injury that will probably end his season. It was a night for knee injuries with the Bulldogs also losing Ben Harrison and the Tigers losing Brad Johnson. It was a tough fought match with the lead changing nine times through the game. Richmond kicked five goals to three in the dying minutes to seal the match.

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source: MasterTips