This week had the closest margins the AFL has seen since 1970, keeping us viewers all on the edge of our seats with an average margin of just 10 points.
The biggest matchup this past week was arguably Showdown 57 on Saturday night between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide. In front of a 53,000 strong crowd the Crows held off a Power push to win by 5 points after 3 goals in 4 minutes seemed too much for Port to overcome. The win saw Adelaide move to 5th on the ladder, setting them up well for the rest of the season if they can continue the drive for wins.
The Power’s skipper Connor Rozee became the first player from a losing side to win the Showdown medal outright in its history. In 2005 the medal was awarded to both Adelaide Simon Goodwin and Port’s Shaun Burgoyne but Rozee marks the first individual player to be awarded the medal after facing a loss. With 14 votes, Rozee was the clear choice with 32 disposals and a goal for the match. We won’t have to wait long for Showdown 58 which will take place in Round 20 and will be one to watch as Port look to get a win for what could be long time coach Ken Hinkley’s last Showdown.
In Victoria, Essendon pulled off an 8 point win over last year’s Grand Finalists Sydney at Marvel Stadium leaving the Swans with 4 losses in their last 5 games and 14th on the ladder. It was the Bombers’ day from the very beginning with multiple 50 meter penalties given away within the first minutes of the game, giving Essendon the confidence and lead needed to hold the rest of the game. It was Sydney’s inability to convert kicks to goals also leading to the loss with the side kicking 8 goals 15 points to Essendon’s 11 goals 5 points. However, it was not all glory for the Bombers as Debutant Lewis Hayes was taken off the ground after an awkward landing from a marking contest took him out of the match with a knee injury.
Keeping with Grand Finalists Premiers Brisbane Lions also faced some strife after drawing with 17th side North Melbourne on Sunday afternoon. Within the last quarter the lead changed 4 times at the Kangas Tasmanian home ground of Ninja Stadium. It was Cam Zurharr for North Melbourne who in the 29th minute had the opportunity to steal the win however evened the game with a point in a dramatic finish. This poses the question, would we deem this more of a win for the Roos or a loss for the reigning Premiers as arguably both sides fell short.
Looking at the next week of Footy we open the week with 3rd vs 4th in Hawthorn vs Gold Coast up in Darwin in the first match of the Sir Doug Nicholls round. In the round’s 10th anniversary being named after Sir Doug Nicholls, the AFL will continue to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, cultures and communities with the 2025 theme Past Legacies, Future Players. Many clubs will adopt Indigenous designed guernseys and club names to honour local communities and represent on the big stage. For more information about the round and it’s deep history I encourage you to visit the AFL website.
Sophie Janusko 