This week Sir Doug Nichols round continued, opening with the Cats hosting the Dogs at GMHBA Stadium in an anticipated blockbuster as Bailey Smith faced his old side. Smith had a standout game with 33 disposals as what started as a close contest opened in the second quarter for Geelong who led at halftime by 4 goals. However, the Dogs continued to fight with the margin coming to just a few points in the last quarter before Shannon Neale sealed it for the Cats with 2 goals in minutes, bringing his total bag to 5 goals for the night and a 14 point win for the home side.
Friday night saw Dreamtime at the G where Essendon faced Richmond in the coveted round. It was a thrilling first 3 quarters with multiple lead changes as both sides fought with spirit, but with the final quarter came Essendon’s break as despite some inaccurate kicking they finished with a 23 point win. Nick Martin and Zach Merrett dominated in the midfield with a combined 72 disposals and 15 tackles to bring the Bombers to 10th on the competition ladder.
In what was another close game in Melbourne at Marvel stadium North Melbourne hosted Collingwood and almost stunned the league with the margin remaining a goal or under until the last quarter where 8 goals from Collingwood sealed the deal for the top side.
Big wins from the Crows and the Demons also shake up the ladder ahead of rounds of team byes. Round 12 will see some big matchups with Collingwood hosting the Hawks at the MCG whose recent run of bad luck will be put to the test in front of a sold out crowd. The Gold Coast Suns will also host Fremantle in Queensland with a chance to cement their dominance in the league and premiership contention.
Sophie Janusko 