[ad_1]
Now the double chance looks lost in a season that has seen Lions coach Chris Fagan ponder his future before reviving his hopes. Their only hope is for the Eagles to beat Geelong at GMHBA Stadium next week.
download
It's unfortunate for the Lions, who have been in the top four for four of the past five seasons and came very close to winning the title last year.
In a season filled with more questions and possibilities than weekly updates from coaches and owners, one thing is certain: Sydney will finish the season on top.
Port Adelaide will know by the time they face Fremantle at Optus Stadium next Sunday what they need to do to win a home final as the Giants play the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat earlier today. Both teams' dramatic comebacks against the Hawks gave the attacking duo a double chance, and likely denied the Hawks that chance.
With just 2.5 per cent separating second and third, and 10 per cent separating third and fourth, the Giants will be watching the result in Perth to determine their final position regardless of their performance in Ballarat.
Every team except the Western Bulldogs, including all four top teams, has lost at least three games in a row at some point this season.
In an indication of how the format has ebb and flowed this season, it is the first time in the 18-team era that more than 15 teams have lost three consecutive games in a season.
This means that this year's presidential race is the most open race of this century.
The Dockers’ recent run of three defeats by a total of 21 points has seen them drop from second on the outright ladder, with 46 seconds remaining in their Round 21 match against Essendon, to needing a win at Port Adelaide to give themselves a chance of finishing in the top eight. The Bulldogs, Hawthorn (who will regret the injury to Will Day) and a brave Carlton have all climbed above them in recent weeks.
Now they have to beat Port Adelaide and hope that at least one of those three teams lose in the final round to secure a place in the finals. Of the contenders, the Bulldogs (who will face GWS) look to be the toughest team in the final round.
The Blues, led by heroic captain Patrick Cripps, performed admirably in defeating an Eagles side with a makeshift attack and a long list of injuries.
Dan Houston's collision with Isaac Rankin will be evaluated at a court hearing.credit: Fox Footy
Houston, we have a problem, and we need a red card to fix it.
Port Adelaide's Dan Houston will serve a minimum four-match ban for a powerful kick on Adelaide's Isaac Rankin that reminded him of a different era, even if he somehow failed to award the Crows a free kick.
If he can avoid a four-match ban, his slim hopes of playing in the final will depend on Port Adelaide, currently second in the standings, losing in the first week of the finals, but he should be good enough to recover and progress to the final. It would be no surprise, however, if the tribunal hands him a five-match ban to end his season as a reminder that the need for caution is heightened when opponents find themselves competing for an aerial ball from the penalty area.
download
Houston has been good in his 168 appearances for Port Adelaide, but it has been worse for Rankin, who is now suffering from a brain injury. We hope he makes a full recovery.
It’s time to introduce the red card in the AFL, with players who break the rules, as Houston did, being sent off the pitch. Despite the natural reluctance among officials, the game must find a way to make it work rather than reinforcing every reason why it can’t.
When Rankin left the field, Port Adelaide were in control of the game. Houston was not supposed to be part of that attack. His actions should have led to his exclusion from the game, as it was arguably the defining moment of the game.
Twin talents from the same project promise a lot
Although they will miss the finals this year, the Magpies will compete more often over the next 10 years with Nick Daicus on the team. Craig McRae said he would tell his grandchildren that he coached them and that the competitors would want to be his teammates.
On Fox Footy, Hawthorn great Dermot Brereton compared Daicos' second-quarter goal against the Lions on Saturday to Lance Franklin's memorable goal in Hawks colours against Collingwood in 2013, when 'Paddy' leapt over Ben Stratton and blasted a long goal.
Bruce McAvaney called it a 'Melbourne Stadium own goal' 11 years ago, and Daicos's was just that, as the Magpies' premiership star ran over double Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale after dribbling past Ireland defender Darragh Joyce, the ball bounced off him twice and kicked straight at him with a roar, his right arm thrown into the air as the ball left his boot.
It didn't get any more dramatic than the big kick Daicos took in the final quarter against Gold Coast in round 17 when he found a gap between two opponents that only paper could get through (watch the clip in the X post below from the 1:55 mark).
Sam D'Arcy's seven goals against North Melbourne were like Paul Salmon's. He is part of a multi-pronged attack that makes the Bulldogs a potential threat for the next decade. If he can shoot as accurately as he did against the Kangaroos, after a Yebbs attack against the Crows, the Bulldogs are a real threat.
The central bounce will not be missed.
Games now rely on rebounds from the middle in the 6-6-6 era, as scoring from that source becomes easier.
download
So how can the game continue to justify referees dropping the ball in the middle of the field at the start of quarters and after every goal? It was a great feature of the game, but it's time to drop it.
Not only can a foul rebound lead to a dramatic advantage at a key moment in the game, a rebound can shave two seconds off the clock every time.
While it's not exactly basketball, seconds do count, and the fact that there was only 19 minutes and 58 seconds of playing time left in the final quarter of the Giants-Fremantle game after a foul rebound early in the quarter is unacceptable.
Get the latest news on the best AFL coverage in the country. Subscribe to the Real Footy newsletter.
[ad_2]
Source