Friday Fallout: Crows steal Showdown 59 in an all-time classic

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide

Was Showdown 59 the greatest Showdown of all-time?

While the first three quarters didn’t set the world on fire, the final term was a drama-filled cracker.

Trailing by a game-high lead of 21 points early in the fourth quarter, Port surged back into the fight thanks to goals by Mitch Georgiades, Joe Berry and Jack Whitlock, putting them behind by just two points.

While all the momentum was going Port’s way, an errant kick out of defence by Port ruckman Jordan Sweet let Adelaide's Wayne Milera kick the game-winning goal with just 150 seconds left on the clock.

At least we thought…

Unbeknownst to Milera and his teammates, who were wildly celebrating, Crow livewire Josh Rachele actually gave away a freekick on the goal line, meaning the major didn’t count and possession was back in Port’s hands.

Immediately after that freekick Port Adelaide went coast to coast, locking the ball inside their forward 50 while also scoring a point.

With just one point splitting the two South Australian sides now, both teams needed a hero to stand up.

For Port Adelaide, that was Joe Berry, kicking an absolute beauty, looking like the game-sealing goal for Port, securing a miraculous comeback victory against their rivals.

However, the rollercoaster didn’t end there.

Izak Rankine won a free kick off the centre bounce and booted the ball inside 50. Emerging Adelaide gun Brayden Cook ended up with the ball near the boundary, and with 10 seconds left, delivered on one of the more clutch finishes you'll see on the run, helping the Crows to clinch a one-point victory.

Adelaide midfielder Sam Berry won the Showdown Medal thanks to 29 disposals and 19 tackles while key defender Allir Allir was huge in defeat for Port.

Connor Scanlon

Western Bulldogs v Fremantle

It’s not all doom-and-gloom for the Western Bulldogs.

The narrative of “season over” has resided with the Dogs ever since the losses of some of their key pillars to injury, Sam Darcy being the most pivotal of course.

So, the display on Friday night against (current) ladder leaders Fremantle would ease some distress and bring some form of optimism back to a side many had as their premiership fancy early in the season.

Marcus Bontempelli is a genuine freak and what he is doing through, by all reports, a pretty serious right knee complaint shows why he is so respected internally at the kennel, and externally by his peers as one of the game’s best.

The return of Tim English was valuable to the structure of the Bulldogs and his presence up the line was clearly missed.

With Port Adelaide, Carlton and Melbourne to come, three very winnable games, the Dogs just have to bunker down and get themselves over the line in at least two of those three to keep themselves inside the top ten.

Fremantle will walk away satisfied with the points, but still have a long way to go to become an any-time, any-place side who you can bank on a performance from every week.

Justin Longmuir’s frustration was evident in the huddle and, to his side’s credit, they lifted when asked, kicking seven goals in a row in the third and fourth quarters to scrape themselves in front after a poor first half.

Thursday night at Optus hosting Hawthorn will show where the Dockers are really at.

Ethan Clark

Collingwood and Hawthorn shared the points in a 93-93 draw at the MCG to kick off Round 8.

Craig McRae’s Magpies were without Scott Pendlebury, Jeremy Howe, Tim Membrey and Beau McCreery and looked weakened on paper.

But they were accurate and efficient, kicking 15.3, and almost pulled off the perfect plan.

However, Sam Mitchell’s Hawks will feel like that was one that got away.

Normally when you have 10 more scoring shots (28-18) and 28 more inside 50s (62-34) you win a game. And comfortably.

The weight of numbers could have caved in on the Pies but their defensive base stood up, their pressure was high and their counter-attack game was lethal, especially early.

It tells us, once again, that they are incredibly well coached by McRae.

David King and Kane Cornes saw the weight of numbers differently though.

“They fact they (Collingwood) were so accurate and so brilliant with their efficiency going in meant they were going to have a low number (of inside 50 entries),” King said on SEN’s Fireball.

“What would you prefer? Would you prefer the high strike rate of goals per entry? Or the volume of inside 50s?”

Cornes replied: “Or Hawthorn kick accurately. They were 6.6 from set shots and Collingwood were 10.1.

“That’s probably where the difference lies. It was a dominant display on the stat sheet from Hawthorn in pretty much all facets.

“Contested footy they smacked them (134-105), ground balls they smacked them (90-66), inside 50s they smacked them, clearances they smacked them (39-23), in all facets.

“I’m not taking anything away from Collingwood.”

King feels the Pies’ plan almost worked a treat despite losing centre clearances 19-5.

“This is where the stats can lie and you can believe whatever you want to believe,” he added.

“But in terms of the plan they put in place it worked with aplomb.

“They got smacked out of the middle and the back six did a great job to hold up. There are numbers in there if you really want to look and say it was an outstanding performance by the back six, a great performance by the crumbers in the forward 50, and a terrific plan not to expose turnover ball through the middle of the ground.

“The numbers are what the numbers are but don’t subscribe to all of them.”

Despite Collingwood’s apparent shortcomings from a personnel point of view, they were coached to win and their style almost allowed them to.

Does that mean they can genuinely contend with a full complement of players? They’ll always put themselves in a position to win games of footy.

It’s just whether or not they have the class to beat the top echelon of teams in cut-throat finals.

As for Hawthorn, Mitchell will likely be seething that they missed the four points here. A wasteful start cost them and they were trying to claw back a margin for most of the night.

But their game is in good order and it’s unlikely that we’ll see them that untidy again. 

There were some gilt-edged chances and decisions throughout. There was a potential holding the ball for Nick Watson on Billy Frampton. Arguably a free kick, perhaps not.

But the Pies were awarded a 50-metre penalty against Cam Mackenzie which allowed Steele Sidebottom to kick an easy goal. Mackenzie was never going to interfere with Sidebottom. That decision lacked common sense. 

A draw leaves a strange feeling. Cue the extra-time conversations on talkback today, but shouldn’t we just leave it as is…?

Andrew Slevison