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AFL Team of the Week: Round 3

North Melbourne players (L-R) Daniel Harris, Brent Harvey and Drew Petrie celebrate their victory during the AFL Indigenous Round 09 match between the Western Bulldogs and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at the Telstra Dome. Photo GSP images/Greg Ford
Roar Guru
8th April, 2014
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Another round down and it was a weekend punctuated by excellent team performances, especially by Hawthorn and Essendon. However there were plenty of individual standouts too. Who were the best 22?

Backline
Josh Gibson (HAW) – Kept a sore Chris Mayne to a goal and played his usual key role in the Hawks’ defence with aplomb. Snuck up to the wing at times and ended with 25 touches, seven marks and eight one percenters.

Tom Lonergan (GEE) (VC) – Blanketed Travis Cloke all night and kept him to zero impact in a brilliant defensive effort. Cloke ended the game with a paltry eight disposals and no goals.

Mark Baguley (ESS) – The mature-aged Don came of age on the footy field in what most would agree was his best game to date. Kept Jeff Garlett to five touches and 1.0 as Essendon went to town on Carlton. He ended up with 26 touches and seven marks of his own.

Half-back line
Matt Suckling (HAW) – Back to his best playing the ‘quarterback’ role for the Hawks. They fed him the ball constantly and his raking left foot kicks were a feature of the Hawks’ exhilarating belting of Freo. Finished with 30 touches, eight marks and 1.1.

Michael Hurley (ESS) – This may just be where Hurley finds himself. Kept Jarrad Waite goal-less and ended up with 23 touches and eight marks.

Grant Birchall (HAW) – Just another lethal cog in the Hawthorn kicking machine. 29 touches at 93 per cent efficiency, seven marks, 1.1 and four each of rebounds and inside 50s.

Centre
Jackson Macrae (WBD) – Looks a real find and instrumental in the Dogs’ victory over Richmond. Was allowed to run free by the opposition and ended with 30 touches, nine marks, six tackles and 1.1

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Tom Rockliff (BRI) – A pillar of excellence on a dismal day for Brisbane. Beat Jaeger O’Meara in a head to head battle and rested forward to good effect. Ended with 35 disposals, 11 marks, five tackles and three goals (of his team’s nine).

Luke Dunstan (STK) – Kept St. Kilda well in the contest for three quarters and backed up his Rising Star nomination with an all-round midfield performance. 29 touches (15 contested), seven clearances, five tackles, four marks and two goals.

Half-forward line
Cyril Rioli (HAW) – He did the amazing with ease but erased some of his fadeouts over the course of a game. If the ball was near him it was heading dangerously forward all night. 20 possessions, five marks and two goals but ignore the stat-line, go and watch the highlights.

Lance Franklin (SYD) – Back to near the Buddy we know. Beat Daniel Talia (who had been excellent this season) convincingly and ended with 20 disposals and 4.2

Brent Harvey (NTH) (C) – The evergreen and ever-maligned Harvey was quiet early but again stood above the rest when the game was there to be won. White had kept him quiet but he booted two rippers in the last to seal a crucial and hard fought victory by North.

23 touches, four marks and 3.2 for the game. Given the captaincy not for his all-around game, but for standing up when a typically mentally fragile team needed it and getting them over the line against strong opposition.

There were a lot of good individual performances this weekend but none as singularly match-defining as Harvey’s.

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Forward line
Jamie Elliot (COL) – This lad has a hell of a leap on him. With Cloke pinned down he broke from Andrew Mackie and ended with 15 touches and five goals as the Pies went down. It’s great to see the medium forward back in vogue.

Sam Day (GCS) – Was in doubt leading up to the game but played and put his hand up to fill the void left by Dixon’s injury. Soundly beat Jordan Lisle as he booted four for the day; also helped out in the ruck with seven hit-outs.

Paul Chapman (ESS) – A lot of clubs will be kicking themselves at the moment. Chappy’s still got it and has continued a ripper start to the season. Had an ankle problem after a contest early but came back strongly, ending with 23 possessions, 11 marks and 4.3 for the night.

Followers
Shane Mumford (GWS) – In a dull and dour game, Mumford made the most of the many stoppages and provided a huge physical presence.

When Daniel Cross has the opposition’s second highest hit-out count you can’t say it was going to be a tough day at the office for Mummy, but he more than did his job as the Giants got the win. 10 disposals, nine tackles, a whopping 60 hit-outs and a goal.

Adam Treloar (GWS) – Speaking of presence, Treloar just oozes that star quality. Looked to be relishing the tough contested footy and had a wonderfully executed crash’n’bash day, ending with 33 touches, 14 tackles and a goal. Fantasy coaches would have been pleased.

Gary Ablett (GCS) – The little master kicked a goal early but was then uncharacteristically shaky for a time. It didn’t last, of course, as the Lions tried (and failed) to stop him with Redden in a head-to-head battle.

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Gave away four frees but came through, finishing with 38 touches, 10 tackles, six clearances and 3.0; an amazingly regular looking stat-line for Ablett.

Interchange
Sam Mitchell (HAW) – Had Crowley on him for the first half but still did very well for himself, especially when he was off the leash in the second. 36 disposals, six clearances, five marks and four tackles for the game.

Ben Cunnington (NTH) – One of his best games to date and showed why North supporters rate him so highly. Finished with 30 touches, seven tackles and six marks for the match.

Luke Parker (SYD) – A strong half-forward game from the young Swan. Got his hands dirty and kicked four important goals, including two of their first three and a ripper to put them out of reach near three quarter time.

He racked up 26 touches, nine clearances, six marks and three tackles along with them.

Sub (from chosen subs)
Daniel Giansiracusa (WBD) – Quite a few subs played more than their typical quarter and a bit this weekend and thus racked up more than Gia, but for impact you can’t go past him. Came on for the last quarter and booted two goals from four disposals including the match-winner.

Crowley of the Week
Not too many outstanding tagging efforts this weekend past, but Cam Guthrie’s effort on Scott Pendlebury is worth a mention. Kept Pendles to 26 disposals and off the scoreboard while gathering 18 and kicking a goal himself.

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Campbell Brown of the Week
Daniel Merrett. No question. It was a dangerous, braindead act and he should consider himself lucky to get off with two weeks.

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