Once again, there were some very strong performances this week with proven stars Nat Fyfe, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt dominating again.
As usual, there were some excellent performances that missed out with Luke Parker (2 goals, 24 disposals), Brendan Goddard (1 goal, 32 disposals) and Matthew Boyd (30 disposals, 9 marks) all stiff not to be in the team.
Coming into the Team of the Year is Rance and Easton Wood after outstanding performances. Rance replaces Alipate Carlisle while Wood replaces Bachar Houli for his ability to intercept the ball in the air which is unrivalled by other small defenders.
Back Pocket: Nathan Brown (Collingwood)
Brown was excellent in defence for Collingwood, keeping Matthew Pavlich goalless. He finished with nine one-percenters.
Full-Back: Luke McPharlin (Fremantle)
McPharlin was very good against the Magpies, keeping Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke scoreless for the first time since Round 17 in 2014. He gave Cloke no space inside 50 and clearly beat Cloke on the night.
Back Pocket: Marley Williams (Collingwood)
Williams was very good in defence, restricting 2014 All-Australian Hayden Ballantyne to eight possessions and a lone goal. He also gave the Pies strong rebound as he collected 22 disposals.
Half-Back Flank: Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Mitchell was again good off of half-back and through the midfield as he collected 32 disposals at a disposal efficiency of 72 per cent. Bulldog Matthew Boyd is stiff to miss here after collecting 30 possessions at 80 per cent off of half-back.
Centre-Half Back: Alex Rance (Richmond)
Rance went head-to-head with ‘Buddy’ Franklin under the Friday night lights and came out on top. Franklin was just on top at half-time with 2.2 and nine disposals. After the long break he had just one handpass and was beaten every time he went near the ball by the in-form Tiger. Rance finished with 22 possessions, 10 one-percenters, nine rebound 50s and eight marks.
Half-Back Flank: Easton Wood (Western Bulldogs)
Wood was the best player on the ground in the Western Bulldogs six-point win over St Kilda as part of a dominant half-back line. He took 13 marks, seven of which were intercepts, and consistently stood in the way of the Saints’ key forwards. When he could not mark the ball he was able to spoil it, finishing with nine spoils. With 22 disposals, he was clearly the best half-back flanker of the round.
Wing: Dayne Beams (Brisbane)
Beams was the Lions’ best against Adelaide with 31 disposals. Of his 31 disposals, 14 were contested, yet he still sed the ball at 71 per cent in greasy conditions. He also had five clearances, five rebound 50s and six inside 50s.
Center: Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
Cotchin was slightly down in the first half as the entire Richmond midfield was ‘monstered around the stoppages’, but came out firing in the second half to lead the Tigers to a big win over the Swans. His attack on the ball was ferocious and he collected 27 disposals (14 contested), five inside 50s and 1.2.
Wing: Leigh Montagna (St Kilda)
Montagna was prolific through the midfield and on the wing, collecting a round high 35 disposals. In the ‘guts’ he had five clearances and on the wing he collected 25 uncontested possessions and eight inside 50s.
Half-Forward Flank: Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
Fyfe was arguably the best player on the ground again after a 32-disposal, two-goal performance. Fyfe collected a round high 19 contested possessions and five centre clearances in an unstoppable performance, epitomised in the play here he brushed off the Travis Varcoe bump in the defence 50 before bursting through the Adam Oxley tackle and precisely delivering the ball to Michael Walters on the wing.
Centre-Half Forward: Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)
Riewoldt’s work rate against the Western Bulldogs was phenomenal as he worked hard up the ground to collect 21 possessions and 10 marks. He was also a threat inside 50, taking four marks within the 50-metre arc. He finished with two goals and a goal assist but it was his work rate up the ground that sees him selected in the Team of the Week.
Half-Forward Flank: Paul Puopolo (Hawthorn)
With Cyril Rioli out and Jarryd Roughead playing more through the midfield, Puopolo stood up to kick four goals. Along with Walters (Fremantle) he was the standout small forward of the round.
Forward Pocket: Michael Walters (Fremantle)
Walters was the dominant forward on the ground in Fremantle’s close win over Collingwood. He kicked four goals and was praised by commentators for his ability to get the ball to his boot in tight situations.
Full-Forward: Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)
Riewoldt was the standout forward of the round, kicking six goals against a strong Sydney defence. His work rate was exceptional, out-working every opponent he came up against, and his finishing equally impressive. He took nine marks (two contested and six inside 50) to be the difference between the two teams.
Forward Pocket: Jake Carlisle (Essendon)
Carlisle played one of his best games for the year opposed to Norm Smith medalist Brian Lake with three goals from eight marks. Of his eight marks, three were contested and three were inside the 50-metre arc. He also assisted in two goals.
Ruck: Stefan Martin (Brisbane)
Martin beat Sam Jacobs to finish with five hit-outs from limited time in the ruck. He was far more effective than Jacobs in the ruck and around the ground as he collected 25 disposals (11 contested), nine marks, eight clearances, five tackles and six inside 50s.
Ruck Rover: Lachie Neale (Fremantle)
Neale was just as prolific as Fyfe in the midfield for the Dockers, collecting 34 disposals and a round high 14 clearances. He was the spark in the middle during the second quarter as Collingwood started to take control, making some crucial clearances to push the Dockers forward. He also managed to push forward and kick 1.2.
Rover: Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)
Roughead spent more time in the midfield for the Hawks and was a dominant force. He collected 29 disposals (16 contested), eight marks (three contested), seven clearances and seven tackles. He also had a round high 14 score involvements but only managed one goal from four shots (he finished with 1.3).
Interchange: Scott Thompson (Adelaide)
Has continued to prove critics wrong with his excellent form after a 10-clearance performance against the Lions. While his teammates consistently fumbled in the greasy conditions, he was far cleaner with each of his 28 possessions (15 of which were contested). Sparked the Crows in the last quarter with a long goal from outside 50. Does not look like retiring any time soon.
Interchange: Marc Murphy (Carlton)
Murphy continued his good form with another 30-plus disposal effort against the Suns. He collected 32 touches, six clearances and a combined 10 inside and rebound 50s.
Interchange: Tom Bell (Collingwood)
Bell is experiencing the best season of his career, collecting more than 25 disposals for the fifth time this year playing through the midfield. He collected 32 disposals, sent the ball inside 50 six times and had two goal assists.
Interchange: Robert Murphy (Western Bulldogs)
The Western Bulldogs captain used the ball to perfection on Saturday night, collecting 25 disposals at a disposal efficiency of 100 per cent. His run and carry and elite kicking sliced through the middle of the ground when most of his teammates could not. He also took eight marks and either rebounded the ball or sent it inside 50 on nine occasions.
Round 13
B: N Brown, L McPharlin, M Williams
HB: S Mitchell, A Rance, E Wood
C: D Beams, T Cotchin, L Montagna
HF: N Fyfe, N Riewoldt, P Puopolo
F: M Walters, J Carslile, J Riewoldt
FOLL: S Martin, L Neale, J Roughead
INT: S Thompson, M Murphy, T Bell, R Murphy
Season Team
B: J McGovern (3), M Hurley (3), H Shaw (3)
HB: R Murphy (5), A Rance (3), S Mitchell (5)
C: D Hannebery (5), P Dangerfield(5), L Jetta (3)
HF: D Beams (5), L Franklin (4), M LeCras (4)
F: E Betts (4), JJ Kennedy (4), T Walker (3)
FOLL: A Sandilands (4), N Fyfe (10), D Sheil (6)
INT: D Armitage (4), S Pendlebury (3), R Gray (3), E Wood (3)
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Was this Darcy Byrne-Jones mark correctly paid or not?
Did Darcy Wilson milk this free? Luke Hodge certainly thought so!
Eddie McGuire's latest bold idea has dropped - for North Melbourne to take over the outskirts of Melbourne and use it to rejuvenate the…
Cooper Simpson and his mum both welled up as he told her he'd been named to debut against the Western Bulldogs.
