With the season almost over, this is a collection of some of the most dramatic and tight blockbusters of 2016.
To read part one, click here.
Richmond defeated Sydney 101-100
In Round 8, a depleted Richmond side coming off six straight losses went up against a full strength Sydney outfit that had already beaten three top eight teams. The first half was quite even but when Sydney went into the last break as 18-point leaders, many had written the Tigers off.
Richmond kept coming though, and with seconds remaining, Nick Vlastuin kicked out of congestion, as a bounce from the heavens saw the ball somehow land in Jack Riewoldt’s hands, before the forward looked up and found Sam Lloyd.
Needing to kick a goal from 50 metres out after the siren, Lloyd didn’t falter under pressure, giving the Tigers one of their most unlikely wins. Ben Griffiths and Lance Franklin were excellent, each kicking five goals, while Dustin Martin accumulated 28 disposals.
Carlton defeated Port Adelaide 93-91
With three successive wins under their belt, the Blues were confident of victory. However, a swarm of injuries throughout the game made things difficult. Port Adelaide’s counter-attack was damaging, but Carlton had their own way of scoring.
Goals were scarce late, with just three scored in the final 15 minutes.
Liam Sumner got Carlton back within a kick before Matthew Kreuzer snapped from 35 metres out to send Blues fans into a frenzy.
Sam Docherty played out of his skin, while Kreuzer’s ruck-work and presence around the ground was equally influential. Ollie Wines and Hamish Hartlett led the way for the Power.
Hawthorn defeated Western Bulldogs 93-90
In a Sunday afternoon classic, Hawthorn reminded the competition it was still a team to be reckoned with. Each team led for parts of the day but when the Dogs broke down the Hawthorn defence with a six-goal third term, it appeared they would come out victorious.
Hawthorn overcame the 19-point deficit to claim victory, as James Sicily showed the AFL world what he is made of with a three-goal final term. Sam Mitchell and Isaac Smith performed well for the Hawks while Caleb Daniel had arguably his best AFL game.
Hawthorn defeated Adelaide 112-109
For the third time in as many weeks, Hawthorn won by three points.
For much of the night, the Crows were better around the ball while the Hawks looked clumsy at times. Yet Hawthorn still found ways to generate goals against the run of play, keeping their chances alive.
Adelaide went into three-quarter time with a 12-point advantage. The first part of the final stanza was even until Hawthorn’s two dynamic small forwards, Paul Puopolo and Cyril Rioli, manufactured opportunistic goals. The Crows had their chances but were left to rue missed marks and goals late, as Puopolo kicked another goal.
In the dying seconds, the Crows should have been awarded a free kick for holding the ball to have a chance to kick for the game, but it wasn’t paid, and the Hawks secured another win. Puopolo had his career-best game kicking five clutch goals while Rioli was also important, booting four.
Collingwood defeated Richmond 87-86
In an electric Friday night blockbuster at the MCG, the Pies came away with their first victory of the season. Both teams played scrappy football with no more than a goal separating them for much of the first three quarters.
The game opened up in the last, and the Tigers took advantage. Richmond kicked ahead to what had seemed to be an unassailable 16-point lead.
Yet Alex Fasolo scored twice in a short period of time to give Collingwood hope.
With under 30 seconds to go, Nick Vlastuin was penalised for handballing deliberately out of bounds before Darcy Moore kicked to the top of the goalsquare. In the chaos, ruckman Brodie Grundy crumbed and found the goals to hand Collingwood a one-point win.
Fasolo’s six goals were crucial, while Dustin Martin and Scott Pendlebury were also among the best.
So Roarers, is this a good collection of the year’s best games or did I miss some?
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