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What happened? AFL Round 15, 2019

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Roar Guru
2nd July, 2019
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With the byes done it was back to nine games in Round 15, and once again there was controversy in the AFL.

This time it was the score review system that was under the microscope, with the first game of the Round going down to the wire and the failure to use the technology available potentially impacting on the result. There were three games played that had a margin of a goal or less – let’s find out what made Round 15 so entertaining and unpredictable.

Top five coaches of Round 15

  1. Rhyce Shaw (North Melbourne Kangaroos)
  2. David Teague (Carlton Blues)
  3. Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs)
  4. John Worsfold (Essendon Bombers)
  5. Chris Scott (Geelong Cats)

Coaches under the pump

Nathan Buckley (Collingwood Magpies)
There was little to cheer for from a Magpies perspective, with Buckley thoroughly outcoached by Kangaroos counterpart Rhyce Shaw.

Allan Richardson (St Kilda Saints)
The Saints failed to perform in the third quarter for the second week in a row and then faded out in the final quarter. What this means is that Allan Richardson is unfortunately under serious pressure.

Ross Lyon (Fremantle Dockers)
The Dockers were outplayed after quarter-time despite the Blues missing some of their best players through injury.

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Stuart Dew (Gold Coast Suns)
He’s perhaps fortunate not to be entirely under the pump yet, but the Suns were competitive for the first half and that’s about it.

Essendon Bombers vs West Sydney Giants

The Bombers started reasonably well early, taking a two-goal lead into the opening break. To cut a long story short, the Giants they had a 19-point lead in the last quarter. Somehow the Bombers fought their way back into the contest to level the scores thanks to a Shaun McKernan goal late in the game. The Bombers moved the ball inside 50 again and Cale Hooker took a good mark and kicked a goal to remarkably give his side the lead and a famous victory.

Magic moment
Josh Kelly’s clever snap on goal in the second quarter.

Who stood out from the pack?
Shaun McKernan was tremendous for the Bombers, taking eight marks and kicking two goals.

What went right?
This was one of the better games of footy that I have watched, at very least this season. John Worsfold astutely moved Cale Hooker from defence to the forward line in the last quarter, while Shaun Mckernan switched from playing up forward into the ruck in the final term due to the injury suffered by Bombers ruckman Tom Bellchambers in the third quarter. Leon Cameron was all class in his press conference – he didn’t blame the Mckernan goal, which was potentially the wrong decision for the Giants losing the football match.

What went wrong?
There was a free kick given to Shane Mumford, but Shaun McKernan was merely endeavouring to tap the ball; it didn’t look like a free kick. Then there was another piece of play involving a McKernan again in which he kicked a goal that was touched by Adam Kennedy that could have impacted the result of the game. Last but not least the Giants didn’t take their opportunities and therefore lost the game.

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Cale Hooker

(Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Geelong Cats v Adelaide Crows

The Crows started the game well, controlling the tempo of the contest with a nine-point lead at quarter-time. Geelong fought back to go into half-time with the very slightest of leads, a solitary point. Cameron Guthrie kicked his second goal at the end of the third quarter to give the Cats the momentum and a 14-point lead, and from there on in it was pretty much one-way traffic.

Magic moment
Paul Seedsman’s second goal of the game came in the third quarter with a long kick, partly thanks to an intelligent shepherd from Taylor Walker.

Who stood out from the pack?
Tim Kelly continues to prove why he may well win the Brownlow Medal.

What went right?
There was a good piece of banter between Gary Ablett and Rory Laird in the third quarter. Mark Blicavs kicked a shank that was marked by Mitch Duncan, who kicked the first goal of the fourth quarter.

What went wrong?
There were a few kicks that went out on the full, most notably from Patrick Dangerfield, Dangerfield was hampered by a collision in the first half when attempting to mark despite the fact that he returned to the field in the second half.

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Geelong Cats

(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Hawthorn Hawks vs West Coast Eagles

It was a close game early, with two points separating the two teams. The Eagles led thanks to Jack Darling, who managed to kick all of his side’s goals. The Hawks controlled the balance of play in the third quarter but kicked inaccurately, which led to West Coast claiming victory by one goal despite having four fewer shots at goal.

Magic moment
Liam Ryan kicked a freakish goal for the Eagles in the second quarter, which gave them a 20-point lead.

Who stood out from the pack?
Jack Darling kicked five goals. He still maintained his usual standard in front of goal despite the wet conditions.

What went right?
Oliver Hanrahan kicked his first career goal in the third quarter. The game was extremely close and exciting.

What went wrong?
The Hawks kicking for goal was deplorable. Josh Kennedy hit the post in the last quarter from the goal square. Jonathan Ceglar missed a couple of crucial goals in the second quarter, which would prove crucial to the Hawks chances of winning the game.

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Jack Darling celebrates a goal

(Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Sydney Swans vs Gold Coast Suns

The Suns controlled the balance of play in the first quarter but failed to transfer that dominance onto the scoreboard. They started to convert their chances in their forward 50 more in the second quarter. After half time it was all the Swans in what became a one-sided contest.

Magic moment
Peter Wright kicked a long goal from 50 metres in the pocket to level the scores in the second quarter.

Who stood out from the pack?
Luke Parker played a quality game, accumulating plenty of the ball and impacting on the contest.

What went right?
The Swans second-half performance was outstanding. They controlled the game and transferred that dominance onto the scoreboard.

What went wrong?
The slow manner in which the Suns moved the ball and the number of turnovers they had. They didn’t distribute the ball through the corridor; instead they chose to go along the boundary line.

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Luke Parker

(Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

The Kangaroos squandered chances early when they could have had a good early lead on the scoreboard so led by only ten points at the opening break. From there on it was pretty much one-way traffic, with the Kangaroos controlling the game. It’s fair to say Nathan Buckley was outcoached by Rhyce Shaw.

Magic moment
One of the few good moments for the Magpies was Jordan de Goey with his outstanding snap around the corner from nearly 50 metres out from goal.

Who stood out from the pack?
Ben Cunnington’s attack on the footy set the tone for the other Kangaroos players.

What went right?
The Kangaroos pressure and attack on the footy was first class. They won the game despite the fact Ben Brown didn’t register a goal.

What went wrong?
The Kangaroos were controlling the game but couldn’t transfer that dominance onto the scoreboard for much of the first half. The Magpies failed to turn up in every area of the game.

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Jack Ziebell

(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Port Adelaide Power vs Western Bulldogs

This game will be remembered for the shocking weather that the players were forced to play in. The Power lost the game by 25 points despite having 20 more inside 50s than the Bulldogs.

Magic moment
Jack Macrae kicked a good goal in tough conditions on his left foot.

Who stood out from the pack?
Scott Lycett was the best player on the ground for the second week in a row.

What went right?
The Bulldogs kicked accurately for goal, as they had the same number of shots on goal as the Power, but won the game by 25 points.

What went wrong?
The weather was difficult to play footy in, and that may explain the Power’s inability to convert their chances to convert their opportunities onto the scoreboard.

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Marcus Bontempelli of the Bulldogs

(AAP Image/Julian Smith)

St Kilda Saints vs Richmond Tigers

The Saints pressure was relentless in the first quarter, yet they had only a six-point lead at quarter-time. Unfortunately the Saints failed to play four quarters; they were outplayed by the Tigers in the second half.

Magic moment
Jason Castagna gave the Tigers a three-goal lead in the last quarter with a brilliant snap from the pocket on his left foot.

Who stood out from the pack? Sydney Stack was outstanding – he pushed forward and kicked four goals.

What went right?
The Saints kicked seven goals straight before they kicked their first behind. St Kilda’s attack on the footy was outstanding in the first quarter.

What went wrong?
The Saints kicked only one goal in the third quarter for the second week in a row. They kicked three goals and ten behinds after initially kicking seven goals straight.

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Tom Lynch

(Dylan Burns/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

Brisbane Lions vs Melbourne Demons

The Demons brought the right intensity in the first quarter, which set the tone for them to put in a solid performance. Unfortunately they faded away in the second half.

Magic moment
Eric Hipwood’s fourth goal of the third quarter was a sweetly struck kick on the boundary line close to the 50-metre mark to give the Lions some momentum going into the three-quarter-time break.

Who stood out from the pack?
It was a no brainer; Eric Hipwood was the difference between the two teams, finishing with five goals.

What went right?
Eric Hipwood kicked three goals in a row and four in total for the third quarter. Noah Answerth kicked his first goal in AFL footy for the Lions, while Steven May kicked his first goal for the Demons. Jack Viney kicked a captain’s goal to put the Demons just two points behind the Lions, close to the three quarter time siren.

What went wrong?
The Lions kicking for goal was inaccurate in the first quarter; they managed two goals and six behinds. The skills of both teams in distributing the ball into their forward 50 was not up to standard. Tom McDonald dropped a simple mark in the Demons forward 50 in the third quarter which should otherwise have led to a Demons goal. At the three-quarter-time break Steven May was having a verbal exchange with teammate Sam Frost.

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Fremantle Dockers vs Carlton Blues

The best was saved for last, with the Blues fighting back from a 29-point deficit at quarter-time. The game was won in the coaches box, with David Teague astutely getting the Blues the four points. Teague moved Jack Silvagni onto Nat Fyfe to tag the Dockers captain, the youngster and his team effectively curtailed the influence of Fremantle livewire Michael Walters.

Magic moment
Marc Murphy with a snap around the corner to get the Blues the four points.

Who stood out from the pack?
Nat Fyfe was outstanding for the Dockers despite playing in a losing side.

What went right?
There were some freakish goals and quality footy that was played; it was arguably the game of the season.

What went wrong?
Charlie Curnow suffered an injury. The Blues failed to kick a goal in the first quarter; the Dockers controlled the balance of play early. They were deplorable in the second quarter, with the Blues dominating the inside fifty’s and the scoring.

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