Hot Pies, Cold Swans, Weekend of Tom's
Last updated: Jul 23, 2018, 3:45AM | Published: Jul 23, 2018, 3:39AM
It was a wild, random and rowdy weekend of AFL action, and to celebrate another round of footy we've picked out the key points that made the weekend so great. Hot Pies, cold Swans, Tom Hawkins, Tom Mitchell and more.
This is Data Road Trip - investigating the key data points and numbers that formed what we saw in the week that was in sports.
Red-hot Richmond
The Tigers were at their scintillating best on Friday against the Saints, kicking 11.7 to just 2.3 as they dominated in every facet of the game to take a 58 point lead at the main break. They would go on to win by 54 points.
Pressure Pies
Collingwood were outstanding on Saturday against North Melbourne, dominating the Roos in a 66 point win. The big difference was in the tackle count, which the Pies won 83-47. The Roos won the contested possession count 143-128, but it didn't matter as they were swarmed every time they got it.
The Pie pressure is immense! #AFLPiesNorth pic.twitter.com/GJrwHpGivK
— AFL (@AFL) July 21, 2018
Suns Stun Swans
Gold Coast has snapped an 11-game losing streak after beating Sydney by 24 points in one of the upsets of the season at the SCG on Saturday. The Suns trailed by 29 points at quarter-time but kicked 11 goals to 2 for the rest of the match in a sensational turnaround.
I still cannot believe that Sydney led Gold Coast by 29 points at quarter-time and lost.
— Nick Quinn (@Quinny_1) July 21, 2018
Veteran bookmaker @GerardDaffy reckons it is the second biggest AFL upset since sports betting became legal in Australia.
Yep - we couldn't believe it either.
Dons Dominate Dockers
Essendon had their way with Fremantle on Saturday, dominating them in every facet of the game, with the Bombers winning disposals (380-319), contested possessions (157-137), clearances (41-28), marks inside 50 (22-10) and inside 50s (63-35) easily. It was no great surprise though, as Fremantle had fielded the youngest side deployed all weekend.
Lewy Taylor Breaks Our Hearts
We were home, it was over. The Adelaide Crows had defeated the Brisbane Lions by 11 points, and in the process, Adelaide had covered the 7.5 point line which Stats Insider predicted before the game. It wasn't to be though, as Lewy Taylor goaled after the siren to trim the win margin to 5 points, simultaneously breaking punters hearts.
Tom Hawkins' Night Out
Tom Hawkins celebrated his 30th birthday the best possible way, booting seven goals in a win against Melbourne on Saturday night. Melbourne are still without a win against a top eight side this season. Hawkins haul of seven included four in a frantic final comeback, which also featured this:
ZACH TUOHY KICKS THE MATCH WINNER AFTER THE SIREN!#AFLCatsDees pic.twitter.com/0xknyuwHTL
— AFL (@AFL) July 21, 2018
Carlton's Latest Humiliation
Carlton were smacked around by Hawthorn on Sunday, beaten from pillar to post by the Hawks, eventually ending in a 72 point thrashing. In yet another piece of recently depressing history, Carlton were held scoreless in the opening quarter of a game for the first time since round 18, 1990. Things are just getting uglier and uglier for the Blues.
Tom Mitchell Does It Again
Tom Mitchell put in the performance of the weekend, likely securing him another 3 votes on the way to a potential Brownlow Medal-winning season. He completely dominated Carlton, with 46 disposals (16 contested), 9 marks, 6 clearances, 9 tackles, 4 inside-50s and 2 goals. He amassed an astonishing 187 ranking points for the day, which is one of the highest totals this season.
Western Bulldogs Second Half Woes
The Western Bulldogs lost their 15th second half of the season on Sunday, in another barren effort as they struggled to run out the game against West Coast. The Eagles booted five goals in the final term whilst the Bulldogs could only register 3.2 in the entire second half.
Here Come The Giants
Greater Western Sydney registered their fifth win in their last six games, as they continue to climb the AFL ladder heading into September. They are now sitting in sixth place, with 10 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw as they continue to revitalise their season and finals campaign.
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