Round 3 Review

Western Bulldogs (10.7.67) defeated Brisbane (7.11.53)

1. Tim English (139). Another massive game from English who has started the year with three 130+ scores. 16 disposals, 8 marks, 31 hitouts at clean 81% DE. Had some question marks coming in but is looking like a lock for the number 1 ruck spot.

2. Harris Andrews (130). Has games like this where he just stands tall down back and is one of the more influential players on the ground. 21 touches, 16 marks, all at 90% DE.

3. Tom Liberatore (120). Did his best work in the tackling department, having 9 tackles to add to his 29 touches and 6 marks. Interestingly only had 6 contested touches.

4. Lachie Neale (117). After a couple of sub par scores to start the year, Neale produced on Thursday as we know he can, grabbing a game high 31 touches (14 contested) with 8 clearances and 1 goal.

5. Adam Treloar (116). Missed last week but hit the ground running again to round out the top 5, amassing 28 touches (15 contested) with 9 clearances and 5 tackles.

Other 100+ scores: Jack Macrae (114), Ed Richards (111), Josh Dunkley (108), Bailey Dale/Bailey Smith (102)

Disappointment: I’d give it to Bontempelli (89) for his 13 clangers which held him back from a solid 120, but Garcia unfortunately stood out more for his -6 from 68% game time with 8 clangers from 10 touches, rough game.

Rookies: Some really nice scores before their first price rise on the Brisbane side of things. Ashcroft (80), Wilmot (69) and McKenna (57) will all provide solid money for the next few weeks. Joyce (48) hasn’t wasted a touch yet this year but did give away 5 free kicks, he is on the bubble this week. For the Dogs, budget forward Jones made a debut and scored 26 from 5 touches up forward, while Bruce will halt making money while this 38 is in his cycle.

Injuries: Couple of non-medical injuries here with big men Fort and Lobb being the subs for tactical reasons. Seemingly clear game on Thursday.

 

Collingwood (8.15.63) defeated Richmond (7.7.49)

1. Liam Baker (143). Career high score from the clean utility from the Tigers. Wet night in Melbourne on Friday but Baker ran at 32 touches (13 contested) with just 3 clangers and 78% DE plus 6 marks and 4 tackles.

2. Toby Nankervis (124). Has started the year as a great pick and doesn’t really have a reason to slow down. He another 20 touches (11 contested), 7 clearances, 7 tackles and 39 hitouts for the game.

3. Jordan De Goey (122). Massive game in what seemed to be purely midfield as he found 35 touches (15 contested) with 9 clearances, 6 marks and a game high 597 metres gained.

4. Josh Daicos (117). Took the chocolates of the Daicos brothers this week with 28 touches (14 contested), 7 clearances, 1 goal and 507 metres gained in an outstanding performance.

5. Steele Sidebottom (114). Didn’t watch the game but one can imagine SS was nice and clean in greasy conditions and that probably stood out as he rounded out the top 5 with 24 touches at 75% DE.

Other 100+ scores: Tim Taranto (112), Nick Daicos (109), Scott Pendlebury (102), Jamie Elliot (101)

Disappointment: Tough to hand one out here but it’s going to go to Daniel Rioli for his 56 from 25 touches. Had 7 clangers and 48% DE.

Rookies: Nice second up score from Young (54) even though he only had 6 touches at 16% DE and 4 tackles, while another guy on the bubble this round is Ryan (27) who had 2 touches and 9 hitouts before being subbed out. 

Injuries: Massive news from this one with Darcy Cameron being subbed out with a knee injury, blow for close to 30,000 coaches who brought him in. Was flying on 89 before then.

 

Hawthorn (11.14.80) defeated North Melbourne (9.7.61)

1. Will Day (139). Massive game from Day, setting a career best score and providing great value, averaging 99 since being a replacement for Yeo in round 1. Had 29 touches, 11 marks and 4 tackles while running at 86% DE.

2. Dylan Moore (131). Averaging a nice 104 across the first three rounds which is obviously inflated with this score. Kicked 2 majors from 26 touches and 12 marks rotating between roles. 

3. Harry Sheezel (120). The kid delivered again. Some thought a tag would come when LDU was a late out but he just dominated again with 26 touches, 7 marks and 6 tackles for the game. 

4. Todd Goldstein (115). Trusty as always playing sole ruck, he capitalised on somewhat fresh ruckman from Hawthorn with 30 hitouts and 18 touches for the game.

5. James Sicily (112). Hauled in 18 marks being the general down back to go along with 28 touches to round out the top 5.

Other 100+ scores: Blake Hardwick (109), Jai Newcombe (106), Jack Scrimshaw (103), Karl Amon (100)

Disappointment: Rough game from Worpel (45) who just couldn’t get involved, only finding 15 touches for the game.

Rookies: Sheezel’s praises have already been sung, so next best is probably MacKenzie (89) who had 20 touches and 9 tackles to give himself a nice platform for money making. Greene (51) was nice up forward, kicking 2 goals from 10 touches, with Comben in the opposite forward line was nice with 11 touches and 1 goal for 73 points. Goater (46) had 9 touches, Bergman (55) had 14 and Phillips (78), who played his second game, had 16 touches to round out the rookies.

Injuries: Finn Maginness and Hugh Greenwood were the subs here for non medical reason. Luke Davies-Uniacke was a late out too if anyone was unaware!

 

GWS (9.10.64) defeated by Carlton (9.20.74)

1. Josh Kelly (148). Missed a week and came back with a bang, being probably the most influential player on the ground with 30 touches (11 contested) 9 tackles, 1 goal, 6 clearances and 560 metres gained.

2. Nic Newman (132). Nice score from Newman who was clean all day, only having one clanger from his 24 touches and 11 marks in a nice role at half-back. 87% DE.

3. Adam Saad (128). Great score again from Saad who found a typically clean 23 touches with 512 metres gained at 87% DE with just 1 clanger.

4. Patrick Cripps (112). A career best 42 touches for the Blues captain  including a massive 20 contested touches and 13 clearances with 563 metres gained for the game.

5. Charlie Curnow (107). Another ton for Curnow , two in a row, with this one coming from 17 disposals, 7 marks and 2 goals.

Other 100+ scores: Tom Green (100)

Disappointment: Couple of worthy ones here. Callaghan (37) had a ton in round 1 but has been grim since, Greene (40) couldn’t keep his hot start going, Coniglio (58) just turned it over all day and Docherty (87) was just scored a touch roughly in my opinion. 

Rookies: Second gamer Rowston looks to have a nice role in the middle with 14 touches and 3 tackles for 55 points, while small forward Daniels (77) would’ve been a nice pick to start the year. Buckley (99) has been very clean down back, but Stone (13) was subbed on again and will need some more game time to make money. Carlton’s duo of Hollands (66) and Cowan (51) went at pretty much their average.

Injuries: Small forward Owies had a hamstring injury in this one in the 2nd quarter, seems the be the only injury here. Hamilton the sub for GWS.

 

St Kilda (14.8.92) defeated Essendon (11.8.74)

1. Mason Wood (134). Triple treat of tons to start the year for Wood who starred again with 27 touches (10 contested) with a game high 592 metres gained. Also snatched 11 marks and 1 goal.

2. Brad Crouch (111). Another nice score from 32 touches with 6 marks and 6 tackles for Crouch, pairing it with 14 contested touches and 8 clearances.

3. Jake Kelly (110). Highest score for the Dons came from the backman who found 11 marks and 29 touches  with 11 contested touches and elite 86% DE. Career high disposals.

4. Seb Ross/Callum Wilkie (104). Tied up here. Ross had his usual role in the midfield, gathering 24 touches and 9 tackles, while Wilkie did a great job on Stringer, blanketing him and finding 19 touches (13 marks) at a very nice 89% DE.

5. Jack Higgins (100). Best forward for the night with 4 goals (along with Butler) plus 18 touches and 3 tackles in his usual forward role.

Other 100+ scores: Zilch

Disappointment: Marshall (78) and Sinclair (63) the most popular of the Saints to score poorly. Couple of grim scores for the Bombers too with Redman (49) not backing up his opening fortnight scores, while Setterfield, Merrett and Parish (copped it similar Docherty) all finished in the 80’s.

Rookies: Forward rookies Philllipou (51) and Caminiti (65) will both provide nice little price rises if these scores can continue. Davey Jnr had a nice 12 touches for a solid 66, while Menzie kicked 1 goal from 8 touches for 47 points. Finally, Stocker, slightly above rookie price, was solid once again for 70 points but did have a late quad injury. 

Injuries: Just Jones and Cordy subbed off here, seemingly not for medical reasons. 

 

Port Adelaide (13.8.86) defeated by Adelaide (18.9.117)

1. Connor Rozee (126). Starred for Port with a typically smooth game in the middle, collecting 28 touches with 5 tackles and 1 goal to lead the scoring in this one.

2. Reilly O’Brien (121). Nice battle with Lycett but took the upper hand around the ground, accumulating 16 touches, laying 5 tackles and having 35 hitouts for the game.

3. Izak Rankine (117). Stood out in his first showdown with 4 goals for the game, pairing it with 17 touches and 5 tackles plus clean use at 88% DE.

4. Rory Laird/Jordan Dawson (114). Laird was ticking along slowly but stamped himself at certain points to finish with 26 touches (18 contested) plus 11 clearances and 1 goal, while skipper Dawson took home the medal for his 18 touch, 1 goal game in what was majority a midfield role.

5. Dan Houston (110). Had a game best 640 metres gained from his 21 touches off the half-back flank which boosted his score, his first ton of the season.

Other 100+ scores: Zilch

Disappointment: Zak Butters was a bit of a POD pick but hasn’t delivered over the first three rounds, this score of 79 bringing his average to 82. 

Rookies: Really elite third up performance from Michalanney (82) who didnt waste any of his 12 disposals to boost his score, pairing it with 5 tackles in a nice display, similar to Pedlar (73) who kicked 3 goals for the game. No one to cover for Port bar the subbed-on, slightly-above-rookie-priced Fantasia (32).

Injuries: Berry and Duursma were the subs for non-medical reasons, but as always keep an eye on teams/injury report on Tuesday for any injuries I might’ve missed.

 

Gold Coast (10.13.73) defeated Geelong (7.12.54)

1. Tom Stewart (167). I talked about it in the pre-season Geelong preview, Stewart has this insane ceiling that non of the other top defender picks have shown. Missed just one week with that 3-4 knee injury and went nuts with 29 touches, 13 marks, 563 metres gained and 93% DE.

2. Jarrod Witts (124). Three tons to start the year for Witts. Came up against the duo of Blicavs and Ceglar, finishing with 13 disposals, 3 tackles and 35 hitouts.

3. Jack Lukosius (118). Best game of his young career, being the difference between the two teams as he kicked 5 goals for the game from 13 disposals and 9 marks up forward.

4. Cam Guthrie (116). Clean in the middle and sometimes at half-back, Guthrie found 28 touches (10 contested) with 7 marks and solid 82% DE.

5. Touk Miller/Nick Holman (109). The Suns midfield jet had a bit of a cloud over him to start the year, but now has three tons on the trot. 20 touches (12 contested), 7 clearances and 6 tackles for him, while Holman applied pressure up forward with 6 tackles and 19 disposals for the game.

Other 100+ scores: Isaac Smith (104), Patrick Dangerfield (103)

Disappointment: Jack Bowes was on the watch list of many this weekend but finished on 61 from 13 touches, 8 tackles and 1 goal. Held back by 6 clangers and 53% DE. 

Rookies: Ratugolea was trucking along nicely with a 30 point first quarter but only finished on 47 from 11 touches. Paul Oea had his had his first game for the year for exactly 50 points from 10 touches, while King kicked 1 goal and finished on 61 points before his first price rise.

Injuries: Flanders has been a disappointment to start the season but no ones wants to see injuries, unfortunately for him though a knee injury subbed him out of this game. De Koning had a head clash that ended in concussion so he’ll miss next week.

 

Melbourne (21.8.134) defeated Sydney (12.12.84)

1. Clayton Oliver (156). Elite in game 150, tallying 25 touches (15 contested) with 5 clearances, 7 tackles and 2 goals while running at 80% DE for a great C score on Sunday afternoon.

2. Brodie Grundy (143). Don’t tempt me. Game one without Gawn saw Grundy dominate with 21 touches (11 contested) plus 25 hitouts for the game, you couldn’t be blamed for jumping on over the next month.

3. Ed Langdon (120). Not as noticeable without the long locks but ran all day to find 24 touches (12 contested) across the wing. Would’ve been nice if he slotted his attempts (0.3).

4. Christian Petracca (119). First ton of the year after twin 97’s here. Led the game with 33 disposals (19 contested) plus a game best 572 metres gained.

5. Lachie Hunter (108). Ran the opposite wing to Langdon and was equally effective with 23 touches and 2 goals for the afternoon.

Other 100+ scores: Callum Mills (103), Steven May (101)

Disappointment: Despite Melbourne having the top 5 scores, Angus Brayshaw (58) didn’t go big, adding to his slow start to 2023, only averaging 78 so far. 

Rookies: Great scores from the Melbourne rookies in this one. McVee (80) hasn’t set the world on fire with his first two but will see a nice rise after this 18 touch effort that had no clangers. A bigger jump will come for Chandler (90) after his 9 touch, 3 goals game, while first gamer Van Rooyen (89) finished with 9 touches, 3 goals and 6 tackles. Roberts was the sub again and scored 4, bringing the 123k rookies three round average to 13. 

Injuries: Dylan Stephens and Ben Brown the subs here, once again seemingly not for medical reasons.

 

Fremantle (16.12.108) defeated West Coast (9.13.67)

1. Caleb Serong (146). Won the best on ground medal for his 35 touch effort that included 16 contested possessions, 8 clearances, 8 tackles and 697 metres gained, a career best score.

2. Sean Darcy (132). Was in the hot seat after last weeks effort but monstered the Eagles ruck division with 20 touches (13 contested), 5 marks, 3 tackles, 1 goal and 52 hitouts. Could be the matchup that snaps him into form.

3. Sam Petrevski-Seton (116). SPS finished as the Eagles highest scorer thanks to 22 touches, 6 marks and 3 tackles while running at 86% DE with just 1 clanger.

4. Tom Barrass (110). Did what you would expect him to do, took intercept marks and was typically clean with his touches. Ran at 90% DE from his 21 disposals.

5. Sam Switkowski (107). Busy up forward to find 21 touches as a linkman while also kicking 2 goals himself. Also had 6 tackles to round out the top 5.

Other 100+ scores: Luke Ryan (105), Rueben Ginbey (104), James Aish (102)

Disappointment: Just 84 in this one for premium midfielder Andrew Brayshaw, bringing his three round average to 87. 

Rookies: Firstly, Ginbey (104) notched his first career ton thanks to 20 touches (13 contested) with 6 clearances, 8 tackles and no clangers, leading to a very nice first price rise. Side note he reminds me a lot of Matt Priddis. Cole (79) was also solid with 19 touches, while the Allen who is just above rookie price, was on fire early and finished on 97 from 3 goals and 12 touches. Chesser had his best game so far, so hopefully theres some confidence with that, 12 touches and 42 points for him, while Hewett was subbed on for 34 points and 14 touches. Lastly for the Eagles, it was Noah Long, who has had a really solid three weeks, topping it off with this 18 touch (10 contested) game that saw him score 78. For the Dockers, it was the first gamer Johnson who was subbed on, running @ 100% DE from his 6 touches for 24 points, slightly under nearly rookie-priced Liam Henry (28), who was quiet with 11 touches.

Injuries: Chapman was the sub for the Dockers, while the Eagles had complete carnage. Shuey was the original  sub with a hamstring, while he was joined by McGovern (hamstring), Witherden (concussion) and Cripps (ankle). Liam Ryan and Chesser also had extended time on the bench with knee injuries but played on.

---

Leave a comment / Scroll to bottom