Magpies Strangle Blues
The Blues had entered the match on a three-game winning streak and having won their previous three encounters with the Magpies, including a 51-point thumping in round eight.
They could have snatched Collingwood's spot in the top four with a victory on Friday night.
But in front of a crowd of 84,938, Carlton were never in the hunt, as Collingwood surged to a substantial lead early in the match, with the Blues never looking potent enough to reel them in.
Carlton managed just one goal in each quarter, with small forward Eddie Betts scoring his side's only two majors of the first half.
Spearhead Brendan Fevola, who leads the AFL goal-kicking tally for the season, was blanketed by in-form Magpies fullback Simon Prestigiacomo, managing just one behind for the first three terms.
He kicked his only goal 15 minutes into the last, by which stage the Magpies were cruising to victory.
Collingwood utility Leigh Brown was also effective in defence, preventing Carlton big men Matthew Kreuzer and Shaun Hampson, who rotated between the ruck and attack, from scoring a goal, with Magpies skipper Nick Maxwell also performing well in the backline.
The Magpies' win was set up in the first quarter-and-a-half, when they dominated with seven of the first eight goals of the match to build a 34-point lead.
They controlled the midfield during that period, Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan both running rampant with 12 disposals each in the first quarter to ensure Collingwood forwards had the lion's share of the chances.
And after wasting a few early shots, they made them count.
Small forward-midfielder Leon Davis provided the highlights of the first half, with two magical goals.
His first came early in time-on of the first quarter, when he took a handball from Tarkyn Lockyer tight against the boundary in the right forward pocket and rolled through a sensational goal while being pushed over the boundary line by opponent Aaron Joseph.
That helped the Magpies to a 23-point quarter-time lead.
It was stretched to 29 inside the first minute of the second quarter when Davis produced another goal equally as good, this time emerging from a boundary line pack and shrugging a Ryan Houlihan tackle before snapping truly.
While the Blues worked their way back onto level terms in the midfield battles, they could never make any inroads on the scoreboard.
Their inability to find a winning forward was compounded by their inaccuracy, their final score 20 points less than their previous lowest for the season, of 8.12 (60) against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in round nine, a match in which they went goal-less for the entire first half.
Saints March on With Win Over Dogs
MELBOURNE—St Kilda have continued their unbeaten march through the AFL season by shrugging aside another of their nearest rivals, notching a convincing 45-point win over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
The third-placed Dogs entered the match rated a reasonable chance of breaking the Saints' 16-game winning streak, particularly with St Kilda missing key forward Justin Koschitzke and key defender Zac Dawson through suspension.
The Bulldogs' only losses in the previous 10 rounds had been narrow shaves against the other members of the top four - by two points to Geelong in round nine and by one point to Collingwood in round 15.
But, after the Saints overwhelmed another top four contender Adelaide by 57 points last weekend, they again showed their class on Saturday night with a 16.10 (106) to 9.7 (61) victory to stretch their winning streak to 17.
Once again, it was St Kilda's defensive hold across the ground which formed the backbone of their win.
The Bulldogs had come into the match as the competition's highest scoring side this season and with a well-earned reputation for moving the ball with skill and pace.
But their normally slick style came unstuck badly against the Saints and their lack of a truly dangerous key forward was exposed.
The Bulldogs' attack had almost no impact on the match, with much of their meagre scoreline contributed by midfielders.
While Dawson has been a revelation for the Saints this season, his absence was barely noticed, as Sam Gilbert, Max Hudghton and Sam Fisher excelled in defence to keep a tight rein on their Dogs' opponents.
The Bulldogs were competitive in the midfield for long stages of the match, but never made it count in goals.
St Kilda's defensive intensity in other areas of the ground also made a major contribution to their own score, with a large number of the Saints' goals coming as a result of the Dogs' errors and turnovers, particularly as they tried to move the ball out of defence.
While the Bulldogs failed to capitalise on their attacking moves, St Kilda forwards Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne, with five goals each, were constant threats.
After trailing by 29 points at halftime, the Dogs staged a minor rally with a 3.3 to 1.2 third quarter which reduced the margin to three goals at the last change.
But much of their hard work was undone by a terrible mistake, when they started the last term with an extra player on the field, resulting in a St Kilda free kick and 50m penalty, from which Riewoldt goaled.
Within five minutes Milne had added another, the lead was 30 points and the contest was over.
Ball-winners Brendon Goddard and Lenny Hayes also starred for the Saints, particularly prevalent when they built their lead in the first half.
For the Bulldogs, midfielders Matthew Boyd and Ryan Griffen were probably their side's best.
Adding to the Dogs' pain, young midfielder Shaun Higgins went off injured early in the second half.
Tigers put Major Dent in Essendon's Finals Hopes
MELBOURNE—Richmond have held on for a nail-biting five-point AFL win over Essendon at the MCG.
The 15.11 (101) to 14.12 (96) is a major hit to Essendon's finals chances and they will drop out of the top eight should Port Adelaide win Sunday's Showdown against Adelaide.
Essendon fought back from 23 points down at 21 minutes into the final quarter, but Richmond defended grimly for a well-deserved win.
Jack Riewoldt starred for Richmond with six goals, his best AFL haul, while Ben Cousins had 31 disposals and veteran full-back Dustin Fletcher was Essendon's best player.
Essendon play West Coast at Subiaco next Sunday and then host Brisbane in round 19.
Essendon were favoured to win and had Richmond in trouble within seconds of the game starting.
They were awarded a free at the opening bounce and Scott Lucas goalled.
But the Tigers were impressive with their early pressure and led by three points at the first change.
Richmond then kicked five straight goals in the second term to lead by 29 points late in the second quarter.
But a week after blowing a 43-point lead against North Melbourne, the Tigers conceded two late goals and the Bombers only trailed by 16 points at the main break.
Essendon kicked another two goals at the start of the third quarter, but Richmond rallied as Bombers captain Matthew Lloyd limped off the ground.
Lloyd had only managed 10 possessions and had not scored as he clearly struggled with a leg injury.
Two goals to Andrew Lovett midway through the third quarter meant Essendon led by a point, the first time they had been in front since early in the second term.
Richmond hit back again, kicking three straight goals, including two to Riewoldt.
Nathan Brown had a set shot late in the quarter and had he goalled, Richmond would have led by 17 points at the final change.
He missed badly, meaning a two-goal margin.
AFL Results and Standings Round 17
COLLINGWOOD 5.4 7.6 8.8 14.10 (94)
CARLTON 1.5 2.9 3.13 4.16 (40)
Goals: Collingwood: L Davis 3 D Beams 2 A Didak A Toovey C Dawes D Swan D Thomas J Anthony J Barham T Cloke T Lockyer. Carlton: E Betts 2 B Fevola G Bentley.
Best: Collingwood: D Swan L Davis S Prestigiacomo S Pendlebury T Cloke B Johnson. Carlton: H Scotland B Thornton M Murphy R Houlihan S Grigg B Gibbs.
Injuries: Collingwood: Nil. Carlton: C Johnson (hamstring).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Stuart Wenn, Shaun Ryan, Scott McLaren.
Official Crowd: 84,938 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
GEELONG 4.2 6.5 10.6 15.9 (99)
HAWTHORN 3.3 8.7 13.10 14.14 (98)
Goals: Geelong: M Rooke 3 C Mooney 2 T Hawkins 2 C Ling G Ablett J Corey J Selwood M Stokes P Chapman S Hogan T Varcoe. Hawthorn: L Franklin 5 C Brown 2 J Roughead 2 B Guerra C Bateman C Rioli J Lewis M Osborne.
Best: Geelong: J Selwood J Corey G Ablett A Mackie M Rooke C Ling. Hawthorn: C Brown L Franklin S Mitchell J Lewis B Sewell S Gilham.
Injuries: Geelong: H Taylor (groin) M Scarlett (groin). Hawthorn: Nil.
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Scott Jeffery, Ray Chamberlain, Shane McInerney.
Official Crowd: 64,803 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
FREMANTLE 3.4 6.8 7.9 10.11 (71)
WEST COAST 1.4 5.9 6.14 8.18 (66)
Goals: Fremantle: J van Berlo 2 T Ruffles 2 A Grover A Sandilands C Pearce D Mundy H Ballantyne N Suban. West Coast: M LeCras 2 A Hansen A Selwood B Ebert J Kennedy M Priddis M Rosa.
Best: Fremantle: A Sandilands M Pavlich P Hasleby N Suban C Tarrant S Dodd. West Coast: S Hurn T Houlihan Q Lynch A Embley A Selwood.
Injuries: Fremantle: B Peake (ankle) P Duffield (shoulder) T Ruffles (knee) L McPharlin (hand) replaced in selected side by S Thornton. West Coast: Nil.
Reports: Fremantle: D Solomon (Fremantle) reported by field umpire M James for charging A Embley (West Coast) in the first quarter. West Coast: Nil.
Umpires: Todd Keating, Dean Margetts, Mathew James.
Official Crowd: 39,536 at Subiaco.
ST KILDA 4.3 9.5 10.7 16.10 (106)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.2 4.4 7.7 9.7 (61)
Goals: St Kilda: N Riewoldt 5 S Milne 5 J Gwilt 2 A Schneider J Gram R Eddy S Dempster. Western Bulldogs: C Ward 2 M Hahn 2 D Addison M Boyd N Eagleton R Griffen R Murphy.
Best: St Kilda: B Goddard S Gilbert N Riewoldt L Hayes S Milne S Fisher. Western Bulldogs: M Boyd R Griffen R Hargrave N Eagleton D Cross L Picken.
Injuries: St Kilda: Nil. Western Bulldogs: R Murphy (hamstring) S Higgins (hamstring).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Simon Meredith, Brett Rosebury, Stefan Grun.
Official Crowd: 45,082 at Etihad Stadium.
BRISBANE 5.2 7.8 14.9 17.14 (116)
NORTH MELBOURNE 3.2 5.4 8.6 11.9 (75)
Goals: Brisbane: J Brown 8 J Polkinghorne 2 J Redden 2 J Brennan J Sherman S Black S Sheldon T Notting. North Melbourne: C Jones 4 L Thomas 2 B Harvey L Hansen M Campbell M Firrito T Goldstein.
Best: Brisbane: J Brown M Clark D Rich J Sherman S Black. North Melbourne: A Simpson S Thompson B Harvey C Jones L Thomas.
Injuries: Brisbane: T Collier (knee). North Melbourne: Nil.
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Hayden Kennedy, Robert Findlay, Chris Kamolins.
Official Crowd: 25,509 at Gabba.
SYDNEY 3.4 6.6 7.6 10.8 (68)
MELBOURNE 1.2 2.6 4.11 6.14 (50)
Goals: Sydney: D Jolly 3 J McVeigh 2 J Bolton J Moore J White M Mattner R O'Keefe. Melbourne: A Davey B Miller B Moloney L Jurrah M Newton M Whelan.
Best: Sydney: D Jolly J McVeigh C Bird R O'Keefe D Hannebery H Grundy. Melbourne: A Davey B Moloney C Bartram R Petterd M Warnock K Cheney.
Injuries: Sydney: M Mattner (ankle) A Buchanan (knee) replaced in the selected side by C Bird. Melbourne: K Cheney (calf) L Jurrah (ankle).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Jacob Mollison, Mathew Nicholls.
Official Crowd: 7,311 at Manuka Oval.
RICHMOND 3.2 8.4 12.9 15.11 (101)
ESSENDON 2.5 5.6 10.9 14.12 (96)
Goals: Richmond: J Riewoldt 6 J Post 2 M Morton 2 B Deledio D Jackson J King M White N Brown. Essendon: A Lovett 2 K Reimers 2 P Ryder 2 S Lucas 2 A McPhee B Stanton C Dempsey J Winderlich M McVeigh R Dyson.
Best: Richmond: J Riewoldt B Cousins T Cotchin B Deledio R Nahas D Jackson R Tambling. Essendon: D Fletcher B Prismall A Lovett H Slattery P Ryder.
Injuries: Richmond: J Silvester (knee). Essendon: A Davey (leg) J Watson (corked thigh) M Lloyd (heel) M McVeigh (corked thigh).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Craig Hendrie, Stephen McBurney.
Official Crowd: 47,412 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
ADELAIDE 2.5 9.7 12.15 19.18 (132)
PORT ADELAIDE 4.0 4.4 8.5 9.8 (62)
Goals: Adelaide: B Burton 4 C Knights 3 A McLeod 2 K Tippett 2 M Doughty 2 S Goodwin 2 B Vince J Porplyzia N Bock P Dangerfield. Port Adelaide: R Gray 3 D Cassisi D Pearce J Davenport J Westhoff K Cornes T Boak.
Best: Adelaide: N Bock B Vince M Doughty S Goodwin C Knights A McLeod B Reilly B Burton I Maric. Port Adelaide: D Cassisi K Cornes R Gray.
Injuries: Adelaide: A Otten (corked thigh) B Martin (knee). Port Adelaide: D Brogan (ribs/flu) replaced in selected side by M Broadbent, T Boak (corked thigh), J Surjan (calf), T Chaplin (bruised shin), C Cornes (knee knock).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Michael Avon, Heath Ryan.
Official Crowd: 46,859 at AAMI Stadium.
AFL Ladder P W L D For Agst PC Pts
1 St Kilda 17 17 - - 1748 1028 170.0 68
2 Geelong 17 15 2 - 1875 1376 136.3 60
3 Western Bulldogs 17 11 6 - 1858 1502 123.7 44
4 Collingwood 17 11 6 - 1665 1440 115.6 44
5 Adelaide 17 11 6 - 1553 1388 111.9 44
6 Brisbane 17 11 6 - 1584 1422 111.4 44
7 Carlton 17 9 8 - 1701 1570 108.3 36
8 Essendon 17 8 9 - 1612 1597 100.9 32
9 Hawthorn 17 8 9 - 1509 1622 93.0 32
10 Port Adelaide 17 8 9 - 1569 1726 90.9 32
11 Sydney 17 7 10 - 1437 1576 91.2 28
12 Richmond 17 4 12 1 1423 1771 80.4 18
13 North Melbourne 17 4 12 1 1266 1624 78.0 18
14 West Coast 17 4 13 - 1413 1625 87.0 16
15 Fremantle 17 4 13 - 1292 1766 73.2 16
16 Melbourne 17 3 14 - 1273 1745 73.0 12
LEADING GOALKICKERS
63: J Brown (Brisbane) 8
61: B Fevola (Carlton) 1
56: L Franklin (Hawthorn) 5
55: N Riewoldt (St Kilda) 5
48: J Roughead (Hawthorn) 2
43: M LeCras (West Coast) 2
40: D Bradshaw (Brisbane) 0, W Tredrea (Pt Adel) 0
37: S Johnson (Geelong) 0, J Porplyzia (Adelaide) 1
36: J Anthony (C'wood) 1, K Tippett (Adelaide) 2, J Koschitzke (St Kilda) 0
35: S Milne (St Kilda) 5, M Lloyd (Essendon) 0
