Hawthorn Hawks v Essendon Bombers
MELBOURNE—Hawthorn crushed Essendon's AFL finals hopes today with a 63-point win at the MCG.
The Hawks kicked six goals to none in the final term to shut out the Bombers in a scrappy game, winning 17.17 (119) to 7.14 (56).
Essendon will struggle to make the finals, given their poor percentage and the fact two of their last four games are at Subiaco.
Hawthorn badly needed a win after losing three of their last four and Lance Franklin responded, kicking four goals.
Hawks key defenders Trent Croad and Campbell Brown were outstanding, restricting Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas to a combined three goals.
The Bombers started strongly, but could only manage six behinds in the early rain.
After a bad turnover by Essendon as they tried to clear the ball out of defence, Franklin kicked the first goal of the game at 19 minutes.
Franklin also kicked the second as the Hawks went into quarter-time leading four goals to nil.
Essendon did not kick their first goal until 15 minutes into the second term, when key defender Dustin Fletcher received a generous 50m penalty after a mark and kicked from long range.
The Bombers kicked two more goals to keep themselves in the game at halftime as the Hawks led by 25 points.
Hawthorn increased their lead to 41 points at 19 minutes in the third quarter and the match looked over.
Essendon then kicked four of the next five to reduce the margin to 23 points at three-quarter time, to briefly suggest an unlikely comeback.
Melbourne Demons v Sydney Swans
CANBERRA—Sydney continued to build momentum towards the post-season by belting a listless Melbourne by 48 points in a lop-sided AFL clash at Manuka Oval.
The Swans (10-8) were brilliant in patches and firmed up their spot in the top eight in the 17.10 (112) to 9.10 (64) walloping of the Demons in the nation's capital.
Melbourne won the free kick count but that was about all and they have now lost their last three matches by a combined 201 points.
It was a long cold August day for caretaker Demons coach Mark Riley who faces a testing final four rounds based on this afternoon's showing.
The Swans had plenty of winners across the ground with the tireless Amon Buchanan best on ground with his damaging run and desperation in the clinches.
Sydney's Adam Goodes and Adam Schneider were also strong contributors while Craig Bolton shut down Demons spearhead David Neitz and back pocket Paul Bevan towelled up the returning Aaron Davey.
It was a disappointing day for Melbourne's Byron Pickett, who played his 200th match following stints with the Kangaroos and Port Adelaide.
The 2004 Norm Smith medallist failed to have much of an impact and it might well be the end of the road for the mercurial performer.
Ben Holland, who booted three goals, at least tried to provide a target up forward for a Demons side that didn't boot their opening major until early in the second term.
The Swans were widely tipped to use the clash against the lowly Demons as a chance to bolster their already healthy percentage.
They found their path easy going in the first term racing out to a 5.1 (31) to 0.2 (2) quarter time lead and could have led by more but for Brett Kirk's errant kicking in front of goal.
It was more of the same in the second term with Holland providing the only threat with two majors for the Demons.
Dual Brownlow Medallist Goodes, Schneider and Buchanan found acres of space and chopped up the Demons in the second term as the Swans idled out to a 43-point halftime advantage.
There was a scare in the Swans camp at the start of the third term after co-captain Kirk was tackled heavily and came up gingerly.
But the gutsy midfielder returned soon afterwards as the Demons at least stalled the Swans scoring romp during the second half.
The Swans host St Kilda at Telstra Stadium next Saturday night while the Demons play the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome.
Brisbane Lions v North Melbourne Kangaroos
BRISBANE—It hardly lived up to its match-of-the-round billing but the Brisbane Lions' scrappy 10.17 (77) to 5.10 (40) AFL win over the underrated Kangaroos will surely make the rest of the league sit up and take notice.
Any remaining doubts over the Lions' finals claims evaporated tonight when they still managed to snap the second-placed Kangaroos' five-game winning run despite a dodgy radar.
An inaccurate Lions (9-8-1) went through the motions but still clocked up their fifth-straight victory to keep an unlikely finals tilt on track.
Brisbane still have to win their remaining four games to guarantee September action but many teams will be nervous after the Lions comfortably disposed of the league's No.2 outfit despite a forgettable night with the boot.
The Roos came into the match outright second after winning 12 of their last 14 games - form only eclipsed by runaway ladder leaders Geelong.
But the visitors still started the game as underdogs against the 11th-ranked Lions according to the bookies.
Coleman Medal favourite Jonathan Brown again stood out with the boot - sometimes for all the wrong reasons.
Brown kicked six majors to take his season tally to 59 but also nabbed six behinds and hit the post twice in an erratic display.
He was ably backed by defender-turned-forward Wayde Mills (two goals).
Despite their inaccuracy, another worry for the Lions was a shoulder injury to Troy Selwood which forced him off in the opening minutes of the second quarter and a suspected arm complaint picked up by Ash McGrath in the third.
Brown lifted the Lions to a 5.10 (40) to 2.6 (18) lead at the main break with three first-half goals.
Brisbane were inaccurate but at least they could kick a goal in the first quarter, unlike a rusty Kangaroos outfit, kicking away to a 3.5 (23) to 0.1 (1) lead at the opening break.
Kangaroos majors to Aaron Edwards and Leigh Brown cut the deficit to just 10 points early in the second term but Jonathan Brown chimed in with the Lions' only two goals of the quarter to give them breathing space.
The Lions went into the final break up 7.14 (56) to 4.7 (31).