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The moment: Not content with quietening Brendan Fevola at one end, Tayte Pears went one better in the third quarter. The young defender bounced his way into attack before kicking long into what seemed a vacant Essendon goal square. But Hayden Skipworth pounced to boot his second, putting the Bombers 16 points clear and with all the momentum.
2. Collingwood 26.13 (169) d Fremantle 13.7 (85) at the MCG
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The moment: Hero to villain and back to hero all in the span of five minutes – it could only be Paul Medhurst. His brilliant tackle halfway through the second quarter allowed Brad Dick to goal, but then he selfishly tried to mark Shane O’Bree’s long shot on the goal line. Suitably chastised, he then marked 50m out and did the team thing, spotting up Travis Cloke.
3. Adelaide 12.13 (85) d Sydney Swans 10.9 (69) at AAMI Stadium
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The moment: It takes a very brave (or very stupid) man to stand in front of Barry Hall at full-tilt. Young Crow Andy Otten is definitely the former, earning several stitches in the back of his head for cutting in front of Hall’s marking attempt. And he got off lightly compared to teammate Ben Rutten – involved in the incident that saw Hall reported after the three-quarter-time siren.
4. West Coast 16.11 (107) d Hawthorn 13.9 (87) at Subiaco
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The moment: Three kicks were all it took for Nic Naitanui to thrill a delirious home crowd. Early in the fourth term, he danced around Jordan Lewis for his first AFL goal. He kicked his second off the ground before capping a stunning cameo. Robbing Tom Murphy in the centre square, he raced into range and evolved from cult hero to hero in just his second AFL game.
5. Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111) d Melbourne 8.8 (56) at the Gabba
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The moment: While Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw were kicking their usual swag of goals, Lions defensive rock Daniel Merrett was making a slow and steady return from his ankle injury. Thrown in as a back-up to Mitch Clark, Merrett’s tap to a roving Daniel Rich was a thing of beauty and showed coach Michael Voss he has more rucking options if needed.
6. Geelong 18.14 (122) d Port Adelaide 13.10 (88) at Skilled Stadium
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The moment: Paul Chapman’s goal in the third term was another blow to a battered Port Adelaide defence. The next assault came from a less predictable quarter. A Cats fan booted the ball back into play with such force that it cannoned off Nick Lower’s head back into the crowd. Still, no one said Skilled Stadium was supposed to be welcoming.
7. Western Bulldogs 17.6 (108) d North Melbourne 12.14 (86) at the MCG
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The moment: Three of the last four goals had given North Melbourne the lead and they were threatening to run further away before a Ben Ross clanger. Ross kicked across centre half-back over his target and the ball ended up with Ryan Griffen, who passed to Jason Akermanis for the easiest of goals. It proved a pivotal play in the match.
8. St Kilda 13.14 (92) d Richmond 5.6 (36) at the MCG
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The moment: Skills have been a constant talking point at Punt Road in recent years, but Tigers fans wouldn’t have minded one errant Mitch Morton kick in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s shellacking. The forward spotted teammate Robin Nahas in the goal square, only for his pass to sail over the diminutive speedster’s head. The accidental goal broke a run of 20 consecutive St Kilda scores.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
