Snapshot from round three of the AFL

SNAPSHOT OF ROUND THREE AFL ACTION

THEY SAID IT

“This side isn’t the same as last year. We’re trialling some blokes in some different positions. We might have to take a little half step back to go two steps forward but I’m very confident we will take the two steps forward.” – Richmond coach Damien Hardwick after the Tigers slipped to a 1-2 record with a six-goal loss to Adelaide.

STATS THAT MATTER

North Melbourne’s win over Melbourne was a statistician’s dream. In a match that saw a combined 41 goals kicked, Max Gawn had a whopping 63 hitouts and Jack Ziebell laid 19 tackles, equalling Sydney great Jude Bolton’s 2011 record.

MAN OF THE ROUND

Approaching his 38th birthday, Kangaroos veteran Brent Harvey is supposed to be on the downward slope to retirement, not setting career benchmarks. The evergreen onballer was a stand-out against the Demons with a career-best six goals.

KEY MOMENT

In a pulsating finish at Etihad Stadium, James Sicily kicked the match winner for Hawthorn against the Bulldogs after marking out near 50 with less than a minute on the clock. Adding to the gravity was the sight of Dogs skipper Bob Murphy clutching his left knee after his leg buckled in the marking contest.

TALKING POINT

What’s wrong with Collingwood? The Pies were everyone’s hot tip to rocket back into the eight but they were terribly disappointing in losing to St Kilda. The Saints finished with just one fit player on the bench but the Pies didn’t look like taking advantage of their numerical superiority in the second half.

TRIBUNAL WATCH

Brisbane firebrand Mitch Robinson’s bump on Joel Selwood caused a heated push and shove and will draw some scrutiny. Levi Greenwood’s front-on tackle on Nick Riewoldt didn’t appear to have much force behind it but the Saints skipper was concussed so the incident will certainly be looked at. Bernie Vince laid a fearsome bump on Jack Ziebell that may have slipped high, but the North Melbourne hard nut carried.

KEY INJURIES

R Murphy (WB, knee), N Riewoldt (St K, concussion), P McCartin (St K, concussion), D Roberton (St K, knee), M Williams (Coll, foot), A Sandilands (Fre, ribs), J Cripps (WC, thigh), T McKenzie (GC, nose), R Thompson (GC, ankle), D Prestia (GC, shoulder), P Seedsman (Adel, concussion), A Corr (GWS, ankle), T Garner (NM, hamstring).

WHAT’S NEXT

Collingwood and Richmond are right under the pump after slipping to 1-2 starts to the season. The Pies host Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday while the Tigers face the daunting task of taking on West Coast in Perth on the big stage of Friday night footy. Undefeated North host winless Fremantle at Etihad Stadium on Sunday and Sydney travel to Adelaide to take on the Crows in other notable match-ups.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!