WHAT HAPPENED IN ROUND FIVE OF THE AFL SEASON:
THEY SAID IT: “He remembered that his wife gave birth this morning, so that was a good result.” – North Melbourne coach Brad Scott on midfielder Shaun Higgins, who was hospitalised after a sickening head collision with Hawthorn’s Ryan Burton. The 30-year-old became a father for the first time just hours before the Roos’ stunning 28-point victory at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
STAT THAT MATTERS: 61-18. Teams have planned for Aaron Sandilands to get his giant hands to the ball first for a while but the lopsided hitout count was glaring in Fremantle’s big win over the Western Bulldogs. The big ruckman had 53 hitouts in a day to remember.
MEN OF THE ROUND: Taylor Walker and Nat Fyfe. The Crows skipper responded to a week of stinging criticism with a superb four-goal effort in a stunning upset win over Sydney at the SCG. Fyfe was near-unstoppable in a 43-possession masterclass that propelled Fremantle to a 54-point thumping of the Western Bulldogs.
KEY MOMENT: With only a few seconds left and the scores level at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, St Kilda burst out of defence. Jack Stevens’ pass found Jake Carlisle but he couldn’t take the mark inside 50m thanks to a spoil from GWS co-captain Phil Davis. Saints coach Alan Richardson and their fans wanted a free but Carlisle said he should have taken the mark.
TALKING POINTS: Aside from the debate over Davis’ spoil on Carlisle, the St Kilda-GWS game reignited discussion about the draw. The AFL has done away with draws in finals but is sticking with the stalemate during the regular season. Is it time to revisit that decision?
TRIBUNAL WATCH: Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell could be in hot water after an errant elbow caught North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein high. Young Hawk Ryan Burton knocked out new dad Shaun Higgins in the same game. Port Adelaide’s Lindsay Thomas is looking at a stint on the sidelines after he cannoned into Geelong’s Scott Selwood in his first game for Port. GWS ruckman Dawson Simpson will come under video review for the first-quarter collision that put Jack Newnes out of the game with concussion. North’s Cameron Zurhaar was reported for bundling Hawthorn’s David Mirra into the Etihad Stadium fence.
KEY INJURIES: K Hartigan (Adel, hamstring), J Newnes (StK, concussion) N Haynes (GWS, corked thigh), T Hawkins (Geel, back spasms – late withdrawal), S Selwood (Geel, concussion), M Taberner (Fre, foot), T Dickson (WB, hamstring), S Higgins (NM, concussion).
WHAT’S NEXT: The Anzac round will conclude with Richmond taking on Melbourne at the MCG on Tuesday evening and Collingwood versus Essendon on Anzac Day. Highlights of round six include a western derby between in-form Fremantle and West Coast, Geelong hosting Sydney at Kardinia Park and the Pies taking on the Tigers at the MCG.