'Goodes nearly trips up. Yeah right!' - Round 9, 2011 Wrap

Don't look so surprised Goodesy!

With Cyril Rioli, Leigh Montagna and Sam Mitchell ruling themselves out of the Brownlow race after being found guilty by the match review panel in recent weeks, the competition for the illustrious medal was almost thinned of one more player with Adam Goodes escaping with a reprimand for tripping Hawthorn's Brent 'The Rug' Guerra.

As a result, the dual Brownlow Medallist remains eligible for this year's award after accepting a reprimand and 66 points towards his future record.

But I guess this outcome was only inevitable given it involved the AFL's love-child, and ump favourite in Goodesy. Hahaaaa! Just kidding folks... well, half kidding. But i'm surprised that Guerra wasn't cited for running into the leg of Goodes. How dare he make it look as though Goodes tripped him! In fact I reckon the AFL would've done this back in the day just to preserve the clean image of the one Adam Goodes. No need to nowadays, though, as the match review panel gets it wrong 90% of the time now, so they can rely on him getting off without any further intervention needed. I can hear the champagne being uncorked at AFL House as we speak. Time to put on your birthday suit AD!

Carlton vs Geelong

Possible Votes: Scotland, Selwood, Murphy, Varcoe

Scotland really stood up and assumed the role of the general commanding his troops, particularly in the last when Judd was restricted with a sore foot. His possessions were flawless along the wing, and through the middle. Selwood was headed for a blinder up until 3QT, when he barely touched it and faded out of the game. Murphy continued his run of good form in recent weeks and was again dominant in the middle. Varcoe was quiet somewhat, but had a very influential say in the result of the game in the latter stages of the game, with a dominant 3rd Q.

St Kilda vs Melbourne

Possible Votes: Goddard, Montagna, Riewoldt, N. Jones

Goddard was quite the accumulator, earning 37 possessions. Montagna hit back well, after having a weeks break through suspension, and was a solid contributor. Riewoldt prowess up forward proved lethal to the Dees, kicking 3 important goals. Nathan Jones was the best for the Dees, gathering 31 possies and setting up his side with quite a few scoring opportunities with 7 inside 50s.

Port Adelaide vs Fremantle

Potential Votes: Lower, Fyfe, Pavlich, Sandi, Duffield

Lower played one of his best games for Freo, amassing 28 possies and kicking a nice goal. Fyfe and Pav were the other standouts through the middle, and Sandi was very noticable up until he came off with injury. Duffield got plenty of quality touches off half back, and was also good.

Brisbane vs North Melbourne

Potential Votes: Brown, Adcock, Black, Swallow

Brown was the difference in the end, snatching 11 marks and 4 goals. Adcock thrived on the hard contested ball, and Black's ball use was superb given the tough conditions. Swallow was by far the best for North.

Richmond vs Essendon

Potential Votes: Deledio, Cotchin, Jetta, Heppell

Deledio played a bit part superbly both in the middle and mopping up down back, whilst Cotchin was again superb, with his extraction skills the stand out. Jetta's electrifying speed and 3 goals were a rare highlight in what was a grim match for the Dons. Heppell contested the packs at every opportunity and can walk away with his head held high.

Collingwood vs Adelaide

Potential Votes: Thomas, Thompson, Ball, Pendlebury

Thomas was electrifying all day, and Thompson had 33 possessions in a dominant display for the Crows who dropped the bundle in the last Q. Ball worked tirelessly all day with his in and under work, and Pendles was crucial with his penetrating kicking.

Sydney vs Hawthorn

Potential Votes: Franklin, Shiels, Roughead, Sewell, Hodge

Franklin played a blinder kicking 6.6, and could've had 10+ had he kicked straight. Shiels had a lot around stoppages and Roughead played a great game pinch hitting in the ruck and going forward at stages throughout the game. Sewell did well to give his team mates first use of the ball around the stoppages, and Hodge was overly solid throughout.

West Coast vs Westerm Bulldogs

Potential Votes: Kennedy, Shuey, Embley, Le Cras, Cox

Kennedy kicked 10, so his game speaks for itself. Shuey kicked his own bag, converting 5 goals and was involved in heaps of midfield work. Embley dominated with his usual ran and dash, and Le Cras gathered 29 possessions to go with 3.3 along the way. Cox was a beast in the ruck, and smashed the Bulldogs at the stoppages.

*DISCLAIMER: The deliberate random order of the players above is not indicative of the order I think they will poll in, and should be treated/used only as a guide.*

'Close Encounters of the Furr Kind' - Round 8, 2011 Wrap

In an encounter that was touted the match of the round, it sure lived up to expectations with the clash between the two undefeated titans - Geelong and Collingwood - going right down to the wire. Coming away victorious were the Cats who fought bravely against the reigning premiers, and very much had the ascendancy all night.

One player that stood out and set the tone early for the Catters was Selwood, who capped off his 100th game in style with a 28 possession performance, which included 7 clearances, 8 inside 50's and a whopping 17 contested possessions.

Selwood has gone under the radar up until now, with many bookies writing him off. Could this be the beginning of a run of promising performances to come that will thrust his name back into the Brownlow spotlight? He has the runs on the board in previous seasons, particularly in the latter half of last year when he polled a total of 14 votes in a run of 8 consecutive games. Almost Judd-esque is our resident 'Wood Seller'!

Geelong vs Collingwood

Possible Votes: Selwood, Thomas, Swan, Bartel, Ottens.

Selwood purely awesome in his milestone game, and Thomas' stoppage work was a feature of his game that stood out and kicked a late goal to bring the Pies within striking distance. Swan played a solid game with 30 possessions, whilst Bartel was very quiet early on in the match, but kicked 2 crucial goals.Ottens dominated the ruck and could figure.

North Melbourne vs Melbourne

Possible Votes: Goldstein, Wells, Edwards, Adams.

Goldstein dominated all day against Melbourne's depleated and non-existant ruck setup. Wells' run, carry and precise movement of the ball was invaluable, and Edwards' performance speaks for itself with 6 goals 10 marks. Adams tried his heart out and was very damaging.

Adelaide vs Gold Coast

Possible Votes: Dangerfield, Van Berlo, Thompson, Ablett.

Dangerfield kicked 6 and smashed the GC. Van Berlo played a very nice captains game, leading from the front and gathering 36 possies. Thompson's in and under work was flawless. Gazza was showing glimpses of his Brownlow medal form in the first quarter and a bit, kicking 4 goals and amassing 41 possessions in a dominant display, but slowed just as his side did as the game wore on.

Brisbane vs Essendon

Possible Votes: Myers, Zaharakis, Rockliff, Hocking.

Myers was quiet up until the last half when he was racking up possessions off half-back in a rebound role that went some way to negating Brisbane's forward entries. Zaharakis played a starring role in the Bomber's win, with 4 goals. Rockliff was among the best stoppage players on the night, along with Hocking who had 11 contested possessions.

Sydney vs Port Adelaide

Possible Votes: Bolton, Kennedy, Goodes, O'Keefe.

Bolton was courageous as always, laying 13 tackles to go with his 33 touches. Kennedy had a day out as well, kicking 2 goals whilst smashing out 17 contested possessions among his 31 possessions. Goodes had a very servicable game kicking a couple of nice goals, and O'Keefe played a crucial role in the Swans win.

Hawthorn vs St Kilda

Possible Votes: Savage, Franklin, Hodge, Lewis.

This is a very hard game for votes! Savage really grew into the match and was a dominant force down the wings, whilst Franklin was his influential self kicking 5. Hodge worked his way into form with arguably his best game for the year, and likewise Lewis was an accumulator.

Western Bulldogs vs Richmond

Possible Votes: Gilbee, Ward, Boyd, Minson.

Gilbee booted 5 goals in a very dominant display. Ward was outstanding in the midfield, likewise Boyd who played a solid game. Minson should come into calculations, smashing it not only in the ruck, but up forward as well.

West Coast vs Fremantle

Possible Votes: Priddis, Naitanui, Fyfe, Mundy.

Priddis was BOG, winning the match day medal. NicNat played a great ruckmans game, working in tandem with Cox to get the better of Sandilands. Fyfe was among the best for Freo, and kicked a classy goal that put him in contention for goal of the year. Mundy is another that tried hard for the Dockers.

*DISCLAIMER: The deliberate random order of the players above is not indicative of the order I think they will poll in, and should be treated/used only as a guide.*