Another draw, the Swans win some more, the Cats at home are poor, the Lions season is sore, and the Suns in genuine interstate games are 0-4.
It was the second week of Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round and boy did it deliver some sparkling moments.
So here is a recap of all that and more in a few learnings we like to call 5 Lessons Learned heading into Round 12 of the AFL.
1. ANOTHER Draw in 24’!
Facing a deficit of 25 points in the fourth quarter, the Dockers pulled off the unexpected and clawed back to take a Friday Night thriller to the end, in another draw.
As per usual, controversy surrounded, with a free-kick handed the way of the Dockers as a result of Lachie Sullivan handing the ball back to Nick Daicos rather than the umpire.
That goal got the Dockers back in it, and with six minutes remaining, they were able to find three in four minutes to get the margin down to one point with just over a minute remaining.
It was Alex Pearce who kicked Freo’s final goal, an emotional moment paying tribute to his late mate Cam McCarthy.
The draw suits both sides, sticking well in touch of the top eight and top four, but the Pies were handed a taste of their own medicine with a late comeback.
Nick Daicos was exceptional for the Pies in a typical clean performance through the midfield, whilst Jordan Clark was proficient off half back.
The Dockers head north to Alice Springs to face the Demons next week, whilst the Pies play their second home game at Marvel against the Dogs in what promises to be an enthralling Friday night.
2. Home-Track Bullies
The hype around the Suns is slowly dying yet again, failing to win any of their games on the road thus far and it was yet another poor showing against the Blues on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues got off the blocks quickly with three goals, and whilst the Suns stayed in touch off the back of Carlton’s inaccuracy, they never looked likely to take hold of the game.
If it wasn’t for the brilliance of Mac Andrew down back, the Suns might have been in a little more trouble, and still, Charlie Curnow managed to finish the game with four goals.
The Suns lacked spark in the centre stoppages, as the Blues won the clearances 16 to 10, with a late increase for the Suns in the fourth quarter.
Their highest disposal winner was Touk Miller with 21 disposals, and they weren’t -138 in the disposal count, 80 possessions lower than their average.
It’s hard to ever see the Suns become a real threat until they begin to take scalps on the road.
The lack of support on the road is certainly a factor and there is a general lack of energy in the group when they are down early.
Unless they win every game at home, which is possible, and win at least one or two games on the road, they’re still a chance, however, good teams need to do both consistently, and it’s never happened for them.
3. The second loss of a fortress
The Gabba for the Lions was under threat early in the season, and it seems to be gone after they dropped three games in a row to contenders.
Now it seems the second fortress in the AFL is gone, with the Cats losing their second game in a row at GMHBA to the Giants, in a similar style to their previous loss against the Power.
The Cats have now lost four on the trot, but the writing was probably on the wall when they played the Blues, with -21 inside 50 entries and simply winning off efficiency, which at some point was bound to catch up to them.
The Giants started slow but got going with some nifty forward craft from Toby Greene and a spectacular finish from Jake Riccardi.
A missed set shot from Jesse Hogan was nearly the nail in the coffin, which kept the margin to 31 points, sparking a Geelong fightback.
The Cats rode home on the crowd’s energy, kicking five unanswered goals to take the lead midway through the fourth.
But in typical Toby Greene fashion, he kicked a spectacular checkside goal from 30 metres out, putting the Giants back in front with a couple of minutes left.
Down the other end, the heroics of Leek Aleer were instrumental in prohibiting the Cats final attacks inside 50.
The Cats come up against the Tigers at home in Round 12, which is probably the game they need to regenerate some form of momentum back.
For the Giants, it’s a massive win, heading into the bye with some form back in their favour, they’re right back in the top-four hunt.
4. Dreamtime (near) Disaster
The Tigers were valiant against the Bombers, and whilst their recent form in games combined with a horror run of injuries, they had something to hang their hat on.
Essendon wouldn’t be too thrilled with their performance, and it’s probably a sign that they’re not there yet, but you could argue the Essendon of 12 months ago would probably lose that type of game.
It was almost goal for goal early, and the Tigers were able to open up small leads here and there, but never kicked two in a row, unlike Richmond.
Dusty was at his best, winding back the clock with 23 disposals and three goals, and almost won it for the Tigers, with every touch inside forward 50 a feeling of promise.
Down the other end, the Package, Jake Stringer, was delivering the goods for the Dons, with a few dazzling finishes inside 50, he finished with four goals.
The game went flat after Shai Bolton was kneed in the back of the head by his teammate late in the fourth quarter in a marking contest, a big loss in the context of the game.
The skipper stood up again for the Bombers, as Zach Merrett kicked a timely separation goal, with Kyle Langford icing it for the Dons two minutes later.
A big two weeks coming up for the Bombers, with a tough clash up in the Gold Coast against the Suns, and their blockbuster King’s Birthday Eve clash against the Blues.
5. How about those Hawks!
Talk about a quick mid-season turnaround, the Hawks look truly alive again and similar to their back end of 2023 form that took massive scalps.
With the season the Lions are having, claiming this as a big scalp might not ring so true, but for the Hawks, it’s reassurance their development is well on track.
The Hawks got off to a slower start in the first quarter but were able to get going midway through the first quarter to kick eight of the next nine goals.
With the lead stretched out to 35 points, it felt like the Lions season was done and dusted, but with the remaining fight they had left, they were able to claw back some momentum.
The Lions got as close as two points late in the third quarter, but some clutch goal-kicking from Connor Macdonald in the fourth, along with Mabior Chol, got the job done for the Hawks.
It was interestingly the first game between the two sides at Marvel in AFL history, so a neat piece of history for the Hawks to hold on to.
The Lions were matching the Hawks around the ground on the stat sheet but lacked a killer blow moving inside 50.
It’s all but over for the Lions, who have failed to live up to any expectations set upon them in 2024.