ONE WEEK at a TIME clash – their original round three game was postponed because of a COVID-19 scare – and a win over the Bombers would get them into the finals if the Western Bulldogs lose, or the Saints go down by a heavy margin. Adelaide-Richmond follows with the uber-professional Tigers certain to take care of business, while Brisbane will remain in the hunt for the minor premiership with a win over Carlton in the night clash. Meaningful Sunday football kicks in midway through the afternoon with Sydney coming up against Geelong. The Cats were disappointing against Richmond last week, but beating the Swans will lock them into the top four and the double chance. Sunday night’s game should be a beauty. Fremantle is finishing the season in impressive fashion. The Dockers would be one club that likely wishes it was still a 22-game season and they have the potential to trouble the Western Bulldogs, who will likely need the win to cement their finals berth for good. The Dogs led Hawthorn comfortably by 40 points at
CONTENTED: Ken Hinkley’s Port Adelaide will sew up top spot with a win over the Magpies.
The Dockers would be one club that wishes it was still a 22-game season
half-time last week, but won by only 36 points. It could have been a major percentage booster, but should
they lose to the Dockers, they’ll be overtaken by the Demons if they beat the Bombers. Monday night football closes out the season at the Gabba. Collingwood meets Port Adelaide, having secured its finals berth against Gold Coast last Monday. The Magpies have become comfortable in Queensland and a win over the Power would help them stay there. A loss could well mean an eighth-place finish and a trip to Perth to play West Coast in a knockout elimination final. A win to Port would cap off a fantastic home and away campaign in which the Power have sat atop the ladder all year. They can’t be budged from the top two, so will get two home finals at Adelaide Oval in any event, but in a season in which coach Ken Hinkley has had to fight to save his job, a wire-to-wire campaign of excellence such as this makes an emphatic statement.
WEEK
16
NAB AFL Rising Star WILL DAY HAWTHORN
I
n a profoundly disappointing season for Hawthorn, the form of first-year half-back Will Day has been a shining light and the 19-year-old has been rewarded with a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination. The No. 13 selection of the 2019 NAB AFL Draft had 21 disposals, took four marks and laid two tackles in the Hawks’ 14-point loss to St Kilda at Metricon Stadium in round 16. After making his debut against Collingwood in round six, Day has played nine games and his performance against the Saints confirmed his status as one of the brightest young players in the competition. He had six rebound 50s, went at 76 per cent efficiency by foot and recorded 82 Champion Data ranking points in his best outing for the Hawks. Day’s grandfather Robert played in Hawthorn’s 1971 premiership team, while his cousin is Gold Coast forward Sam Day. ASHLEY BROWNE
6 AFL RECORD
DISPOSALS
21
MARKS
4
DISPOSAL EFFICIENCY
76
REBOUND 50s
6
2020 NAB AFL RISING STAR NOMINEES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
SAM STURT FREM MATT ROWELL GCS CONNOR BUDARICK GCS TOM GREEN GWS CURTIS TAYLOR NM IZAK RANKINE GCS NOAH ANDERSON GCS CALEB SERONG FREM MITCH GEORGIADES PA LUKE JACKSON MELB KYSAIAH PICKETT MELB MAX KING STK BRANDON STARCEVICH BL JAKE RICCARDI GWS JUSTIN McINERNEY SYD WILL DAY HAW
WEEKLY WINNER
WEEK STELLA 17 LEAPER
Who do you barrack for? Western Bulldogs Who is your favourite AFL player? The whole Bulldogs team What superpower would you like to have? To control the other team when watching the Bulldogs play What is your favourite ice cream flavour? Rainbow and bubblegum What is your favourite TV show? Pokemon What is the best thing about footy? Watching the teams play What is your favourite NAB AFL Auskick At Home drill? Kick to kick
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