Collingwood has withstood a final quarter Geelong challenge and in the process avenged their grand final defeat following their 12-point victory in their thrilling AFL Round Eight encounter in Melbourne on Friday night.

The Magpies (6-2) kicked the final two goals of the game in the final two minutes of the game in their 14.12 (96) to 11.18 (84) victory over the Cats (4-4) in front of 75,650 at the MCG.

It was the Magpies first victory over the Cats since the 2010 preliminary final and snapped a three game losing streak which included last year’s grand final to record their fifth straight win.

However the Magpies victory came at a cost with reigning Brownlow Medallist and star midfielder Dane Swan (hamstring) and key defender Ben Reid (quad) suffering significant injuries during an enthralling final term.

Collingwood who lead for the majority of the match look to have taken a stranglehold on the contest as Chris Dawes banged through the first goal of the final term to stretch their lead to 24-points.

But the lose of Swan and then one of the best on the ground in Reid hurt the Magpies as they were down to only one rotation on the bench and the Cats like they have done so many times before bounced right up from the canvas.

Goals to Matthew Stokes and Tom Hawkins reduced the margin to 12-points and the Cats kept peppering the goals as like last year’s grand final they kept the ball in their forward half as the Magpies struggled to get it out.

So much so was the Cats dominance that they had 11 of the first 13 forward 50 entries in the last quarter and after kicking six straight behinds they finally levelled proceedings as Stokes grabbed his second with just over two minutes to go.

Seemingly headed on their way for a fourth straight defeat against the Cats the Magpies found another gear and regained the lead through a contentious 50m penalty to Alex Fasolo.

Best on ground Scott Pendlebury then sealed the result with his fourth of the game, a 60m bomb with just over a minute left as the Magpies moved into the top four for the first time this season.

Magpies senior coach Nathan Buckley whilst pleased with the four points was concerned that two key players (Swan; Reid) had suffered significant injuries and would be out for some time.

“By the time you get to the final siren and you’ve got the points, it’s not really relief it’s a little bit of disappointment with the collateral damage,” Buckley said at his post match media conference as the duo joined a growing injury list.

“But we understand that that is what happens with every game of footy really. You need to lick your wounds and see where the dust settles.”

Scott Pendlebury who Buckley praised afterwards was outstanding and clearly the most influential player on the ground (especially in that final quarter) as he collected 30 possessions, seven inside 50’s and a career high four goals.

Team-mates Steele Sidebottom (38 disposals; six inside 50’s) and Dayne Beams (28 touches; seven clearances) were also influential in the midfield, whilst Reid got some redemption on his below par grand final performance as he blanketed Hawkins.

For the Cats they were lead by inspirational captain Joel Selwood (36 possessions; 20 contested; 11 inside 50’s; six clearances) and key defender Harry Taylor who did a wonderful job on star Collingwood forward Travis Cloke, limiting him to two goals.

Cats senior coach Chris Scott was disappointed that his side didn’t get the four points as they dominated the final quarter as Geelong remain outside the top eight and will need a minor miracle if they are to finish in the top four.

“I don’t think it’s fair on the opposition to say that we should have won it, but we were supremely confident in the box and I think the boys were as well,” Scott told reporters afterwards.

“It just didn’t go our way. We lost the crucial contests at the wrong time. But I thought in that last quarter we just dominated. I mean, 23 inside 50s in a quarter of footy is a domination. We had some gilt-edged chances to convert from right in front, and we missed them.”

The highly anticipated grand final replay wasn’t pretty but extremely brutal and that was evident from the opening bounce as the Magpies dominated the term, especially the later part to lead by eight points at the first change.

Collingwood’s inaccuracy almost comeback to haunt them later on as they managed 3.6 in the first quarter but improved in the second term as they continued to dominate general play.

Whilst the Magpies dominated in general play they could not just throw the Cats off their backs as they kept kicking out to a two and a half goal lead but to the reigning premiers credit they just kept coming back.

Geelong crept to within two points before s sublime Pendlebury 50m major on the run saw the Magpies lead by nine points at the main break.

The Cats opened the third quarter with a Paul Chapman major before the Magpies booted the next three to extend their lead to 20-points.

Just like the second term the Cats attempted to claw their way back but their wayward kicking cost them as they booted five consecutive behinds to trail by 17-points with one quarter remaining.

Collingwood: 3.6 7.9 10.11 14.12 (96)

Geelong: 2.4 6.6 7.12 11.18 (84)

An aggressive St Kilda side moved into the top eight following an impressive 24-point victory over a disappointing Carlton side in their AFL Round Seven encounter in Melbourne on Monday night.

In the final game of the round in the only Monday night clash of the year it was the Saints (4-3) that proved their critics wrong with a 19.8 (122) to 14.14 (98) victory over the Blues (5-2) in front of 38,823 at Etihad Stadium.

The game started off in spiteful fashion with the Saints the aggressors and continued for the remainder of the contest as the Blues were out muscled and remarkably out paced by their opposition.

Carlton who are renowned for their speed, especially on the outside were handed a taste of their own medicine as the likes of Ahmed Saad, fellow rookie Terry Milera and Jack Steven all ran the Blues ragged.

Saad (two goals) and Milera (three goals) combined for five goals and along with fellow small forward Stephen Milne (four goals) the trio kicked nine majors between them as they slaughtered the Carlton defense.

Despite having four less Inside 50’s (51-47) than their opposition the Saints were extremely efficient going forward as they kept the Blues defense honest.

St Kilda senior coach Scott Watters was extremely pleased with his side’s controlled aggression as the Saints tackled and pressured the Blues into turnovers which they turned into multiple goal scoring opportunities.

“There is an edge and you need to play with that, and I thought they guys were hard at the contest, hard at their opponents, but focussed on winning the contest and winning the football,” Watters said at his after match media conference.

“We got the balance right tonight.”

Along with the youngsters playing well their veterans were also brilliant lead by Lenny Hayes (22 possessions; four clearances) as well as Brendon Goddard (24 disposals; four clearances) and tagger Clint Jones who restricted gun Blues midfielder Marc Murphy to just 16 touches.

For the Blues they were lead by their inspiration captain Chris Judd (29 possessions; seven clearances) as well as Mitch Robinson (21 disposals; six tackles) who tried his best to lift his side throughout the night.

Carlton senior coach Brett Ratten was disappointed that his side has dropped off in the last few weeks as the Blues missed the chance to go to the top of the ladder had they won.

“We haven’t been as sharp as we were those first three weeks. Our intensity and fanaticism was very good, but that has dropped away a little bit,” Ratten told reporters afterwards.

“Some of the players would have got a wake up call with respects to their position in the team.”

The Saints who lead by two-points at the first change set up the victory with six of the seven goals kicked between the 30^th minute mark of the first quarter to the 15^th minute mark of the second quarter.

That amazing period saw the Saints turnaround a two goal disadvantage into a three goal lead as they headed 17-points in front at the main break.

St Kilda stretched that lead out past five goals early in the third quarter but a late Carlton fight back saw the Saints take a 20-point lead into the final term.

A Rhys Stanley major saw the Saints kick the all important first goal of the final quarter and another one soon after saw St Kilda lead by a game high 34-points midway through the term.

However inspired by substitute David Ellard the Blues once again charged back but it was to no avail as the Saints held on to record their fourth win of the season.

St Kilda: 5.3 11.5 16.6 19.8 (122)

Carlton: 5.1 8.6 12.10 14.14 (98)

Manchester City clinched the 2011-12 Barclays Premier League Title following a stunning 3-2 home victory over the relegation threatened Queens Park Rangers in the final day of the season on Sunday.

In one of the most extraordinary finishes ever seen the Sky Blues scored twice in stoppage time to secure their first English top flight title in 44-years as they finished atop of the league on 89-points, the same amount as Manchester United but with a superior goal difference.

Trailing 2-1 heading into stoppage time and with their nearest challengers Manchester United having already won the home side needed two goals to secure their first league title since 1968 and their first ever premiership title.

Second half substitute Eden Dzeko equalised for the home side with a close range header in the 91^st minute before Sergio Aguero sent Etihad Stadium into delirium with not only the game winner but also the championship winner with 90 seconds remaining in the contest.

Aguero’s 30^th goal of the season was incredibly the final kick of what has been an astonishing season and ended in the most unbelievable way as Roberto Mancini’s side clinched the title after their sixth straight league victory.

The Argentine international strike sent off wild celebrations around the Etihad but it could have so been a different story as it almost ended in the most disastrous fashion.

Knowing that a victory would clinch the title the home side took the lead through defender Pablo Zabaleta looping shot in the 39^th minute before the visitors, who were battling against Bolton for survival stunned the home fans with the equaliser three minutes after the main break.

Veteran striker Djibril Cisse took full advantage of a dreadful error by Man City defender Joleon Lescott and slotted home the equaliser in the 48^th minute.

Incredibly Mark Hughes side then went ahead through a close range Jamie Mackie header in the 66^th minute and that goal came remarkably 10 minutes after QPR had been reduced to 10-men.

Volatile midfielder Joey Barton was handed a straight red card for an off the ball incident involving Carlos Tevez and the former Man City player didn’t go off quietly either as he then kicked Aguero and went after other Sky Blues in a disturbing scene.

QPR who knew that a victory would guarantee them survival then defended like their lives were on the line as Man City tried in vain to score the two goals needed to win the title.

A combination of their well disciplined defense and goalkeeper Patty Kenny kept Man City out until the very end when two goals in the final five minutes ensured the title would head to the blue half of Manchester.

Man City manager Roberto Mancini was over the moon – most likely a blue moon – with the victory as his side produced a Houdini act to clinch their first ever premiership title.

“It was incredible – they deserved this. To win it like this is incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a finale like this,” Mancini told Sky Sports after the game as Man City ended the season with an unbeaten home record having won 18 of a possible 19 games and drawn the other one.

“We didn’t deserve to lose, we had a lot of chances and we deserved to win the game and championship. It’s fantastic for the club and the supporters after 44 years. It’s been a crazy season and a crazy last minute.”

Whilst Man City was celebrating in Eastland’s it was a different story for their cross town rivals in Manchester United who were pipped to the title in the closest finish in 22-years.

Wayne Rooney’s 20^th minute header saw Manchester United record a 1-0 away victory against Sunderland but as it seemed as though the Red Devils would clinch their 20^th league title it was taken away from them by their noisy neighbours.

Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised Manchester City on their victory and subsequent title and also paid tribute to his side who became the first team in the premiership era to lose the title after scoring 89-points.

“Nobody expected that,” a dejected Ferguson told BBC Sport. “Everybody expected City to win, but they did it against ten men for half an hour and with five extra minutes to help them. But I congratulate City on winning the league. Anybody who wins it deserves it, because it’s a long haul.”

“At the end of our game our players didn’t actually know the results. Now, they’re really disappointed, I’m glad to say. There’s no other way they should be. They conducted themselves brilliantly today.”

“Their performance level was good. I’m pleased at our performance this season. Eighty-nine points would win most leagues. It wasn’t our turn today.”

Whilst the two Manchester teams were battling it out for the premiership the relegation battle claimed its final victim as Bolton became the third team to be relegated and in the process ended their 11-year run in the premiership following a 2-2 away draw at Stoke City.

At one stage the Trotters lead 2-1 and looked to be staying up at the expense of QPR but a 76^th minute Jonathan Walters penalty ensured Stoke City of a share of the points and saw Bolton join the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship next season.

Meanwhile Arsenal clinched the final automatic birth in the Champions League as they secured third place following a 3-2 away victory against West Bromwich Albion.

The Gunners may be joined by their North London rivals in Tottenham in Europe’s annual most prestigious club competition next season following their 2-0 win over Fulham.

That result ensured the Spurs finished in the all important fourth place but they face a nervous wait as a Chelsea victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final would see the Blues take that final spot in the competition, whilst Tottenham would be relegated to the Europa League.

There they will be joined by the Carling Cup champions Liverpool and Newcastle United.

2011-12 Barclays Premier League Season Results:

Champions: Manchester City

Runners-up: Manchester United

Champions League: Man City; Man Utd; Arsenal

Europa League: Liverpool; Newcastle United

Relegated: Wolverhampton Wanderers; Blackburn Rovers; Bolton Wanderers

Golden Boot: Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) – 30

Matthew Pavlich created history as Fremantle moved back into the top eight following a 40-point victory over Port Adelaide in their scrappy AFL Round Seven encounter in Perth on Sunday.

Pavlich became just the 51^st VFL/AFL player to have kicked 500 goals as the Dockers (5-2) made it back-to-back wins following a 12.15 (87) to 7.5 (47) victory over the Power (1-6) in front of 30,079 at Patersons Stadium.

The Dockers captain may have stolen the headlines with his individual feat as he returned back to form with four goals but his side returned back to their high intensity pressure footy under first year senior coach Ross Lyon.

Port Adelaide who raced out to a 13-point first quarter lead after kicking three of the first four goals managed only four for the remainder of the match as the Dockers defense took over the game.

It was in the second quarter where the Dockers separated themselves from the Power following a four goal to two behind term as they lead by 23-points at the main break and they should have been further ahead if for their inaccurate kicking in front of goal.

That wayward kicking would continue in the third term as the Dockers dominated but failed to put the Power away and took a 22-point lead into the final quarter and that was where the visitors challenge ended as the home side ran out comfortable winners.

Midfielder Stephen Hill (26 possessions; six clearances) was arguably the best on ground along with the likes of Greg Broughton (22 disposals; 11 tackles) and ruckman Aaron Sandilands (16 touches; 43 hitouts) providing solid support.

Dockers senior coach Ross Lyon was pleased with the performance of his side as Fremantle will now head south to Tasmania for their highly anticipated clash with Hawthorn next weekend.

“I thought a lot of areas we were fantastic – we dominated inside 50s (55-36), clearances (40-37) and first possession,” Lyon said at his after match media conference.

“The one frustration – and at times I felt a little bit animated – was our ability to convert our opportunities.”

“I just spoke to the group and said let’s keep working, don’t waste a kick or a session at training to become a more skilful group so we get reward for effort.”

Lyon’s counterpart in Matthew Primus thought his side’s effort was there but not their skill level as their poor execution at vital times saw their players head’s dropped and allowed the home side take control of the game.

“We’re disappointed and it’s been a while since we’ve had a win now, and that starts to grate on everybody,” Primus told reporters afterwards.

“But we’re in a professional environment and individually we’ve got to learn to be able to pick ourselves up and come ready to train and get better this week and look forward to North Melbourne on Saturday.”

“The sooner or the quicker we drop away from that and decide, ‘This is too hard and it’s not worth it or I’m not good enough or he’s not good enough’, that’s when you start to disintegrate inside and you start to lose what you’re about.”

“This group is going to hang tough together and they’ll get through that.”

Midfielder John McCarthy (30 possessions; four clearances) as well as defender Troy Chaplin (25 disposals; seven rebound 50’s) tried their best for the losing side.

Fremantle: 2.8 6.9 8.14 12.15 (87)

Port Adelaide: 3.2 3.4 6.4 7.5 (47)

Lead by several of their veterans the Western Bulldogs produced a vintage performance in their 18-point victory over a lackluster North Melbourne side in their AFL Round Seven encounter in Melbourne on Sunday.

With the likes of Brian Lake, Matthew Boyd and Ryan Griffen playing well the Bulldogs (3-4) were able to get over the top of a disappointing Kangaroos (3-4) side as they recorded a 15.11 (101) to 12.11 (83) victory in front of 20,885 at Etihad Stadium.

Lake (26 possessions; 12 marks) who has been playing in good form continued that trend with not only a solid job on the dangerous Drew Petrie (keeping the Roos vice-captain to three goals) but set up many of his side’s attacks with his reading off the play and decision making going forward.

Captain Matthew Boyd (44 disposals; 19 contested; 10 clearances) as well as Ryan Griffen (31 touches; 12 inside 50’s) were also terrific for the Bulldogs as was youngster Tory Dickson who booted four goals as a key forward in only his third game in the AFL.

Bulldogs senior coach Brendon McCartney was pleased with his side’s victory, especially their performance as they defeated a finals aspirant Kangaroos side without the likes of star midfielder Adam Cooney who was a late withdrawal.

“Validation’s a strong word. It’s only one game,” McCartney said at his after match media conference.

“I thought we summed last week up OK – we didn’t win the game because we didn’t play the way we wanted for long enough, and I think today we got the result by doing it for a lot longer.”

“It was a hard slog, but we got there.”

“We’ve got a long way to go. We know we’re a work in progress.”

McCartney’s counterpart in Brad Scott was furious with his side’s lacklustre performance and said that he would not be scared to wield the axe as he will have a look at the game tomorrow.

“Tomorrow we will do that forensic examination on the game and the home truths will be told with examples so the players know exactly what I am talking about,” a furious Scott told reporters afterwards.

“There is no point berating them post-game when they really don’t know what you are talking about, so I will show them specifics. Post-game people tend to generalise. We’ll get really specific as to what the problems are.”

What makes matters for the Kangaroos was that star ruckman Hamish McIntosh had to be substituted off the ground in the third term following suffering what looks like a serious knee injury.

Defender Scott Thompson (28 possessions; seven rebound 50’s) was arguably the best for the Kangaroos along with the likes of captain Andrew Swallow (22 disposals; nine contested) and Liam Anthony (27 touches; five inside 50’s).

From the opening bounce it looked as though the Bulldogs were on and they took a two-point quarter-time advantage and built on in the second term as they lead by 19-points following a six goal to three quarter.

The Bulldogs had lifted their intensity and were pressuring the Kangaroos into mistakes, which was then turned into goals and that trend continued in the third term as the Dogs lead by 18-points with one term remaining.

However like the second and third terms every time the Bulldogs would get out to a lead over four goals the Kangaroos would reel them in and the match on Mothers Day looked to be heading for a grandstand finish when Petrie converted from right in front to leave his side 10-points in the rears.

But that was where the Kangaroos challenge ended as the Bulldogs slotted one home to stretch the lead back to three goals and kept it there as they clogged up the game and used their bigger bodies to their advantage.

North Melbourne: 3.1 6.5 11.8 12.11 (83)

Western Bulldogs: 3.3 9.6 14.8 15.11 (101)

A second half dominance from Essendon proved to be too slick for the previously unbeaten West Coast as they recorded a 61-point victory in their AFL Round Seven encounter in Melbourne on Saturday night.

The Bombers (6-1) kicked nine goals to four, including a seven-goal to none third term on their way to a 16.17 (113) to 7.10 (52) victory over the Eagles (6-1) in front of 43,260 at Etihad Stadium.

After a tight opening quarter where both sides could only manage one goal the Bombers started to pull away from Eagles in the second term and lead by 17-points at the main break.

However it was the third term that saw the Bombers really put their foot on the accelerator and tear the game apart as the slammed on seven goals, in quick succession to quickly open up a 10-goal advantage.

Essendon lead by 61-points with one term remaining and the Eagles who didn’t manage a goal in the previous term managed four to at least draw level with the home side in the final quarter.

The Bombers dominated the contest and won most of the key areas such as clearances (42-28), Inside 50’s (63-41), contested possessions (147-120) and disposals (390-314) on their way to their first victory over the Eagles at the venue in their last five encounters.

Midfielder’s Brent Stanton (36 possessions; 15 contested), captain Jobe Watson (36 disposals; 20 contested; 11 clearances) and David Zaharakis (32 touches) all dominated for the home side.

Bombers senior coach James Hird paid tribute to his midfield, especially the three of Stanton, Watson and Zaharakis as Essendon continued their impressive start to the season.

“That comes from how you defend and where you defend and how you contest the ball to give yourselves those opportunities,” Hird said at his post match media conference.

“There’s no doubt our midfielders this year have won most of the games we’ve played in.”

“They’re a very good midfield group, they don’t get the credit they deserve, but the way they play and the way they control the contested football, the way they did it tonight in the clearances was very pleasing.”

It was a different story on the opposite sidelines as Eagles senior coach John Worsfold did not use his side’s long list of injuries as an excuse and also praised the Bombers as West Coast became the last team to lose a match this season.

“I wouldn’t say [the injuries] have taken a toll tonight but I would say that we got outplayed,” Worsfold said as his side was missing the likes of key forwards Josh Kennedy and Mark LeCras as well as key big man Nick Naitanui.

“Essendon looked sharper and used the ball better, and really that was the key.”

“You can’t measure what the injuries’ effect is, but that’s what it was.”

The old guard of Dean Cox (21 possessions; 32 hitouts) and Daniel Kerr (19 disposals; 11 contested; four clearances) tried hard for the Eagles who will now look to bounce back against St Kilda next weekend.

Essendon: 1.6 5.10 12.14 16.17 (113)

West Coast: 1.3 3.5 3.7 7.10 (52)

Collingwood warmed up for it’s highly anticipated grand final re-match against Geelong next week with a comprehensive 58-point victory over a dismal Brisbane outfit in their AFL Round Seven clash in Brisbane on Saturday night.

The Magpies (5-2) lead from start to finish behind a rampant midfield on their way to a 17.14 (116) to 8.10 (58) victory over the Lions (2-5) in front of 27,926 at the GABBA.

It was the Magpies fourth straight win as they continued their resurgence but the win was soured with the serious knee injury suffered from key defender Nathan Brown.

The 22-year-old has had a wretched run with knee injuries during the past 15-months and went down with what looked like a serious knee injury midway through the second quarter.

However the good news is that it doesn’t appear that Brown hasn’t torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) which would have ended his season but it looks like he’s done something to his medial ligament.

Apart from Brown’s injury the night was extremely satisfying for the Magpies and their senior coach Nathan Buckley was pleased that his side is finally starting to show some of that intensity and skill execution that was an integral part of the side in the previous two years.

“That was a lot closer to how we want to play,” said Buckley at his after match media conference.

“I think we’ve progressed steadily throughout the year – every game is an opportunity to improve on the performance before.”

“I thought our intensity in defence was 10 or 15 per cent up on where we were last week and that gives us the opportunity to perhaps be more attacking.”

“It’s a bit of the chicken or the egg – if you attack well, you can defend well and if you defend well, you can attack well.”

Midfielder’s Steele Sidebottom (35 possessions; eight clearances), Dane Swan (34 disposals; 13 marks; two goals) and Scott Pendlebury (33 touches; eight inside 50’s) were irresistible all night long.

For the Lions they had few winners with the likes of Jack Redden (28 possessions; five inside 50’s) and key defender Matt Maguire who did a solid job on Pies superstar forward Travis Cloke limiting him to only one goal.

Lions senior coach Michael Voss thought the Magpies midfielders was just too classy for his side as the visitors won the clearances 41-30 with most the damage done in the first quarter.

“Their real good players around the ball were far too good,” commented Voss afterwards.

“We weren’t able to secure the ball, use the footy or get our hands on it enough to be able to hurt them the other way.”

Playing at a venue where they have struggled the Magpies burst out of the blocks and kicked the first five goals of the contest as they lead by 27-points at the first change.

Collingwood continued their dominance early in the second term as they booted the first three goals to open up a seven goal advantage but a combination of the Brown injury and the Lions starting to get their hands on the footy saw the hosts steam the tide as they trailed by 36-points at the main break.

The Lions and Magpies traded blows in the third quarter with each side taking turns with momentium before veteran Alan Didak in his first match of the year produced some his vintage brilliance to see his side take a 33-point lead with one term remaining.

From there it was a precision for the Magpies who ended the game just like they started it as they rolled to their fourth consecutive victory.

Brisbane: 2.1 3.7 7.9 8.10 (58)

Collingwood: 6.4 9.7 12.12 17.14 (116)

Richmond overcame a minor scare as they continued their steady rise up the ladder with a classy 29-point victory over Sydney in their AFL Round Seven encounter in Melbourne on Saturday evening.

The victory was set up in the first half and despite the Swans (5-2) producing a trademark third term comeback the Tigers (3-4) managed to hold on and pull away in the final quarter on their way to a 13.13 (91) to 8.14 (62) in front of 40,352 at the MCG.

Richmond burst out off the blocks with the first goals of the game and seven of the first nine to lead by 42-points at the main break and seemingly headed on their way to a convincing victory.

However to the Swans credit they fought their way back into the match in the third term as they kicked four of the five goals and five of the last six goals overall to trail by only 14-points heading into the final term.

Star midfielder Josh Kennedy had ensured the Swans took the momentium into the final with a goal on the three-quarter time siren but the Brownlow Medal fancies goal wasn’t enough for his side in the end.

The Tigers slowed the game down and kicked the first three goals of the term before the Swans slotted one to keep their faint hopes alive but a Shaun Grigg special from just inside 50 sealed Richmond’s third win of the year.

Tigers senior coach Damien Hardwick was pleased that his side were able to respond when challenged as Richmond now sit a game and percentage outside the top eight with their next encounter against another top four side in Essendon in their annual Dream Time at the G encounter next Saturday night.

“Our players have shown that thought the course of this year,” Hardwick said at his post match news conference. “They’ll get headed at stages, but they’ll certainly dig deep.”

“It was really pleasing to see that when they were challenged they responded and got the game back on our terms.”

“To win like that against sides that are thought to be above us is certainly important.”

Midfielder Trent Cotchin (27 possessions; six clearances; six inside 50’s) as well as Nathan Foley (25 disposals; 16 contested) were arguably the two best for the winning side, whilst key forward Jack Riewoldt lead the way with four goals.

For the Swans they were lead by Josh Kennedy (21 possessions; 15 contested; two goals) and Lewis Jetta (17 disposals) but there were few and far winners as Sydney suffered their ninth consecutive loss at the venue.

Sydney senior coach John Longmire admitted that his side were forced to play catch-up footy after being smashed in the first quarter where they only managed two behinds to the Tigers five goals six behinds.

“It was the complete opposite of the way that we wanted to play, which was obviously the most disappointing part of the game,” exclaimed Longmire to reporters afterwards.

“That first quarter and the uncontested possession difference made it really tough to catch up from there.”

“We didn’t play as well as we wanted to defensively.”

“We clearly didn’t put enough pressure on the opposition the way that we wanted to and it took us until quarter-time before we made the decision to … try and get back on some sort of even keel.”

Richmond: 5.6 7.9 8.11 13.13 (91)

Sydney: 0.2 2.7 6.9 8.14 (62)

A five goal to none final quarter has seen new boys Greater Western Sydney claim their first ever win as they recorded a 27-point victory over the winless Gold Coast in their AFL Round Seven encounter in Canberra on Saturday.

History was made in May as the Giants (1-6) finally got off the board with a 13.16 (94) to 9.13 (67) victory over the winless Suns (0-7) outfit in front of 8,603 at Manuka Oval.

In an enthralling contest played at the nation’s capital the Giants got off to a fast start and opened up a 17-point quarter-time lead before the Suns reeled them in the second term to take a 13-point advantage into the main break.

Both side’s traded blows in a pulsating third quarter where the Giants trailed by four-points with only one term remaining but the new boys should have been in front only for their inaccurate kicking to let them down.

The final quarter was a fast paced affair with both teams missing early chances before the Giants broke the game open midway through the term in incredibly fashion as they slammed on five goals in quick succession to seal a famous victory.

Inaugural Giants senior coach Kevin Sheedy was delighted with his side’s performance, especially in the final quarter where unlike previous weeks they had faded out they finished the better of the two sides.

“It’s been a slog, there’s no doubt about that, but they did everything we’ve asked them to do – stoppages, zoning, goalkicking,” Sheedy said at his after match media conference.

“That’s our highest score and we hadn’t had as many inside 50s as what we had today.”

Key forward Jonathan Giles finished with three goals, including two in the decisive final quarter, whilst midfielder Steve Coniglio (31 possessions; five inside 50’s) clearly had his best game for the Giants.

Whilst the Giants were celebrating their first win the Suns were heading back to the blackboard as senior coach Guy McKenna admitted that his side were beaten in the intensity and may have taken a step back.

“The most disappointing thing out of today was that we played one quarter of footy – that’s the only reason we took a step back today,” McKenna told reporters afterwards.

“They just thought they’d do the easy things and thought it was all going to fall into their lap.”

“But full credit to GWS, they didn’t allow that to happen.”

Captain Gary Ablett (33 disposals; six clearances) tried hard all game but was one of few as the Suns along with the Demons remain the only two winless clubs remaining this season.

Greater Western Sydney: 4.2 5.8 8.13 13.16 (94)

Gold Coast: 1.3 7.9 9.11 9.13 (67)

A first half blitz has seen season surprise packets Adelaide cement their top four spot following a 50-points thrashing off reigning premiers Geelong in their AFL Round Seven encounter in Adelaide on Saturday.

Remarkably the Crows (6-1) had all but sealed the four points in the first half where they lead by 63-points at the main break before going on to record a 19.8 (122) to 10.12 (72) victory over the Cats (4-3) in front of 35,535 at AAMI Stadium.

The Crows started the match off well and lead by 19-points at quarter-time but they turned up the heat on the Cats in the second term and ended their chances of winning with an unbelievable quarter.

Adelaide kicked eight of the nine goals in the second quarter to blow the game wide open and despite the visitors winning the second half all the damage was already done as the Crows handed the Cats their biggest defeat in four years.

Crows senior coach Brenton Sanderson was delighted with his side’s performance, especially in the first half but warned his side not to get ahead of themselves with tough matches coming up against Carlton and Collingwood the next two weeks.

“That is as good as I have seen these boys play this year,” Sanderson said at his after match media conference.

“That first half was incredible really.”

Veteran midfielder Scott Thompson (34 possessions; 21 contested; 13 clearances) was arguably the best on ground, whilst key forward Taylor Walker continued his impressive form with three goals.

For the Cats they had little winners with captain Joel Selwood (29 disposals; 10 clearances) and James Kelly (27 touches; six inside 50’s) trying their best for the Victorian side.

With no Jimmy Bartel and the late withdrawal of key defender Matthew Scarlett the Cats struggled all day, especially in the contested possession count where they were smashed 148-126.

Cats senior coach Chris Scott acknowledged that his side must harden up, especially in their contested footy as they prepare for the grand final re-match against Collingwood this Friday night.

“It’s a serious problem,” Scott told reporters afterwards.

“I’ve said it for the last six weeks, I think. If we don’t improve it we’re going to get left behind by the good teams, which is what happened today.”

“We’re not blaming the players, we think that their effort was okay, but we’ve got to make sure we identify what the problems are and fix them quickly.”

“If it does continue we’re going to get beaten by good sides.”

Adelaide: 6.3 14.5 17.7 19.8 (122)

Geelong: 3.2 4.2 6.8 10.12 (72)