Monday, July 21, 2014: Inexplicable...

Inexplicable. For a few confounding hours on Saturday afternoon, Fremantle entirely forgot how to play football, while St. Kilda forgot they were a team lacking any leadership or direction. It was a massacre, a David and Goliath slaying we haven't seen since GWS over Sydney in round one. Perhaps, it was an anomaly. After all, it was a very strange weekend.

Carlton forgot their awful season and ran rampant over finals aspirants in North Melbourne. GWS nearly followed St. Kilda's upset win with one of their own. Sunday saw both Melbourne and the Bulldogs come agonisingly close to astonishing upsets. On a weekend scheduled to be one to forget, we saw 3 stunning finishes, and two comfortable upset wins.

What does this mean? It's hard to say. Surely, for at least some of Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Geelong and North Melbourne, this was a temporary lapse, induced perhaps by the proximity of a week off. For others, it could signify an inevitable tailing off, the gas running out of tank this close to September. For the fans, it's a reminder that in this league, at this time, nothing is safe. Even the lowly teams are capable of great surprises.


The Monday Wrap
Friday:
Carlton 109 defeated North Melbourne 86
Saturday:
St. Kilda 118 defeated Fremantle 60
Geelong 94 defeated GWS 87
Sunday:
Port Adelaide 72 defeated Melbourne 69
Essendon 101 defeated Western Bulldogs 94

Ladder:
Sydney* - 52 - 143.51%
Geelong - 52 - 112.12%
Hawthorn* - 48 - 139.92%
Fremantle - 48 - 133.16%
Port Adelaide - 48 - 132.36%
North Melbourne - 40 - 112.49%
Essendon - 40 - 109.83%
Collingwood* - 36 - 106.61%
Gold Coast* - 36 - 99.45%
Adelaide* - 32 - 108.38%
West Coast* - 28 - 108.21%
Richmond* - 24 - 100.14%
Carlton - 24 - 91.48%
Western Bulldogs - 24 - 85.45%
GWS - 16 - 73.50%
Melbourne - 16 - 72.98%
Brisbane* - 16 - 63.60%
St. Kilda - 16 - 61.55%

In the news...
Tomorrow night at Geelong, Williamstown and West Perth will battle for the Foxtel Cup. In front of a predicted crowd of 14, the match should serve as a pertinent reminder that this event has failed to attract even a modicum of attention. It could have been so good.

The Lions appear to have found a remedy for the severe bout of homesickness which decimated their playing stocks in the off-season. Rohan Bewick and Nick Robertson have both re-signed with the club.

And MRP news is in - Mitch Robinson has been offered two weeks, and Leigh Adams 70 points for various indiscretions during the half-round.