Twists and turns, momentum swinging with a temperamental breeze. We've washed ashore this Monday from a weekend that delivered beyond its obligation, a weekend that never read the history books. It delivered surprise in spades, a pertinent reminder that despite our petty gripes - the magnetic appeal of our native game has not abated.
What we witnessed was victories for electricity over austerity, frenetic pace over stone walls once considered too big to be broken. In North Melbourne we saw a team sprinting through a marathon, their seemingly unassailable advantage almost conquered in a final quarter that must surely have been one of the greats. It was punctuated, almost necessarily, by confounding decisions - the officiating was guilty, but so were the players. In the end, only a goal separated them.
On the other side of the country was a different story. For a half, the famously dour Dockers strangled Port Adelaide. At one stage they lead by 5 goals over a team that managed only 3 in half a game, and then something switched. Ross Lyon's impenetrable fortress succumbed. 12 goals later, all Lyon could do was assess a season that had slipped through his fingers. Nobody saw it coming.
North will travel to Sydney for a Friday night preliminary final, while Port Adelaide will play Hawthorn at 4pm on Saturday. Perhaps rightfully, the timing of a latter was contentious - but if we learned anything this weekend, it's that whenever this new administration decide to bounce that ball you can't afford to take your eyes off it.
In the news...
Boom Boom's return to the Kangaroos lineup may be short lived, the pensioner being issued a one match ban for a high hit on Joel Selwood. The Kangaroos are believed to be appealing the decision.
The Federal Court will on Friday hand down its findings in Essendon's case against ASADA. It is not yet known whether the result will be broadcasted live, though the 1:30PM kick-off may frustrate Channel 7.
Geelong ruckman Dawson Simpson has been caught drink-driving, the club is yet to decide on an appropriate sanction, though the TAC are disappointed.
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