Round 11: Winners and Losers

The Cats bounced back, both Adelaide teams dominated, Richmond continues to struggle in the big matches while Fremantle get their first win, Carlton continues on their merry way and the Dogs and Swans record gritty wins. Lets take a look at this week's Winners and Losers.

Winner: Joel Selwood and Geelong

Sometimes you just have to grind out games and that's exactly what the Cats did on the weekend against the Giants to get out of their mid-season slump.

Joel Selwood took the game by the scruff of the neck in the final quarter, battling his way to 12-disposals, nine of them contested to will his side over the line. His a once in a generation type of player and the Cats proved that if Danger doesn't get you, the skipper will.

Losses against Collingwood and Carlton would have worried Geelong fans, but their ability to bounce back and beat a top team in GWS bodes well for finals action when they'll come up against the very best. The Cats now have a massive two weeks coming up with primetime games against North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.

Loser: Richmond

Losing to North Melbourne was more then likely to happen down in Tasmania, but we expected more of Richmond who were coming into the game full of confidence after three wins on the bounce.

Touted as the best team in the bottom ten, that mantle has now surely disappeared and the Tigers now face the tough task of trying to make finals.

The inability of Richmond not being able to cope with North's pressure and attack on the ball signifies their well out of their depth against a certified top-four team, a far cry from the side everyone thought they would be coming into 2016.

Winner: South Australia

Both Adelaide teams got great wins over the weekend with Port Adelaide stopping Collingwood in their tracks and Adelaide making light work of St Kilda at the Adelaide Oval.

The Crows and Power now sit 8th and 9th respectively and both will be looking to play a part in September. Adelaide are on a three-game winning streak with a massive game with West Coast to come, this Saturday night and Port Adelaide have now recorded back-to-back wins against fellow finals aspirants Melbourne and Collingwood, with the Dogs to come.

Both teams at their best are explosive outfits and can cause damage to the top sides in the competition. The top-eight is just about set but these two could potentially play-off for the final spot which is sure to be a great spectacle as the season unfolds.

Loser: Collingwood

Are we off the Collingwood bandwagon now? For some reason, following their loss to the Bulldogs in round 10, Collingwood were talked up as the only bottom ten team that win the flag if they make finals. What better way to convince us all than losing to Port Adelaide by 67 points at home.

To make matters worst, 28, 567 fans turned up. The club's lowest MCG crowd since 2004. I've concluded they won't play finals and their list is not as good as everyone is making it about to be.

Who would have thought that heading into the Queens Birthday match, Collingwood would be clear underdogs.

Winner: Friday Night in Tasmania

I believe it was a success despite the media scrutiny its getting. 17 thousand rocked up to Blundstone Arena which has a capacity of 20,000. Although they weren't treated to a close encounter, they got to soak up the moment of hosting a Friday night match.

They should get another next season, but a few changes need to be made.

For starters, it should take place during the early rounds of the season instead of June when the weather is not at its best and it should be between North Melbourne and Hawthorn. Both teams have a strong following in Tasmania and giving them a top class matchup should make up for not having a dedicated Tasmanian team for the time being.

Possibly switching each year between Aurora Stadium (Hawthorn) and Blundstone Arena (North Melbourne) is a good idea, with both major cities in Tasmania getting a taste of Friday night footy.

Loser: St Kida's interstate performances

They're not just bad, they're dreadful. After performing well in Adelaide in round one and against Hawthorn in Launceston in round four, it looked like the Saints would jump the hurdle of winning interstate.

Since then though, St Kilda have kicked just three goals against the Eagles in round eight and only six on Sunday against the Crows in their return to Adelaide.

They've now loss seven straight on the road going back to last season and Richardson needs to improve this if they have any chance of progressing in the next year or two.

Honourable Mentions

*Melbourne's 13-game losing streak against Hawthorn

*Essendon are tiring

*Fremantle win their first game of 2016

*Six from seven for Carlton. Finals roughie?

*The Bulldogs brilliant win over West Coast

*Gary Rohan's performance against the Suns