Box Hill Hawks 16.12 (108) def. Coburg 8.9 (57)
Box Hill Hawks hold onto the ANZAC cup in the traditional fixture against Coburg. The 51-point win was thanks to 11 second half goals and repeat efforts across the field.
Harry Morrison was demoted to the VFL side this week but responded with class. The speedy Morrison made a statement with his 32 disposals and three goals. Small forward Dylan Moore also added three goals to the scoreboard, along with 17 disposals and six marks.
Marc Pittonet had a field day in the ruck, finishing with 42 hit-outs, 29 disposals and a goal. His stellar performance also saw him awarded with the ANZAC Medal.
Conor Glass and David Mirra worked tirelessly across the backline, collecting 19 and 23 disposals respectively.
The Hawks will enjoy a week off before coming back to face Footscray on Sunday the 12th of May.
North Melbourne 9.15 (69) def. by Port Melbourne 19.10 (124)
The 10 AFL-listed players were not enough last weekend, with North Melbourne suffering a 55-point loss to Port Melbourne.
Jy Simpkin provided drive through the midfield and was rewarded with plenty of the ball. The 21-year-old finished the game with 33 disposals and one goal. Fellow midfielder Paul Ahern also found plenty of the ball, finishing with 32 touches.
Tom Campbell rotated into the ruck and was strong both in the air and on ground with 26 disposals and 26 hit-outs. Taylor Garner played his third game since coming back from injury finishing with 10 touches and a goal – his first since returning.
North Melbourne will face the Northern Blues next week, who are also coming off a loss in round 4.
Casey Demons 8.3 (51) def. by Richmond 7.10 (52)
Casey Demons fought hard in the fourth quarter, entering the final term down by 18-points they held Richmond to one goal but it wasn’t enough. The nail-biting match saw the Tigers walk away victorious in the 1-point thriller.
Oscar McDonald rose to the occasion, knocking at the door of the AFL selection team as he collected 22 disposals and remained consistently strong down back.
Brothers Josh and Corey Wagner earned themselves spots in Casey’s best, as both were damaging across the ground and finished the game with 20 disposals each.
Casey Demons hope to leave with the four points this weekend when they host Footscray on Sunday afternoon.
Richmond was able to hold onto their lead at three quarter time despite the immense pressure placed upon them by the Demons, and secure their third win for the season.
With Jack Riewoldt sidelined with injury yet again, Shai Bolton comes to mind as an appropriate replacement in the senior side. Bolton produced a best on ground performance after laying 11 tackles, collecting 25 touches and finishing with a goal.
Riley Collier-Dawkins and Connor Menadue also provided some run for Richmond, with Collier-Dawkins collecting 18 disposals and laying seven tackles and Menadue finishing with 23 disposals.
The win saw returning player Maverick Weller only play a half due to back soreness. Jack Graham was also unable to finish the game due to a hamstring injury, seeing Richmond two men short in the final half.
Richmond will travel to Williamstown this weekend where they will face Williamstown who also enter the week with a round 4 win.
Northern Blues 7.9 (51) def. by Werribee 17.7 (109)
The Northern Blues were outrun by Werribee over the weekend suffering a devastating 58-point loss. Two quick goals from Werribee early in the opening term saw the Blues fall from the start.
Draftee Liam Stocker was rewarded a best-on-field performance for the Blues. The defender provided plenty of run down back and into the midfield, finishing the day with 17 disposals.
Tom Williamson returned from injury, still regaining his match fitness Williamson was able to provide run off the half back and collect 14 disposals. Fellow rookie Hugh Goddard also collected 14 disposals.
Matthew Kennedy continued his strong performance from last week, fighting hard in the middle of the ground. Kennedy led the Carlton disposal count, collecting 24 touches as well as seven tackles.
The Northern Blues host the winless North Melbourne this week as both sides look to redeem themselves from losses in round 4.
Essendon 15.12 (102) def. Collingwood 9.11 (65)
Essendon hold onto their position at the top of the ladder after a 37-point victory against Collingwood.
Ben McNiece is yet to play a game for the senior side this year but continues to work hard and perform consistently in the VFL side. McNiece finished with a team high 26 disposals alongside five marks, rightfully earning the Anzac Medal.
Kyle Langford used his experienced and run to collect 25 disposals and a goal, whilst Dylan Clarke showed his football smarts through strong decision making, earning him 24 touches and one goal.
Jordan Houlahan, now in his second year, was Essendon's leading goal scorer finsihing with three off of 10 disposals. Aaron Francis also had 10 disposals and kicked two goals.
Essendon play on the big stage this week. They will host the Geelong Cats at the MCG as a curtain raiser for the AFL round 7 clash.
Unable to match the pressure placed upon them, Collingwood fell short in round 4 of the VFL competition. However, despite this loss, there were some promising signs.
Ben Reid continues to improve, looking good both on the ground and in the air. He was able to kick two goals from 22 disposals whilst also taking 12 marks and eight hit-outs as a reserve ruck.
Rupert Willis (28 disposals) and Isaac Quaynor (21) both gathered 20+ disposals in the fight against Essendon. Daniel Wells continues to build after returning from injury, finishing with five marks and a goal to accompany his 20 disposals.
A bye this week will allow Collingwood to work on their weaknesses before coming back to face Sandringham Zebras in round 6.
Williamstown 9.10 (64) def. Footscray 6.12 (48)
Footscray were handed their first loss of the 2019 season after an upsetting 16-point loss to Williamstown.
Whilst the loss was upsetting, the game saw Laitham Vandermeer and Buku Khamis return from injury. Both players were influential, with Vandermeer finishing with 13 disposals and three marks whilst Khamis collected 17 disposals and six marks.
Tom Boyd continues to improve after a slow return from long-term back injury. The Grand Final player finished the day with 19 hit-outs and eight disposals.
Pat Lipinski puts his hand up for contention; he continues his consistent form after another great performance seeing him finish with 19 touches, six marks and two tackles. Also pushing his case for senior recall is Lewis Young. The defender took four marks and finished with 22 hit-outs.
Western Bulldogs will travel out to Casey Fields this week where they will find themselves up against the Casey Demons who are hungry for another win.
Central District 8.7 (55) def. by Adelaide 14.6 (90)
Adelaide dominated the game from the beginning. Leading at every break the Crows walked away with a 35 point victory over Central District seeing them move up into third position on the ladder.
AFL-listed players Josh Jenkins and Patrick Wilson emerge as key players and continue to push for a senior call as they both played another outstanding game. Jenkins kicked three goals for Adelaide from 18 disposals and seven marks whilst Wilson collected 30 disposals, continuing to uphold his high average of 32 disposals per game.
2018 draftee Ned McHenry returned after having two weeks off due to concussion. McHenry finished with 28 touches, 11 tackles and seven marks.
Adelaide looks to continue their momentum as they face the top of the table Norwood in round six later this week.
Gold Coast 9.8 (62) def. by Brisbane 24.15 (159)
Brisbane continue their winning streak after a 97-point thrashing against GWS Giants Saturday morning. Brisbane have won all four of their games so far whilst Gold Coast have not been so lucky.
Whilst he is yet to make his AFL debut after three years at the Brisbane, youngster Corey Lyons continues to push his case for an AFL call up. Playing consistently this season he finished this rounds game with 38 touches and seven marks.
In three NEAFL games, Ben Keays has managed to collect a combined 12 goals, 4 of which he scored in the victory over Gold Coast. On top of this Keays finished with 26 disposals, eight marks and five tackles.
Brisbane hope to get a fifth straight win against Sydney this weekend.
Aaron Young played all 22 games for the Gold Coast senior side last season but is yet to play with them this season. The experienced midfielder/forward had 40 disposals, nine marks and nine tackles, earning him a spot in Gold Coast’s best.
Sam Day and Ben King impressed, kicking three goals each and finishing with 17 and 15 disposals respectively. Chris Burgess was omitted from the AFL side this week and finished with 16 touches and three marks in the Suns disappointing loss.
Gold Coast look to secure their first win as they travel to Darwin to face NT Thunder in round 5.
Sydney 13.19 (97) def. GWS Giants 7.10 (52)
Sydney remains undefeated after leading at every break in their 45-point victory over the GWS Giants.
Sydney Swans duo Robbie Fox and Colin O’Riordan led the way for their side, both putting on stunning performances in the derby match. Fox rightfully earned best on field after collecting 37 touches and booting three goals. O’Riordan continued his consistent form with 40 disposals and 12 marks. Both Fox and O’Riordan put their hands up for senior selection following this strong performance.
Big man Darcy Cameron impressed in his return from injury. The young ruckman collected 24 disposals, 27 hit-outs as well as a goal.
Sydney will travel to face Brisbane this week. With both sides undefeated this will be a match you won’t want to miss.
The Giants’ young duo Isaac Cumming and Nick Shipley found themselves plenty of the ball, collecting 28 and 25 disposals respectively.
Rookie player Zach Sproule impressed with two goals, taking his season tally to 12. Zac Langdon also put up two goals for the Giants as well as 21 disposals and nine marks. Langdon played 17 games for the senior side in his debut season but is yet to break into the side this year.
The Giants seek redemption this week as they come up against Canberra on Friday night.
Subiaco 18.13 (121) def. Peel Thunder 9.5 (59)
Peel Thunder suffered their second loss of the season as they went down to the undefeated Subiaco by 62-points on Saturday afternoon.
Connor Blakely suffered a serious hamstring injury in late Janurary but made his return this week. The midfielder finished with 20 disposals and four marks.
Rookie duo Jason Carter and Stefan Giro led the way for Fremantle had 23 touches a piece as they push for AFL contention. Also knocking on the door of the selectors, Tom North – yet to make his AFL debut – finished with 21 disposals and three marks.
Other notable mentions include ruckman Sean Darcy who has 35 hit-outs, 11 disposals and a goal, and draftee Luke Valente who finished with 19 touches and six tackles.
Peel Thunder will face the winless East Perth this weekend where they will hopefully return with a win.
Claremont 11.9 (75) def. by West Coast 12.5 (77)
Trailing by 14 points in the last quarter, the Eagles fought hard against Claremont, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season in a thrilling two point victory.
Youngster Bailey Williams emerged as a hero, kicking the match-winning goal, alongside two others, to see him team over the line. Jake Waterman also kicked three goals.
Hamish Brayshaw capitalised on poor defence from the Tigers, leading the disposal count with 28 touches as well as a goal. Rucking pair Nathan Vardy and Keegan Brooksby performed well with 15 and 27 hit-outs respectively.
Rookie Francis Watson was unable to finish the game, being stretchered off during the third quarter following a shoulder injury.
West Coast look to back up their four points with another win as they face South Fremantle this weekend.