AFL Round Nine Recap: Tight Matches a Theme of the Weekend

No shortage of storylines from round nine of the AFL season as the battle for top eight positioning heats up.  

With round nine behind us and the halfway mark of the AFL season quickly approaching, the ladder is really starting to take shape. Some matches this week showed the desire of teams to make their marks while others disappointingly ended in lopsided score lines. 

Adelaide and Brisbane draw 

Brisbane and Adelaide both came into round nine of the AFL season tied at 12 points apiece with Adelaide one spot ahead on the ladder thanks to %. The matchup represented a big chance for both squads to jump into the thick of things in the race for the top eight.  
 
With both sides understanding the importance of the match, they came out battling from the start. 
 
The first quarter alone saw five lead changes as the two sides went back and forth. The biggest lead for either side was nine points, in Brisbane’s favour. That was cut to just three by the quarters end thanks to a Darcy Fogarty late goal.  
 
Adelaide took an early three-point lead in the second before Brisbane again built out a slight advantage, this time an 11-point margin. Adelaide would quickly battle back, and ultimately headed into halftime up 45-43. 
 
Kai Lohmann quickly regained the lead for Brisbane coming out of halftime before Adelaide made a run and looked to pull away. They put through three unanswered goals to lead by twelve.  
 
Nearing the end of the third quarter however, Brisbane scored two in just over a minute to tie it up before an Adelaide behind gave them a one-point lead heading into the final frame.  
 
The fourth quarter appeared to be all Brisbane, as the Lions scored three goals in the first 12 minutes to take the biggest lead of the game at 18 points. As was the theme for the match however, Adelaide came right back. 
 
The Crows scored four unanswered to lead by six before Callum Ah Chee put through his fourth goal of the match to tie it.  
 
They would then exchange behinds in the dying minutes as the match ended in a 90-90 draw, as both sides now have 14 points on the year.  

Three Tight Matches Provide Massive Intrigue for Fans 

The Carlton Blues took on Melbourne at the MCG on Thursday in a game that came down to the wire, with Carlton prevailing 77-76. 
 
The match ended much closer than it appeared early on. Carlton took control in the first quarter and led big throughout the majority of the game.  
 
By halftime the score line read 50-19 in what looked to be a runaway. In the second half Melbourne slowly chipped away and got themselves within striking distance for the fourth quarter, down 22. They kept battling but fell just short, losing 77-76. 
 
The match between Port Adelaide and Geelong followed a similar curve. 
 
Port led by 41 at the half but Geelong didn’t give up. They worked their way back slowly but surely and had a chance to tie it at the end but fell 101-95.  
 
St Kilda and Hawthorne also came down to the wire in what was a low scoring affair. The Hawks came out on top 58-53 for their third win of the season. 

Blowouts of Bottom of the Ladder Teams Continue 

The three teams who occupy the bottom of the ladder again had a tough week, getting dominated by their opponents.  
 
Winless North Melbourne lost 120-52 to Gold Coast, Richmond lost by 91, 133-42 to Western, while Collingwood beat up on West Coast 103-37.  
 
In the other two matches of the round, Sydney crushed Fremantle 87-39 while Essendon took down GWS 82-62 in a battle of two sides sitting near the top of the ladder.  

Round nine of the AFL season brought about a wide variety of results across the league. With four blowouts of 40 or more points and four others that ended within a goal, including a tie, fans were treated to all that the sport has to offer.