Loading Cometh the moment, cometh the man. There were variously high stakes on the line in the AFL’s final home-and-away round, and many of the leading lights and Brownlow Medal contenders used that stage to stamp their authority one last time. Collingwood’s Nick Daicos was a menace against Melbourne, finishing with 40 disposals and a strong tackle.
Credit: AFL Photos From Nick Daicos’ video-game numbers on Friday night; to Jeremy Cameron’s nine goals; Lachie Neale’s 14th career 40-plus-disposal performance; Errol Gulden’s latest brilliant display; Marcus Bontempelli’s contest dominance; and Patrick Cripps’ heroics – it was a weekend for the superstars to shine. Cripps was the only one of those six whose team failed to win, as Jack Higgins’ skied snap with 12 seconds left helped secure St Kilda a two-point win that almost cost Carlton a finals berth. Loading But it certainly would not have been Cripps’ fault after an extraordinary fortnight of heavy lifting without (for at least one of the games) Coleman medallists Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, plus the likes of Tom De Koning, Mitch McGovern, Zac Williams, Adam Cerra and Jack Martin.
Blues coach Michael Voss was suitably impressed. “Leigh Matthews once said to me, [it is a luxury] if you get names on the magnet ..
. and you don’t have to worry about whether they’re prepared or not,” Voss said. “They get themselves ready for the physical battle, they get themselves ready for the mental battle, .