Anyone who tuned in to watch the football on Saturday night would not have been disappointed by the quality of the stoush. Hawthorn pipped Sydney in a game that had all the hallmarks of a classic, with fantasy scores to match.

Down one end of the ground, icon Buddy Franklin (106) did most of Sydney’s early attacking, finding far too much space, despite the playful attention his one-time teammates dished out. As usual, it was a case of ‘if only he could kick straight’ – Buddy finished with 3 goals 5 behinds. Still, spectators were nevertheless treated to his usual athletic brilliance.

Up the other end of the ground, Jarryd Roughead (108) was similarly influential in his 200th game for the Hawks. While Buddy starred in the first half, Roughead did his damage in the third quarter and at the start of the fourth, where Hawthorn dominated the inside-50s and knocked Sydney off their feet. Roughead kicked four goals and his strength was a highlight, although he too was wasteful at times.

In the middle, there were some great tussles between Ben McGlynn (130), Jordan Lewis (119), Luke Hodge (106) and Josh P. Kennedy (101). The action was enthralling and great for fantasy scoring.

wRong

You have to feel for poor Gold Coast. A month ago they were riding high, beating top-four sides and coasting towards their first ever finals appearance. Now, they’ve lost their captain and lost their way, crashing to a calamitous 54-point defeat against home-town rivals the Brisbane Lions.

The manner of the defeat would give many a Suns supporter pause and many a Suns coach grey hairs. Tom Rockliff cemented his place as the premier Ultimate Footy player of 2014, grabbing a whopping 47 possessions, five marks, ten tackles and a goal, on his way to a superlative-defying 190 Ultimate Footy points. And that was despite a supposed tag.

As if that wasn’t bad enough for the Suns, Pearce Hanley decided he wouldn’t miss out on the fun, collecting 45 disposals, nine marks, five tackles and a brace of goals, for 182 Ultimate Footy Points. Throw in Dayne Zorko (136) and Stefan Martin (122), and Brisbane can be pretty proud of their Fantasy day out.

But the Suns? They managed to produce one player with a score above 90, Danny Stanley (107), who it seems might be in some trouble for a punch on Daniel Merrett in the third quarter. Considering that Zac Smith and Charlie Dixon also appear to have serious injuries, you’d have to wonder if the Suns would have been better to forfeit the game and stay in bed.

Ridiculous

Usually when a team wins, its players hold the fantasy advantage over their opposition. Not so Adelaide, who managed to down Collingwood on Sunday evening without a single player breaking through the 100 point barrier. Fantasy coaches with Adelaide heavy teams would be scratching their heads at that one.

Special mention to Adelaide’s Brodie Smith, who accumulated 24 disposals at a remarkable 100 per cent disposal efficiency. It may not mean much in fantasy, but Smith is a star of the future.

Regrettable

Tut tut Tyrone Vickery. Whatever your teammates and coach might say about liking the hard way you go at the football, there is a right way and a wrong way to react to provocation by the opposition. No, Dean Cox shouldn’t have elbowed you but your smack to his scone was on prime-time television and will earn you a good number of weeks wearing a suit and tie to games.

We all like to see hard footy, but players should be cleverer than resorting to the biff. Now there’s a good chance Cox will have be rested again and fans will have one less opportunity to see him play before his well-earned retirement.

Article supplied by Footy Prophet (www.footyprophet.com) – football analysis and opinion with a fantasy focus. Be a part of the game.