In summary
There it was. A brilliant day for the Southern Footer style of play, with Essendon and Footscray of Old playing out a classic. It was ridiculous how the game swung back and forth with blurring speed, each team piling on goals. The scoreline suggests it wasn’t close, but all those Bulldog goals came in the last couple of minutes. That was the speed of play. Essendon didn’t quit all day.
Then the same kind of style for Adelaide and Collingwood, though a much bigger comeback from the Crows. Down by 50, then ending level. A genuine classic. The third game was on another planet comparatively, but you can’t have everything.
In the swimming, Australia’s individual hopes in the medley crashed out, as did the men’s relay team by a fraction, but the women’s team is in the final which will come around in a few hours’ time.
And in rugby league, Melbourne Storm rolls ominously on, at first seeming to be held in check by old rivals Manly, but then mercilessly extending and extending and extending a lead. While the Tigers enjoyed a largely pointless late-season frolic over the Titans.
And thus, we end. Until next time, Constant Reader, as the maestro of Maine might say.
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West Coast Eagles (17.11.113) beat Brisbane Lions (6.9.45)
They weren’t necessarily as bad as the scoreline suggests, the Lions, they did try hard most of the day. But they’re at the bottom of the ladder and trying to put their club back together, so it was clinically done by the Eagles. Kennedy ended with six goals, getting one more from a free kick in the pocket. That does help the Eagles’ percentage, they’re up to 105.9, and while Essendon still has a better number, the Bombers are now a win behind that 8th spot on the ladder, level on points with St Kilda. What a difference a couple of weeks make - the Saints were pushing for the top 4 that recently, and then losing to a last-second goal this round has crashed them all the way down to 11. No room for error this season.
AFL - Kennedy’s having a fun day, adding a couple more to take his goal tally to five. West Coast is having a good day, adding much-needed percentage to aid their tussle for ladder position. They’ll take eighth spot with this win, the Bulldogs ninth, Essendon tenth. I think.
Swimming - Australia misses the men’s 4x100 medley final by 0.08 of a second. A disappointing way to go out, so close. The USA, Japan, Russia, Great Britain, Brazil, Hungary, China, Belarus are the eight finalists. Australia definitely had the strongest heat, finishing 6th in Heat 3 but finishing 9th overall. The Russians won Heat 2 but only qualified third overall. As so often in recent years, it’s down to Australia’s female swimmers to carry the team.
AFL - meanwhile, as Subiaco - which is how no literary paragraph has ever begun - it’s three-quarter time. And as you’d expect, the rather good Weagles are being a lot better than the not-so-good Loins. The latter have been girded, as far as scoring capacity goes, and it’s 79-38. Josh Kennedy has another lazy three goals for West Coast.
I’ll have the men’s results through as soon as they’re done. One heat down over there.
Now that the other heat has wrapped up, I can give you the unsurprising news that the USA, Russia and China have all blazed it in, faster than Australia’s time. The Yanks are leading the pack with 3:55:95. Italy, Sweden, and Great Britain round out the top eight.
Australia qualifies for World Championships final
Australia’s women’s team qualifies for the final, coming second in their heat for the 4x100 medley relay. The total time was 3:58:74, well behind the Canadians with 3:57:17, but a good distance ahead of the other nations that all registered 4 minutes plus. Why waste all your energy now?
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There’ll be plenty of local interest in those two finals. The meet is being held in Hungary, not necessarily historically known as a swimming superpower, but Katinka Hosszu is one of the sport’s absolute superstars, having won more medals than North Korea’s generals combined. She’s qualified in top spot for the final of the 400m IM, unsurprisingly, while hometown boy David Verraszto has qualified third in the men’s. Chase Kalisz from the States is the top-ranked finalist there.
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Swimming - back at the World Championships, Kaylee Rochelle McKeown finished 16th out of 27 competitors across the heats of the 400m individual medley. She clocked 4:43:61.
Clyde Lewis has finished 21st out of 37 across four heats in the men’s, at 4:20:34.
The relay heats are coming up shortly.
AFL - just starting the second half, the West Coast Eagles are comfortably up by 35 points over Brisbane.
Gold Coast Titans (4) beaten by Wests Tigers (26)
NRL - while we were busy there, Wests Tigers kicked on with tries to Lawrence and Woods, while Jarryd Hayne got at least something out of the day for the Titans. The scoreline ends up at 4-26 to Wests.
The Hayne Plane launches!#NRLTitansTigers 4-14 after 54 minutes. #NRL pic.twitter.com/DnlMgstqHU
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
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Collingwood (15.13.103) draws with Adelaide (16.7.103)
Yet another draw, in a season that is tighter than a new pair of jeans. What a game. The Magpies blew the visitors off the park in the first half, and were 50 points up shortly after half time. Then the Crows comeback began. Inexorable, relentless, knocking off goal after goal.
At that point, it actually looked like the Magpies were cooked. They were fumbling and panicking. But they pulled themselves together in the last quarter, and put another string of goals together themselves, then watched Adelaide start to reel it back in again.
In the end, that rushed behind towards the end was vital, because it meant that Adelaide couldn’t steal a win with McGovern’s post-siren shot.
Collingwood’s season isn’t mathematically over, but those lost two points make a finals tilt even less likely than it already was. While for Adelaide, it’s relevant because Geelong in second place have also drawn a game this season. So the Crows are now four points up on the Cats, meaning that percentage could once again be a factor if they should happen to end up level.
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Well, Jenkins was done for holding the ball on the goal line with 30 seconds to go. The ball was cleared, outside 50, but marked by Adelaide. The short pass hit up Kelly, running out of the 50. But he’s not a long kick, so he was desperate to dish it off. There were 7 seconds on the clock as Kelly kicked to full forward. The ball hung in the air a long time. It didn’t look like there would be enough time for a mark before the siren, but there was by a second. McGovern attacked it amongst a pack of what looked like 20 players. He leapt high, and it was enough to bring the ball down with him. The siren went immediately. His face was a picture. But the umpire said, “You’ve got as long as you want,” and so he took his time, composed himself, and put it through.
HE’S KICKED IT! It’s a draw!
McGovern marks on the siren! 20 out straight in front!
A mark from McKay at half forward. Looks for Jenkins, but he can’t mark against three in the pocket. A minute to play. If Adelaide kick a goal, they’ll draw.
Elliott gives away a free kick on the wing, but Adelaide turn it over at half forward. Pies are nearly out on the far side, but can’t decide whether to ram home the attack or play cautiously with two minutes left. They go halfway between, chipping up the wing before a longer kick to a forward contest. The ball is punched out of bounds. Stoppages suit Collingwood just fine.
Wells and Elliott combining for Collingwood in the centre square. Wells gets it back a few seconds later, and his vision is perfect on this occasion. He spots up Moore with a perfect pass inside 50 to a good lead, but Moore can’t kick a relatively regulation one, from a half angle in the pocket and maybe 40 out. Another forward thrust is punched over. The margin is exactly a goal, but there are still 4 minutes left. Enough time for several scores. 103-97.
Dangerous here. Fasolo misses a shot wide of the behind post, snapping while deep in the pocket. That gives Adelaide possession. Can they hurt Collingwood again? Not this time, the ball spills on the wing. Pushes back to the Magpies’ defensive 50. Howe keeps his head under pressure. Combines with Dunn. Takes a few seconds, goes long to the wing, and Moore sees it out of bounds. A few precious seconds to take a few breaths.
It’s hard to keep up with this ball, flying from one end to the other. Ben Reid hits the base of the goal post with a flying shot. The Crows are so good at transitioning from defence, and they do it again. Talia important in that sequence, straight through the centre square, and they find Otten in the pocket. He kicks another. It’s 101-97 at the MCG.
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It’s back to 9 points again. The Crows quickly out of the centre, a few handballs traded at half forward, then Brodie Smith receives on the run. Takes the flying shot from 48 metres and it sails sweetly through. There’s still nearly 10 minutes to go!
Crows won’t go away though. They win the ball in defence and come up the wing. A long pass into the pocket where Jenkins marks strongly. He plays on, having lost his opponent, draws another, and handballs over the top to Andy Otten on his own. 100-84.
Make that 21 points. Three in about two minutes for the Pies. It’s Elliott at the 50 who creates the chance with a chaos ball, hit hard and flat along the ground into the 50. It bounces around, confusing everyone, and puts the Crows defenders under pressure. No one can deal with it cleanly, and somehow a handball fires out of the pack to Wells, waiting on the outside, who uses his 30th disposal to kick his third goal. Not bad. 99 to 78.
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And again! Darcy Moore out of the centre, scrambles it to half forward. There’s a real scrap for the ball on Collingwood’s 50-metre arc. Finally, it’s Blair who breaks out of traffic. Running shot from the pocket and drills it! And it’s back to 15 points.
Finally, Collingwood get a chance. Some good forward movement, and Reid charges out to take a chest mark despite a lot of close attention. So much anxiety riding on this kick. From the MCC pocket, city end, he starts it well right of the goal post, but somehow it works its way back and through! It’s 87-78.
Cameron misses the snap, but the Crows score from the kick-in! Collingwood can’t clear their area, Cameron charges down the ball and smothers, and Jenkins is there to gather the rebound and snap yet another one. Good lord, this is a dominant comeback. It’s 3 points the difference! 81 plays 78.
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AFL - restarting at the MCG. Collingwood desperately need one early. Won’t get it! It’s a mark to Riley Knight inside 50 instead, and he kicks it. That makes eight of the last nine goals, and Collingwood’s lead is slashed to 10 points. They need someone to stand up. Wells tries to spark them with a kick to space in the middle, but McKay puts in a chasing tackle that stops the game being broken open. Ball swings back the other way, but Cameron misses the snap.
The forensic lens on all of Tedesco’s bits of sleight of hand (and foot).
Vision of the @WestsTigers Try decision in the 43rd minute of #NRLTitansTigers.#NRL pic.twitter.com/5481cWLxrC
— NRL Bunker (@NRLBunker) July 30, 2017
NRL - the second half has started in more lively fashion. A couple of quick ones for Wests Tigers, the usual suspects in Tedesco and Zelezniak. Both bits of individual brilliance, Tedesco opportunistic and Zelezniak fed in after a brilliant break from Brooks.
Two tries in as many minutes!#NRLTitansTigers #NRL pic.twitter.com/l9zmRfwrn9
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
Goal! To Adelaide. Another, and it’s 23 points. Intense pressure, locking the ball in their forward line. Then the ball up, the quick handball out, and McKay snaps from just inside 50. It takes a hell of a kick to score around the body from there, but it keeps curling, and keeps soaring, and clears the line. But they’re not done yet, Adelaide. Rebound from half back, the Collingwood defence starting to panic, and there’s plenty of space behind the ball. Jenkins finds some, backing into the pocket, and the long kick across the face from outside 50 finds him perfectly. He lines up for the set shot, then plays on quickly and slots it from the pocket on the Southern Stand side, city end. The siren sounds, and with one quarter to play, a 50-point lead has become 17.
The Brisbane Lions another underdog that has started alright. It’s quarter time in the West, and Eagles are only leading 25-20.
AFL - A fair old effort from Adelaide to go coast to coast. Seedsman had the ball hard up next to the behind line. Had to hook it back over his shoulder with a kick as hard as he could to avoid the risk of being pinged for a rushed behind. Luckily for him, the tallest man on the ground was under the rainmaker, and Jacobs marked it 40 out from his defensive goal. Then a beautiful string of possessions through the middle, weaving holes through the Pies’ defence. Finally, a little chip kick from Riley Knight to Charlie Cameron, and he kicks it. So it’s 28 points the difference with a quarter and change to go.
NRL - At half time, the Titans-Tigers tussle is still 4-0 to Wests. Still waters run deep.
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Ah ha. Collingwood keep their nerve. Moving the ball forward themselves and finding a target. Wells this time, and he kicks his second from the set shot.
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Tell you what, maybe this could be a comeback. McGovern again, running hard to make space, and marks in the pocket. Lines up for this third of the quarter and gets it. Now it’s 27 points...
AFL - This could be getting interesting. Josh Jenkins lines up and thumps a goal for Adelaide from outside 50. That’s their third in a row, after two from Mitch McGovern. Not Mitch McConnell. Collingwood kicked the first two of the quarter, through Moore and Treloar. Working in rhyme. The margin was 50 at this stage. Now, halfway through the quarter, it’s back to 33.
NRL - Slow start up at the famed CBUS Stadium, and what a name that is. CBUS, talk about bus, would have been the motto of BBC mainstay Henry Blofeld. We’re nearly 20 minutes gone there, and still just the 3rd-minute try from Marsters.
Through the hands = Try time for Marsters!#NRLTitansTigers #NRL pic.twitter.com/Mxa8psa77I
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
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Half time, and the Pies are up 60 to 22. They’ve jumped Adelaide right from the start. “The Crows are running like they’ve got concrete in their boots,” was the take from Leigh Matthews, which once again brings to mind a certain Mr. Scaramucci. I guess everyone out there is wearing a new jersey.
The plot thickens! Jamie Elliott could be running a t-shirt factory, he’s got that much bleach and ink on his body. But instead he’s running down the wing. Taking a bounce. Another. Three. Into the forward pocket, and slots a running goal before going down on his haunches to gasp for air. It’s 59-22 now, and the ladder leaders are being blown away by a team well outside the 8.
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AFL - Collingwood, where have you come from? Adams kicks his third, playing on, out on the boundary on the far side of the ground. Well struck. Then from a counter-attack, there’s an acre of space in the forward line, and Wells puts in the long sprint from midfield to be a target there when the Magpies win possession. The MCG is sounding hostile now, this crowd is hard to fight when the Magpie faithful are up and about. It’s 53 plays 22 as the second quarter wears on.
Cameron Smith played his 350th game today, which is one of those milestones that is objectively impressive but doesn’t actually sound that great because 300 sounds way better. Anyway, here’s an interview with the Storm / Australia captain. First person to tell me how many times it features the word mate wins a prize.*
Hear from the man of the moment (and the MOM!) at FT in Melbourne.#NRLStormManly #NRL pic.twitter.com/fG8bnlNGiG
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
* The prize will be an email. These are hard times.
AFL - Curiously, the Magpies are leading against the Crows in the Battle of the Loud Black Birds. It’s the second quarter, halfway through, and Collingwood up 34 to 20. Thomas marks inside 50, and lines up to kick another from the pocket. Doubled Adelaide’s score. Which means a lot when your opponent has 50, and much less when it’s 20.
The perfect ball to @WJChambers4 from the milestone man!#NRLStormManly 30-6 with 10 minutes remaining.#NRL pic.twitter.com/EIPlVC5xjG
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
"It had to be @camsmith9 to Cronk on a day like this!" #NRLStormManly#NRL pic.twitter.com/fkpg197JyG
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
Can't catch him! One more for good measure.#NRLStormManly 40-6 right on FT.#NRL pic.twitter.com/mEAeMHv0Hd
— NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2017
Melbourne Storm (40) beat Manly Sea Eagles (6)
In even more dramatic fashion, this game blew out late. Will Chambers scored with 10 minutes to go, then Cronk went over a couple of minutes later after Smith set up a kick off the outside of the boot, and Addo-Carr finished off a decent day with a brilliant length-of-the-field celebratory try in the last minute. Smith converted the first two and missed the kick that was the final action of the day. Manly some risk of missing the finals after being hammered two weeks in a row, while Melbourne are in supreme working order. It was notable how consistent the Storm was after a few mistakes early - all day they just drew further and further ahead, and once the opposition were finished, broke them open late.
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Western Bulldogs (19.13.127) beat Essendon (13.19.97)
It blows open right at the end. Johanissen running forward again, into space, and marks in the pocket before running in to kick his fourth. Then Toby McLean gets a free kick from Brendon Goddard, and finishes a good day himself with a goal.
It was impressive stuff from Essendon, they really fought that game out hard for three and a half quarters, and it was the late rolling of the dice that went against them. Crucially, too, their accuracy, if you look at the two scorelines above. 32 scoring shots each, but one side won by five goals.
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Caleb Daniel seals it. Again, Bontompelli involved, this time at the bottom of a pack in the forward pocket. Winning the ball out to the little fellow running by, who screws the kick back across his body and arches the low snap through the goal. It’s 115-97.
Oh, and that could be the game, in anticlimactic fashion. Daniher marks at full back to thwart a forward thrust, but McKenna has gone with an arm over the shoulder to try to stop Bontompelli contesting for a mark. The ball is overturned, and Bont from 35 out under the Docklands roof is not likely to miss. It’s 109-97.
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And finally the pressure tells! Orazio Fantasia incredible in that play. He wins the ball out of half back and pumps it forward. He gets to the contest as the two teams fight at half forward, forcing the ball out again. Then after a couple of teammates run into traffic, Fantasia is on the end of it a third time, receiving a handball 40 out, and kicks under pressure to make the difference a single goal. Three and a half minutes left...
AFL - Guess who? Daniher! This game that was so open and high-scoring has now gone the other way in the last quarter. Only one goal scored, and we’re down to 6 minutes left on the clock. But it was Daniher who kicked that one, with his sixth for the night. Essendon kicked three points before that, Footscray kicked three after it. Daniher nearly gets another as the ball bobbles on the goal line from an attempted rushed behind, but his desperate lunge can’t quite connect with the leather. An inch the difference on the replay. The margin is 12 points. Five minutes to go. Essendon attacking, Dogs on the back foot.
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Now it’s Kenny Bromwich’s turn. Smith claimed at dummy half. Cronk on the last play of the set pops up a tricky kick. Plenty of players contesting it, and Kelly can’t collect it cleanly. It bounces around the in-goal before Bromwich and his beard descend on it. Grounds the ball well inside the dead-ball line. It’s 24-6 and game over.
Vision of the @storm Try Decision in the 56th minute of #NRLStormManly.#NRL pic.twitter.com/SyhZ06lWAv
— NRL Bunker (@NRLBunker) July 30, 2017
NRL - Just after half time, and Melbourne are over again. Cronk hasn’t gone off after that hit earlier, and he wins a repeat set thanks to a good kick. Stimson receives the quick ball and cannons into Cherry-Evans, maybe 8 metres out. Bowls DCE over backwards with that momentum, and keeps going. Trbojevic lays the tackle behind the try line, very nearly holds Stimson up, but the video ref says they can’t tell whether the ball was grounded or not, so they go with the umpire’s original call of try. Even the ABC Grandstand commentators can’t agree about whether that ball got grounded or not. Smith converts this time, and it’s blown out to 18-6.
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That hurts. Shortly before three-quarter time, Roughead gets high contact and has a set shot from the forward pocket. Wouldn’t always trust a ruckman to kick these, but he nails it. The siren sounds soon after, and the Dogs now lead by 19 going into the last change. Really tough for Essendon after being within one point on multiple occasions that quarter.
The Bulldogs are swarming! Essendon should have been out on the near wing, but some intense pressure forces the turnover. It comes sideways into the centre square. Dahlhaus is under pressure from a charging Jobe Watson awaiting the handball, but keeps his cool and sprints away from the potential challenge. Kicks to the pocket where Wallis flies, brings it to ground, knocks up the little handball, the centred ball goes to the goalsquare, and the Bont is on hand to soccer it over from a pack. Phew. It’s 94-81, can the Bombers respond again?
Bontompelli into the middle. Immediately gets the clearance, sideways to Caleb Daniel running hard. The ball goes forward, out in the pocket. A throw-in. Bellchambers tapping but Merrett has left Liberatore with too much space. The Prince of Footscray snaps another. It’s raining goals, hallelujah. 88-81.
This game will not go away! Out of the centre quickly for Essendon, and out wider for Cale Hooker. He spins and nails the bouncing, spearing snap to bring the margin back to a point! We’ve got 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
The ball rebounds again, it’s on elastic here. Johannisen has been here, there, and everywhere today, in defence, taking kick-ins, rebounding out, then running hard forward. He does that again, Bob Murphy spots him up with a genius 50-metre pass across the face of goal under pressure, and JJ makes 48 out, then nails the set shot. 82-75.
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AFL - two in a minute for the Bombers! Fantasia and Colyer, two of the speed fleet, get the Bombers back within two points. It’s 76-74. A couple of attempted forward entries by the Bulldogs are misdirected and cut off. The ball flies down the other end. One on one, Stewart and Cordy, and the bouncing ball comes off the defender’s head and over for a point. It very nearly clipped Stewart’s heel as he fell over, and could have been an accidental goal.
NRL - another one to the Storm, as Vunivalu flexes some muscle. Well, you see silky skills sometimes, but that was just brute force. Picked up the ball after a tackle a couple of metres out, and just shoved his way past a couple of defenders like a cinema monster pushing open a door held shut by high-school students. Half time arrives just after Cam Smith misses the kick. It’s 12-6 to the Storm.
Vision of the @storm Try Decision in the 39th minute of #NRLStormManly.#NRL pic.twitter.com/83QZtK648n
— NRL Bunker (@NRLBunker) July 30, 2017
... make that 15! Murphy drifts forward on a coast-to-coast counter, finds space, the pass finds him, and his set shot from 35 is elegant struck through. Finals chances on the line for both these teams.
AFL - this Aussie Rules game is a cracker as well. Joe Daniher nails his fifth just after half-time – will this be one of those famous games with a huge bag? His team up by a point. The Dogs answer with the next two, and get ahead by 10. There’s a free kick on the wing against Bob Murphy, then someone else who I didn’t have time to ID runs into shot and over the mark, giving up a 50 to the Bombers, but they can’t cash in. Then another flying shot for a point. The Dogs by 9...
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NRL - two more points to the Storm, after Cooper Cronk gets bashed in the face. Smith adds the goal. But minutes later, a cut-out from Turbo gets some elevation, lands with Wright drifting out wide, and he’s able to cut in behind the defence and score. But he can’t follow up his own work with the boot, missing the conversion. It’s 8-6 to Melbourne at AAMI Park.
Swimming - hopefully we’ll overlap time-wise with some of the qualifiers from the Swimming Champs, though we’ll be done on this blog by the time the finals are faced later tonight. There are a few more qualifiers to go, for the 400m individual medley and the 4x100 relays. Kaylee Rochelle McKeown for the individual women, Clyde Lewis for the men, and national teams in both relays.
In the finals later, Jessica Leigh Hansen is the reserve for the 50 breaststroke, Bronte Campbell in the 50 free, and Mack Horton in the 1500 free. No Chinese rivals for him to fire up in that contest.
In other news, if these blokes joined forces they’d be Proud Guy.
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NRL - try to Jahrome Hughes! Third try in three games, as that phase started 16 metres out from the Manly line. Smith in possession, went one way, faked, then flicked out the tiny pass to Hughes from dummy half, charging through on the other diagonal from the centre of the line, and over he goes. Smith adds the extras without fuss.
In the World Swimming Championships in Hungary, Australia finally ended a gold-medal drought thanks to the C-Bomb.
NRL - A bright start here between Manly and Melbourne as well. Some back and forth, and eventually the first score comes after Melbourne is penalised 12 metres out. Matt Wright kicks the easy goal. But a couple of poor handling mistakes from the Storm in Manly territory let some of the air out of this game. Addo-Carr goes up for what looks a brilliant catch from the clearing kick, but fumbles it on landing. Then a shocker of a pass that really gives Cam Smith no way to avoid knocking on.
AFL - It’s been a seesawing contest between the Doggies and the... Bombies? Yeah, nah. Essendon slammed on four of the first five goals, then Westendon put on five of six. Bombers hit back, Dogs hit back again. Joe Daniher has been huge already, he always is. Has kicked four goals and it’s only just hit half time. Currently it’s 57-52, the Dogs up by five.
Geoff will be here. Or I’ll be here, for I am he. No Scaramucci third-person shenanigans here, I’m just the Communications Director for Australia sport. Plenty of that on Sportwatch today, especially in the football codes, which is where we’ll begin. Can ya hear me? Hope so. I’m not just doing this to pleasure myself.
In the AFL, Adelaide have a good chance to shore up top spot on the ladder against Collingwood. More importantly for finals prospects, Essendon is currently playing the Bulldogs, and West Coast have a potentially easy game against bottom-dwellers Brisbane. This all matters because the first three teams in that quartet sit at numbers 8, 9 and 10 on the ladder. Any one of them could end up 8th by the end of this round. The Eagles are 9th and could do it with a big percentage boost, even if Essendon at 8th win. But the Dogs could jump up there on points, as long as the Eagles lose.
In the National Rugby League, the Titans and Tigers game is largely irrelevant at the bottom half of the ladder, but the Storm and Manly is always a cracker contest, with plenty of history involved. Melbourne could shore up top spot in this comp, while the Sea Eagles are at 7th and have the Dragons and Panthers lurking only one win behind.
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Geoff will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how things went down yesterday:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2017/jul/29/port-adelaide-v-st-kilda-roosters-v-cowboys-and-more-australia-sportwatch-live
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