Eighth-placed Essendon stayed one game ahead of the chasing pack and Sandringham’s hopes of a finals double chance were placed in jeopardy after the completion of Sunday’s Peter Jackson VFL games.
The Bombers upstaged Williamstown by 18 points to hold the Box Hill Hawks (who defeated Sandringham by 22 points) and Richmond (which accounted for Geelong by 37 points) at bay for another week. The fourth-placed Zebras, meanwhile, are still equal on premiership points with Port Melbourne and Footscray, and would have conceded their top-four spot to Geelong if the Cats were able to prevail today.
In the day’s other clash, the Casey Scorpions reclaimed top spot on the ladder from Collingwood with a comprehensive 105-point victory over Werribee.
* CLICK HERE to read the recap of Saturday's Round 19 action.
ESSENDON 18.11 (119) d WILLIAMSTOWN 15.11 (101)
Form: Essendon – W W L L W / Williamstown – W W W L L
Telling facts: Essendon’s up-and-down season continued when it knocked off Williamstown in an entertaining contest at Windy Hill. The Bombers booted 11 goals to five across the second and third quarters in what proved the defining period of the match, and then steadied after some nervous moments in the final term to hold eighth position for another week.
Leading goalkickers: McKernan 4, Boyse 3, Heavyside 2, Hams 2 (Essendon) / Cordy 4, Jolley 3, Lockwood 2 (Williamstown)
* A replay of Essendon vs Williamstown will be available to watch on vfl.com.au tonight.
CASEY SCORPIONS 21.25 (151) d WERRIBEE 7.4 (46)
Form: Casey – L W W W W / Werribee – L W W L L
Telling facts: Casey effectively ended Werribee’s finals hopes by dominating throughout the contest at Casey Fields. A 37-point lead at half time could have been even greater if the Scorpions had been more accurate in front of goal (9.16 to the main break), but they still hold top spot by a significant amount of percentage.
Leading goalkickers: Baker 3, Dawes 3, Kennedy-Harris 3, Neal-Bullen 2, Salem 2, White 2 (Casey) / Durdin 2, McKay 2, Mountford 2 (Werribee)
BOX HILL HAWKS 13.13 (91) d SANDRINGHAM 9.15 (69)
Form: Box Hill – L L L W W / Sandringham – L L L W L
Telling facts: The Hawks ground out a crucial win for their finals hopes with a strong second half at Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Sandringham led by two points at half time but Box Hill’s 4.2 to an inaccurate 1.6 in the third quarter proved costly for the Zebras, who have now lost four of their last five games.
Leading goalkickers: O'Brien 3, Fitzpatrick 2, Stewart 2 (Box Hill) / Shenton 4, Iudica 2 (Sandringham)
RICHMOND 11.16 (82) d GEELONG 6.9 (45)
Form: Richmond – L W W W W / Geelong – W W L W L
Telling facts: Richmond claimed its fourth straight win after overcoming a slow start at Punt Road Oval. The Tigers conceded the first three goals of the game to Geelong but proceeded to reel off the next nine majors of the contest – and despite seeing their AFL counterparts give up a big three-quarter-time lead to the AFL Cats earlier in the day, there were no such late failings in this encounter.
Leading goalkickers: Marcon 2, Elton 2, Aarts 2 (Richmond) / Cunico 2 (Geelong)
CLICK HERE for the full results, best players and goalkickers
CLICK HERE for the updated ladder
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Last Modified on 14/08/2016 20:51