Finals aren’t far away for both the NRL and the AFL and this weekend saw records achieved as well as finals positions secured with some nail biting close games. With the AFL headed into its final week of rounds before the finals start, many teams were desperate to get any points on the ladder to secure them their place in the eight. The NRL has a few more weeks to go and who can make finals is very much still up in the air, but with the Canberra Raiders having the bye now was the time to get points on the board with the top of the table team away.
NRL
With three rounds still to go in the regular season teams have started to mark their territory on the ladder. The Storm ended a classic golden point game with a blinder from Harry Grant, defeating last year’s champions the Panthers and showing them how things could’ve gone differently last year. The Sharks came out and absolutely embarrassed the Titans at home in Sydney, reminding the Titans why they’re currently the bottom of the table. The Roosters managed to take down the Bulldogs and squeeze their way up into 8th place on the ladder, something which was aided by the Dolphins seeing a tough defeat from the Bronco’s in Brisbane. The top of the table team, Canberra Raiders, saw a bye this week but have a comfortable enough lead that even with the week off they’re sitting pretty on the top of the ladder. But with three weeks still to go do the Raiders have the endurance to stay in the red hot form they’ve been in all year? Or, much like the Magpies over in the AFL are they overdue for an end of season stumble? Who knows, a lot can change in three weeks time and there are still many different ways the playing season can end.
AFL
The Crows have secured their minor premiership and a home game in the finals after a nail biting three point victory over the former top of the table dominant Magpies, who continue to slide down the ladder after another defeat. Geelong have also secured a home game final with their victory over the Swans, yet sadly this home game final won’t be played in Geelong. The most influential game this week was another round of the expansion cup where the Giants defeated the Suns on their home turf in Queensland, and with the Bulldogs triumphant over West Coast, it’s now the Suns who sit just outside the finals. But, the Suns have a secret advantage of having two games to play still ahead of everyone else’s one. Due to a rescheduling after the floods earlier in the year, the Suns are still to face Port Adelaide on Friday the 22nd and Essendon on Wednesday the 27th. The final rounds will be tense for many teams, however it looks like the game to watch to decide who falls short of the eight will come down to Fremantle and the Bulldogs as the two currently sit 7th and 8th and only one team can stay on the board if the Suns win either of their two games. Notably, this weekend saw young gun Harry Sheezel achieve the record for most disposals in a single game with a whopping 54 disposals, ensuring their defeat over Richmond.
