FOR THE second time this season against the Suns, Josh Kennedy beat Rory Thompson and kicked beautifully at goal. He ended with one more major than the seven he managed in round 13, leaving him on 61 goals, one behind Jarryd Roughhead and Jay Schulz in the goal-kicking ladder, behind runaway winner Lance Franklin. He may not get off to a quick start in the 2015 Coleman Medal race though, after he was reported for cuffing David Swallow in the second quarter. It seemed more careless than malicious but the fact Swallow ended with a bloody mouth may delay Kennedy's start to next season.
Jack master-class
Had it not been for the shoulder injury suffered in round one against Richmond, Jack Martin would have been a big contender when the NAB AFL Rising Star is announced on Wednesday. At the very least he should get a deserved nomination for this performance as he showcased his leaping (and stretching) to grab contested marks, his Harley Bennell-like ability to kick with both feet and his incredible running capacity – ending with personal bests of four goals and 19 disposals. In one passage of play he ran from the forward wing to half-back and back up to the wing before leaping to collect a long kick. Erroneously, he wasn’t paid a contested mark, but he didn’t care. He just picked himself up and fired in a perfect kick for Tom Lynch to mark 30m out from goal.
Shoot-out turns into blow out
With no finals to play for and no Dean Cox and Karmichael Hunt to send off into the sunset with a victory, the sides could have been forgiven for playing out a lacklustre game under a sunny sky. Not a bit of it. After the opening bounce both sides attacked relentlessly, with each kicking six goals in the first quarter. Then in the third quarter, with the notable exception of Martin, the Suns put their cue in the rack as the Eagles outscored them 11 goals to two.
Lynchpin for years to come
Tom Lynch ended a coming of age season in style, booting three goals to leave him with 46 goals, just outside the top 10 goalkickers in the competition. Even more impressive for the ever-present forward, he ends the year second in contested marks with 43, behind only Tom Hawkins. With Gary Ablett’s injury opening up the race for the club’s best and fairest award, he could be a smoky in a competitive field including the skipper, David Swallow and Steven May.
Letdown before first bounce
All week it looked like being a memorable Sunday for West Coast. Take care of business at Metricon Stadium then, assuming St Kilda kept within 100 points or so of Adelaide, celebrate a place in the eight. The Perth media had even arranged for photographers to capture the delighted first-year coach Adam Simpson and team as their plane landed in Brisbane before their connection to Perth, and the score from Adelaide Oval was confirmed. Of course all was scuppered on Saturday afternoon when the Sydney Swans lost at home to Richmond.
