Something old
Kane Cornes, every Port Adelaide fan’s favourite old campaigner, called it quits after game 300 on Sunday.
No fairytale finish but with 28 touches in a defensive role there's no doubting @kanecornes brilliance #farewellkane http://t.co/EZDjDjSQoW
— AFL #IndigenousRound (@AFL) May 24, 2015
Though the Power didn’t get the result they were after, thousands of fans stayed until the end to farewell the 32-year-old, who was chaired off and received a guard of honour from his teammates and the Richmond players.
While the game’s best midfielders might’ve breathed a sigh of relied, there were plenty sad to see him go.
Good luck today to my old school mate @kanecornes. Brilliant career of desire & dedication. Soak up the last moments https://t.co/6jmlgjRQrf
— Matthew Pavlich (@mattpav29) May 24, 2015
Congrats to @kanecornes on a terrific career, great player and great family man #AFLPowerTigers
— Adam Cooney (@Adamcooney13) May 24, 2015
Congrats to @kanecornes on 300 games and a great career. By far one of my hardest opponents. Disciplined and hard working #goodluck
— Brent Harvey (@Boomer_29) May 23, 2015
Something new
A Cyril Rioli fumble.
The 25-year-old Hawk was brilliant in the Grand Final replay on Saturday night – as is the case in all of his best games, Rioli’s performance went beyond kicks, marks and handballs.
His pressure was outstanding, his creativity unparalleled and his ability to be clean with the ball when the pressure around him was at its highest made his game compelling viewing.
It would have been fitting to see him kick the winning goal in the final minute, but a rare fumble in the goal-square saw the Swans defence whisk the ball away and escape with the win, in one of the best games of the year to date.
Something borrowed
It’s not the first time we’ve seen opposition players swap jumpers after an AFL match – James Hird and Glenn Archer may have been the last pair to do so back in 2007 – but it’s certainly not a regular occurrence.
“You see it a bit in the American and European sports leagues and I thought, going into the game, if I got a chance after the game I might ask him,” Geelong’s Cam Guthrie said after swapping jumpers with Carlton champion Chris Judd on Friday night.
“He was happy to hand it over.”
Privileged to compete against a player I have always had great respect for. Thanks for the jumper @cjayfive pic.twitter.com/dwMY6xifrM
— Cameron Guthrie (@CamGu3) May 24, 2015
@CamGu3 I should've kept ur GPS unit, the numbers would've been a lot better than mine!
— Chris Judd (@cjayfive) May 24, 2015
Something [red and] blue
The grand old flag of the red and the blue was flying high on Sunday night.
Wins have been fairly scarce for Dees supporters over the last few years, but in Round 8, Melbourne had two.
Led by Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince and Jesse Hogan, the Demons led at every change against the Western Bulldogs.
It was the same story just hours earlier, when Melbourne defeated the Bulldogs by eight points in the women’s match. The second women’s game for the year will be played on August 16, as a curtain raiser to the Demons v Bulldogs Round 20 match.