Blues take early lead against Pies

Carlton kicked away to an early three-goal lead at the MCG before the Pies finally responded with the last goal of the quarter through Alex Fasolo.

In front of a huge crowd, the Blues led by 19, before Collingwood cut the margin to 13 at the first break.

Goals to Sam Petrevski-Seton, Matthew Wright and Kade Simpson helped the Blues to a 3.4 (22) to 1.3.(9) at quarter-time.

‘What the hell is going on’

Can you believe it.Source:Getty Images

NORTH Melbourne is on the verge of the biggest upset of the season so far — and it’s only quarter-time.

The Roos annihilated new flag favourites Adelaide in the first quarter — kicking ten unanswered goals at Blundstone Arena in Tassie before the Crows were even on the scoreboard.

At quarter time the Roos led 10.4 (64) to Adelaide 0.0 (0).

The Crows went into the game without a loss, while the Roos have won just once this season.

Despite North Melbourne enjoying a healthy breeze at their backs for the first quarter, the footy world was stunned.

Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy: “They are shell-shocked, the Crows”.

‘That’s a punch to the guts’

Adelaide’s Charlie Cameron could face the scrutiny of the match review panel after appearing to punch North Melbourne’s Kayne Turner off the ball.

The pair were lined up in the Kangaroos’ forward fifty after a Roos’ goal when Turner whacked Cameron across the chest with a shove.

Cameron retaliated by hitting Turner in the stomach.

Turner collapsed to the turf and was awarded a free kick.

After watching a video reply of the confrontation Fox Footy commentator Brenton Speed said: “That’s a punch in the guts”.

Davis caught pushing teammate

Not an easy man to push.Source:Getty Images

AFL greats Matthew Lloyd and Tony Shaw have hit out at the GWS leadership after a petulant display of hostility in their Friday night loss to the Saints.

With the game slipping away, the Giants have been accused of turning on each other in a series of public confrontations between players.

It was highlighted by an incident involving co-captain Phil Davis, ruckman Rory Lobb and veteran star Stevie Johnson.

With Lobb at the centre of a confrontation, Davis pushed his own teammate before Johnson ruined in and appeared to tell his own captain to walk away.

Lloyd said it was a bad look for the club.

“I didn’t like what I saw at three-quarter time with Davis Pushing Lobbe,” Lloyd told 3AW Football.

“Johnson trying to step in. Davis telling him to go away. All those sorts of things weren’t great from their end.”

Former Collingwood great and coach Shaw said the Giants frustrations gave St Kilda fuel.

“I don’t mind players verbalising things to teammates to tell them about what’s going on, but when you have body language which demonstrates or remonstrates with a teammate out there and we saw about three issues of that with the GWS,” he said.

“They have to address that. You have to worry. When players go outside the rules and what you’re trying to set-up you tell them, but you don’t want to see that pushing and shoving that we saw.

“Jeremy Cameron and Stevie Johnson, after a goal up the other end, you could see the verbal between them. You can’t show your opposition that that is going through your mind.”

12.45

Turns out Alastair Clarkson is not perfect

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson admits threatening a potential need for “catastrophic change” post-match last week was a “poor choice of words”.

Clarkson today moved to quell talk of a major shake-up, opting to back his “proud group” to respond against Melbourne on Sunday at the MCG.

“I probably got wound up in the emotion a bit, it was probably a poor choice of words by me knowing full well that it would probably be referenced a fair bit throughout the course of the week,” Clarkson said.

“Our club has never really been about dealing with things in a catastrophic manner.”

Clarkson last week flagged the potential for “catastrophic change” if the Hawks continued to suffer heavy losses.

“(I was) just disappointed right at that point in time that we played so poorly and didn’t actually say there is going to be catastrophic change this week,” Clarkson said.

“If we’re guilty of anything it’s just backing in our players and that’s held us in good stead over a long, long period of time.

“They’re a proud group and they’ve gone to the coalface so many times. We were really disappointed in our performance last week but on reflection we were outstanding the week before.

“We want to back in the capability of our group in a sense that we know, as we saw the week before, the capability of this side — just (got to) bring it on a consistent basis.”

The Hawks will square off against former teammate Jordan Lewis on Sunday at the MCG but Clarkson said he would be treated like the 21 other Demons.

— Gilbert Gardiner, The Herald Sun

One more pay day for Steve J

A legend... just ask him.Source:AAP

Greater Western Sydney veteran Steve Johnson insists he still has more to give after a difficult start to the AFL season.

A triple-premiership player, three-time All-Australian and Norm Smith medallist with Geelong, Johnson’s record is undeniable, and his 43 goals last season helped the Giants reach the finals for the first time.

But the 33-year-old has struggled in the early stages of his 16th season and was again quiet during the Giants’ 23-point loss to St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

Playing up forward, Johnson had 20 touches and five marks but only laid one tackle and failed to hit the scoreboard.

With six goals from six games, Johnson has been largely unable to add to his extraordinary highlight reel this season.

Speaking before Friday night’s game, Johnson acknowledged the pressure he was under but declared he could handle it.

“It’s funny living up in Sydney, even though I’m a footy head, I hadn’t realised that the spotlight’s on me as much as you alluded to,” Johnson said in a Seven Network interview.

“In the last 24 hours, I’ve had people telling me that the drums are beating, and that’s fine.

“I guess at some stage, one of these experts or one of these people that’s yelling out over the fence is going to be right — it’s going to be the end for me, because I’m not getting any younger.

“But I’m just not willing to accept that it’s just yet.” Johnson toyed with retiring last year but eventually signed a one-year contract extension, having missed the Giants’ nailbiting preliminary final loss to the Western Bulldogs through suspension.

— AAP