AFL 2024 round 11 LIVE updates: Hawks on top early, put Lions on back foot early

Taylor “Tex” Walker has finished the third quarter in style for the Crows with a beautiful long bomb from a set shot after the three-quarter-time siren.

It’s doubtful that AFL teams still suck on cut-up oranges at the final break, but if they do the ones in the Crows camp will taste especially sweet tonight.

Harley Reid chases Jordan Dawson. Reid is trying his best but the Eagles are under seige.Credit: AFL Photos

They lead by 86 points and the only real interest left in this game is whether they will extend the margin beyond 100 … and perhaps whether Eagle Harley Reid can stamp himself on the contest.

Reid barged through a pack with characteristic style to will himself to a goal late in that term – the Eagles’ fourth of the night.

“It’s Harley Reid versus the Crows,” exclaimed Fox’s Dwayne Russell on commentary, citing the fact the youngster had six of his team’s 27 contested possessions in that quarter.

Kuwarna 117 v Waalitj Marawar 31.

Kuwarna (Adelaide) are doing a number on Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) in the city of churches, where it’s not yet three-quarter-time.

With five minutes left in the third term, the Crows already have triple figures and lead by 87 points.

After a scrappy few minutes of play, Darcy Fogarty has just stretched the Crows lead with a classy goal on the run.

Kuwrana 17.9 (111) lead Waalitj Marawar 3.6 (24).

STRUGGLING SAINTS IN A HOLEIt’s just over two months since Euro-Yroke ran Collingwood off their legs. They look a shadow of that team now.

Mitch Owens of the Saints.Credit: Getty

The run and dare which they showed against the reigning premiers is not evident. For long periods of the game, the Saints made even the most basic skills look difficult.

In the first term, they were stifled, at times resembling a local club’s reserves side in the way they hacked the ball blindly out of defence. They had a few passages in the 15 minutes before then after half-time where they moved the ball with speed, drawing within two goals, only for the Dees to regain control.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, electric on that March night against the Pies, is getting more attention. The Saints love the ball in Brad Hill’s hands but his effectiveness plummets when he’s under pressure. Liam Henry hasn’t gotten going since he was injured.

The one thing they do have is their team defence but that was picked apart with alarming ease in the second half. Ross Lyon has a lot of work to do to get the Saints back on track.

DEE-FENCE RULESFor a premiership contender, the Demons sure look clunky at times in the way they move the ball but their defence is stingy, even without Jake Lever calling the shots. They showed last week was an aberration with another miserly performance, holding the impotent Saints to just nine goals, three of which came in junk time.

Steven May was excellent against Max King, who finished with three goals but only two came against Narrm’s backline general. His 25 disposals, 11 of which were intercepts, was a big factor in the Saints’ struggles, so too the pressure which the Dees maintained around the ball for much of the game.

The Demons have another three months to bed down their forard structure but their control behind the ball will win them plenty of games and give them every chance to have a plum spot on the grid in September.

WHERE TO PLAY PETRACCAChristian Petracca is Melbourne’s best midfielder. He would vie with Bayley Fritsch as their best forward if permanently stationed inside 50. Therein lies the conundrum as to where Petracca is best placed for the Dees.

Kysaiah Pickett and Christian Petracca of the Dees celebrate a goal.Credit: Getty

As wide as the gulf in class was between the two sides, it was not until the second half when it was reflected on the scoreboard.

Petracca spent periods forward during that time when the Dees were at their most potent and though he played his part he was not needed to tear the game apart. He finished with 24 touches and two goals, one of which came from long range after he burst from the centre clearance.

Against Carlton, he was moved forward as a Hail Mary, with he and his team struggling. This time, the switch came with the points in the bag. If Harry Petty can’t get up next week after being subbed out with an ankle injury, where to place Petracca’s magnet will no doubt feature more prominently in Simon Goodwin’s planning.

My sense is against the best, the Dees need Petracca forward.

And pretty comprehensively by the end too. Narrm downed Euro-Yroke by a whopping 38 points to ensure they’ll be in the eight by the end of the round.

After a slow-ish start, they piled on the goals, three of those through Jacob van Rooyen, while Christian Salem led the Demons’ disposal count with 32.

There are plenty of problem areas for Euro-Yroke, who just looked a class behind Narrm today.

Narrm defeated Euro-Yroke 14.16 (100) to 9.8 (62).

Steven May and Max Gawn celebrate a goal for the Demons.Credit: Getty

Euro-Yroke have notched two junk-time goals through Jack Higgins and Jack Sinclair. It drags the margin back to 42, and Steven May didn’t look happy about giving up those points.

Narrm currently have 99 points on the board; their second-highest score of the season so far.

Narrm by 42

There hasn’t been a lot for Saints fans to cheer about this game, but Max King now has three goals, which provides one bright spot.

Unfortunately for them, a minute-and-a-half after the Saints key forward kicked Euro-Yroke’s sixth goal of the game, Jacob van Rooyen kicked his third of the day, too. And that was the Demons’ 14th goal of the afternoon.

Narrm by 54

Well, that’s something you don’t see very often. Steven May has kicked a goal.

The key defender’s first since 2020 and boy, did he love it. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him so excited – that goes for Jake Lever watching from behind the glass, too.

The whole team rightfully got around him. You’d expect Dees staff are going to hear all about that all week.

This from Andrew Wu, at the MCG:

Defenders love nothing more than kicking goals. We saw Alex Pearce kick a clutch goal the other night against Collingwood, now it’s Steven May’s turn. This one is not as significant, coming with the Dees well in front, but was no less enjoyable for May, who celebrated like a striker who had scored. His goal came from a 50-metre penalty against Max King, for incorrectly standing the mark in the centre. It’s May’s first goal since round 15, 2020, and the 24th in his 226-game career.

Narrm by 54