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Another Franklin wonder-goal tops Twitter in AFL Round 22

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ROUND 22 kicked off with a Friday night cracker between the two form teams in the AFL.

Even though the Crows had plenty of help from the umpires, it was the Sydney Swans who triumphed at Adelaide Oval.

At least the men in fluoro had the decency to put the whistle away as Lance Franklin ran from Rundle Mall to St Peter’s Cathedral in two bounces to slot a late contender for goal of the year.

While the Swans eye off the top four, the Western Bulldogs’ title defence is all but over.

Charlie Dixon starred with four goals, eight marks and 18 disposals as Port Adelaide ran out 27-point winners in the early Saturday fixture at Ballarat.

It was a big result for the logjam of teams hoping to sneak into the top eight, although the notion of rooting for the Power was a cringeworthy one for many.

Having already beaten Geelong this year, Collingwood looked on track to do the double as Josh Daicos made his long-awaited debut.

However, the Cats proved too good in the end as Patrick Dangerfield activated ‘superstar’ mode with a match-winning second half.

It was another costly outcome for online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au, which paid out on the Pies when they took a four-goal lead in the opening term.

It was a similar story up in Sydney as West Coast looked to pull off an upset over GWS.

The Eagles led at various stages, but their star men carried a few passengers too many as the Giants kicked away late to seal a 21-point win.

Joshes Kelly and Kennedy were the standouts for their respective teams, so perhaps it was fitting that they butted heads in a nasty last-quarter collision.

If Saturday night’s clash at Metricon Stadium is anything to go by, Essendon will be merely making up the numbers if they scrape into the finals.

Gold Coast’s accuracy in front of the sticks made it a nervy night for the Bombers, who struggled to create and convert chances despite an overwhelming dominance of possession in their forward half.

The game was not without its highlights, however, with debutant Josh ‘The Fridge’ Begley making a big impact early and Irish gun Conor McKenna slotting a pearler on the run.

Hawthorn entered the week surrounded by hushed murmurs of a late push for the top eight.

They left it with their season over after losing a tight, seesawing affair to Carlton.

It was the Blues’ first victory over the Hawks since 2005 – a year before Twitter came into existence, as several on social media pointed out.

They might be bottom of the ladder, but the Brisbane Lions came to play on Sunday afternoon at the MCG.

Melbourne supporters were taken on the rockiest of rides for a crucial 13-point win that keeps them well and truly in the finals frame.

Jesse Hogan was the match-winner with six majors, but it was all cheese platters and sighs of relief from Dees fans on Twitter.

North Melbourne started brightly at the Docklands as they chased a rare victory, but injuries to Todd Goldstein, Braydon Preuss and Daniel Nielson rather halted their early momentum.

The midfield strength of St Kilda won out in the end as they celebrated Nick Riewoldt’s final home game in style.

The retiring Saint received plenty of love from his adoring fans, who turned out en masse for the occasion.

It was a far less fond farewell for Fremantle as they waved goodbye to Subiaco ahead of their move to Perth Stadium next season.

The first quarter held so much promise, with Harley Bennell striking early for the Dockers in his first AFL game since 2015.

Then everything went horribly, horribly wrong as Richmond booted 22 of the game’s last 26 goals to deal Freo a second consecutive 104-point defeat.

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