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Power unplugged as Twitter reacts to AFL Round 20

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AFL Twitter chat for Australia

CAN Geelong cope without Patrick Dangerfield?

They fell well short on Friday night as the Sydney Swans claimed an important win at Simonds Stadium.

Now we will find out how the Cats fare sans Joel Selwood, who will miss the next few weeks after undergoing ankle surgery.

It was a poor night all-round for Geelong and their skipper as the ever-fickle favour of the AFL umpires turned against them for a change.

Not even former club captains were safe from Twitter’s scorn as viewers took aim at Cameron Ling and his one-eyed commentary on Channel Seven.

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Melbourne got off to flyer in frigid conditions in Canberra, booting the first three goals of the game.

That was about as good as it got for the Dees, however, as Greater Western Sydney’s superior depth showed en route to a 35-point win.

It was a happy debut for Brett Deledio, who donned the orange and charcoal for the first time since his summer switch from Richmond.

The Giants may have to make do without Shane Mumford for a couple of weeks after he lined Melbourne big-man Max Gawn in the third quarter.

That was one of several incidents that left Demons supporters salty at the umps.

Essendon went into their Saturday afternoon clash at the MCG with a spot in the top eight up for grabs.

By the midway point of the final quarter, it looked as though they had blown their chance against a dogged Carlton outfit.

It did not help that the Bombers lost Orazio Fantasia to a hamstring injury early in the game.

That put extra pressure on Essendon’s forward line, but Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti took it all in stride.

The Tiwi star combined with Cale Hooker to boot the last three goals of the game in a match-winning display filled with meme-worthy moments.

The Western Bulldogs suffered a big scare of their own.

The reigning premiers were cruising after a fast start put them 28 points up on the Brisbane Lions at quarter time.

Then they lost Easton Wood to a hamstring injury and things started to fall apart.

Two strong quarters of footy saw Brisbane enter the final term with an 11-point advantage.

Although they couldn’t quite hold on, Lions were fans were nonetheless delighted to catch glimpses of a bright future.

Collingwood had no issue with North Melbourne on Saturday night, romping to a 54-point victory at the Docklands.

While the quality of football might not live long in the memory, there was one particular incident that sent social media ablaze.

Only a week after Patrick Dangerfield was suspended for a dangerous tackle, Pies ruckman Brodie Grundy was awarded a free kick despite driving Ben Brown’s head into the turf.

While Magpies fans insisted the tackle was legitimate, the rest of the world saw it very differently.

A lacklustre Saturday night schedule concluded with an inconsequential match-up between Fremantle and the Gold Coast.

After a slow start, the Dockers powered away to claim a morale-boosting victory and drive another nail into Rodney Eade’s coffin.

Nat Fyfe and Lachie Neale starred in the Freo midfield, but it was Luke Ryan who grabbed the headlines.

The mature-aged recruit from Coburg finished the night with 28 disposals and 16 marks in an outstanding display in defence.

That stat line included nine intercept grabs – only one shy of the AFL record held by Jade Rawlings and Daniel Talia.

Sunday loomed as a nightmare for tipsters.

No game was harder to pick than St Kilda versus West Coast – two teams with finals ambitions that have shown no consistency in recent weeks.

A seesawing encounter looked to be headed the Eagles’ way when they kicked out early in the last quarter.

But the ghosts of their recent collapse against Collingwood came back to haunt them as the Saints stormed back to snatch the points.

It was a very bitter way for Josh Kennedy to celebrate 500 career goals in the AFL.

For than a few punters had money on Hawthorn to keep the good times rolling with an upset win over Richmond.

However, it became apparent very early on that Luke Hodge’s absence was much more significant than that of Jack Riewoldt.

The Tigers bombed away early and never looked like losing.

There were moments when the Hawks threatened to spring something special, most notably when Conor Glass foiled an almost-certain Richmond goal in the last quarter.

But the day belonged to the yellow and black as Dustin Martin took another big step towards the Brownlow.

Round 20 was supposed to end with a rousing finale as Adelaide and Port Adelaide renewed hostilities in Showdown 43.

Instead it was a bloodbath as the Crows made it five in a row against their crosstown foes.

The league leaders would have had the game won by quarter time, but nine misses from 10 attempts kept the Power in it.

Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins and Taylor Walker gave the competition’s best defence an absolute hiding as Adelaide posted some 40 scoring shots to 11.

If there was ever a game for Port fans to duck out early, it was this one.

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