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Upsets and umpires send Twitter reeling in AFL Round 12

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KUDOS to anyone who tipped truly in a topsy-turvy split round of AFL 2017.

It was all about blowouts, upsets and controversy, with the best of the action saved til last as Collingwood and Melbourne played out an epic in the Big Freeze.

Let’s see what the good people of Twitter had to say about it.

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Grand final rematches fall flat

Thursday’s clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground was supposed to be one of the highlights of the round.

It was not to be, however, as the Swans ran all over a flat Western Bulldogs outfit in a disappointing reboot of the 2016 AFL Grand Final.

The Dogs were mauled in just about every key stat, having 32 fewer inside 50s and losing the hitout count by a whopping 49.

At least the club’s social media managers could have a chuckle about the sorry state of affairs.

Friday played host to a grand final rematch of a very different sort as Adelaide celebrated the 25th anniversary of their maiden AFL Premiership win.

Darren Jarman was the hero on that famous afternoon in 1997, but it is fair to say he would struggle to have the same impact around the goalmouth these days.

The 57-point victory over St Kilda was extra special for Jono Beech, the mature-aged recruit from West Adelaide.

He dobbed one of the goals of the night en route to his first AFL win, which resulted in the obligatory Gatorade shower.

Suns, Lions and Dons star in super Saturday upsets

The decision to drop Ty Vickery should have improved Hawthorn’s chances against Gold Coast.

Yet it was the Suns who shone at the MCG on Saturday arvo as Gary Ablett Jr. ran rampant with 37 disposals, 10 tackles and two goals.

It is hard to imagine this is the same player whose desire and commitment came under scrutiny early in the season.

Among the biggest critics of GAJ and the Suns was a certain senior journalist at a leading Melbourne newspaper, and the folks on Twitter have long memories indeed.

Up in Brisbane, the Lions derailed their own campaign for the wooden spoon with a shock win over Fremantle.

This sumptuous move at the start of the second quarter just about summed it up:

Dayne Zorko was in electric form once again, racking up 14 touches and clutching a Mark of the Week contender in the opening term alone.

Some observers out there in the Twitterverse feel the two-time Brisbane best and fairest winner would grab more headlines if he moved south.

Essendon completed a trio of big results with a 19.17.131 to 8.13.61 demolition of Port Adelaide at the Docklands.

The night was somewhat soured by the booing of Paddy Ryder, who swapped Windy Hill for West Lakes in 2015 after the supplements scandal broke out.

The Dons booted 48 points in the opening quarter as several players – Cale Hooker, James Stewart and Conor McKenna in particular – enjoyed career-best outings.

But nobody gets Bomber fans out of their seats quite like Anthony McDonald-Tipingwuti, who capped a four-goal display with this ripper:

Blues and Dees save best til last

It was a pretty ordinary weekend of football until Sunday’s unassuming clash between Carlton and Greater Western Sydney rolled around.

But the Blues, second-last on the ladder, delivered something special to knock the Giants out of top spot.

Sam Docherty led the way with 35 disposals as Brendon Bolton’s men survived a late GWS surge to snatch a famous one-point victory.

Also among the best was Liam Jones, who starred in a new defensive role in his first senior appearance for the season.

And yet the Queen’s Birthday clash was the pick of the round as 70,000 piled into the MCG in another huge day for Neale Daniher’s Big Freeze campaign.

A seesawing final term saw Melbourne edge it by four points to reach the dizzying heights of sixth place on the AFL ladder, but it was Jeremy Howe who soared highest of all.

Umpiring was a hot topic throughout round 12, and it all came to a head on Monday evening.

Just as the AFL hit Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson with a fine for his post-match rant two days prior, Collingwood fans and neutrals alike took to social media to voice their fury with quality of officiating.

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