Bulldogs v Suns, Essendon v Hawthorn, West Coast v Power, Swans v North, Crows v Carlton: AFL round 7 live scores

Updated May 05, 2018 20:01:26

Saturday's AFL action continues with Sydney facing North Melbourne and Adelaide playing Carlton, while West Coast, Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs enjoy their respective victories.

Follow all the Aussie rules action in our live ScoreCentre.

Sydney Swans v North Melbourne

Live stream

Live summary

Live stats

Adelaide Crows v Carlton

Live stream

Live summary

Live stats

Eagles turn off the power in the west

West Coast has overcome the early loss of star midfielder Luke Shuey to post a 42-point win over Port Adelaide in Perth.

Shuey injured his right hamstring just two minutes into the match but the Eagles were still able to power their way to the 16.6 (102) to 9.6 (60) victory in front of 50,516 fans on Saturday.

The game was all but over by the 20-minute mark of the third quarter, when West Coast led by 55 points.

Port launched a spirited fight-back to reduce the margin to 25 points early in the final quarter but goals to Mark Hutchings and Jack Petruccelle officially ended the contest.

Eagles forward Jack Darling starred with three goals and six contested marks, while Jack Redden (32 disposals, eight clearances) and Willie Rioli (16 possessions, two goals) helped cover the loss of Shuey in the midfield.

The win improved West Coast's record to 6-1 but they face a tough schedule over the next three weeks when they take on GWS (away), Richmond (home) and Hawthorn (away).

Port Adelaide was touted premiership fancies at the start of the year following its aggressive recruitment spree but three losses from their past four games has left the Power (4-3) on shaky ground.

Shuey's early exit on Saturday saw Eagles coach Adam Simpson hand goalsneak Rioli some significant midfield stints.

Rioli stood up to the task, tallying some important possessions and setting up several attacking forays.

The 22-year-old kicked a good crumbing goal late in the second quarter.

And just minutes later he dived on a loose ball and fired a quick handball to Jack Petruccelle, who kicked truly to give West Coast a commanding 37-point lead at half-time.

Rioli's long-range goal extended the margin to 55 points in the third quarter.

And although Port Adelaide were able to launch a brief comeback after that, it was far too little to breach the gap.

Hawks take down struggling Bombers

Essendon's third-quarter malaise has doomed them again in their 23-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG.

After a week of debate about the state of the game, the Hawks' 13-12 (90) to 10.7 (67) win at the MCG was Exhibit A for concerns about congestion and low scoring.

Only nine goals were scored in the first half, despite ideal autumn conditions. The Hawks then cut loose in the third quarter with 6.3 to a solitary rushed behind.

That turned the Bombers' seven-point half-time lead into a decisive 31-point advantage for the Hawks at the last change.

Essendon is the only team not to win any third terms after seven rounds this season. The Bombers have lost their third quarters by a combined 136 points.

More importantly, they have also lost their last three matches.

Returning from his second suspension this season , fiery Hawks centre half back James Sicily was best afield with 14 marks and 29 possessions..

Midway through the third quarter, Essendon was 11 points down and struggling when Joe Daniher gave away a 50-metre penalty off Sicily.

Sicily then kicked a booming 50m-plus goal that confirmed the Hawks had control of the match.

Essendon did not kick a goal from 18 minutes into the second quarter until seven minutes into the last.

Daniher's first goal in his 100th match sparked a mini-surge for the Bombers, who kicked three in a row and reduced the margin to a gettable 22 points with plenty of time left.

But two quick Hawthorn goals killed off the unlikely challenge.

After two matches without any goals, Hawks captain Jarryd Roughead kicked three to be high among their best.

Bulldogs beat Suns to make it two on the trot

The Western Bulldogs have held off Gold Coast by nine points in a tightly-contested clash in Ballarat to notch their third win of the AFL season.

The Bulldogs trailed at three-quarter time in a match full of momentum swings but outlasted the Suns in the final term to secure an 11.15 (81) to 10.12 (72) victory.

Midfielder Jack Macrae was outstanding for the Bulldogs with 40 disposals, 12 clearances and a goal, while Lachie Hunter chipped in with 34 disposals and seven inside-50s.

The hard-fought victory takes the Bulldogs' season record to three wins and four losses.

Already missing captain Easton Wood (hamstring), the Bulldogs suffered another major injury blow with stand-in skipper Marcus Bontempelli (hip soreness) a late withdrawal.

With Hunter taking the captaincy reins, the Dogs got off to a lacklustre start and were wasteful by foot on a cold and blustery afternoon.

Gold Coast, lining up without co-captains Tom Lynch (knee) and Steven May (finger), showed plenty of spark to seize the early lead and momentum.

The Bulldogs took the ascendancy midway through the second term, piling on four goals in quick succession including two fine roving efforts by fourth-gamer Patrick Lipinski.

But the Suns refused to go away, snatching back the lead on the verge of half-time and maintaining their dominance around the ball during a close third quarter.

The Bulldogs led the inside-50 count 14-0 midway through the final term but the Suns capitalised on their first forward entry with Aaron Young running down an oblivious Macrae and converting the free kick to level the scores.

But late goals to Billy Gowers and Bailey Williams were enough to see the Bulldogs home and maintain the Suns' unwanted mantle as the AFL's worst-performed fourth-quarter team.

#ladder

AFL ladder

ABC/AAP

Topics: australian-football-league, sport

First posted May 05, 2018 13:09:10