Ablett season may be over?

At the twentieth minute mark of the opening quarter, Gary Ablett hobbled from the ground in the arms of the trainers after hurting his knee in a collision with Matt Shaw. With only six games remaining, it might be the final memory we have of the champion midfielder this season. 2015 is the year of the injury curse. There is no hiding from that fact. An entire first-choice midfield has missed almost the entire season due to injury and after teasing in the last three weeks, Ablett returns to the sidelines with a knee injury. The extent of which will be determined on Monday when the dual Brownlow medallist has his knee scanned. At this stage it has been reported Ablett has a torn lateral meniscus that could sideline him for a month. But given the state and status of this season, it might be curtains for Ablett this season.

Dominant Lynch produces best showing of 2015

Tom Lynch produced the finest performance of his season to be the most dominant key position player on Adelaide Oval. It’s been a difficult season for Gold Coast forwards due to a decimated midfield department that has been routinely beaten by opposition sides. On Saturday afternoon, Lynch was brilliant. His hands were rock solid and he crashed through packs. Unlike a week earlier where he booted 1.5 against GWS, the 22-year-old kicked 4.1 from 21 possessions. Lynch plucked a game-high 11 marks, four of which were contested and four were taken inside 50. The star spearhead did his work at both ends of the ground with Rodney Eade sending him behind the ball at times to stem the bleeding. Lynch was a major benefactor of the return of Charlie Dixon. The pair was pivotal in keeping the SUNS in the game for the first three quarters, getting the better of inexperienced Adelaide pair Sam Shaw and Kyle Hartigan.

Bennell reponds in an emphatic manner

Harley Bennell’s stunning return to football after weeks of controversy shouldn’t be underestimated. The prodigious talent thrived in adverse circumstances against a finals bound Adelaide in South Australia’s football cauldron. Bennell collected a game-high 39 disposals, 16 contested possessions, nine inside 50s and five clearances. His ball use was a bit untidy at times but his desire to take the game on stood out. A metres gained reading of 672m highlights this – ranked third across the competition in round 17. The West Australian will be judged on what he produces moving forward, but to collect that much of the ball against such a quality midfield highlights his immense talent.

May gets the chocolates at Adelaide Oval

In recent times, Adelaide captain Taylor Walker has got the better of Steven May. The last time the pair met at Adelaide Oval, Walker kicked five. On Saturday afternoon, May avenged his previous performances on the star forward, holding him to 2.1 from 11 possessions. And Walker’s first goal was a result of poor defending up the ground, rather than May’s mistake. Given Adelaide dominance in the midfield, the Crows had far more inside 50s than the SUNS (+20), to ensure Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch and co had a plethora of opportunities to hit the scoreboard. Since the turn of the bye, May has rediscovered the form from last year that saw him emerge as one of the best young key defenders in the game. With Lynch getting the job done at the other end of the ground, and May providing his dependability in defence, the SUNS pairing have the potential to be two of the best in their respective areas in the next five plus years.

Dixon in elite company

If Charlie Dixon can find some consistency with his body then he has the potential to enter the top echelon of key forwards in the game. It’s a big ‘if’ because of the injury troubles he has encountered during his career. But this season he has proven how destructive he can be, and how deep his weaponry is. Dixon has managed just ten games this season due to lingering ankle issues that have come and gone all year. After 17 rounds he has kicked 28.12, but his average of 2.8 goals per game is ranked fourth in the league behind All Australian’s Josh Kennedy, Lance Franklin and Jeremy Cameron. Talk about elite company. On Saturday afternoon, along with Lynch, he demonstrated why the SUNS forward pairing could be one of the most potent in the game. In the opening 15 seconds he marked on the lead ahead of Hartigan, went back and kicked his first. Two set shot misses from just inside 50 in the third quarter were two blemishes on an impressive afternoon. He finished with 3.3 from 15 disposals and six marks. All six were taken inside the arc – five contested.

Lonergan and Hall lift in adverse circumstances

When Ablett joined a myriad of engine room class on the sidelines in the opening quarter, the midfield was even more depleted than it had been 20 minutes earlier. In the last fortnight David Swallow and Mitch Hallahan joined Jaeger O’Meara and Dion Prestia in the medical room, leaving an undermanned and inexperienced midfield department. Against the Crows, Aaron Hall and Jesse Lonergan stood up opposed to a star-studded midfield comprising Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson. Since returning to Rodney Eade’s side in round 14, Hall has produced a strong month. He had 24 possessions at Adelaide Oval, including 10 contested, five clearances and four tackles. After spending time down back this season, Lonergan thrived in the middle. He collected 20 disposals, 10 contested possessions and nine tackles to be one of Gold Coast’s key contributors against the Crows.