#but not just r5. the first time he won a round. the “”first“” time he saw blood when he was older. its... very fitting

[voidspiraling]

What do you think about the Red pupils in alien stage? Because when I first see them I think it’s just an Ivan trait, but in a few shots, Till has them too. Specifically when it’s related to Ivan. I would think it’s stress because of the fact he was stressed when Luka was manipulating him, but there’s also the Metor shower scene where he’s the happiest we’ve seen him at. Also! Thoughts on the comic where Till says “Because of you Mizi won’t play with me anymore?” And Ivan says that it wasn’t Mizi playing with him it was him? Like, what do you think that comic could mean on both their relationship + how Till loves Mizi? Cuz I think it’s interesting that he’s in love with her because of her smile and her presence but mistakes Ivan for her

Hiiii Srry for the late reply I had finals weeks and was dying. Thank you so much for your ask I’m happy to talk abt red pupils and the comic!

Red eyes are super interesting in IvanTill.

This is the first shot from R3 we get of baby Ivan, and his eyes naturally have the red dot in them. Usually they’re a darker color so his eyes look black most of the time.

So I disagree with the theory that the aliens experimented on Ivan’s eyes to turn them red. His eyes have always been red, you just don’t notice it unless you boost the saturation and contrast. Or have super strong eyes ig. HOWEVER.

Ivan’s eyes get redder when he feels strong emotions. This is the comic showing his final thoughts, here he is likely feeling jealous that Sua was able to be in a mutually requited love with Mizi. It’s almost like his entire world is turned upside down. What do you mean the girl who is so similar to me is able to find happiness? Why couldn’t I? Why is she so happy and I’m so miserable when we’re both the same? So we can associate bright red eyes with intense feelings. Just like how the color bright red can mean intense love but also extreme danger. Now let’s talk about when Till’s eyes are red.

The first time in canon is the infamous meteor shower scene. It’s one of the happiest times we see him. In this moment I think the red pupils represent the happiness and love he feels for Ivan. I’ve talked abt the red sky before but I’ll briefly say that this bright sky is a pivotal moment in both of their lives. It’s where their love was almost fully realized (in my delusional eyes) before being ripped to pieces. Remember red means love but it also means danger. So when Till’s eyes are red it means he’s feeling an intense emotion related to Ivan, bc Ivan naturally has red eyes. In this scene it’s probably love that he is feeling intensely.

Now let’s look at R6 Till, his eyes are red here too but it’s not out of happiness but of heartbreak. I wanted to talk abt this later so I’ll keep this short. But isn’t it strange that Till was so defeated after Mizi disappeared. She wasn’t even confirmed dead but he was already at his lowest. I think the real reason he stopped singing wasn’t just bc he was sad abt Mizi, but bc he didn’t want to win against Ivan. Losing his idol made him realize that the only person he has left is Ivan. It’s like a reality check for him. (Honestly if Mizi somehow won R5 I feel like he’d still throw the match but I’ll explain my delusions separately.) Anyways in this moment right before Ivan kisses him, he is probably shocked at seeing Ivan. Remember Till doesn’t realize that Ivan loves him, he probably attributes Ivan’s weirdness around him as something he does out of hate rather than him trying to get the attention of his crush. So seeing him also throw the mic away and stand so close to him was surprising but also comforting in a sense. At least the last face he sees will be Ivan.

Now onto R7, this is I think the brightest red we see in Till’s eyes. I think this is bc his world just ended hours ago (however long the time between rounds is idk rlly all I know is that R6 and R7 happened the same day.) All the ppl he grew up with died, he doesn’t know what happened to Mizi, and he’s up against the Ruler of the Stage. But here his eyes are red when Luka impersonates Ivan. Again his red eyes likely represent the deep heartbreak and sadness he feels about Ivan. After Ivan’s sacrifice and kiss Till has to re-contextualize everything Ivan has done. I think also it forced him to confront the red sky that haunted him (ie: missed chance at freedom, finding happiness with Ivan) there was a lot of red scenes and red lights during R7 that reinforces this idea.

Overall red eyes are Ivan’s signature, but it’s easy to miss bc it blends with the black of his eyes. Ivan also wears a lot of black you can barely see any red on him. But Till who cares a lot more abt Ivan than he’s willing to admit, notices the red in his eyes. So when Till’s eyes turn red it means what he’s feeling is connected is related to Ivan. We don’t see Till’s turn red when thinking abt Mizi.

There is one exception however.

It’s in R2. Now this could just be thematic, Till just killed an alien living in his guitar. HOWEVER let’s pretend it’s more than that. Red eyes represent Ivan bc he naturally has red pupils. BUT the color red represents Till. He’s got bright red pants, dark red gloves, blood red on his pants and he’s seen cherishing and holding red flowers.

Methinks Red is Till’s signature color bc Till likes the color of Ivan’s eyes. (And if you think abt it pink is just a lighter shade of red hehehe…)

To answer your question red eyes are an Ivan thing bc he was born with red eyes. But red eyes on Till means he’s looking at Ivan meaningfully, acknowledging his own feelings for Ivan it could be positive feelings or negative feelings. But considering that Till’s eyes turned red from being depressed over Ivan, I think Till has mostly positive feelings for Ivan.

Now part 2!

This comic is basically Till threatening (failing to threaten rlly I mean look at Ivan’s face XD) to punch Ivan in the bathroom bc he believes Ivan was somehow the reason Mizi wouldn’t play with him. You can find the translation on Twitter by @WhataFruit.

Ivan’s response was basically what the hell are you on Mizi never played with you in the first place. Then the small text is him saying I was the one who played with you.

On Till’s side the real reason Mizi doesn’t play with Till, is bc she thinks Till doesn’t like her. She likes how artistic he is, and thinks his piercings suit him. But she sees him awkward and uncomfortable around her and assumes it’s bc he doesn’t like her. She wants to be friends with Till but due to Till’s avoidant tendencies they’re not close.

He blames Ivan for this bc he doesn’t have anyone else to blame. He’s May not even be aware that he’s avoiding ppl like this. Ivan was just a jerk to him anyways so it’s easy to blame him if something he doesn’t like happens to him. This is the kid that steals his pencils it wouldn’t be too surprising if Ivan said something weird abt Till to Mizi.

Another thing is that he talks abt Ivan wanting revenge for hitting them when they were younger. This could be bc Till likely feels guilty abt hitting Ivan. When they grow older, yeah Till still gets pissed at Ivan, but he doesn’t hit him anymore. In fact he tries to ignore him like in the R6 flashback when Ivan pulls at his wound on his cheek. It’s like when you tell a little girl to stop reacting when a boy is mean to her bc he likes her (not that it ever stops the boy from being abusive but whatever). So I think this is how Till sees Ivan’s feelings towards him. He’s doing weird stuff cuz he’s mad at me/hates me for hitting him when we were younger. It could also be he feels guilty for throwing away his only chance at freedom with Ivan. Cuz it wasn’t just his freedom he gave up it was also Ivan’s freedom that was lost. It wasn’t Till’s responsibility or anything I’m not blaming him for Ivan’s choices. But as a result of Till’s actions both him and Ivan are trapped as pets again. Till blaming himself for Ivan coming back could be why he thinks Ivan only has negative feelings for him. And why he doesn’t attack Ivan after Ivan provoked him, he probably thinks he deserves Ivan tormenting him.

Now let’s talk abt Ivan’s response. He’s blunt as always with no tact when he says Mizi never played with you in the first place. But the smaller text is him saying I’m the one who plays with you.

From this the smaller text makes me think abt how Ivan is only truly honest when Till isn’t awake or looking at him.

In R6 Ivan is showing comfort and care to Till after he had been forced to sing for the aliens (idk if that scene has actual SA or if they just drugged him and hit him but regardless Till is suffering here). There is no way to misconstrue Ivan’s action as anything but care here. He unlocks Till’s collar and nuzzles his gently the way Till nuzzles flowers. He could’ve kissed Till here, could’ve unbuttoned his shirt or pinch his face etc. But the only thing he does is gently comfort Till.

I think this shows how Ivan wants to be kind and cherish Till. But something holds him back from doing it when Till can receive that care properly. It doesn’t matter how much you love give someone if the other person never receives it in a way they understand. It’s probably bc for Ivan who has been treated as a product/investment he doesn’t have a lot of self-worth. He’s so used to just fulfilling everyone’s expectations of him that he lost his individuality. Loving Till doesn’t fit inside everyone’s expectations of him, not even Till’s. So he only does what he wants when no one is aware of it, when he’s by himself. In the student interview he allots a lot of time for “private time” this could be bc that’s the only reprieve he gets from constantly acting like the perfect pet for the aliens. And with the low self worth and calling his feelings “shallow” he like Till also believes he’s not worthy of affection.

He acts like a jerk to Till partly out of immaturity, anger at Till for not leaving with him and bc if he acts like this he can maximize the time he spent with Till. If he acted like Mizi, gentle and kind, he assumes Till would run away like he does with Mizi. Remember Till grew up being taken away from his mom and being abused by Urak. As a defense mechanism he assumes that violence is normal and avoids the unknown kindness others have for him. As an avoidant person myself, when you’re not used to ppl being unconditional kind, it is VERY uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough that we shy away from it. So that’s why Ivan fulfills Till’s expectation of him being a jerk when he’s awake. But when Till isn’t looking at him or when Ivan’s abt to die he shows pure love towards Till.

Look at the face, that’s the look of someone in love. And one of the few times we see him wearing a collar. It’s bright green when looking at Till, Ivan you have so much affection how can you call it shallow 🥲 How many ppl could give up their chance at freedom just for the person they love? (This is why I can’t get behind ppl who think Ivan would cage Till or trap him by his side. Ivan literally respected Till’s choice not to leave their hell and even stayed with him and loved him the entire time they were together ;-;)

Also abt the last part I’m unclear where exactly Till mistook Ivan for Mizi? From my understanding I see Till loving Mizi as a performance and I think Vivinos said Till saw Mizi as an idol. Like how most ppl love idols, we only love the fantasy version we come up with of them. Very rarely do we see the messy human side to them. And even tho we may obsess over them and feel intense love for our fav idol. Eventually we turn off the screen and go through with our day. That’s how I see Till loving Mizi.

I mean whenever Ivan is watching Till, Till is mostly drawing, practicing/composing music or just by himself. There’s not really a scene of Ivan watching Till look at Mizi. It could just be that bc it’s Ivan’s pov we only see Till and no one else. But we also know that Ivan has spent a lot of time with Till in the garden, he’s our only insight into what Till is actually like. So I think Till loves Mizi from afar bc he unconsciously doesn’t want to actually get to know her and ruin his image of her. Even after seeing her attack Luka in R5 he still hallucinates her as a gentle almost angelic figure.

I mean I think Till has always loved Ivan but that’s just bc I’m delusional lol.

Anyways thank you so much for the ask! Sorry for the lateness and the nonsensical yapping. My brain is kinda fried rn from all the tests but I might come back and re-analyze the comic.

[sotogalmo]

12:22

Nevermore by sasakure...... Such a Luka song but like. Also. Ivan- but I see it as like. How similar they are

[tonystarkbingo]

TSB MIV Week 17 Roundup!

We have only TWO MONTHS LEFT for this round of TSB!

Title: When We Break With Tradtions - Chapter 1: A New Path Collaborator: J_Gun_i (Fighting_for_Creativity) Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Fatigue Ship: Ironhusbands, (pre)M'Baku/Rhodey/Tony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Spiritual Man M'Baku, Established Rhodey/Tony, Meddling Shuri, panic attack (?), strong opinion against outsiders (at first), kinda soulmates. Summary: M'Baku was approached by Princess Shuri who had an unusual request. Agreeing to it, M'Baku found soon out that he set things into motion, he'd never have dreamed of. But what can he do when souls are bound to be together. Also, no one is safe from a meddling Princess Shuri. Word Count: 8625

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Title: a moment in between Collaborator: ohjustpeachy Card Number: 4017 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Fears appear in reality Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: hurt/comfort, angst Summary: Those few blissful seconds right before he regains complete consciousness sometimes feel like all he has left. Then, of course, the realization hits, and Rhodey feels the loss all over again, hears the words anew every time. Complete paralysis. Tonight is one of those nights. Or, Rhodey wakes from a nightmare and Tony does what he can. Word Count: 1203

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Title: Rumor Has It Collaborator: Faustess Card Number: 4059 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Holding Hands Ship: IronHusbands; Pepper/Steve Rating: Gen Major Tags: Implied (not actual) Infidelity Summary: Rhodey wakes up to find Tony reading aloud to Pepper and Steve about his (supposed) wild, playboy lifestyle and their respective roles in it. Jim Rhodes is not caffeinated enough for this kind of hilarity. Word Count: 1319

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Title: m the Edge (Screaming My Name) Collaborator: ralsbecket Card Number: 4056 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Space Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Major character death, angst/tragedy, canon-typical violence Summary: They’d gotten there too late. Everyone used to joke with Steve about him being the Man Out of Time, and today of all days the reminder is just a sharp slap to the face. Maybe he needs a slap to the face, Steve thinks briefly, because then at least he would feel something. Word Count: 5128

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Title: a lifetime’s a short time (when love never ends) Collaborator: deehellcat Card Number: 4028 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - whump Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Canonical Character Death, Dementia, Grief, Aging, Avengers Endgame compliant, with all that implies, I'm Sorry, Implied Suicidal Actions Summary: Years have taken a lot from Pepper, and in the waning of her life, even her memories begin to fall away. Word Count: 2101

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Title: Along Collaborator: periwinklepromise Card Number: 4053 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Lip Sync/Karaoke Ship: Maria Hill/Natasha Romanova Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: “Remind me again why I agreed to this?” Maria grumbles. Natasha gives a slim smile. “Because I asked you to.” Word Count: 388

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Title: That’s Fiancé Badass Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Image (IM3 - Tony Handcuffed by his captors) Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Mob AU, Fluff, BAMF Tony Summary: Steve Rogers was many things. Patient was not one of them. This usually seemed to be less of a problem where his beloved Tony was concerned, but tonight his patience was wearing thin. He had plans. And Tony was late for them. When his phone rang, 20 minutes past the hour, he did his best not to let his irritation show. He really did try. “Anthony,” he answered in a levelled but commanding voice. “You better have a very good reason for being late tonight of all nights, my love.” Word Count: 1880

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Title: At the End of the Day Collaborator: Politzania Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Writing Format: Past Tense Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags:  domestic fluff, established relationship, sleep deprived!Tony Summary:  Steve helps Tony get undressed after a long day, gently fending off his overtures along the way. Word Count: 416

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Title: i am the horizon that you ride towards - Chapter 1 Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Kink: Alpha/Beta/Omega Society Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: major character death, rape, underage content. Warnings for this Chapter: forced marriage Summary: Tony’s mother and father die when he is sixteen. He doesn’t mourn his father, but when he sees his mother’s still, gaunt face, the dark colour of her skin washed out, there are tears in his eyes that falls, running down his face in rivers, matting in the collar of his jerkin. “Come,” Obadiah says, coldly, his hand landing on Tony’s shoulder. Tony cringes, but follows, mostly because he has no other choice – Obadiah, as his father’s second-in-command, had made his feelings clear; he had no intention of caring for his dead liege lord’s omega son, not when he could get to business and begin making alliances with Tony as the thing to be sold to some stranger like a horse. Word Count: 4664

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Title: My Favourite Day Dream Collaborator: startrekkingaroundasgard Card Number: 4048 Link: Tumblr  Square Filled: T5 - arranged marriage Ship: Stony, Natasha/Reader Rating: Teen Major Tags: mentions of homophobia Summary: Forced to marry as young nobles, both Anthony and the reader had to abandon the people they truly loved for status and reputation. When Sir Steven and his trusty assassin Natasha agree to spend a few nights at their estate, the pair have the chance to see their loves again. However, around Steven, Anthony is a blabbering mess and Natasha is still angry that the reader chose to marry for duty over running away with her. Can they find their happiness or will they waste their second chance? Word Count: 1581

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Title: Iron Man + Avengers A Collaborator: rebelmeg Card Number: 4034 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T5 - framed Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: cross stitch Summary: Cross stitch of tiny Iron Man flying around an arc reactor blue Avengers A

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Title: In Victory, and in Defeat Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: marriage proposal, fluff and angst Summary: The Battle of New York seems all but lost. Until it isn't. And Tony can't risk saving the world without knowing the answer to a very important question first. Word Count: 2146

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Title: soothing Collaborator: ohjustpeachy Card Number: 4017 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A1 - writing format: drabble Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff, drabble Summary: Steve realizes that the arc reactor has a sound. Word Count: 100

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Title: untitled Collaborator: Nicnac Card Number: 4048 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S2 - Riri Williams Ship: Tony Stark & Riri Williams Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: Ironheart moldboard Word Count: N/A

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Title: Bowling for Platypuses Collaborator: newnewyorker93 Card Number: 4042 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A5 - Dark Alleys Ship: IronBros Rating: Gen Major Tags: Moodboard Summary: A moodboard for rebelmeg’s and my yet-to-be-actually-written fic in which Rhodey out-pranks Tony at a glow-in-the-dark bowling alley using an intriguing fact of platypus biology. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Skinmage Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - AU: Urban Fantasy Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: AU: Urban Fantasy, Tattoos, Magic, Pre-relationship Summary: The magic for making pictures move was relatively well-documented, though it was a difficult and costly process. But getting marks on the skin to react -- that was infinitely harder, complicated by the living cells of the canvas and compounded by the changeability of the shape.There was archaeological evidence of past civilizations that had dabbled in it, usually reserved for especially high-ranking leaders. But those cultures had jealously guarded those secrets, and to the best of Tony’s knowledge, no one had ever managed to actually replicate the art. Word Count: 1027

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Title: A nice day for self-discoveries Collaborator: Gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Kink: Figging Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Slight BDSM (hair pulling, exploring power dynamics, talk of kink, talks of figging-but do not get your hopes up, I didn't tag it for honesty), blow job, hand job. Summary: Tony gets the wrong idea when he sees what Steve bought at the grocery store. (It leads to sex anyway). Word Count: 3772

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Title: Stanley Cups Before Wedding Rings Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Arena Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: N/A Summary: Steve Rogers and his team just won the most coveted trophy in hockey. And yet, that's still not the best part of his night. Word Count: 2040

[ewrthings-race-repair-repeat]

Ollie Mellors (co-driven by the experienced Ian Windress) gave the latest Proton Iriz R5 a very successful British Rally Championship debut, narrowly missing out on a podium to take fourth overall at the season-opening Cambrian Rally (8th February). Team-mate James Williams (with co-driver Dai Roberts alongside) enjoyed a trouble-free R5 debut to bring the sister car home in fifth overall, rounding out a successful weekend for the Mellors Elliot Motorsport-built Protons.

Mellors is no stranger to the North Wales stages, having won the Cambrian Rally in 2018 whilst in the development phase of the Iriz but with the BRC heavy hitters present in 2020, it would be a tough prospect to repeat. With the car untested and only turning a wheel for the first time when it arrived in Llandudno, Mellors would have to use the opening stages to acclimatise to the brand new car, launching the Michelin shod Iriz to fifth fastest on the opening Crafnant test.

The Cambrian Rally only offered one service during the day meaning that the opportunity to make changes to the car’s set up were limited. Despite the sprint-style event offering only 43 miles, Mellors continued to increase his pace with fourth fastest over the longest stage of the event, Penmachno. The Great Orme Tarmac test before service was Mellors’ at his best, taking second overall time around the cliff-edge stage in Llandudno to reach the halfway point of the event where he started the day. A damaged hub on the rough penultimate test of the event forced Mellors to make some hasty roadside repairs, leaving the Iriz to head into the final stage with only front brakes. Despite the imbalance in the car, Mellors kept his cool to secure a confidence-boosting fourth overall on the Proton’s BRC debut.

James Williams enjoyed a promising R5 debut in the Iriz finishing a solid 5th overall on his R5 BRC debut ensuring that there were two Mellors Elliot Motorsport Proton in the top five overall - a remarkable achievement in the face of some very stiff competition! “This really is a great start for the Proton Iriz R5, for me and the team this weekend,” said Mellors. “The team worked flat out to get the car ready over the last few weeks and literally finished building it on Friday afternoon. It had 15 miles on it when I started the rally and we just came in and set a top-five time with no prior testing. In my mind, that’s an impressive start”. Mellors believes there is much more to come from the squad this season. “The car is very capable and we know what it can do. There were so many variables this weekend, I hadn’t done a recce and made my own notes for three years or so and at this level that is the kind of thing that costs time. Our perfect storm would have been a podium but taking fourth really is a fantastic achievement and it was great to have James [Williams] in fifth in the sister car”.

[undauntedtcg]

My Run at Richmond Regionals/Day 2 Cup Report

I played Zoroark Garbodor in Richmond last weekend, and things were...weird. So all in all, just another day of Expanded. I went 3-4-2 day one, a worse day than Greensboro last season, however, I do believe that I improved in many ways despite a worse finish (more on that later). Let’s have a look at what went wrong!

R1 vs. Archie’s Night March LWT

This was such a cool deck! They used Archie’s Ace in the Hole with Swampert to give them more draw to improve control matchups. In game 1, I played a Karen to disrupt his damage output and he responded with double compressor, power draw and sycamore to build right back up on a one-shot and took the game fairly easily. Game 2 was a different story, Karen actually stuck and I just took my 6 prizes without any difficulty, which is really the only way to win this matchup. We got to game 3, he went first, played power plant, let loose’d me into an unplayable hand, I got basics down and then time was called. Super lucky to have tied that one, given the hand I got in that third game.

R2 vs. Archiestoise LL

This is the most polarized matchup ZoroGarb has. If they stumble at all turn 1, we can just win. If they get a cross division off, we just lose. Neither of those things happened here though! I whiffed energy the entire round and by the time I was hitting energy, it didn’t matter as the board state was too far gone.

R3 vs. MewGardy LWW

MewGardy is just a really bad deck. I prized double trubbish game one and couldn’t get there with Zoroarks alone, but as soon as I had access to all my pokemon in the second two games it was pretty easy. This would’ve been a tie had my opponent not scooped on turn 2 of time, seeing that his board was completely lost. S/o to him for being friendly!

R4 vs. ZoroToad LL

This. Matchup. Sucks. I was item locked the entierty of both games, with sudo down and no way to take prizes. Probably just an autoloss. In game 1, I saw the toad and assumed it was a control variant, which we can beat. But when they’re prize racing with LaserBank and Quaking Punch, our options are limited. ZoroToad doesn’t have many favorable matchups in this format, I would even go so far as to say that it’s just bad. But it definitely beats ZoroGarb most of the time.

R5 vs. MewGardy WW

My opponent had a rough start both games and by the time he was attacking, trashalanche was one-shotting everything. Round was over in a little under 20 minutes.

R6 vs. Archiestoise WW

The matchup went the other way this time. My opponent had decent turn ones both games but my deck actually functioned properly and Cross Division never happened. Great games with a super friendly opponent, though.

R7 vs. Trev LL

This used to be a free matchup last season. Now, however, they play 4 Power Plant. It’s more like 50/50 now, but if they brick you off of Let Loose + Plant there’s just nothing you can do. I got a board set up but never got to a point where I could attack and whiffed evolutions all both games. Nothing I think I could’ve done differently, but it all felt so bad. This was the round that took us out of contention for day 2.

R8 vs. Durant WLT

With Oranguru, this matchup is pretty favored. Took game one through Resource Management and KOing Ants. Game 2 I wasn’t able to develop to a point where I could be aggressive enough to take out ants often. Eventually we decked out after some Handiwork double heads. Time was called in game three, I had 2 prizes left by the end. Neither of us wanted to tie but both of us were trying to hit points, we talked with a judge about how else we could resolve it. Going by prizes isn’t really fair when it’s a mill strategy so we just agreed to draw. Thinking about it, I wonder if there is a mathematical way to equate cards left in deck to prize cards and use that to decide. Either way, this took us out of contention for points.

R9 vs. Archiestoise WLL

This is the only round I really felt like I was playing sub-optimally. I was tired, I couldn’t get anything no matter what happened this round, I just wanted to leave. I was basically brain dead and on autopilot the whole way through. I don’t even remember how I got the first game, it just sorta happened. He got Cross Division off Games 2 and 3 and there was just nothing happening for me. Oh well.

Looking back through all of the rounds I would do a few things differently.

I would’ve cut the girafarig. It’s good, but I never hit the matchups it’s good in. Cobalion GX would’ve been way more helpful to stop cross division.

In a more broad sense though, I think I should’ve just played Zoroark Control. I’m comfortable enough with the deck, the only reason I didn’t play it was that I didn’t think I could play it perfectly for 9 rounds. In retrospect, I think I still would’ve had better chances with it than what I played.

On the positive side, I played much better than I did in Greensboro. I remember making small mistakes and throwing matches last time. Here, I think my play improved, but everything else got worse. My matchups were horrendous, I drew poorly off of Let Loose + Plant. A lot went wrong.

 I can place an amount of blame on my preparation, for sure. I think the list could’ve been slightly better, and that’s definitely my fault. But at the same time, my list was geared to beat the decks I was expecting, and I didn’t come across as many of those as I would’ve liked.

After that pretty awful day 1, I played in the League Cup on day 2 with a different version of the deck. Playing cards like Bodybuilding Dumbbells and a heavier Parallel city count. I no longer have the exact list, but you aren’t missing much. Probably a little worse than what I played in the main event. But we’ll have a look at those rounds too, just for fun.

R1 vs. TurboDark W

I played against a player that attends tournaments in my area, which was rather nice. This was the first and only time I played against Dark the whole weekend and it was one of the most hyped decks going into the tournament. With Parallel and Sudowoodo, the matchup is pretty much just free.Keep control of their board and trashalanche until they lose.

R2 vs. Pikarom L

Half-bricked at the start of this game, had to bench more Lele and Dedenne than I would’ve liked. Game lasted a total of three turns, and two attacks. Full Blitz, Tag Bolt GG.

R3 vs. ZoroGarb T

This round didn’t go too well. He played cards that I wasn’t expecting, namely Acerola and Professor Kukui. We both kept Sudowoodo down the entire game. Trading two shots with Acerola inbetween for 30 minutes, then I used Tapu Cure GX to heal all the damage off my board in turn 2 of time and that was it. 

R4 vs. Archiestoise W

My opponent missed Archie’s turn 1, 2 and 3. I don’t really have anything else to say here.

R5 vs. Archiestoise L

We both had horrible starts, but Cross Division made mine way worse. It was a close game in all honesty, but he got rid of all our Trubbish and we just couldn’t do anything from there.

R6 vs. Green’s Greninja BREAK L

Oh dear. This was horrid. No Trade, they limited their items too well for us to one shot anything. Really missed having Sky Field in this one.

R7 vs. Keldeo GX/Hoopa W

They played 0 outs to Garbotoxin, Garb just won the game outright.

I played 16 rounds of Zoroark Garbodor in it’s various forms this weekend! The deck is pretty busted, but the deck just can’t beat a lot of things. Let Loose + Power Plant can make any otherwise good matchup unfavored, we can lose to a lot of very specific random stuff.

Going forward, I think the deck actually gets better! The matchup against the 1st place EggRow deck isn’t too bad with double Klefki and some more hand disruption. For Portland, I would definitely be giving this deck a look! I will leave you all with a warning, however. If you want to play this deck, test it thoroughly. Know each matchup, know how the deck tends to run, always have a plan. The deck has a lot of options and isn’t for someone who wants to just do the same thing every game. For that, I’ll refer you to Turbo Dark.

I’m disappointed in myself for my poor performance and I’m very unhappy with how the tournament went for me. I understand that not everything that happened was in my control, and I’m very happy with how I played for most of the weekend, so I hesitate to call the weekend a complete failure. But I definitely have much to improve on and will be giving my all to the game from now leading up to whatever regionals I’ll be attending next.

Thanks for reading!

[khillmotorsports]

A Huge Welcome to Miguel Garcia joining our Atlantic team!

Abbottstown, PA, December 20, 2017– The excitement continues as we add Miguel Garcia as a driver to our Championship winning Atlantic program!!

Miguel Garcia is a 17-year-old young man from Paraguay. He’s been living back and forth between Miami and Asuncion Paraguay since he was 11 years old. Miguel is a home- schooled senior at the Keystone National High School. He will become a full- time Freshman at Lynn University starting November 2018 as a freshman. Miguel had his first real test in a race car at age 11 (Subaru n14 group n spec rally car) and since that he has probably driven almost a dozen other rally cars. He attended his first car race at age 13 for factory Ginetta USA in their factory Ginetta g40 cup car where he finished p3 in class. After that he got granted a Formula 3 test with Hitech racing Brazil, where he impressed and was able to earn a sponsor. As for 2017 he was offered a seat in ABR World Rally team to do some rounds in a Ford Fiesta r5 Evo car (the Indy Lights of rallying) where he won two overall podiums, and two second places in class! You can follow Miguel on Instagram @miguelmag and Facebook @miguelma garcia

“I am extremely pleased to be racing under the K-Hill Motorsports banner in 2018. We've been working to put this together for quite some time now and it has finally become a reality! Things are already in motion and I couldn't be happier. As far as 2018, my goals are to race as many of the premier tracks around North America. I want to learn each one and be competitive about it. I’d like to thank the man himself, Kris Kaiser, for sticking behind me through this long process. Ultimately giving me the opportunity to go racing in a mega car in 2018 which will for sure prepare me for Indy Lites when the time is right. Just like he did with K-Hill alumni Ryan Norman. In my free time I like to keep it mellow for the most part, and always preparing for the future. Although if I have the green light to do anything I spend time at my local motocross tracks riding dirt bikes with my buddies. I’d like to thank everyone Page | 2 who has helped me get to this point and I will do everything in my power to put the #41 La Santaniana powered Formula Atlantic in the top steps of the podium always.” ~Miguel Garcia

“Once again, I couldn’t be happier with our 2018 line up! We have some very motivated fast drivers that we are working with this coming season. Miguel has worked beyond diligently to become a part of this team. He is showing a lot of great persistence and work ethic. No doubt he will have some big shoes to fill, as the last two years we have won the Atlantic Championship with Ryan Norman and Peter Portante. I feel confident that Miguel is up for the challenge!” ~Kris Kaiser

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Match preview: Adelaide v Hawthorn

Pick a Winner: Adel v Haw Duck and Browny preview the Crows v Hawks

Rory Sloane has struggled with hard tags in recent weeks

SUMMARY Both clubs will be refreshed heading into the final Thursday night game of the season. The bye was the perfect opportunity for the ladder-leading Crows (9-3) to reset after their 57-point thumping of St Kilda in round 12. Defenders Rory Laird and Jake Lever provided plenty of rebound out of the backline, while ruckman Sam Jacobs turned in another superb performance to press his Virgin Australia AFL All Australian credentials. The Hawks (4-8) are coming off a round 12 loss to Gold Coast and are entering a tough part of their schedule where they face the top three sides (Crows, Greater Western Sydney and Geelong) in the next month. Unless they conjure a miracle turnaround, the Hawks will miss the finals for the first time since 2009. On current form, and with their mounting injury list, it’s hard to see the Hawks providing much of a challenge for one of the premiership favourites.

WHERE AND WHEN: Adelaide Oval, Thursday, June 22, 7.20pm ACST. FOLLOW IT LIVE

TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide

LAST FIVE TIMES R2, 2017, Adelaide 16.17 (113) d Hawthorn 13.11 (89) at the MCG R5, 2016, Hawthorn 17.10 (112) d Adelaide 17.7 (109) at the MCG 2SF, 2015, Hawthorn 21.9 (135) d Adelaide 8.13 (61) at the MCG R12, 2015, Hawthorn 17.12 (114) d Adelaide 12.13 (85) at Adelaide Oval R17, 2014, Hawthorn 15.14 (104) d Adelaide 14.8 (92) at Adelaide Oval 

THE SIX POINTS 1. In round two, the Hawks led by 13 points at half-time before the Crows booted 11 goals to five in the second half. The Crows laid more tackles, won the inside 50s and the clearances. Eddie Betts and David Mackay kicked three goals each.

2. This will be a contest between the highest scoring side this year and one of the lowest. Adelaide is first with 118 points per game, compared to the 15th-ranked Hawks, with just 78.

3. Adelaide’s win in round two was their first over Hawthorn since round one, 2011 at AAMI Stadium. The Hawks won the previous seven games.

4. No team has marked the ball inside 50 this season more than the Crows, averaging 15.3 per game, which is a long way ahead of the Hawks, ranked 17th with an average of only 8.9.

5. In Hawthorn’s favour is their undefeated record against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, winning twice. This season, the Crows have won six of their seven Adelaide Oval games with five by more than 50 points.

6. Emerging Crows defender Jake Lever has risen 60 places in the Schick AFL Player Ratings this season. Despite missing three games through injury, Lever has improved from 198th overall to 138th. He is also fifth at the Crows in average player ratings points per game this season, with 13.1.

IT’S A BIG WEEK FOR … Rory Sloane The reigning Crows club champion needs to show he can still impact the game despite being tagged. He’s struggled in recent weeks when physical pressure is applied, with opposition teams successfully keeping the Crows’ most influential player out of games. Sloane’s teammates also need to do a better job of providing blocks and helping him out at stoppages.

PREDICTION: Adelaide by 38 points

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Latvala & Anttila win for Toyota!

Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila claimed Toyota’s maiden victory on only its second event back in the FIA World Rally Championship after 17 years out of the top level of the sport. The Finnish duo powered through the final three stages, winning each, to take an emphatic 29.2 second win. M-Sport was again able to celebrate a double podium with Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja taking second and reigning World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia finishing third in the Fiesta WRCs.

"It's amazing! A new team, a new car, our second rally and we've won!” said a delighted Latvala. “I have no words to describe it - I'm so emotional.”

In the FIA World Rally Championship, the Finn now takes a four-point lead over Ogier with Tänak trailing his team-mate by 11 points in third as the crews head to the Americas for round three in Mexico. With its double podiums in Monte Carlo and Sweden, M-Sport has the advantage in the Manufacturers’ Championship, leading by 20 points over Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Today’s route was the shortest and covered just three stages and 58.81 competitive kilometres. With Latvala, Tänak and Ogier all in with a shout of victory, the fight was on between the rivals as they headed into the first run through the Likenäs stage. Latvala set a blistering pace and this, coupled with a spin for Ogier and Tänak suffering with the diff settings, enabled the Finn to extend his overnight advantage of 3.8 seconds to a safer 10.9 seconds. He won the re-run of the same stage and again smashed the time-sheets in the Power Stage to take maximum points all round. Latvala’s victory - his fourth Swedish win - sees Toyota back on the top step of a WRC podium for the first time since 1999, when Didier Auriol won the China Rally for the Japanese giant in a Corolla.

After Ogier’s spin, where he lost nearly 30 seconds, the fight for victory was over but the Frenchman managed to salvage more points with second in the Power Stage. Tänak was unable to match his stunning Saturday pace and had no choice but to settle for second, the combination of car and driver just not working out the same today. 

Behind the leading trio, positions remained unchanged. Dani Sordo was keen to hold station, he and team-mate Hayden Paddon needing to score points for Hyundai following Thierry’s Neuville’s crash on Saturday night. Craig Breen once again finished the highest of the Citroën drivers in fifth ahead of Elfyn Evans in the DMack shod Fiesta WRC. Paddon, seventh, spent most of the day trying different settings on the i20 Coupe WRC and Stephane Lefebvre, in the older spec DS3 WRC, finished eighth.

The FIA WRC 2 Championship was won by Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson in the Škoda Fabia R5. The Swedes finished ninth overall with nearly a minute in hand to the second-placed Fiesta R5 crew of Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula who also rounded off the overall top 10.

The FIA World Rally Championship contenders now head to Rally Mexico (9-12 March) for the first full gravel round of the season.  

Rally Sweden – Final Provisional Results (subject to scrutineering)

1.   Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 36min 03.6sec

2.   Ott Tanak/ Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 36min 32.8sec

3.   Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 37min 03.1sec

4.   Dani Sordo/Marc Marti Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 38min 15.1sec

5.   Craig Breen/Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 38min 54.8sec

6.   Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 41min 30.2sec

7.   Hayden Paddon/John Kennard Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 41min 34.8sec

8.   Stéphane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau Citroën DS3 WRC 2hr 43min 18.3sec

9.   Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson Škoda Fabia R5 2hr 45min 14.7sec

10. Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta R5 2hr 46min 06.5sec

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The comeback’s always on in footy’s Lazarus season

  The comeback’s always on in footy’s Lazarus season

A TEAM has trailed at half-time and won 28 times this season.

That’s 19 more times than in the first 10 rounds last season and six more than in the first 10 rounds of any season in the past 10 years.

Melbourne did it the hard way on Saturday, becoming the sixth team in 2017 to have been behind by 30 points or more and still win.

No team did that in the first 10 rounds last season.

But the Demons made it look easy, banging on eight unanswered goals from the 12-minute mark of the third term until early in the fourth quarter.

Following that goal streak the Dees were destined to win. Only four times since 2010 has a team kicked eight unanswered goals and lost.  

The Dees surged from 35 points down to beat the Suns in Alice Springs. Picture: AFL Photos

The winning comebacks only tell half the story too.

In 2017, teams are coming back from the dead, hitting the front, and then dying off again as Carlton did against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

At this rate, John Farnham should sing at the Grand Final.

It’s a year where rare has become common too with four of the past 35 games decided with a lead-changing goal inside the last two minutes.

It’s not great for the poor old coaches but it’s great for supporters as the game is never over, until the song has been sung.

The Kangas were headed despite taking a 25-point lead into half-time on Sunday …

Geelong coach Chris Scott explained what players and coaches were up against after the Cats withstood a Western Bulldogs comeback in round nine.

“The laws of the game committee have made it very, very difficult to close the game down,” Scott said.

“It is so hard to draw stoppages, so hard to just possess the ball in your back half. The game has changed.”

He could have thrown in interchange caps, crackdowns on melees, the tightening of deliberate rushed behinds and out of bounds interpretation and the countdown clock as well to explain why it’s hard to pull a few cords so the parachute lands slowly.  

… but rallied to inflict a painful defeat on the Blues. Pictures: AFL Photos  

Now momentum matters with more swings in fortune on show these days at an AFL game than you’d see standing around a roulette wheel.

Teams can score quickly with the Brisbane Lions taking less than 12 minutes to kick the first five goals against Gold Coast in round one.

On Saturday, we saw the Demons at work, as it took less than 16 minutes for Rodney Eade’s Suns to lose a five-goal lead.

No wonder Rocket needed a massage.

We might all need one at this rate because it’s easier to keep beer in the fridge when your brothers visit these days then it is to keep a lead. 

No frees for you

The only two players to have given away six free kicks in a game in 2017? Essendon’s Shaun McKernan and, as of Saturday’s nightmare outing against the Crows, Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe.

Only Giants ruckman Shane Mumford, with 26 frees against, has given away more free kicks than Fyfe’s 22 this season.

At least Mumford (25 frees for) and Fyfe (22) get some free kicks.

Spare a thought for Port Adelaide’s Matthew Broadbent, who is yet to receive a free kick and has conceded 10 in the nine games he’s played this season.

He must have looked at Geelong’s Joel Selwood with envy on Thursday night, as the Cats skipper collected six free kicks.

Selwood has received a free kick in all but one game since round five, 2010 and has missed out on a free kick just nine times in his 238-game career.

The highest quality top five you’ll see today

Sam Mitchell racked up 30 disposals in a game for the 119th time on Sunday.

He passes St Kilda legend Robert Harvey for the most 30-plus disposal games.

The top five in that list have all won Brownlows, showing there’s more to winning the medal than having blond hair. 

Five years and 64 days

That’s how long Greater Western Sydney took to beat all the other AFL teams, completing the set against West Coast on Sunday.

It’s quicker than eight teams took to beat all comers. The Hawks’ wait was longest – a drought of 17 years against Collingwood only ending during World War Two.

Team Time elapsed before beating all comers Last team defeated Essendon  0 years, 56 days Collingwood R9, 1897 Geelong  0 years, 63 days Collingwood R10, 1897 Melbourne  0 years, 91 days Essendon R14, 1897 Collingwood  1 year, 76 days  South Melbourne R11, 1898 West Coast  2 years, 116 days Sydney Swans R16, 1989 South Melbourne / Sydney Swans 2 years, 124 days Essendon R17, 1899 Adelaide  2 years, 160 days Collingwood, R22 1993 Fremantle  4 years, 108 days West Coast R16, 1999 GWS 5 years, 64 days West Coast R10, 2017 Carlton  5 years, 79 days Fitzroy R13, 1902 Port Adelaide  6 years, 48 days North Melbourne R8, 2003 Western Bulldogs  8 years, 53 days Collingwood R9, 1933 Brisbane Bears / Lions  9 years 10 days West Coast R2, 1996 St Kilda  9 years, 18 days Essendon R4, 1906 Richmond  10 years, 15 days     Carlton R2, 1918 North Melbourne  11 years, 98 days Richmond R14, 1936 Hawthorn  17 years, 34 days Collingwood R5, 1942 Gold Coast  Yet to beat Adelaide, Sydney Swans, West Coast

The heart of the Giants’ fab four

Few centre-square starting fours in the game’s history have look better on paper than Greater Western Sydney’s Shane Mumford, Josh Kelly, Callan Ward and Dylan Shiel.

That quartet went to work in the last quarter against West Coast, attending six of the 12 centre bounces, with the Giants winning nine centre clearances as the game reached its climax.

The least talked about of the quartet but arguably the most effective is Shiel, who leads the competition in centre clearances this season.

The best thing about Shiel is that he does it at the start and the end. He’s the only player in the top five in the AFL for centre clearances won in the first half and the second half.

As for the Eagles, they had no answer, particularly with Luke Shuey missing through injury as West Coast wins a clearance 44 per cent of the time when he attends a centre bounce.

Want more?

• Read more from the Stats Files

• Damian Barrett: Why the Saints should say goodbye to Nick

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Bucks, Clarko split on 50-touch Tom’s impact

R9: Highlights v Collingwood It was a crushing defeat following such a strong start. Check out the highlights from our Round 9 loss to Collingwood.

Nathan Buckley and Alastair Clarkson were split about the effectiveness of Tom Mitchell on Saturday night.

ONLY SIX players had won at least 50 disposals in a game before Hawk Tom Mitchell achieved the rare feat on Saturday night, but the coaches were split on his impact.

Mitchell, who joined Hawthorn from Sydney in the off-season, already had more possessions (273) through eight rounds than anyone since the competition became the AFL in 1990.

Full match details and stats

The previous record was held by Fremantle ball magnet Lachie Neale (266), who last year bettered St Kilda midfielder David Armitage’s 264 touches to that stage of the 2015 season.

Mitchell’s 50 in the 18-point loss to Collingwood swelled his total to 323 at an average of 35.9.

He went at 68 per cent disposal efficiency and his tally was made up of 22 kicks and 28 handballs and was aided by 20 handball receives. But underlining his inside work was his extra-ordinary 22 contested possessions.

Five talking points: Collingwood v Hawthorn

Mitchell’s accompanying statistics of eight tackles, five clearances, nine intercept possessions and seven score involvements were also strong.

The knock on the 23-year-old’s game, as it always is, was his relative lack of impression in one of the new-age AFL’s sexy statistics – metres gained.

His 309m paled in comparison to Magpies captain Scott Pendlebury’s 691m from his 36 disposals.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley chose not to tag Mitchell, even after his count reached 14 by the first break and despite long being aware of the ex-Swan’s canny ball-winning ability.

“We thought about (tagging him), but he does it by stealth a little bit,” Buckley said post-match.

“He had 40 in the under-16s WA state side about seven or eight years ago when I coached against him.

“He just finds a way and keeps getting to the pill, (but) if I said he wasn’t hurting us a lot, would that make sense?

“If Isaac Smith had 50, you’d have 2500 metres gained. (Mitchell) was getting the ball at contests and that was great, but, on the balance of it, our midfield was getting on top and working them over.”

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson was more concerned with the heavy load Mitchell carried in an uneven team performance, although he called his recruit’s performance “a special effort”.

Clarkson was slightly miffed at the way Buckley dismissed Mitchell’s impact.

“I would have thought they were (doing damage) in the first half, because it was 10 goals to four and at quarter-time he’d had (14) disposals and we were six goals in front,” Clarkson said.

“So it’s pretty ballsy to say he wasn’t having an influence at that point in time, because I think he was. 

“But the bottom line with the Collingwood side is they got a greater spread and contribution from a whole host of midfielders that probably won that battle at the end of the day.”

Most disposals in a game

53 – Greg Williams (Syd), R19 1989, v StK 53 – Gary Ablett (GC), R10 2012, v Coll 52 – Barry Price (Coll), R4 1971, v Fitz 51 – Scott Thompson (Adel), R22 2011, v GC 50 – John Greening (Coll), R7 1971, v Geel 50 – Tony Shaw (Coll), R5 1991, v Bris 50 – Tom Mitchell (Haw), R9 2017, v Coll

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Team of the week, R5: Did we get it right?

RUCKMEN, resurgences and the continuation of three unbeaten runs were the talking points from the Anzac weekend, and are reflected in the round five Team of the Week, brought to you by Accor Hotels.

Three ruckmen made claim to spots in this week’s team, with the standout Greater Western Sydney’s Shane Mumford for his demolition job against Sydney.

Closely in contention were Richmond’s Toby Nankervis and Hawthorn’s Ben McEvoy. The big Tiger took out the fans’ vote to claim the last spot on the bench.

As far as resurgences go, Fremantle backman Michael Johnson silenced the critics with a general-like performance in the Dockers’ thriller over North Melbourne.

As always, midfield depth across the competition made selection tough with Nat Fyfe, Ollie Wines, Rory Atkins, Callan Ward, Dayne Zorko and Jack Steven unlucky to miss out. 

It was also tough for forwards, with Orazio Fantasia and Lewis Taylor squeezed out and Jeremy Cameron pushed onto the bench by Joe Daniher and Jack Riewoldt.

MICHAEL JOHNSON (Fremantle) – A few weeks after his immediate future in the team was questioned, the 32-year-old returned to form and was a general in defence with 26 disposals, 12 contested possessions and seven marks, plus an important late goal.

PHIL DAVIS (Greater Western Sydney) – Played on Lance Franklin and did an excellent job, especially in one-on-one situations. Only had 10 disposals but moved the ball with 80 per cent efficiency, and took five marks.

ZACH TUOHY (Geelong) – Cleanly moved the ball from the Cats’ backline with 32 disposals against the Saints, which came with an impressive efficiency rate of over 81 per cent. Also took nine marks and laid five tackles in an important double act with Andrew Mackie.

• On trend: the stats that matter for your club

JASON JOHANNISEN (Western Bulldogs) – The Dogs needed a spark in the second half and got it via the speedy half-back, who ended with 28 disposals and 471m gained; the most of any of his teammates.

BEN STRATTON (Hawthorn) – It was a team effort from the Hawks’ defence with Josh Gibson and Luke Hodge also contributing, but Stratton’s positioning and intercepting was so important when the Eagles put them under the pump in the third quarter.

MICHAEL HIBBERD (Melbourne) – The former Bomber was the Demons’ best player in his first game for the club. Had 27 disposals, eight rebounds and took six marks off half-back, and even snuck forward for a running goal.

BRAD EBERT (Port Adelaide) – Had 31 disposals and laid a ferocious 14 tackles; the most of any player this round. Amazing intent from a player in a landslide winning side.

JOEL SELWOOD (Geelong) – If it’s not one, it’s the other. Patrick Dangerfield was also excellent, but it was Selwood who was the difference in the second half against the Saints. The captain had 43 disposals, 22 contested, won nine clearances and took nine marks. A “spectacular” performance, according to coach Chris Scott.

DAVID MUNDY (Fremantle) – Kicked three goals last week as a dangerous midfielder-turned-forward; this week, had 30 disposals and won six clearances as a forward-turned-mid after the main break.

ROBBIE GRAY (Port Adelaide) – Won the Peter Badcoe Medal for best on ground after five goals, and was one-half of a third-quarter double act that had jaws dropping. Teamed with Chad Wingard to thrill fans with eight shots at goal between them – unfortunately, they were wayward with their kicking and scored just 2.6

JOE DANIHER (Essendon) – Winner of the Anzac Day Medal for his best-on-ground performance against Collingwood. Roamed up and down the ground, kicked 3.4 from 16 possessions, took eight marks and had six inside 50s in an all-round impressive game.

CALLUM AH CHEE (Gold Coast) – Let his actions do the talking after a two-week stint in the NEAFL. Booted five straight goals on recall, and showed courage to fly in front of captain Tom Lynch to steal a mark in the second quarter.

CYRIL RIOLI (Hawthorn) – Unfounded talk about the goalsneak being homesick for the Tiwi Islands dominated pre-game, but Rioli didn’t appear bothered by it as he took apart the Eagles with two attempts at mark of the year, a series of goal assists, a nutmeg (below), and pure desperation that’s been lacking from the Hawks this year.

JACK RIEWOLDT (Richmond) – Was the heart and soul of Richmond on Monday night. Kicked two of his six goals in the final quarter as the Tigers snuck home against Melbourne in greasy conditions that shouldn’t have suited a player of his type.

TOBY GREENE (Greater Western Sydney) – He might have disappointed with a minor headbutting incident against Isaac Heeney, but his four goals from 16 disposals saw him continue in the rich vein of form he’s displayed so far this season.

• After the siren: Time’s running out for Nathan Buckley

SHANE MUMFORD (Greater Western Sydney) – Got the better of Kurt Tippett and Callum Sinclair with a whopping 62 hit-outs. Worked hard around the ground as well with five inside 50s and four tackles, and won the Brett Kirk Medal for best afield.

BEN CUNNINGTON (North Melbourne) – Another big game from the midfielder with 29 disposals and 10 clearances in the Kangaroos’ narrow loss. Would be leading his club’s best and fairest five rounds in.

RORY SLOANE (Adelaide) – Was part of a dominant Crows’ midfield that smashed the Suns. Had 30 touches and laid 13 tackles, as well as winning nine clearances. Isn’t doing much wrong this season as his team remains unbeaten.

MATT CROUCH (Adelaide) – Another cog in the impressive Crows’ engine. Teamed up with his brother Brad and the Rory brigade to heavily influence their big win, with 35 disposals, nine clearances, four inside 50s, four rebounds and a goal.

TOM MITCHELL (Hawthorn) – Has been winning plenty of the ball at his new club and continued that with another big possession game, claiming 37 against the hapless Eagles. Had 19 before half-time and ended with six clearances and six tackles to go with his fourth 30-plus disposal game this season.

JEREMY CAMERON (Greater Western Sydney) – Didn’t make a huge impact score-wise with 2.4, but was so important physically with 24 touches and nine marks. Is working incredibly hard across the ground and applying pressure to the opposition’s defence.

The fans’ pick

TOBY NANKERVIS (Richmond) – Wins the fan vote for his influential game against Melbourne. Yes, he did benefit from the game-ending shoulder injury to Jake Spencer in the second quarter, but his work around the ground (16 disposals, seven tackles, five inside 50s) more than complemented his 56 hit-outs.

• Check out the best 22 from previous rounds

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Match preview: Richmond v West Coast

Josh Kennedy shapes a crucial player against the Tigers

SUMMARY Richmond is 2-0 for just the second time since 1997, matching its start to the 2013 season and generating excitement that has been lacking at Punt Road Oval in recent times. The early-season surge has been based on tackling pressure and an attacking mindset when they have they ball, with the players encouraged to play on instinct. Despite periods on the back foot against Collingwood in round two, Richmond hung in and star midfielders Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin drove them home in the final quarter. Saturday’s clash against West Coast presents the biggest test yet for Damien Hardwick’s men and it will reveal plenty about their progress in 2017, with doubters remaining. The Eagles are also 2-0 after wins against North Melbourne and St Kilda, with this week’s match-up also shaping as their toughest test so far, given the Tigers’ form. The forward line has been outstanding, with Josh Kennedy coming to the rescue against the Saints to kick three late goals to snatch a 19-point win at Domain Stadium. 

WHERE AND WHEN: MCG, Saturday, April 8, 2.10pm AEST

TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide 

LAST FIVE TIMES R4, 2016, West Coast 18.17 (125) d Richmond 9.3 (57) at Domain Stadium R12, 2015, West Coast 13.12 (90) d Richmond 10.10 (70) at the MCG R18, 2014, Richmond 8.11 (59) d West Coast 6.6 (42) at Domain Stadium R10, 2013, Richmond 16.7 (103) d West Coast 8.14 (62) at Domain Stadium R5, 2012, West Coast 16.11 (107) d Richmond 14.13 (97) at Etihad Stadium 

THE SIX POINTS

1. West Coast thrashed Richmond the last time the sides played, winning the inside 50s 60-27 and taking 20 marks in attack to just eight. Andrew Gaff was best on ground with 33 disposals and six inside 50s.

2. The Tigers’ tackling has improved out of sight in 2017. They have averaged 72.5 across two games to rank No.2 in the AFL, having ranked last in 2016 (60.1 a game). 

3. The Eagles rank No.1 so far in 2017 for scoring, kicking a total of 39 goals. Josh Kennedy, Mark LeCras, Josh Hill and Jack Darling have kicked 24 goals between them.

4. This will be a battle of contrasting game styles, based on the opening two rounds. The Eagles are ranked second for disposals per game (418) while the Tigers are ranked last (344).

5. West Coast holds the advantage 25-16 in the 42 clashes between these teams, winning four of the past six. The Eagles have also won four of the past five clashes between the teams at the MCG.

6. Star Richmond midfielder Dustin Martin finished last year ranked 30th in the Schick AFL Player Ratings, but after two impressive performances to start the season, he has moved up to a career-high No.21.

IT’S A BIG WEEK FOR … Josh Kennedy. The reigning Coleman medallist comes up against All Australian full-back Alex Rance in a mouth-watering match-up. Kennedy leads the AFL after two games with 11 goals, but this will be his toughest match-up so far. The star Eagle averages 2.7 goals a game at Domain Stadium but that drops to 1.5 at the MCG. A big game from the sharpshooter will go a long way to securing a 3-0 start for the Eagles.

PREDICTION: West Coast by 18 points

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