A look at round 14 of the AFL season as Port Adelaide extended their club-record winning streak to 11 and Carlton eased pressure on coach Michael Voss.
THEY SAID IT: "What have you been doing all year?" - Tigers interim coach Andrew McQualter couldn't resist a cheeky dig at Trent Cotchin after the veteran delivered a brilliant 29-disposal and two-goal performance to inspire Richmond to victory over St Kilda in his 300th game.
PLAYER OF THE ROUND: While Port Adelaide's Zak Butters and Connor Rozee took the spotlight, teammate Dan Houston's excellent season continued with a game-high 31 disposals and six clearances in a 38-point win over Geelong.
THE MOMENT: Jaspa Fletcher marked his AFL debut with a superb goal as Brisbane unearthed another father-son gem in their 16-point win over Sydney. The son of former Lions midfielder Adrian Fletcher accepted a handpass on the wing, side-stepped Swans defender Aaron Francis and stormed inside 50 with a bounce. His calm finish on the run under pressure was all class.
TALKING POINT: As they entered round 14, Gold Coast and Fremantle had high hopes of boosting their finals chances with interstate wins. Both flopped, shooting themselves in the foot with lacklustre displays that led to heavy defeats to Carlton and GWS respectively.
STATS THAT MATTER: Carlton averaged 52.6 points per game during five horror defeats. But the Blues flicked the switch at the MCG on Sunday, kicking 9.3 in an impressive bounce back against an uncompetitive Gold Coast to end a six-game losing streak.
TRIBUNAL WATCH: Sydney's Sam Wicks received a two-match ban for striking Brisbane's Ryan Lester, while Lions midfielder Jarrod Berry had his matchday report for a dangerous tackle thrown out. GWS defender Lachie Whitfield was handed a one-match ban for his dangerous tackle on Fremantle's Jordan Clark and St Kilda playmaker Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was fined $2000 for striking Richmond's Daniel Rioli.
INJURIES: P Dangerfield (Geel, cracked rib), T Bruhn (Geel, shoulder), N Haynes (GWS, ankle), S Ryan (Rich, ankle), L Jones (WB, forearm), T O'Brien (WB, hamstring).
WHAT'S NEXT: The last of the mid-season bye rounds kicks off with a bang on Thursday night as Geelong host Melbourne. St Kilda meet top-eight rivals Brisbane and Saturday night's Fremantle-Essendon encounter has major ramifications for both sides. Sunday's Collingwood-Adelaide match shapes as a beauty.
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