The Western Bulldogs shake off a slow start to beat Hawthorn, while the West Coast Eagles break their losing streak in a tight one against Essendon.
Get the scores, stats and results below.
Dogs keep pace with critical win over Hawks
A midfield masterclass from Tom Liberatore has helped power the Western Bulldogs to a 42-point thumping of Hawthorn and boosted their AFL finals hopes.
The Bulldogs triumphed 19.11 (125) to 12.11 (83) on Friday night to move back into the top eight with an 8-6 record.
In doing so, they leapfrogged four rival teams into sixth spot, though each of those have a game in hand.
Liberatore's numbers were impressive — 30 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 11 clearances, eight tackles, one goal — and his influence around the contest was undeniable.
The Bulldogs trailed by 26 points midway through the second term when the tenacious midfielder injected himself into the contest, negating Ned Reeves' ruck dominance and turning the tide.
In one of several inspirational acts, Liberatore won a tough ground ball against Changkuoth Jiath on the wing and dished out a handpass to start a possession chain that led to a goal.
The deficit was erased before half-time and the Dogs went on with the job after the main break, booting 6.4 to 0.4 in the third term amid a run of 13 consecutive goals.
Hawthorn showed a hint of fight after the 11th when James Sicily tangled with Aaron Naughton, who accused the Hawks' stand-in captain of pulling his hair.
Sicily had snatched the Dogs spearhead's headband in a melee, during which Naughton's jumper was ripped.
But Naughton had the last laugh with three goals in a comfortable win.
Rhylee West kicked 3.3 and had three goal assists, while Jack Macrae (31 disposals, six clearances), Josh Dunkley (27, four) and Marcus Bontempelli (26, seven) were influential alongside Liberatore in the middle.
The only downside for the Bulldogs was Ed Richards being substituted out under concussion protocols after he was crunched by Mitch Lewis in a marking contest.
Fresh off signing a new four-year contract, Lewis starred in the Hawks' lively opening.
They led 20-0 after just 10 minutes through goals to Lewis (two) and Moore, who took a courageous mark in the goal square for his first major and wrong-footed Tim O'Brien to set up his teammate's second.
Lewis finished with four goals and Luke Breust three in a side that was well beaten, while James Worpel (25 disposals, seven clearances) fought on in the middle.
Eagles win at last as Bombers are beaten
The heat is set to intensify on Essendon coach Ben Rutten after Josh Kennedy booted five goals to lift West Coast to a shock 10-point AFL win at Perth Stadium.
Kennedy (5.0), Willie Rioli (three goals), Jamie Cripps (three goals), Jack Darling (two goals), and Liam Ryan (two goals) all cashed in as the Eagles secured the 16.11 (107) to 14.13 (97) win on Friday night.
The result ended West Coast's club-record nine-match losing run, and lifted the Eagles (2-12) off the bottom of the ladder.
It was also the first time in 26 matches West Coast had crashed through the 100-point barrier in a game.
Essendon (3-11) stay in 16th spot, with last week's win over St Kilda now a distant memory.
Rutten is contracted until the end of 2023, but losing to a team that entered the match with a percentage of 52.2 is a bad look.
Essendon won the inside 50m count (58-42) and clearances (37-30), but their inaccuracy at key moments cost them dearly.
West Coast's lack of pressure and horrible turnovers were telling in the opening term as Peter Wright and Jake Stringer booted two goals apiece.
Another ugly loss for the Eagles was brewing as the Bombers skipped out to a 22-point lead in the first quarter.
But a moment of magic from Darling helped turn the tide.
Darling snared a one-handed mark in the goalsquare while on his knees to send the crowd wild, and the Eagles unleashed a six-goal blitz in the second term to take a shock five-point lead into half-time.
Rioli and Cripps booted two goals each in the second term, while Wright entered the break with a wayward 3.4 to his name.
The lead changed hands four times in a pulsating third term, but two goals to Liam Ryan gave West Coast a handy 11-point edge heading into the final change.
Ryan's second goal, while being slung to the ground in a tackle, sent the 40,933 crowd wild.
Kennedy looked to have put the game to bed in the final term when he followed up a goal from a pack mark with another major from point-blank range, extending the margin to 22 points.
The Bombers sent a major scare with two goals in the space of a minute to close the gap to 10 points with two minutes remaining, but West Coast held firm from that point on.
Dylan Shiel racked up 26 disposals and nine clearances for Essendon, while forward Peter Wright booted 4.4 and Jake Stringer finished with three majors.
Ladder
AAP
