WHAT HAPPENED IN ROUND 16 OF THE AFL
THEY SAID IT: "He came to Port Adelaide at pick No.31. We still treat Jack like pick No.1 ... give the bloke a break." A prickly Ken Hinkley on the media's "fascination" with off-season recruit Jack Watts, who booted two goals in his return to senior football as Port downed St Kilda.
STAT THAT MATTERS: Richmond have now won 17 successive games at the MCG, equalling the record set by Melbourne in the 1950s. Their next opponent at the 'G - Collingwood in round 19 - may well be the only team capable of beating them there.
MAN OF THE ROUND: Luke Breust continued his stellar season with a dominant performance during the Hawks' 63-point thumping of the Western Bulldogs. The small forward booted an equal career-best six goals - including four in the first quarter - to sit third in the Coleman Medal count.
KEY MOMENT: In a round full of blowouts, Geelong made life hard for themselves with their wayward goalkicking against Sydney. Tim Kelly finally proved the difference. His curling snap with four minutes remaining opened up a two-goal buffer and the Cats ran out 8.23 (71) to 9.5 (59) winners.
TALKING POINTS: Where does Carlton go from here? Saturday's atrocious 65-point loss to Brisbane shows just how badly the Blues' rebuild is going. Charlie Curnow and Marc Murphy both committed to the club over the past month and Patrick Cripps is expected to follow suit. But is Brendon Bolton still the man for the top job?
TRIBUNAL WATCH: Gold Coast co-captain Steven May's stomach-punch on Shaun Higgins will be looked at closely. Brisbane forward Oscar McInerney was reported for striking Carlton's Matthew Kennedy. Not much else for match review officer Michael Christian to worry about with Thursday and Friday night's games given the all-clear.
KEY INJURIES: Kieren Jack (Syd, knee), Jarrad McVeigh (Syd, collarbone), Dan Hannebery (Syd, calf), Jack Graham (Rich, shoulder), Nathan Broad (Rich, cheekbone), Richard Douglas (Adel, ankle), Lachie Hunter (WB, ankle), Aaron Naughton (WB, ankle), Ben McEvoy (Haw, cheekbone), Jacob Weitering (Carl, calf), Kade Simpson (Carl, calf), Andrew Phillips (Carl, hamstring), Caleb Marchbank (Carl, heart), Tom Jonas (Port, knee), Orazio Fantasia (Ess, groin), Patrick Ambrose (Ess, hamstring). Jake Stringer (Ess, calves) David Myers (Ess, calf), W Hoskin-Elliott (Coll, shin) Flynn Appleby (Coll, hamstring), Harry Himmelberg (GWS, hamstring).
WHAT'S NEXT: Adelaide's finals hopes are hanging by a thread. Thursday night's clash with Geelong at Adelaide Oval looms as an absolute must-win for last year's grand finalists. Richmond face a big test on the road against GWS on Saturday, while Sunday's MCG clash between Collingwood and West Coast should answer some big questions about both teams' premiership aspirations.
