AFL - Hall of Fame Match Done and Dusted

That was one fine weekend in AFL football. It was a treat watching most of the game's weekly draw-cards all in one match. The skills of players just seemed to get better as the teams became more comfortable playing as a unit in front of almost 70,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

There has never been any question over the Hall Of Fame tribute match's success; the fans and players alike are sure to realise the importance of the history match.

As the years roll by, legendary tales of the feats of the elite Aussie Rules Footy players on Saturday night May 10 will pop-up in the conversations of many fans.

The Hall of Fame Tribute Game to celebrate the birth 150 years ago of Australian Rules Football clearly delivered it's promises as the Indigenous players lit-up the G.

Sydney's two-time Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes' played one of his best games. His mark over Richmond's Matthew Richardson during the second quarter in teeth of The Dream Team's goals was one of the better marks of the night.

While Goodes's was the only Indigenous player on the Victorian team, The Dream Team had eight, Captain Andrew McLeod, Graham Johncock (both from Adelaide), Peter Burgoyne (Port Adelaide) and Lance Franklin were their best contributers.

Hawthorn's Franklin has rapidly become one of the most exciting players to watch in the last year. His inaccuracy cost The Dream Team though. He booted four goals and five points. He could easily have kicked eight goals, which would have won the match for his team made from players from all states except Victoria.

Carlton and Victoria's Brendan Fevola won the Allen Aylett Medal for the best player on the ground. The last of his six-goal haul and his mark under pressure from The Dream Team's Ryan Griffen (Western Bulldogs) and Ben Rutten (Adelaide) was classic "Fev" at his best.

Not that it really matters, because bragging rights in this exhibition match mean next to nothing, but Victoria won 21.11 (137) to 18.12 (120).

While there is some question that this should become an annual event, to put the season on-hold once a decade would seem more than reasonable – and fans, players and, hopefully, clubs would rally around it.

Despite many hoping that State of Origin-type matches would return to the AFL's annual calendar, Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou was adamant after the game that it was a "one-off".

Anyway, the exhibition match is done and dusted.

The 16-club competition is in full swing, with Round 8 kicking off on Friday night when St Kilda hosts Collingwood at the Telstra Dome – and on paper it's probably the best match of the Round.

"Patchy" ladder-leaders Geelong – while ripe to be beaten by a side that can play at their best for the full four quarters - won't be troubled too much by Richmond at the MCG on Saturday.

Second-placed Hawthorn will defeat Port Adelaide at Aurora Stadium in Tasmania with "Buddy" Franklin, Jarrod Roughead and Mark Williams continuing on from their combined 17-goal spree in Round 6.

Third-placed Western Bulldogs will travel to Western Australia to play a very disappointing Fremantle side late on Sunday afternoon. After a tumultuous start to the season, it's difficult to see the Dockers getting up to win over the running 'Dogs, who will relish the wide open spaces of Subiaco.

Adelaide

Those top three undefeated teams are each deserving of their position on the ladder and each holds their own. But what of fourth-placed Adelaide Crows who have won five out of their first seven matches? They too deserve their position and are probably the only team that can legitimately challenge the trio of Geelong, Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs at this stage. After those four, there is clear daylight.

On Sunday afternoon, the Crows will run rampant over the lowly Melbourne Demons at AAMI Stadium in South Australia.

Other matches this weekend: Carlton vs Brisbane at Melbourne's Telstra Dome (Saturday night), Kangaroos vs West Coast at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland (also Saturday night) and Sydney vs Essendon at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney (Sunday afternoon).

AFL Round 7/22