Team of the week: Round seven

Today's headlines

• Hard work ahead for Saints
  Fri, Jul 30, 10
• Saints fall to Bombers again
  Fri, Jul 30, 10
• GAME DAY - follow the action
  Fri, Jul 30, 10

Today's videos

• Rd18 Press Conference: St K
  Sat, Jul 31, 10
• Ess v St K: Match Summary
  Fri, Jul 30, 10
• Ess v St K: 1st half
  Fri, Jul 30, 10

B: Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Ben Rutten (Adelaide), Matthew Scarlett (Geelong)
HB: Jed Adcock (Brisbane Lions), Sam Fisher (St Kilda), Heath Shaw (Collingwood)
C: Simon Goodwin (Adelaide), Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Chris Knights (Adelaide)
HF: Ryan O'Keefe (Sydney), Damon White (Port Adelaide), Andrew Carrazzo (Carlton)
F: Aaron Davey (Melbourne), Scott Lucas (Essendon), Chris Tarrant (Fremantle)
FOLL: Josh Fraser (Collingwood), Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide), Tyson Edwards (Adelaide)
I/C: Brendon Lade (Port Adelaide), Daniel Harris (Kangaroos), Andrew Swallow (Kangaroos), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)

BACKS:
Campbell Brown (Hawthorn) On the back of his outstanding performance against Essendon's Scott Lucas, Brown again gave away plenty of height and weight to Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich, but came out on top. Brown kept Pavlich to just one goal in a super effort.

Ben Rutten (Adelaide) Produced yet another sterling performance down back, restricting Brisbane Lions superstar Jonathan Brown to just two goals. Rutten has now conceded just seven goals for the season.

Matthew Scarlett (Geelong) His coach, Mark Thompson, declared Scarlett's defensive effort was as "mean" as he'd ever seen, while Champion Data ranked him second best on ground, behind teammate Jimmy Bartel. Scarlett claimed 25 disposals.

HALF BACKS:
Jed Adcock (Brisbane Lions) Continued his vastly underrated season, accumulating 30 disposals, while he also won five free kicks and laid five tackles. Adcock was the top ranked Champion Data player in the match against Adelaide.

Sam Fisher (St Kilda) Fisher not only held Sydney star Michael O'Loughlin goalless and to just eight disposals, he also won 23 touches himself in an outstanding display. He grabbed 14 marks for the Saints.

Heath Shaw (Collingwood) Shaw's outstanding season as a rebounding half-back continued against Carlton. He won 19 touches – including nine contested – and had a disposal efficiency rate of 89 per cent.

CENTRES:
Simon Goodwin (Adelaide) Seven Brisbane Lions opponents stood Goodwin during the match, yet the acting Adelaide skipper still managed 30 possessions at a disposal efficiency rate of 90 per cent. He also chipped in with two goals.

Jimmy Bartel (Geelong) The competition's second-highest disposal winner continued his dominant season with a best-on-ground performance. Bartel won 32 disposals and was the No.1 ranked Champion Data player against West Coast.

Chris Knights (Adelaide) Adelaide's best player against the Brisbane Lions, Knights won 29 disposals – including nine contested – while he laid six tackles in arguably his finest AFL performance.

HALF FORWARDS:
Ryan O'Keefe (Sydney) One of the shining lights for the Swans, despite their 26-point loss to the Saints. Notched up 22 touches, raked in eight marks and laid four tackles, O'Keefe also finished the match with two goals.

Damon White (Port Adelaide) The key forward has been pivotal in the Power's 2007 rise. Against Richmond, he again showed why with a first-class effort, including 21 touches at a 95 per cent disposal efficiency rate. He took 13 marks and booted two goals.

Andrew Carrazzo (Carlton) The vastly underrated Blue simply never stopped trying in a super display against the Pies. Carrazzo won 34 disposals, including 24 in the second half, while he sent the ball inside 50 on seven occasions and won seven clearances.

FORWARDS:
Aaron Davey (Melbourne) Although the Demons went down, Davey was the highest ranked Champion Data player of the round, in arguably his finest AFL performance. He booted three goals and shone in defence with six rebounds.

Scott Lucas (Essendon) Bounced back strongly after being overshadowed by Campbell Brown in round six, finishing with five goals against the Kangaroos – the highest individual tally in round seven. Five of his eight marks were contested.

Chris Tarrant (Fremantle) Played his best match yet for Fremantle, starring against Hawthorn. He finished with 23 disposals, nine marks, nine inside-50s and two goals.

FOLLOWERS:
Josh Fraser (Collingwood) Fraser topped the Champion Data player rankings in the match against Carlton and was instrumental in Collingwood's victory. He won 19 disposals, 24 hit outs, took seven marks and landed two goals.

Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide) Cornes shone with 27 possessions – including 10 in the first term – against Richmond. His disposal efficiency rate was 96 per cent.

Tyson Edwards (Adelaide) Confirmed his status as one of the Adelaide greats in his 250th match with 33 disposals and 10 grabs against the Brisbane Lions.

INTERCHANGE:
Brendon Lade (Port Adelaide) Lade was a major player in Port Adelaide's 40-point win over Richmond. Spending time up forward and in the ruck, he booted three goals, won 15 touches and also won 12 hit outs.

Daniel Harris (Kangaroos) Spent just 62 per cent of the match on the ground, yet still amassed a whopping 31 possessions – including 10 contested – playing a crucial role in the win over Essendon.

Andrew Swallow (Kangaroos) Produced arguably his best performance for the Kangaroos with 24 touches – including 13 contested – at a disposal efficiency rate of 88 per cent. He also won 10 clearances, won four free kicks and laid four tackles.

Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) The co-captain was a major factor in St Kilda's win over Sydney, collecting 21 disposals and 14 marks. He also sent the ball inside 50 on eight occasions.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.