The Tackle: Richmond needs to give Jack Riewoldt a chance to kick goals
RICHMOND should try kicking it to Jack Riewoldt, Andrew Walker cops a bake but give Buddy a chance. Robbo’s best and worst of Round 1.
Mark Robinson
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mark Robinson. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NOT for the first time, Richmond took a knife to a gun fight.
Maybe they were still basking in their Punt Rd hit-out against Essendon, when they were dominant, because they arrived at the Gold Coast thinking it was just going to happen.
At quarter-time, the Suns led 34-19. They won the contested ball 50-36. One team came to play.
SCROLL DOWN TO REPLAY ROBBO’S LIVE CHAT
The other team was hesitant instead of being aggressive.
It proved costly. The final margin was 18 points.
The Tigers improved after quarter-time — they won the contested ball 117-107 in the final three quarters — but have concerns in all areas.
RIEWOLDT, VICKERY LET TIGERS DOWN
On the morning of the game, coach Damien Hardwick spoke of the need to be aggressive and defensively strong, yet the Suns kicked an alarming 12.13 from 48 forward-50 entries. The Tigers scratched around for 10.9 from a healthy 58 entries.
What are they to do with Jack Reiwoldt?
Here’s a guy who won two Coleman Medals in so-so teams, seemingly being marginalised.
Hardwick said post-match Riewoldt and Ty Vickery were “below their best”.
Maybe if Riewoldt was given the pill, he might be able to have some impact.
Stats tells us inside-50 targets for the game were Vickery (14), resting midfielders Trent Cotchin (four) and Deledio (three), and Riewoldt (three).
Just three times to Jack, which is incredible for a player of his talents.
We are led to believe that nothing happens in football by chance, so we have to assume it was a coaching directive.
It didn’t work. Matthew Warnock’s job on Riewoldt was made easier because of the lack of delivery, while Vickery kicked two on Steven May, who was outstanding.
PIES ARE ‘NOWHERE NEAR IT’: LLOYD
SUPERCOACH ROUND 1 STUDS AND DUDS
On a weekend when the AFL competition grew up, Gold Coast, similar to an amazing Greater Western Sydney, won with substance.
In the final quarter, when the Tigers peppered the ball inside 50, the Suns absorbed the pressure at the defensive end and when they ball, they kicked goals.
From nine entries, the Suns kicked 5.2. From 21 entries, the Tigers kicked 4.2
May was terrific. He had eight spoils in the final 30 minutes and in a game in which Ablett, Swallow, O’Meara and Prestia were significant, May was as important as any of them.
While the Suns announced themselves in 2014, it was GWS who made the greater statement.
Don’t know where you were as they surged past Sydney in the final quarter, but if the cheers and clapping in a Malvern pub on Saturday evening was an indication of the national response, then this victory was not GWS’s alone, it was victory for all of football.
The scenes in the rooms post-match were Grand Final-like, and deservedly so.
Talk about growing up. The boys became men, and the men became leaders.
Against one of the flag favourites and renowned tough teams of the competition, GWS put their foot to the throat.
Statistics generally tell us what we are seeing, which was total GWS dominance, but from the 16th minute of the last quarter, GWS won the contested footy 29-10, won possessions 49-16, won inside 50s 9-1 and scored 6.2.
In that time, the Swans had one effective kick.
Not even the might of Fremantle or Hawthorn would return those sort of figures against the Swans.
The numbers don’t capture the emotion. This was the most significant moment in Giants history and although there is wide applause for the talent of Patton and Cameron, and of the recruits in Shaw and Mumford, and of the likes of Treloar, Coniglio, Whitfield and Scully, you can’t help but feel delighted for the skipper.
Callan Ward is a beauty. He had 31 touches and 11 clearances and would put his head under a caravan if it meant a possession for his teammates.
He is what GWS is becoming: formidable.
The Swans play Collingwood in Round 2 and for both teams it is a must-win.
The Pies stunk on Friday night and suddenly Sydney isn’t smelling quite right, either.
POWER RUNNING SINKS BIG VICS
CARLTON, Collingwood and Richmond are winless after one game.
Add to Carlton’s rap sheet they are slow, not fit enough for Port Adelaide, lack consistent effort and have personnel problems.
It’s not exactly a resume for finals football.
It is only Round 1, but the Blues have issues.
Port Adelaide, just as Fremantle did on Friday against the Magpies, exposed their opposition with hard running which eventually ripped the heart out of Carlton.
Perhaps the post-season surgeries at the end of the last season left them underdone, but excuses are often shallow after Round 1. Clearly all teams have health issues from the previous season.
The fact is the Blues led by 24 points in the second quarter and by the end were down by 33.
It was a 10-goal recovery and domination.
Whereas the game was hostile early with manic attack, it petered out as Port found space all over the ground.
They simply ran their opposition to exhaustion.
Port coach Ken Hinkley said after the game: “If you come and play against Port Adelaide, you are going to run. And you are going to run for four quarters.”
Hinkley time and again praises fitness coach Darren Burgess and last night he would’ve given his lieutenant another pat on the back.
Hinkley would hammer home the message to his players that they are fitter and mentally stronger than their opposition.
To win so many final quarters since the Hinkley/Burgess package arrived at Port Adelaide is not coincidental.
Last night it was 7.5 to 1.2 and that’s on the back of Carlton’s resurgence in the third quarter.
Too many Blues are inconsistent, not just over their careers but within games.
They float in and then disappear.
Zach Tuohy, Chris Yarran, Jeff Garlett, Matthew Kreuzer, Brock McLean, Andrejs Everitt, Tom Bell ... they play like champs one minute and chumps the next.
Others have their own issues. Mitch Robinson is as hard any footballer in the competition, but he butchers the ball — or simply slams it on his boot — when he has it; and, there are genuine fears if Matthew Watson can handle the key forwards — he didn’t last night against Justin Westhoff.
While Dale Thomas disappeared like many of his teammates, it was practically his first game in 12 months so he has an excuse.
Andrew Walker is dynamic across half-back, but three free kicks against in the final quarter, including a crude throw of Angus Monfries into the fence, was a nightmare start.
He could also face an MRP sanction for collecting Westhoff in the second quarter, so it’s best he have a refresher course on leadership.
Herald Sun colleague Jon Anderson wondered yesterday where Kreuzer is with his footy. He would be none-the-wiser this morning, knowing everything he questioned remains firmly on the table.
There’s nothing but admiration for Port Adelaide.
They play urgent football, are fierce on defence and on the attack, and have consistent contributors.
Port had all the running in the final quarter, but liked this on Twitter from @jim_bob85: ‘’Broadbent in 20 mins as sub still finished with more disposals than 6 blues’’.
Take your pick as your favourite last night — The Hoff kicking four in the second quarter — five for the game, Ollie Wines in the middle with 28 touches, nine tackles and 11 clearances, Jared Polec in the final quarter or Robbie Gray as a small forward.
Gray could be a star and expectations this year are high. He kicked four last night, including two to start the final quarter. They are moments to stand up and Gray didn’t let his team down.
You couldn’t say the same for many Carlton players.
They play Richmond in Round 2 and nothing needs to be said about how important that contest is — for both teams.
LIKES
1. Ollie Wines. He averaged 18 touches in his first season, and knocked out 28 — including 19 contested — and two goals against Carlton last night. Wines isn’t flashy, but he knows the game. He knows he has to win his own ball and he has to put his body on the line. They are Port Adelaide trademarks. And to think this bloke was taken No. 7 in his draft.
2. GWS. Could this be the fairytale win of the season already? As said, the boys became men and the men became leaders. The last quarter dominance was from a team which will only grow from the experience. And if it continues, cue the whinging from all other clubs over their draft concessions.
3. Adam Treloar. He could walk into your workplace today and you would be none the wiser. Watch the GWS game again and you’ll keep telling yourself, ‘This no. 17 is a hell of a player’. He had 34 touches, eight tackles, eight clearances and seven inside 50s for a whopping 154 SuperCoach points.
4. David Swallow. Spent last year in the back half and the return to the middle was the game we’ve been waiting for. He has a wise football head on young shoulders and infiltrates the game with smarts, not explosiveness. Had 27 disposals, nine marks and drew high praise from coach Guy McKenna. “I’d almost say he turned the game for us,” McKenna said. “A couple of his dashes off half-back, through the wing when everyone was almost looking for an inspiration and we’d normally turn to the fella that wears number nine (Ablett), but I thought Junior’s (Swallow’s) ability to stand up was pivotal. I thought he got us going.”
5. Matt Thomas. The Tigers went after more aggression in the off-season and drafted Matt Thomas. If there’s a harder player at the contest in the competition, I can’t think of him right now. Thomas gave his all — 29 touches, seven tackles, 10 clearances — but the Tigers were still found wanting. Maybe more mongrel is needed.
6. Nathan Fyfe. Interesting discussion about whether he deserved the three votes on Friday night. He was subbed off with a quarter to play and the game already over. When the game was alive, Fyfe was clearly the most influential player on the ground. Michael Johnson was very good as the sweeper, as was Danyle Pearce on the outside and Michael Barlow on the inside, but they weren’t Fyfe. Would love the umpires to acknowledge him on Brownlow night.
7. Gazza. Anything else to be said?
DON’T LIKE
1. Collingwood. Appeared bamboozled on the field and in the coaching box against the Dockers and Ross Lyon, and the game could not be salvaged after a promising first quarter. Intent and endeavour weren’t the problem, the fact is Collingwood was not good enough. Against the bigger bodies of the Dockers, the Pies looked small: Ben Kennedy off the bench, Marty Clarke, Taylor Adams, Ben Sinclair and Jamie Elliott. We’ll better judge the Pies when Jesse White and Ben Reid return, although it has to be asked already: Where best to play Reid? Forward or back?
2. Tigers forward line. What’s going on? They didn’t kick it to Jack, they kicked it too many times to Tyrone Vickery, and their small forwards — who are they? — were largely non-existent. Resting midfielders Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin kicked one each, Chris Newman got another, and Titch Edwards kicked two. Dare we say it, but Jake King’s defensive work and his ability to scrounge a goal or two is a missing ingredient.
3. Buddy bashing. Not after one game, surely? Like everyone, I don’t believe Lance Franklin will be playing for the next nine years, but that doesn’t mean pulling the knives out after he played poorly — as did his team — in the slush in western Sydney. He can’t mark like Westhoff, Jarrad Waite or Travis Cloke on a normal day, but he will be dangerous on the lead and in the spaces. Give him a break.
4. Mitch Clark. Clearly in a dark place and needs help, and that means footy is off the agenda. The fear is he might not play football this season, which is devastating for the Demons. Still, Clark’s health is more important.
5. Shaun Grigg. Can find the ball, but reckon he has to do more with it. He had the ball 30 times against Gold Coast but yielded just 74 ratings points. Too many times his possessions didn’t count for anything, other than his team had the ball and the opposition doesn’t. The minor issue is he can’t go forward and kick goals. He kicked 15 in 23 matches last year, and if he could turn that into 30 goals this year, he would be a much more vital player.
6. Andrew Walker. Already gave him a touch up but he deserves another crack. Three free kicks against in the final quarter isn’t good enough, and to throw Monfries into the fence was a case of frustration. Walker deserves a week, and he shouldn’t complain. If someone did it to him, he’d be furious.
7. Sunday night footy. The AFL is experimenting and will say they did it to cater for the Grand Prix. But just 24,640 at Etihad last night was disappointing. Sunday night footy finishing at 10.30 on a school night might never be a winner.
TOP TWEETS
@JakeDunne12: like: expansion team upsets. Dislike: split round 1st up. Not enough footy for one weekend.
@themalkproject: Dislike — no brainer — Sunday Night Football. Awful timeslot — ditch it! Dislike — stagnated start to Round 1
@Cozza_76: Like:the fact that GC Suns & GWS are above Pies & Collingwood on the ladder. Dislike: No MCG use.
@holdenangel1987: likes, GWS getting up against Swans, especially with Buddy doing nothing! Dislike, Richmond..
@Robfromtaroona: Best Jeremy Cameron & Jonathan Patton as the twin towers, worst Magpies playing just like Buckley — bruise free
@Mrdan24: dislike Richmond’s lack of speed and forward line structure
@ElisabethTuckey: like the pre season build up of Pies and Tigers with the real stuff showing their glaring weaknesses and flaws
@pwnolan: like: Adam Treloar from GWS. Kid can play. Dislike: Split round 1.
@srahul_35: Like: Both expansion sides winning their matches. Dislike: The amount of concessions they have been given to get here.
@TheSongNerd: LIKE: That the top teams didn’t even exist when we were born. Oakley, Jackson & AD can be proud of how the VFL has expanded
@Blackiepa24: dislike the pies selectors! Lynch and keefe emergencies after Reid and white have injuries does not make sense
@Dylan_2112: Like: Giants massive underdog win. Dislike: Giants loaded with so much talent! Had about 5 top 5 selections not play Y’day.
@cunners2287: like: Tom Langdon, one of a very few to have a crack on Friday night. Dislike: Bucks not changing game plan after half time
@BeccaHayne: Like: Adam Treloar, the gun you’ve barely heard of ... yet. Dislike: Fans quitting on their team after one game ... stay fat!
@davidtilley1882: Dislikes: AFL. Giants are ‘feel good’ now, but they have created a monster! Likes: Dion Prestia. Have we forgotten?
@Jeffmister: Like: Gold Coast & GWS gave us a reminder that off-season hype certain teams get means nothing once the season begins
@simonpage26: Like Callum Ward, one of the most underrated midfielders, if played at a Melbourne club would get more credit!
@PeterHiggo: Like: The many bearded Jesus type players this year. Dis: We still won’t get to see them play on Good Friday
@sanke3: too much off field distractions for tiges? #jakeking #dustymartin #jack
@wildebeestz: D: Vickery plays key fwd like a giraffe. L: sun’s other midfielders.
@thesmithdog: dislike Warnock playing ruck over Kreuzer. He’s a number 1 pick as a ruckman. Just put him in the guts Malthouse.
@goobaw: next years top 8 could be freo port Sydney wce Gws suns crows and Tassie hawks #Afl national sport
@Macready1306: likes- Westhoff. Dislikes- Kreuzer. Where was he? He’s not up to it. Watson the same. Pathetic. Congrats Port.
@codywinnell: Like Port’s chances of playing finals. Dislike Carlton’s chances of finishing above 10th.
@FeathertopDT: dislike: boundary umpires not hitting the gym enough. Some throws falling way short.
@Mozarticus: like polec, hoff, the imp, ports fitness. Dislike — Andrew walkers misplaced aggression
@JakeBurgo: Likes — Ollie Wines. Gun. Dislikes — Inconsistent players within Carlton’s side eg yarran, garlett, robinson
@Tim_symons23: Ollie wines !!! Will be as good as Mitchell. Jarred polec, like buying a Rolex at cash converters
Robbo: Port fury justified as Kenny locked in for 2025
Ken Hinkley will coach Port Adelaide next season – you can lock that in, writes MARK ROBINSON. But a certain AFL figure won’t be welcome, with the Power filthy at the league’s embarrassing overstep.
Dynasty 2.0: Do Mitchell’s Hawks have hallmarks of the greats?
As Hawthorn eyes a spot in this year’s preliminary final, MARK ROBINSON examines what it takes to become a juggernaut and whether the Hawks have the traits to emulate Sydney and Geelong’s sustained success.