Geelong, Melbourne and North Melbourne among Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 21
GEELONG has lost eight games by 17 points or less this season. Is that bad luck or are there bigger problems? Melbourne and North Melbourne, meanwhile, have their own issues. MARK ROBINSON names his likes and dislikes from Round 21.
IT WAS another huge weekend of footy with upset wins and big results having a major impact on the run to finals.
Geelong, Melbourne and North Melbourne were beaten and the fallout for those teams in particular has been savage.
What about Sydney and GWS? They keep on keeping on and Western Bulldogs won for 250-gamer Dale Morris.
MARK ROBINSON names his likes and dislikes from Round 21.
RUN HOME: CAN YOUR TEAM STILL PLAY FINALS?
MASSIVE LOSS: NORTH’S SEASON COMES CRASHING DOWN
HEARTBREAK: ALEX JOHNSON SUFFERS ANOTHER ACL INJURY
WHAT I LIKE
1. They did it for Dale Morris
You can never underestimate the psychology of honouring a teammate and we will find out one day if coach Luke Beveridge used the career of Morris as part of his halftime evaluation. The Dogs were 28 points down at the main break and while North Melbourne’s intensity dropped on the restart, the Bulldogs raised theirs. “It was all about effort,” Morris said after the game. Indicative of Morris and the Bulldogs on Sunday was a two-on-one play on the wing and Morris won a stoppage. They kicked 9.7 to 3.8 in the second half and opened up the Kangas with their run and pressure. A brilliant day for the Bulldogs.
2. James Worpel
Last week he kept his feet against Essendon’s Michael Hurley and this week he kept his eyes on the ball against Joel Selwood coming the other way. It was a monumental moment and one that Fox Footy’s Brad Johnson said would get a rousing cheer on B&F night later in the year. It came in the rollicking third quarter. Worpel and Selwood bee-lined the ball from opposite directions, Worpel got to the ball first, didn’t fumble, spun around a Selwood bodycheck, took a clip to the head and dished to Jack Gunston, who kicked the goal. “I saw the ball and put the nose down,” Worpel said. It was symbolic of Hawthorn’s attitude on Saturday.
REPORT: DOCKERS ONSLAUGHT SINKS BLUES
INJURY CURSE: PIES RULE ELLIOTT, REID OUT FOR SEASON
SIMON GOODWIN: DEES NEED A SCALP TO PLAY FINALS
3. Isaac Heeney
Sydney’s character needs no explanation and it was evident again at the MCG on Sunday. Told they were too slow, too old and one-dimensional, the Swans have clipped Collingwood and Melbourne in the past two weeks, led by their leaders. A change up from the coach on Sunday was using Isaac Heeney in defence late in the game. He was put behind the ball against the Pies and given even more time in defence against the Demons. He took three marks in the final 10 minutes and maybe has found a new position. He wouldn’t be the first talented forward/midfielder to become a brilliant defender. Certainly, his leap would help contend with taller opponents and his smarts would launch rebound.
4. Rory Lobb
The man who looks like Marty McFly’s dad could be the Giants’ most valuable player over the next six weeks. If he continues to influence matches like he did in Canberra on Saturday night, he will be the most valuable. Carrying external doubts about his ability to ruck all match and opposed to Sam Jacobs, Lobb produced one of his best performances. In fact, it was his best game since the 2016 preliminary final. He had 14 hit-outs to advantage, which was the second most of his career, 10 contested possessions, the third most of his career, and 11 score involvements. The question is: Can he keep it rolling?
5. Shaun Grigg
Jack Riewoldt is the cat who is licking the cream — a new contract, 10 goals and widespread acknowledgment that he has grown from a boy to a man in recent years. One of his best mates at the club, Shaun Grigg, meanwhile, keeps on keeping on. He is a midfielder/second ruck and vital to the Richmond set-up. Against the Suns, he had 26 disposals (second most of the year), 13 contested possessions and 14 score involvements (most of the year). Balmey, give this man a new contract.
6. David Myers
Essendon is searching for inside mids, which was an area of concern earlier in the season. Not as much now. The emergence of Kyle Langford and Darcy Parish has been telling, but so too the re-emergence of David Myers. This is his 10th year as a footballer but he has averaged only 13 games a season because of development, injury and form. He was enormous on Friday night. He finished with a season-high 29 disposals, a team-high 13 contested possessions, 10 score involvements and a team-high 604m gained. His importance to the Bombers cannot be underestimated.
7. West Coast
It was self-inflicted, but a challenging week for the Eagles and the importance of a win on the road was evident to everyone. This wasn’t only about four points and securing a top-two finish, this was about a club that had serious questions asked of it in terms of culture and leadership. Jeremy McGovern kicked the winner, and Mark LeCras the goal before that, but it was a team effort that won this game. The highest-ranked Eagles were Scott Lycett, Jack Redden and Tom Barrass and they were missing Andrew Gaff, Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy. They made a statement, albeit luckily.
8. Brayden Sier
Had 18 disposals after halftime in the midfield as coach Nathan Buckley tested him out as a centre-square starter. It was just his sixth game and Buckley would have liked what he saw. The 20-year-old Sier attended 19 centre bounces — only Scott Pendlebury was at more — and put together 27 disposals, 13 contested possessions, a game-high 12 ground-ball gets, a game-high nine inside-50s and 38 pressure points, which was the second most for Collingwood. It gives Buckley the confidence to use him there again, maybe even in a final.
9. Gazza
In a losing team, Gary Ablett was enormous and former teammate Jimmy Bartel reckons he should be considered for All-Australian selection. The reason he probably won’t, Bartel said, was because Gazza was a victim of his own standards. Arguably, his game against the Hawks was his best of the season. He finished with 32 disposals, three goals, a game-high in metres gained (616m) and a team-high 60 pressure points. That last stat is the most significant.
10. PCLs, not ACLs
When Heath Shaw’s knee buckled, it could have ended his career. Being 33 in November and having nine months on the sidelines, it would have been a challenge to continue. Thankfully, it was the lesser of two evils, although that doesn’t help the Giants in the short term. Will say it again, if they win the flag this year with all their injuries, Leon Cameron would be a genius.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE
1. Geelong
Once again, the top shelf filled their boots and the bottom six failed to have an impact, and once again Geelong stormed home and failed to take the four points. Patrick Dangerfield on Sunday admitted on 3AW the season was frustrating. They play slowly, play quickly, concede they can’t adequately control turnover and on Saturday couldn’t kick goals. That’s eight defeats by 17 points or less this season. You can attribute that to bad luck or you can dig deeper for answers, which Cats coach Chris Scott would be doing. Are they too defensive before the floodgates are opened?
2. The fans are frustrated
The most-hyped midfield since Cox, Cousins, Kerr and Judd hasn’t produced as many wins as it would have liked. It may be simplistic, but why is it when Dangerfield (40 disposals), Gazza (32 and three goals), Joel Selwood (23) and Sam Menegola (30) find so much ball, the Cats still can’t get it done? Clearly, it’s about the team and not the superstars and the Cats come up short on team performance. Which is annoying for Cats fans, who held such high hopes. Even Billy Brownless let his frustration be known. Asked on Triple M by Wayne Carey how the Cats could lose clearances with Ablett, Selwood and Dangerfield, Brownless said: “Because they’re lazy … except for Dangerfield, I’ll give him that.”
3. North Melbourne
Blew a five-goal lead and maybe a finals spot against a team that had every right to raise the white flag only three games from the end of the season. Instead, it was North Melbourne that raised the flag. It was an opportunity lost. The midfield, which has earned plaudits this year, was swept aside by Lachie Hunter (44 disposals), Jack Macrae (40), Caleb Daniel (40) and Marcus Bontempelli (35 and two goals). Let’s be brutal, how do three players on the same team have 40 disposals in a game? Talk about being lazy, Billy, this was pathetic from the Kangaroos midfield.
4. Melbourne
Still hasn’t beaten a team in the eight and the monkey on the back is now a gorilla two weeks from finals. Thanks to “Swamp” on Twitter, Melbourne is 0-7 and with a 74.8 percentage versus the current top nine teams and 12-1 with a percentage of 174.8 against the bottom nine. Flat-track bullies or simply not good enough? The answer is probably both. The Dees were outpointed on Sunday — marks were 120-82 — and killed themselves by foot, kicking 10.18 from 60 inside-50s. Wise heads keep claiming the Dees’ method is strong and they could challenge Richmond, yet the method doesn’t get them over the line. The Eagles and the Giants in the next two weeks mean they could miss the eight, which would be extremely disappointing.
5 Oh no, Alex
We learnt plenty about Alex Johnson when he played his first game back against Collingwood last week and on Sunday, after tearing an ACL for the sixth time, we learnt even more. At quarter-time, he parked his own devastation and got around his teammates, knowing it would probably be his final game with his club. His resilience is obvious, but even the mentally strongest player would find it difficult to go again. If it’s over, at least he had that wonderful night against Collingwood when the Swans won, he got through the game, and his parents cried in the grandstand.
6. Port Adelaide
Injuries were an issue, no doubt, but you have to wonder if Port tried to ice the game with 50 minutes remaining. They did it against Richmond earlier this season and succeeded. In the final 50 minutes on Saturday, it seemed to play careful football. The inside-50m count was Port 16, Eagles 31. Contested possessions were Port 48, Eagles 68 and clearances were Port eight, Eagles 14. And the score? Port’s two to the Eagles’ 34. The match was slipping even before the injuries took hold.
7. Why was Ebert on McGovern?
A wounded Port Adelaide put numbers behind the ball and when Jeremy McGovern went from being a deep defender to an offensive threat after Mark LeCras kicked his goal, the match-up wasn’t ideal for Port. Brad Ebert is a 188cm ballplayer and McGovern a 196cm marking machine. Port had Dougal Howard (199cm) and Tom Clurey (193cm) but neither put their hand up for McGovern. Port was caught out because McGovern didn’t go deep, Scott Lycett’s kick travelled only 30m, and Ebert didn’t have the defensive nous or size to a) stop McGovern jumping or b) spoil the ball. It was gallant from Port to try to hold on with all the injuries, but gallantry doesn’t get you four points.
8. Tampering
The Tom Lynch situation was a fiasco and, rest assured, the AFL agrees. It’s why clubs talking to contracted players is on the AFL agenda and more than likely clubs will banned from doing so during the season from next year. Even talking about rival players is not a good look. Like that St Kilda is being active, but openly talking about its want for Swan Daniel Hannebery creates only headlines and bad blood. A window for player movement was put in place by the AFL and AFLPA and it is being treated with contempt. It has to — and will — change.
9. Seriously, umpire
The inconsistency in penalising players who take the advantage was put on the agenda by Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson last weekend. This weekend, his team was the positive recipient of a call that robbed Geelong of an opportunity. The Cats were paid a free kick at the bounce with a minute to play and Tom Mitchell gathered the ball, looked at the umpire and booted it forward. It should have been 50m and it wasn’t because the umpire said: “He didn’t know.” At Adelaide Oval, Jasper Pittard won a free kick and Liam Ryan picked up the ball and kicked for goal. Pittard got the 50m penalty, although it could be argued Ryan “didn’t know”. It’s another aspect of football that needs to be reviewed.
10. Tex Walker
Some of the commentariat are trying to exonerate the Crows skipper, but it is futile. The tackle was superb, the finish was dangerous, Josh Kelly was gaga and clearly we can’t have players knocked out through a tackle. Walker should sit out for a week.
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Originally published as Geelong, Melbourne and North Melbourne among Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 21
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