AFL Round 19: We name our likes and dislikes in this weekend’s edition of the Early Tackle
Maurice Rioli Jr gave the Tigers a spark when he was subbed on late, but how serious was Ben Miller’s injury? Why the AFL needs to bin the rule and the best and worst of round 19.
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Herald Sun reporter Chris Cavanagh assesses the state of play and names his early likes and dislikes after a crucial opening game of Round 19.
DISLIKES
1. SUB RULE
What is the point of having a flimsy rule that is open to exploitation?
The AFL has not been afraid to change rule interpretations on the run this season, so it is time to add another to the list and fix the sub rule before finals.
The rule states that a player can be subbed out if they “will be medically unfit to participate in any match for at least the next 12 days”.
Yet, large numbers of players have played five or six days after being subbed out this year.
Richmond was in the spotlight on Friday night after key defender Ben Miller was subbed out for speedy forward Maurice Rioli Jnr.
“I think he (Miller) cramped up in his calf. He might be okay, I’m not too sure,” Hardwick said.
Hardly sounds like a serious 12-day injury.
Remove the confusion and let teams use the sub when they choose.
Tigers just playing within the confines of a rule that never made sense and was always going to result in this sort of stuff.
— Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) July 22, 2022
2. ANOTHER ‘RICHMONDY’ PERFORMANCE
The three-time premiers have seemingly forgotten how to win.
After a Round 18 loss to North Melbourne, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said it was a case of “Richmond killing Richmond”.
And the same thing happened again against Fremantle on Friday night.
Composure, goalkicking skills and basic football IQ have been lacking in last quarters this year.
The Tigers have now lost seven games this season where they have held leads in the final quarter.
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That suggests the system is still standing up – but the players aren’t in the big moments.
Dustin Martin has been that big moment player in the past, but has missed a large chunk of this season and might not feature again in the home-and-away campaign this year after his latest hamstring injury setback.
So, other senior players need to start stepping up when the game is on the line.
The two points the Tigers collected from the draw with the Dockers keeps them in the finals race.
However, any September dreams will quickly fade if the players cannot put the past three weeks behind them, rediscover some self-belief and find some alternative on-field leaders.
3. FYFE INJURED, AGAIN
All football lovers want to see the best players fit and firing on the big stage in September.
Dockers captain Nat Fyfe is one of the competition’s biggest stars, but has had a horror injury run over the last 12 months that has not allowed him to shine.
Fyfe has had multiple rounds of shoulder surgery since last July and then had back surgery earlier this year.
In just his sixth AFL game of the season since returning, he suffered a left hamstring injury on Friday night which is expected to mean a best-case scenario of a Round 23 return.
With the pre-finals bye in place again this year, Fyfe would have played only played one game in five weeks leading into his club’s first final if he does get back for the final round.
The timing for Fyfe and the Dockers could not be much worse.
4. BATTLING ROOS
North Melbourne does not deserve a priority pick in this year’s draft, but needs to be given one.
As of Saturday morning, the Kangaroos held picks 1, 55, 65, 73 and 91 in this year’s draft.
That is only going to prolong what already shapes as a lengthy rebuild.
After an inspired win over Richmond last week, North Melbourne fell back to its old ways as it allowed Hawthorn to kick the first nine goals of the game in Hobart.
The Kangaroos’ skill level was poor and their leaky defence needs some major re-plumbing.
They kicked seven of their 11 goals for the game in junk time in the last quarter, but still finished with a 46-point loss to a fellow bottom-six side – their 13th defeat by 46 points or more this season.
Opposition clubs won’t be happy with North Melbourne being handed a priority pick, but the application for one that began last week needs to be approved for the sake of the competition.
5. JUDGING TALLS TOO EARLY
There were plenty of people coming for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in his debut season last year.
The pressure of being a No.1 draft pick is always high, but even more so when you have drawn comparisons to your idol Lance Franklin.
The fact is key position players take time and Ugle-Hagan was underdone after his final year of underage football in 2020 was wiped out by Victorian Covid-19 lockdowns.
The 20-year-old still has some work to do when it comes to keeping himself involved in games across four quarters, but he has taken some big strides forward with his development over the past two weeks and his confidence is rising as fast as a rocket.
Ugle-Hagan kicked five goals against reigning premier Melbourne on Saturday night and rose to the occasion with some big moments in a tense final quarter.
The effort backed up three goals against St Kilda under the Friday night lights the previous week.
Former Adelaide and Geelong forward Josh Jenkins said during Saturday night’s match that Ugle-Hagan was “going to be a Jeremy Cameron-type player”.
Bulldogs fans would be over the moon if he reaches those heights in coming years.
LIKES
1. NICK VLASTUIN
Richmond defensive coach Adam Kingsley said last month that Nick Vlastuin was the “probably the best player currently playing who hasn’t been All Australian”.
In a Tigers’ backline that has clearly had its issues this season, Vlastuin has been one consistently strong performer.
He was again Richmond’s top-ranked player on the ground against Fremantle on Friday night, logging 23 disposals, six marks, eight intercept possessions, three spoils and six tackles.
Vlastuin’s six opponents on the night – primarily dangerous trio Michael Frederick, Michael Walters and Lachie Shultz – combined for nine disposals and no goals during his time matched up on them.
The fact Vlastuin has missed six games this year through injury and suspension means he won’t make the All-Australian side.
But if best-and-fairest awards were won on an average votes per game played basis, you would suspect Vlastuin would be leading Richmond’s – or close to.
2. SWANS’ OPTIONS
Once upon a time, it was Buddy or bust for Sydney.
If Lance Franklin didn’t kick a bag, the Swans would struggle to put a winning score on the board.
Not any more.
Franklin kicked three goals against Adelaide on Saturday to overtake Gary Ablett Snr and claim fifth place on the all-time VFL/AFL goalkicking table with 1033 majors – a remarkable achievement in the modern game.
But the Swans are flush with options who can find the goals up forward and it makes them a dangerous proposition heading into finals.
Sydney had 11 individual goalkickers boot their 17 majors against the Crows in Adelaide.
If Franklin does not get you, the likes of Isaac Heeney, Tom Papley, Will Hayward or Sam Reid will.
In addition to the forwards, the Swans also have a swathe of goalkicking midfielders.
The win over the Crows was a third on the trot for a side that has a favourable fixture in the final four weeks, with games to come against GWS, North Melbourne, Collingwood and St Kilda.
Watch out, top-four.
3. PUTTING THE WHISTLE AWAY
It is early days, but so far the AFL gets a big tick for its change of “interpretation” around high contact rules.
The umpires have largely put the whistle away this weekend after the league put out a memo to clubs that players who duck, drop or shrug into a tackle to draw high contact would not be rewarded with a free kick.
More often than across Round 19, “play on” has been called when players have ducked into high contact, leant into high contact or tried to shrug off tackles which have then slipped above the shoulder.
If consistency from the umpires continues over the new interpretation, players will quickly adapt, stop putting their heads at risk and get on with playing the game in the right spirit.
4. CATS ROOKIES GETTING IT DONE
For a long time, it has been Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood who have changed the momentum of games for Geelong.
Against Port Adelaide, it was fourth-year rookie Tom Atkins who helped drag the Cats across the line.
With the game on the line in the last quarter, Atkins had 12 disposals (7 contested), two clearances and five intercept possessions in a herculean quarter.
“He’s now announced himself as a Selwood-like match winner when something needed to be done,” Fox Footy commentator Garry Lyon said.
Another Geelong rookie who has also played every game this year – Brad Close – also deserves some credit.
At halftime Close had laid seven of the Cats’ 29 tackles – including two great runs down tackles which were rewarded with free kicks.
A high half-forward, he works as hard as anyone and it’s not just pressure and tackling that he brings to the table.
He is also averaging a goal a game among 5.6 score involvements.
5. LUCKY LAST
Entering the weekend, one player from the top 20 selections in the 2020 national draft was yet to make their AFL debut.
That was Elijah Hollands (pick 7) who finally got his opportunity in the QClash.
Hollands, who hails from Wodonga, suffered an ACL injury during his draft year, which he did not fully recover from until the second half of last season.
He was forced to bide his time in the VFL this year, where strong form eventually demanded he be picked at senior level.
Hollands joined the first kick, first goal club with a nice set shot in the opening quarter and had a second before half-time after a classy second-quarter snap.
He showed good skills and football smarts and finished the night with five score involvements from nine touches.
Hollands’ younger brother, Oliver, is also worth watching this year.
The hard-running Murray Bushrangers and Geelong Grammar midfielder is shaping as one of Victoria’s top draft prospects and has attracted interest from the Suns, among a raft of other clubs.
Originally published as AFL Round 19: We name our likes and dislikes in this weekend’s edition of the Early Tackle
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