The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 10 of the 2021 AFL season
We all love a whinge from time to time. But Richmond must stop airing its frustrations publicly and instead rediscover its flag-winning form, writes Mark Robinson.
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The blooming Bombers and surrendering Saints are in Robbo’s sights in this round’s edition of The Tackle.
Chief Football Writer Mark Robinson ponders St Kilda’s recruiting strategy after it was demolished by the Dogs as an Essendon legend makes a big call on his club’s list.
Mistakes in agonising defeats for Collingwood and Melbourne are on the agenda, as Robbo earmarks a mid-year All Australian backman and celebrates a trio of running Blues.
See his likes and dislikes below.
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LIKES
1. BLUE-COLLAR BOMBERS
The build continues led by Three Amigos in the middle — Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish and Andy McGrath — the exuberance of youth group Nik Cox, Harrison Jones and Archie Perkins, and recruits Peter Wright and Nick Hind.
Clearly, coach Ben Rutten has had a massive influence, as has list manager Adrian Dodoro. “Adrian Dodoro is a gun,” former coach James Hird said.
“Under enormous criticism, he has put together a youthful list that rivals anything Essendon has had over the past 20 years.
“He may be hard to deal with for opposition clubs, but as an Essendon fan he is a guru.”
The Bombers will ask questions of the AFL if Cox is not this week’s rising star.
2. THE ROADBLOCK
Port Adelaide’s Aliir Aliir was in nine 1v1 contests on Sunday at the MCG and lost just the one contest.
He is thoroughly disciplined with his spoiling, and is smart with his body and rarely loses his feet.
How do teams take him out of the play?
It’s the same question about Melbourne’s Jake Lever.
Adelaide used Sam Berry on Lever for most of Saturday night. It had a significant impact in the first half, but dropped away in the second half.
Aliir played mainly on Darcy Cameron on Sunday and he was vital to Port’s win, if not Port’s best player.
Port banks the four points and go home.
3. THE UNKNOWN SOLDIERS
They are Giants defenders Sam Taylor, Jack Buckley and Connor Idun.
Taylor’s story is one of fear, resilience and perseverance and on Sunday he continued an outstanding season.
He played on Josh Kennedy and kept him to one goal and himself had a career-high 21 disposals.
Last year he played four games before being struck down by a mystery illness. He lost 10kg and briefly was paralysed in his hips and lower back and there were genuine fears he would not play football again.
He’s been joined in the back half by Buckley (12 games) and Idun (12 games) who 18 months were among the last players to be given a list spot. The rejuvenated Giants would be thrilled with the trio
4. TOP DOG IN AA AFTER POSITION SWITCH
Bailey Dale has been one of the “moves’’ of the season. A talented and sporadic forward, he was sent back this year by Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and the reward has been enormous.
A classical kick, he’s also given up just two goals to his direct opponents this season.
He torched St Kilda’s Jack Lonie on Saturday night, having 107 ranking points and 20 disposals at halftime.
He’s a stopper and a creator. Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich is the other All-Australian defender. He’s a hard-nosed stopper.
He quelled Dustin Martin on Friday night, which followed wins over Tom Papley, Robbie Gray, Jordan De Goey, Michael Walters and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. Starcevich is also a scrounge, having only three goals kicked against him by direct opponents.
Throw in Steve May, Harris Andrews, Christian Salem and Tom Stewart and there’s your AA backline to date.
5. SEEDSMAN SPROUTS ON WING
I asked six weeks, why isn’t he still at Collingwood?
He’s 29, he departed Collingwood for Adelaide at the end of 2015 for reasons only Seedsman and the Pies know, and is arguably playing the best footy of his career.
Against the Demons, he had team-high disposals (35) and team-high metres gained (682).
This year, he’s ranked top three for wingmen for metres gained, uncontested possessions and score involvements.
Seedsman is holding his own in a team that has won four games and is, with Hugh McCluggage (who’s in), Sam Menegola, Ed Langdon and Andrew Gaff, the stand out wingmen in AA contention.
6. SECOND-HALF SAVIOUR
We’ve seen it plenty of times from Nathan Fyfe, who had 84 ranking points in the second half against the Swans on Saturday night.
He was in beast mode. We haven’t seen it as much from Rory Lobb. The forward/ruck had 70 ranking points after halftime, three contested marks in the wet and kicked two of his four goals in the meritorious win.
He’s valuable to the Dockers and will be doubly so as they eye a finals spot, after Fremantle’s No.1 key forward Matt Taberner suffered an ankle injury.
Lobb was the forward 50 target 17 times against the Swans and Taberner eight times, so the role as the No.1 forward won’t be foreign to him.
7. IRISH LION’S RAW TALENT
Gutsy coaching from Brisbane’s Chris Fagan, who put his faith in his Irishman, James Madden, to be capable in his second game.
And against the Tigers, mind you. Every season, most teams need an injection of new players. Some teams go after free agents, as the Lions did with Joe Daniher, and some teams opt for youth as Lions have.
Madden is 21, and in his second game, he had the second most intercept possessions (nine) and a team-high intercept marks (four), all the while trying to curb the influence of mainly Jake Aarts and Jason Castagna and the out-of-sorts Dan Rioli.
What a terrific start to a career.
8. BLUES FIND RIGHT FORMULA
Zac Williams, Adam Saad, and Sam Docherty combined to contribute strongly to Carton’s win on Saturday.
Their form and a savage spray from coach David Teague at halftime did the trick.
It might be an “about time’’ game for the Blues, in that it was about time Teague really gave it his players for their defensive failings and it was about time Williams played halfback where he cut this cloth at the Giants.
Docherty played wing to accommodate Williams and Saad in the defensive 50 and three of them were on the podium for metres gained. Williams 764m, Saad 659m and Docherty 534m.
It might be the right formula. It was Carlton’s second lowest score conceded this season.
9. JACK OF ALL TRADES
Geelong’s Jack Henry is Geelong’s Mr Versatile. In Rounds 3-7, he played a mix of defence, forward and relief ruck.
In Rounds 8-10, he’s back to being a 100 per cent defender. In those three games, he’s beaten Jack Riewoldt, was too small for Max King and on Saturday squared the contest against the other brother, Gold Coast’s Ben King.
He’s undersized for a key back, but his role allows Tom Stewart and Mark Blicavs to do what they do.
Henry also delivers offensively. He had 19 disposals against the Suns and 10 intercept possessions, and has emerged as a key plank of Geelong’s defence.
DISLIKES
1. RECYCLED SAINTS LACK HEART
You can be beaten by the Western Bulldogs, but you can’t be shamed like that.
No, not like that.
Coach Brett Ratten said in the post-match of the 111-point thumping football was played above the shoulders, which is him politely saying his team was/is mentally weak.
Everyone else is thinking it, so there’s no reason for Ratten to ignore it. He isn’t.
It makes you wonder if their moneyball approach and the recruiting of recycled players has worked. The group includes Dougal Howard, Brad Hill, Zak Jones, Jack Higgins, Paddy Ryder, Brad Crouch, Dan Hannebery, Dan Butler and this year James Frawley.
Seven of those players played on Saturday night. The Saints should not be so flaky. They were the third-oldest side this round, which is an indictment on their performance.
The new rules were supposed to have helped improve the Saints — fast, flowing, rebound footy — but it would appear too often they crumble at the first show of defiance from their opposition.
Axing players might be part of the solution, but the problem might remain prevalent.
That is, they want the game on their terms and roll over when it isn’t. At the moment, they are a heartless team.
2. UNLUCKY PIES
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley last week denied he had lost the players and his team played accordingly.
The players had spirit and commitment and it’s majorly the reason why they beat Port Adelaide in disposals, clearances, inside-50s and contested possessions – the latter category proving Buckley was correct.
The Pies’ problem, as has been well discussed, is the lack of experience, talent and key forward targets.
Ball use forward of centre was below average on Sunday. They went at 51 per cent by foot forward of centre – the league average is 57 – and it doesn’t have to be said the Callum Brown miss in the final quarter was a game changer.
The Pies would’ve led by three goals if he kicked straight, only to have Port kick the next three goals.
3. NO MIDFIELD, NO WEST COAST
They can get it done at home, but fail on the road and especially when their midfield goes missing.
Six Giants midfielders were their highest-ranked players in what was another situation of one team being tougher for longer.
Andrew Gaff had plenty of the ball, but wasn’t a weapon and outside of Nic Naitanui and Tim Kelly, they were badly beaten for the ground ball.
They succumbed to the Giants’ pressure which was 208, the second highest applied pressure by a team this year behind Port Adelaide in Round 8 v Adelaide. They can be made to look pedestrian, the Eagles, and that’s not the first time that’s been said this year. They can’t be trusted.
4. MISTAKES GALORE
The umpire missed the deliberate-out-of-bounds call that would’ve given Melbourne the opportunity to win or draw the game. It was a mistake.
Why he didn’t pay it only the officiating umpire can fully explain. But that wasn’t the only mistake in the tense final quarter.
Melbourne’s Bayley Fritsch would’ve given the Demons a better chance of winning the match when he elected to try to dribble the ball towards goal on his non-preferred right foot instead of giving an easy handball to the streaking Christian Petracca on the outside.
From 10m, Petracca was unlikely to miss.
That play was at the 17th minute of the last quarter and although not as dramatic as the umpire’s call at the death, the consequence was neat enough the same.
Melbourne’s mantra of playing unselfish footy was lost in the Fritsch moment.
5. AN ILLUSTRIOUS START
Rory Atkins signed a five-deal with the Gold Coast Suns and is two games into his Suns career.
Last week, in his first match, he had 11 and kicked a goal.
Against the Cats, it was nine disposals. If he was an 18-year-old playing seniors for the first time, you’d argue they were solid games.
But he is a prized recruit – hence his five-year deal – and the expectations are higher.
He arrived at the Suns with a shoulder injury and then suffered a foot injury, and played three VFL games before his Suns debut. So his preparation hasn’t been ideal.
On Saturday, he had Sam Menegola as his main opponent. Menegola had 31 disposals, 24 of them uncontested. The upside is Atkins will only get better.
6. WHERE IS NICK BLAKEY’S CAREER?
He was dropped for Round 7, was medical sub for Round 8 and was back for rounds 9 and 10.
On Saturday night, he had eight disposals and 27 ranking points. From afar, it would appear he’s struggling to hold down a position.
You would’ve thought the expanses of Perth Stadium would’ve helped his run.
He played mainly forward, pinched-hit in the ruck and played the last quarter on the wing.
He had no score involvements and, in one contest, was oblivious to an opponent tackling from the side, which Fox Footy’s Dermott Brereton highlighted as not having the peripheral vision required of a league footballer.
The immediate concern is where do you play Blakey, if at all.
Clearly, he has the talent, but he’s not strong enough overhead to be a target forward, he doesn’t get enough ball in the midfield and Sydney’s back six is settled.
7. PHILLIPS’ FIZZER
When he was recruited by Hawthorn amid the purge at Collingwood, it looked to be the perfect acquisition by Al Clarkson.
Phillips would roam the MCG wings and maybe play a bit of centre-square footy and knock up getting the pill.
It hasn’t planned out like that.
In 2018, when the Pies matched towards the Grand Final, Phillips was a tearaway wingman. He averaged 26 disposals, 18 uncontested possessions and 441m gained – all career highs.
In 2021, it is 20 disposals, 14 uncontested and 338m gained.
His ranking points are 70 per game whereas in 2018 they were 89. Phillips might be playing a different wing role under Clarkson compared to his time at the Pies, but the output has clearly dropped.
8. JUST DESSERTS
Lachie Plowman, Taylor Walker and Kyle Hartigan should sit for a week after their dangerous actions against Hawthorn’s Jaeger O’Meara, Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver and Carlton’s Sam Walsh.
Plowman elected to bump – and protect himself – in a marking contest, which is a rare manoeuvre and which left O’Meara sprawled on the ground.
Walker dangerously swung Oliver to the turf after Oliver had got rid of the ball.
Oliver did not hit his head, thank God, but the action was unwarranted.
The “potential to cause injury’’ clause should be used in both cases because both those actions are precisely what should be strongly discouraged.
The Hartigan hit was plainly dirty football.
9. PARK THE COMPLAINTS, TIGERS
Am all for a good whinge, but it can get tiresome for others, even if you believe you are in the right.
Richmond is losing games and making their frustrations public which doesn’t get a lot of sympathy.
On the flip side, we haven’t heard a peep out of North Melbourne coach David Noble or the club’s executive during what has been a season of torment.
All they talk about is trying to win games of footy. Perhaps the Tigers should follow suit.
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Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 10 of the 2021 AFL season
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