The Tackle: Mark Robinson names his likes and dislikes from round 14 of the 2022 AFL season

Damian Barrett, who was one of three football journalists to appear in a betting advert, should immediately resign as president of the Australian Football Media Association.

Callum Wilkie of the Saints looks dejected after losing to Essendon.

The race for the top eight is wide open after a series of upsets in round 14.

Two wins separate first and ninth on the ladder, but the headlines were dominated by a player on the bye.

Jordan De Goey took aim at the media after his antics on a mid-season break in Bali generated more controversy for the Collingwood star, but chief footy writer Mark Robinson says he only has himself to blame.

See all Robbo’s likes and dislikes from the weekend below.

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DISLIKES

1. Jordan De Goey

Football teams are made up of the do-gooders, the regular Joes and the scallywags and, let’s agree, De Goey is a card-carrying member of the scallywags. That’s OK, when the weekend shenanigans are pretty harmless. But his Bali adventure is not harmless in the eyes of many others, namely the AFL. The league is angry, but it is waiting on Collingwood’s response to the footage of De Goey trying to expose a woman’s breast and offering the V with his tongue, which is street slang for oral sex. Yes, there’s been no complaint from the woman, there’s been no arrest, no drugs and no violence, and because of that many people are asking: What’s the issue? The issue is De Goey not only represents himself, but he also represents his footy club, so his behavior is always a club issue. If there had been a complaint, that sort of behavior, which took place in a raucous Bali bar, would’ve seen him suspended for the rest of the year, and probably sacked. Because there wasn’t a complaint, it makes it more difficult to determine if there should be a penalty. That said, it’s also difficult to believe that president Jeff Browne will tick it off as simple scallywag stuff.

Jordan De Goey is back in the headlines after his antics on a Bali trip were posted on social media.

2. And he played the victim card

The media didn’t pursue De Goey to Bali, instead they got a Joe the Goose handball via Instagram of De Goey half mucking up. A first-year cadet could write that story. That De Goey played the victim, issuing a statement on Saturday morning – unbeknown to Collingwood – saying the media will drive an athlete to “tragedy” was clearly an over-the-top response. Put it this way, if that was Scott Pendlebury dancing away and giving the finger and the V salute and tugging on a woman’s top, do you think it would make the news? Absolutely it would, so ease up on being the victim, Jordan. “I want to openly address the relentless pursuit and persecution of athletes by the media to create an uneducated, bias (sic) and ill-informed narrative that has gone too far … #enoughisenough.’’ That’s what DeGoey said. Now we wait for what Collingwood will say. That it’s a “relentless pursuit and persecution” of their player, or that it’s unwelcome behaviour?

3. Carnage at Metricon

The season-ending injury to one of Gold Coast’s brightest young players, Wil Powell, is a horror blow for him and his team, as they march towards what they hope is their first finals campaign. If you’re squeamish, don’t look at the replay of him twisting his knee, and kudos to Fox Footy for not replaying the incident when the game stopped for five minutes as Powell was put on the buggy. Even commentator Dermott Brereton, who has seen near-enough everything, felt sickened by what played out. As for Powell, who was runner-up in the club B and F last year, let’s hope it’s not a 12-month turnaround before we see him again.

Mitch Georgiades brings down Sydney’s Chad Warner. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

4. Sorry Swans

They lost all impetus, having narrowly beaten Melbourne and Richmond before the bye break. And now the Swans have a huge question mark about them. Their profile this year says they are a good team, but not a great team. They are good in all aspects of the game, but not exceptional in any one of them to make you believe they are a genuine premiership contender. Their past seven matches have returned wins against Melbourne, Richmond and Essendon and losses to Port Adelaide, Carlton, Gold Coast and Brisbane. We don’t know if they’re coming or going at this stage. They were very disappointing against Port. They got smacked around clearance and were absolutely meek in their pursuit of the ball and the man. Their pressure was 179 against Port’s 207.

5. Sorry Saints

They got beaten up by Essendon. Think about that – they were beaten up by a team which had been beaten up on for much of the 2022 season. Football is mental, and the Saints hierarchy will need to review their preparation to try to determine why the output was so feeble. Or why the players perhaps believed this would be an easy assignment. They have credits, the Saints, but they chose Friday night to deliver their stinker of the season. They were soft, which is not a word usually associated with the Saints. Should Zak Jones have played after sitting for a long period the week before with a hamstring complaint? Jack Higgins and Dan Butler were woeful. Hunter Clark played midfield and couldn’t get near it. Rowan Marshall and Paddy Ryder were poor. Actually, you could go through the whole team and only pick Jade Gresham as the standout. Defensively, they allowed Essendon to score 32 times from 61 inside-50s. That’s a horrible stat. The beauty is they play the Swans this week. Who will stand up and be counted?

Dan Butler had a stinker against Essendon. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

6. Ethics are still the boss

Damian Barrett, who was one of three football journalists to appear in a betting advert, should immediately resign as president of the Australian Football Media Association. Kudos to the The Age on Saturday, conceding journalist Sam McClure had “made a serious error” by participating in – and being paid for – the Sportsbet promotion. “For a journalist to spruik the business of a company he has also written about is a clear conflict of interest, and unacceptable. He (McClure) now knows this and has apologised personally to me for it,” acting editor Michael Bachelard said. Barrett, clearly isn’t one for admitting mistakes. On Triple M radio on Friday night, the moralistic AFL employee declared: “You’d have to ask the two million people who have watched it … I don’t actually care for what has happened since.” He doubled down on his weekly podcast, where he regularly preaches about journalistic ethics and where he regularly questions other journalists. “I would have said no to it probably 18 months ago … but in the end, it’s pretty harmless isn’t it?” he said. “Stuff doesn’t seem as serious at times as I may have once thought it was.” As president of the AFMA, it’s imperative Barrett – who was believed to have been paid $5000 – is strong on the ethics of journalism. Clearly, in this case he was not, which means his position as AFMA head is untenable. What’s the bet he either says sorry or stands down this week?

Tony Jones (left), Damian Barrett (centre) and Kane Cornes all featured in an ad for Sportsbet.

7. Stop with the 50s

The situation where a player leads his opponent to the back of a teammate who has the ball, and who then darts to the left and his opponent to the right, which means a 50m penalty for encroaching, needs to be reassessed. It happened to Essendon’s Matt Guelfi on Friday night, much to the displeasure of Seven commentator Matthew Richardson. “That’s outrageous. You can’t have that in the game,’’ Richo said. Luke Hodge agreed: “He tried to get out of the way. That’s not why the rule was written for.’’ In future, the umpire should blow the whistle for time on, and order the two players – running left and right of the man with the ball – to clear the area and then blow time back on. It shouldn’t be a 50m penalty.

LIKES

1. Suns still shining

Gold Coast won with a bit of substance on Sunday. We say that because they lost the disposal count by 81, clearances by four, uncontested ball by 89, and the pressure was 172 opposed to Adelaide’s 180. It was a big win because for a period in the final quarter, it looked like they’d be run over, before kicking the final four goals in the space of six minutes to win by 43 points. It was their third century score in succession, a feat they’ve achieved one other time in their existence. That was four consecutive 100-point scores in 2014. It’s another stat to show the progression of this team under coach Stewart Dew. Adelaide was gallant, but gallantry doesn’t get you four points, and they would be disappointed they didn’t win this game. They overused the ball, and were sloppy, which is a no-no on the Gold Coast.

Toby Greene kicks one of his seven goals against the Bulldogs. Picture: Phil Hillyard

2. Love a shootout

It was the Giants v Bulldogs in the highest scoring match of the year – 230 points – and the last time two teams topped that score was round 3, 2019. The Giants’ brand, which is helter skelter corridor footy, is captivating under coach Mark McVeigh. Since he took over, the Giants have taken more marks than any other team, have played on the fourth-most of any team and have used the corridor the most of any team. Gerard Healy would like it because the “tsunami” is back. It’s great to watch, but is it the kind of footy that wins big finals? Defence generally is the backbone of any successful team, and under McVeigh, the Giants have conceded the fourth-most points. The question is: Can this exciting footy win McVeigh the job full-time? It depends on what you’re looking for. The game style would appeal to players, fans and sponsors, but do those sitting in more important positions at the club want a better balance? Maybe implementing defensive layers is the next step for McVeigh, or maybe McVeigh is changing the way the game is being played, you know, less defence and a more offensive slant, which is Geelong in 2007 under Bomber Thompson.

3, The old and the new

Cody Weightman, that’s what we like. He kicked five goals in the first half against the Giants, and not one of them came on the back of any acting or throwing the head back or accentuating contact. He played every situation on its merits and it was a sight to behold. He’s a 21-year-old dynamo. And he’s unique because he can mark, crumb, run, and find the goals. And he’s a reliable kick for goal, too, having kicked 21.5 for the season. At the other end was another unique player. Toby Greene kicked seven goals and there’s never any shenanigans about how Greene plays. He’s a see ball, get ball guy, be it in the air or at the feet, and he’s the dynamo king. I’m curious, what would the Giants do if, say, Greene, Coniglio, Whitfield, Tom Green, Taylor, and Josh Kelly told the club they wanted McVeigh to stay on as coach. Listen or tell them to stay their lane?

Cody Weightman takes off. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/Getty Images

4, Todd Marshall

He’s an incredible story. He lost both his parents before he was 20, and all the time was trying to cut it as a young key forward in a sport which isn’t always endearing to young key forwards. He’s kicked 21 goals in his past eight games, including four against Dane Rampe on Saturday. He reminds me of Oscar Allen at West Coast, a player who is about to take control of their area, ahead of Josh Kennedy and Charlie Dixon. He’s part of some creative coaching from Ken Hinkley. Hinkley has added Dixon to a forward mix of Marshall and Mitch Georgiades, and moved Jeremy Finlayson to the ruck. Finlayson slayed Pete Ladhams on Saturday, having 16 disposals, five clearances and five score involvements, but it remains to be seen if that strategy is a stop-gap or one of long-term merit.

Todd Marshall beats Dane Rampe on the lead. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

5. Barrass v Hawkins

Tommy Hawkins kicked three goals, but Tommy Barrass might’ve got him, which is no easy feat. Barrass had a game-high 12 intercept possessions and six intercept marks, while Hawkins took five marks and they were all inside 50. Barrass is underrated by everyone on the eastern seaboard except by coaches and key forwards. He can have matches where he seems to have brain fades, like an Alex Rance 11 years ago, and in other matches, he has an impact exactly like Rance used to do. Chill, I’m not saying he is the equal of Rance. I’m saying he’s a damn good player. The Eagles played their best footy of the season and we’ll find out for sure if they have turned the corner when they play Essendon on Friday night as part of the AFL’s double header project. The one-time dead game now has a fascination about it.

Andrew McGrath was one of many highlights for the Bombers. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

6. Andy McGrath on the back flank

Jimmy Bartel put in a request on 3AW on Sunday. He asked that McGrath be played half-back for the next 10 years. It’s difficult to find fault with Bartel’s thinking. McGrath is a solid midfielder, but is not overly damaging and has a tendency to kick around corners from stoppage. And he could be a great half-back. He has speed, footy nous, the goals are in front of him, and he defends well. He kept Jack Higgins to six disposals on Friday night, so that’s a huge tick. It’s clear Essendon’s midfield mix has to change. Perkins, Hobbs, Martin, Caldwell and Durham should see more time in the middle, which means when Darcy Parish returns from injury, he could join the rotation more. He’s a 94 per cent midfielder, and that could drop to 75 per cent with more time in the forward line. Certainly, the Bombers had a more even contribution in the middle against the Saints.

Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson names his likes and dislikes from round 14 of the 2022 AFL season