The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from round 16
There is no doubting Shai Bolton’s extraordinary talent, but the Richmond gun continues to go missing in enemy territory. See all of Robbo’s likes and dislikes here.
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We are another round closer to September, yet no clearer on the issue that could define this year’s finals series and possibly the premiership.
The Bombers hearts were not only broken by Dan Houston, but by one of their best players, and what exactly has happened to the once highly-regarded Hawks?
Chief footy writer Mark Robinson names his likes and dislikes from round 1.
DISLIKES
1. THE TACKLE
The priorities are wrong. The AFL got this wrong. There was more concern about Brad Close potentially missing a game of football than there was for Aaron Francis’ head. Nathan Buckley led the charge on Fox Footy. Buckley said it would be a “disgrace’’ if a player missed the GF because of that tackle, or one similar. But wouldn’t it be more of disgrace if Francis suffered a head injury which affected him later in life? Isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid in the crackdown on dangerous tackles? Close did a lot right. He tackled Francis and didn’t dump him. But he had one arm pinned. He always had one arm pinned. The AFL decreed: “It was the view of the MRO that despite having Francis in a vulnerable position, Close attempted to slow momentum in taking him to ground and that in the circumstances he was not careless in tackling in that manner”. So, the AFL says Francis was vulnerable but Close wasn’t careless. Can you have it both ways? Close knew had an arm pinned, but he chose to hang on. Despite everything else Close did — slow momentum, no dump — he contributed to Francis’ head being banged into the ground. The pinning the arm and hitting the head — hasn’t that been the quinella all season? Confusion reigns because if Francis was knocked out, Close would’ve been suspended. And because he wasn’t, Close was exonerated. There are divided opinions, but there’s only one question: What’s priority — the protection of the head in dangerous tackles or finding an out for the tackler?
2. MELBOURNE’S A MESS
What are the Demons going to do about their F50? It’s tiring listening to what Melbourne does well when the losses continue to accumulate. That’s four defeats from their past six matches and more to the point, from Round 10, the Demons are clearly 18th for accuracy, going at 33 per cent. The next worst is 40 per cent which is Carlton. Is the problem forward personnel or delivery and decision-making from players up the ground, or is it a combination? The Demons have lost the handle on the season and are now in a scrap for the top four. On Sunday, they won every conceivable stat except the most important. They had 73 inside-50s, they won centre clearances 14-2, overall clearances by 19, disposals by 68, contested ball by 42, and had 26 shots at goal to the Giants’ 12. And lost by two points. There’s no hiding the fact that the mids and the forwards have a barrier between them. Call it cohesion or connection, or a bad game plan, or a lack of communication, or a lack of genuine forward talent. But it needs to be urgently fixed. The obvious move is to return Clayton Oliver to the middle and play Christian Petracca forward for his creativity, but Petracca is part of the problem at the moment. And now Bayley Fritsch (foot) is injured. What a mess.
3. GONE AT THE SEAMS
The Hawks have fallen apart. What was that rubbish in the first half? It’s troubling when you remember three weeks back the Hawks opened up Brisbane at the MCG and now have laid down in the next two matches against Gold Coast and Carlton. If they can’t get their running game happening, or are unable to flick the ball around as they like, they don’t yet have the substance to stay and fight. Yes, they’re young. But they were young when they beat the Lions. And they were young in the second half on Sunday when they challenged the Blues. James Sicily has another week’s suspension to serve and will be welcomed back with arms open. My God, they need him.
4. DARCY PARISH
The Essendon midfielder is chasing a new contract. It will be sizeable and deserved and it will be announced soon enough that he’s staying a Bomber. He had 29 disposals and kicked four behinds – one each in the third and fourth quarters and two in the second quarter – against Port Adelaide on Saturday night. If he had 29 and kicked three goals, he would have been best afield and the Bombers probably would’ve won the game. Parish is a very good player, a clearance and ball-winner, but he is not yet a great player. His kicking is an area which has improved, but it needs more improvement. There’s nothing new in that comment, but as the Bombers grow to be serious premiership contenders it’s players such as Parish who have to take their opportunities, who have to make it happen. It’s the one area of his game which, if it can be addressed, could elevate him to be among the very best mids in the game and could elevate the Bombers from mid-table.
5. SHAI BOLTON
The Herald Sun Rich 100 list last week told us the dynamic Richmond midfielder will earn north of $1.1 million next year, which will put him in the 10 highest-paid players in the game. He’s not worth that much money – not if he continue to go missing when Richmond is on the road. In games played in Victoria this season, Bolton averages 99 ranking points. Out of Victoria, he ranks 82. In Victoria, he’s kicked 16 goals in 10 matches. Out of Victoria, he’s kicked three goals in five matches. He’s a hometown specialist and an away-game fringe player. Richmond was collectively poor against Brisbane last Thursday night and Bolton had 18 disposals, three clearances, a lowly 298m gained and his third lowest ranking game of the season. He’s a star but his performances on the road don’t cut it. The money he demanded – $5 million-plus over five years which he signed in late 2022 – demands that he be better.
6. TAUNTING
Jason Dunstall was one of the coolest cats when he played. He rarely lost his temper or engaged in the shenanigans of his opponent, although he did cut up rough one night at the MCG when Craig Kelly, Collingwood’s current chief executive, tried to distract Dunstall by pinching him on the hips and back. It’s little wonder Dunstall had no time for Eric Hipwood’s in-your-face celebration on Thursday night, labelling him a boofhead. But Hipwood’s not alone. Brisbane’s opponent on Thursday night, Richmond, did the same thing through their dominating period from 2017. Most players at some stage taunt their opposition, believing it to be a form of mental disintegration and, again, the Tigers were very good at it. I reckon Hipwood was just getting some payback.
LIKES
1. PRESSURE AND CONTEST
What a difference attitude makes. This Carlton team is generally the same Carlton team which lost eight of nine games. Can you believe that? Yet suddenly, September is a glimmer. It’s difficult to decide whether to be happy for the Blues that they have found the formulae or angry that it’s taken so long to find it. They beat Hawthorn playing a perfect brand underpinned by their pressure. Against the Suns two weeks ago their pressure was 197. On Sunday it was 195. Against Essendon three weeks back it was a lowly, softly 158. That says it all. It clicked on Sunday. Defensively, they strangled the Hawks — they kicked 52 points from 48 entries — and they dominated the contest 144-125. In play, they outnumbered and were first option givers and players fed off that confidence. What more can you say? All the big guns dined out, including midfielder Adam Cerra, who just might be leading the Carlton best and fairest as we speak.
2. STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
In a round of some diabolic kicking for goal, Josh Kelly was calm and precise in the wet of Alice Springs. In contrast, Melbourne’s Christian Petracca would be a shattered man. He had four shots at goal in the first half on Sunday for four behinds, amid a horrible front-half display from the Demons. For the season, Petracca has 12.19 and 15 misses which puts a red flag beside his name. Kelly kicked two of the Giants’ seven goals, including the go ahead goal from 60m, in the deluge and with heavy legs. What a moment it was. Great players make great moments and Kelly put his footprint on the outcome. The Giants have character. They hang in and hang in and their review of one percenters from this game will be plentiful. They’ve won four of the past five matches and went from also-rans to September dreaming in one wet afternoon.
3. GREAT ESCAPE
It would’ve been the worst loss of the season and even in victory, the Saints were hardly dominant. The fact the bottom-of-the-barrel Eagles were ultra-competitive was the story in Perth late on Sunday. The result was eight points. In their last outing the result was 171 points. It’s a huge tick for the gallant Eagles. St Kilda’s Mitch Owens continues to surge towards favouritism for the rising star. He’s some sort of player. He kicked four goals from 14 touches, which takes him 19 goals for the year. Remember, he plays for a team which doesn’t kick a lot of high scores. Owens wins games. If he doesn’t play on Sunday, the Saints don’t win. Three week ago, if he didn’t play against Sydney the Saints wouldn’t win. They were lucky against the Eagles, and sometimes that’s all you have to be, but these Saints aren’t ready to take this season by storm. A good average team in fifth spot highlights the gap between the top three and the rest.
4. THE YOUNG PUP
Two years back, Aaron Naughton was in the conversation about who was the next best key forward in the game. To the present, he might not be the best key forward at the Bulldogs. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s growing impact is astonishing. He’s a beautiful footballer. He doesn’t hit packs, he gracefully flies for the ball and clunks marks and is becoming a reliable kick for goal, although Bombers great Matthew Lloyd says Ugle-Hagan could be even better if he held the ball differently when shooting for goal. Still, his progression as a footballer is for all to see and he is being recognised by his teammates. They have targeted him more times than Naughton this year (91 to 87), but the key stat is that after being targeted, Ugle Hagan retains the ball more than Naughton (46 per cent to Naughton’s 39). He kicked 4.2 at the weekend and took nine marks, four of them contested. At 21, and having played just 37 games, and with Naughton who is also just 23, the Bulldogs have a serious two-man punch for the next 10 years. Not sure where Rory Lobb fits into all that. The recruit from Fremantle is labouring to have an impact forward and thankfully he can ruck, because if he couldn’t he wouldn’t be getting a game.
5. AARON FRANCIS
In June, 2021, Francis took mental health leave from Essendon and returned home to South Australia. His career was clearly second to his wellbeing and it wasn’t assured that he’d play footy again. But he returned to the Bombers and played four games in 2022, before finding a new home at Sydney, traded with pick No. 42 for pick No. 37. He’s been an astute pick up. He came into Sydney’s defensive 50 after the McCartin lads suffered concussion and has been asked to play on the opposition’s best key forward. In his 10 games, he’s conceded two goals to Nick Larkey, held Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow goalless, Max King kicked three on him, he held Eric Hipwood goalless, Oscar Allen and Jack Darling goalless and on Friday night held Ollie Henry to one. From a potential scrap heap to making headlines for his scrapbook, Francis is one of the feel good stories of the season.
6. BIG CENTRE-SQUARE HIT-OUTS
Brisbane’s Oscar McInerney is Clark Keating reincarnated. Instead of dropping the ball to his midfielders at the centre bounce, McInerney is choosing to thump the ball forward 30m. He did it several times on Friday night and Essendon’s Andrew Phillips followed suit in the final quarter on Saturday night. It’s exciting. It puts the ball forward and in chaos and you have to ask why it doesn’t happen more often. If you’re a team which likes chaos, why not thump the ball forward and into a scramble at half-forward, putting the opposition under stress? McInerney has had a super season and if not for Tim English, he would be a candidate for the All-Australian ruck spot.
7. DAN THE MAN
If non-Port Adelaide supporters didn’t know about Dan Huston, they do now. His matchwinning goal on Saturday night was stunning, for it was a heavy ball, in the wet and from 55 metres. Only a handful of players in the competition could’ve nailed that kick, so when Essendon shuffled the ball out of its D50 and into the arms of a Port Adelaide player, the Bombers were unlucky that the free man was Houston. Loved the smile on Ken Hinkley’s face. Not sure if Hinkley was smiling because of the drama of the moment or because the ball was in Houston’s hands. Either way, it was great theatre. Barring injury, Houston will be an All-Australian. Not because he won the game at the weekend, but because he’s been one of Port’s weapons this year at half-back. He’s averaging 23 disposals and 483m gained. Nick Daicos averages 34 disposals and 520m gained. And Jack Sinclair averages 29 disposals and 517m gained. There’s your three All-Australian defenders.
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Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from round 16
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