The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 20
From third in the Brownlow Medal last year, Angus Brayshaw’s form has nosedived this season. Do the struggling Demons have no choice but to consider trading the midfielder? ROUND 20 LIKES AND DISLIKES
Much like his side Melbourne, Angus Brayshaw has experienced a significant form drop off this season.
The tough on-baller, who finished third in last year’s Brownlow Medal count, has averaged 22 disposals and four marks, down from 26 possessions last season.
His ranking points dive has been telling, plunging from 95 on average in 2019 to 82 this year after a barnstorming finish to last season.
With the Demons battling in 17th, will they have to consider cashing in on Brayshaw during the coming trade period?
Meanwhile, Brisbane is simmering and could stunningly steal top spot, while it’s becoming clear an ageing Hawthorn will have some huge calls to make this off-season.
ALL ROBBO’S LIKES AND DISLIKES FROM ROUND 20 BELOW
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DISLIKES
1. PANIC STATIONS
Is it time to panic at Geelong? Time will tell, but the go-slow continues with the Cats. Two weeks ago skipper Joel Selwood called their football boring. It certainly was against Fremantle on Saturday. They played on from just 8 per cent of their marks, which is the lowest recorded of the season, and continue to look a non-threatening team. It’s odd to have such concerns this close to finals about a team that has occupied top spot throughout, but not without foundation. What are they trying to achieve with this safe, predictable football? Is it the brand coach Chris Scott wants to play in September after poor recent finals? Have they taken “defending with the ball’’ to a whole new level? Former skipper Cameron Ling says their form is “very, very worrying’’ and former champ Jim Bartel says they have to change their ways. AFL great Dermott Brereton is more concerned. “I don’t think they can arrest the slide,’’ he said.
2. FLAT CATS
“We had a lot of individuals who have been really good this year who were down,’’ Scott said after the Freo match.
Since the bye the Cats have beaten one top-eight team and lost to Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Fremantle and a bunch of players have fallen away.
It’s a long season to sit on top and the Cats have played some superb footy, but this team needs an urgent shake-up.
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3. SAME OLD STORY
I seem to spend my Sunday nights deciding between Greek, Italian and Thai for dinner and writing about how the Bulldogs butchered the ball going forward. They kicked 0.5 in the first quarter and had 2.8 at halftime. Then in the third quarter they kick 6.2 to threaten the Lions. When Alan Richardson departed St Kilda he was asked his greatest regret. He answered not kicking enough goals. No coach can sympathise with Richardson more than Luke Beveridge. Efficiency going inside 50 and kicking for goal remain the No. 1 and No. 2 stats in football, and the Dogs failed again on both in the first half.
4. AGE CATCHES EVERYONE
It has sure caught the Hawks. Hawthorn’s 30-somethings who played on Friday night were Shaun Burgoyne (36), Paul Puopolo (31), Grant Birchall (31), Ricky Henderson (30), James Frawley (30), Isaac Smith (30), Ben Stratton (30) and Ben McEvoy (30). Also on the list but not playing were Jarryd Roughead (32) and Tim Mohr (30). It’s not a criticism of its list management, but surely few of them stay on the list next year. Roughy will retire — with a farewell game it is hoped. Who knows where Smith will be, Mohr is a back-up, Birchall is injured again, and Poppy still applies pressure but has lost his scoreboard impact. He has kicked three goals from his past 14 matches after averaging at least one goal a game from 2015-2018.
5. WHAT TO DO WITH ANGUS?
Brayshaw’s tormented season continued on Saturday night. The Demon midfielder won just 11 disposals, his fewest since 2016. His past five matches have been 15, 12, 15, 17 and 11. Against the Tigers coach Simon Goodwin tried him everywhere — 54 per cent midfield, 27 per cent defence, and 19 per cent forward. Maybe that’s the problem. It also might be that they were looking for a position where he could contribute. Brayshaw’s form is a mystery and you have to wonder if he’s a happy footballer. Could a trade work? There is noise about Fremantle’s Ed Langdon and Adam Cerra being targets for Victorian clubs — and Angus’s brother is already over there. It’s just a thought, and the Demons do want outside run …
6. DON’T BLOW IT NOW, BOMBERS
When it goes wrong, there’s a sense of the same old stuff. Colleague David King urged John Worsfold to play Cale Hooker forward, and he did for little result. If Shaun McKernan is fit this week, Hooker should go back to where he plays his best football. Hooker as a permanent forward hasn’t worked previously so why would it work now? And, of course, the Bombers lose and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti doesn’t kick a goal. The pressure’s back on the Bombers now and if they fall away and miss the finals the frustration will be greater than what it was seven weeks ago before they began on their thrilling 6-1 run.
7. IT WAS A FREE KICK
Sam Reid still had to kick the goal to give Sydney the lead, so let’s not assume it was a match-defining non-decision. But it would have given him and the Swans a chance. The fact is Reid had control of the ball before Jake Stein from the Giants dragged his arm from the ball. It was a blatant free kick and you’d expect the AFL to say so this morning. Not much can be done now, although it won’t be forgotten if it decides between Greater Western Sydney and Richmond for fourth spot.
8. SWANS HAD THEIR ISSUES
The one-time beast mentality of the Swans midfield is yesterday’s story. Against the Giants, the Swans lost the clearance count by 19. They have now lost the clearance count by an astonishing 74 across their past four matches, the worst record yet. More amazing is that George Hewett and Josh Kennedy, both inside midfielders, failed to win a single clearance. A rookie ruckman might not help, but it’s even more amazing when the rookie ruckman, Hayden McLean, leads the team with seven clearances. Let’s look at the positives — the Swans have unearthed a ruckman.
9. JACK MARTIN
In his first match since Round 16 he had only eight possessions and a goal against the Pies, but he’s never been a regular 20-plus possession winner. A highly rated youngster, it remains to be seen if will remain at the Suns. Arguably playing for a poor team hasn’t helped him, and a better organisation might find his best footy. As a mid-forward he would help several clubs. North Melbourne has the cash — and will pay overs — and should at least have the discussion about offering the Suns its first pick this year, likely No. 5 or No.6.
10. CHEAP-SHOT INDUSTRY
Robbie Gray’s game was masterful against the Bombers, his smarts yet again on display with four goals. His hit on Orazio Fantasia was cheapish because Fantasia was on the ground and not looking, but it was hardly thuggish. The reaction on social media was over-the-top and personal. Those kinds of acts — bumping in the back when players aren’t looking — are a dime a dozen. Maybe it’s a fine for Gray at worst. Maybe.
LIKES
1. TIME TO BELIEVE
In the Brisbane Lions. Three teams are equal on 56 points, Richmond has 52 and GWS and Collingwood have 48. Over the next three weeks Richmond plays Brisbane and West Coast. Brisbane also faces Geelong. The top-of-the- table battle is tantalising and no team is more appealing than the Lions. There might be other teams carrying the confidence of punters, but the Lions have to be taken seriously. A top-two position is not beyond them — nor is a premiership, although a hamstring injury to skipper Dayne Zorko presents a major problem. But any team with Charlie Cameron as its deep forward is a threat. He is the game’s most exhilarating forward right now.
2. TERRIFIC TRELOAR
His prolific season continues. In 19 games he has had fewer than 30 touches just three times and is on track for 750-plus disposals in the home-and-away. Adam Treloar’s done it against the poor teams and the contenders. He should get the votes yesterday simply on his first half. He had 21 disposals, 11 contested, seven clearances, seven inside-50s, eight score involvements and a goal. He had 141 ranking points in a half, second-most behind Carlton’s Patrick Cripps (144 against Brisbane in Round 12). And his want to kick short has improved his efficiency.
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3. ONE FOR THE BELIEVERS
The anti-Ross Lyon contingent in the Western Australian media will have to lay down their guns for a week. So, too, the supporter faction wanting Ken Hinkley out of Port Adelaide and the doubters who wondered if Don Pyke had lost his players at Adelaide. All three coaches had more written about them last week than their underperforming players and all three delivered wins. The Dockers’ win was glorious. “I never doubt myself, I never doubt my coaching, never doubt the application, I never doubt the group,’’ Lyon said. “Are there challenges within that? Yes. I’ve spoken about social media before and the rabbit holes you go down on Twitter and Instagram. It all depends on what rabbit hole you want to reach down, what you want to pull out, and what you want to put up in lights.’’ Last week’s headlines were about an alleged drama between the club, Shane Kersten and Lachie Neale. What didn’t get a lot of coverage was the re-signing of young gun Connor Blakely. The prevailing narrative is that players want out of Fremantle, but clearly not Blakely.
4. NICK HAYNES
If Dylan Grimes is a “no-brainer’’ for All-Australian, then a no-brainer back six is taking shape. Nick Haynes has been prominent in this column this year and he was mighty against the Swans on Saturday. He was even more influential than the field umpire who didn’t pay a free kick to Sam Reid at the death. Haynes took another eight intercept marks (equal career high) and has taken 33 from his past eight matches, second in the league behind only teammate Phil Davis on 35 — which makes Davis a candidate for an All-Australian position as well. Shannon Hurn is another no-brainer.
5 EVERYWHERE MAN
Shane Edwards continues to put up an argument as the most versatile player in the competition. In Round 1 he played wing-forward. In Round 2 he was an inside mid-forward. Rounds 3-15, it was halfback. Rounds 16-17 he was back to inside mid-forward. Round 18 it was wing-half back and Round 19 on the wing. On Saturday night it was almost purely as an inside midfielder. His cleanness and smarts were as important as Dusty Martin’s 30-plus touches and I will be keen to know who coach Damien Hardwick gives his maximum votes to in the coaches’ award. Edwards attended the second most centre bounces of any Tiger and won the most clearances. He is the 24th highest rated player in the league and the highest-rated player who isn’t a midfielder or ruckman.
6 FYFE V DANGERFIELD
We had the match-up we wanted, albeit for not all of the match, because these two are required to play forward for their teams. Make no mistake, Nat Fyfe is a strong Brownlow Medal contender and will share the votes from Saturday with Brad Hill and Michael Walters. Fyfe won the Patrick Dangerfield battle overall with a stunning second half and two clutch goals. His dominance as the plucky Dockers took the game away from Geelong was absolute. His presence at contests is equal to that of Patrick Cripps. In the second half Fyfe had 103 Supercoach points, which was No. 1 on the field, and Dangerfield had 11, the equal-fewest. The only negative was when Fyfe crashed into Dangerfield’s knees after sliding for the ball, an incident the umpire chose not to pay a free kick for. You’d have to think the umpires have thrown that rule out the window the longer the season has played out.
7 RORY LAIRD
There was the familiar and the unfamiliar at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. The familiar was the performance of Rory Laird. He had a game-high 12 intercepts and equal game-high nine score involvements, which means he was best at thwarting the opposition’s scoring and the best at creating scores for his team. That’s one very polished and important role and one we’ve not seen this year as often as previously. The unfamiliar was the number of empty seats at the ground. Only 39,984 fans attended, which was third-lowest crowd at Adelaide Oval for the Crows — the other two games were played in the wet.
8. NORTH MELBOURNE
Coach Rhyce Shaw will be confronted with endless issues throughout his career, yet he passed his first test with aplomb. It was said in the lead-up to Friday night that North was too rushed in its selection of Shaw, that it didn’t do a thorough process and, pointedly, let’s see how he coaches against the master in Alastair Clarkson. Well, North was four goals down in the first quarter and won by four goals going away. That’s a huge tick for making the right adjustments in the coaches’ box.
9. CRIPPS V YEO
It was the second midfield title fight of the weekend and Elliot Yeo won by technical knockout. This was the perfect match-up between two of the game’s furious competitors. The tale of the tape was as follows: Patrick Cripps had 24 and Yeo 25 disposals. Contested possessions were 14 to 16. Clearances were nine to five. Score involvements were two to four. Pressure points were 28 to 66, clear evidence Yeo was there thwart to Cripps at every opportunity. You take that result when you attempt to subdue a superstar, and Eagles coach Adam Simpson would take it every time.
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Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 20