Collingwood, Adelaide, Melbourne victories show the joy of football can overcome anything
THE TACKLE: WINS by Collingwood, Adelaide and Melbourne shows the joy of football can overcome anything, writes Mark Robinson.
Mark Robinson
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THE joy of football can conquer adversity.
From betting scandals through the Great Depression, through the Wars, through sex scandals, through salary cap cheating, through tanking and through to the drugs scandals of the modern era, Round 1 mostly always is good for the soul.
That is if you’re not North Melbourne.
THE TACKLE: ROBBO’S ROUND 1 LIKE AND DISLIKES
That was a shambolic first half, lacking decency and accountability from a team scaling for a top-four finish.
Their opponents, Adelaide, were devastating. At one stage they kicked 10.7 to 0.0 through the first and second quarters. It was football of all facets. Aggression. Composure. Pressure and selfishness.
Hopefully, football might be changing again.
The fury of the contest remained, but what we saw was fast, rebound and slingshot footy from half-back. From everywhere in fact. Not all the time, but enough to believe the age of defence might be showing cracks.
The MCG was truly buzzing on Saturday afternoon.
The Demons stood firm and then ran away from the Suns in what was an emotional day. Emotional because the Demons had won a Round 1 game. Emotional because The Robbie Flower Wing was unveiled. And emotional because Demons fans finally see hope.
It came from plenty of sources, but none more so than Jesse Hogan marking and crashing packs. David Schwarz did that. So did David Neitz. Hogan looks like he has the same attitude.
There was Brayshaw and Vandenberg and Viney and McDonald and Jeffy Garlett and smiles aplenty as the Demons kicked 17.13, a wondrous score when you consider they didn’t score more than 100 points at any stage last season.
And what about Tex Walker at the Adelaide Oval? What about Adelaide at Adelaide Oval? The skipper had nine marks by quarter time and finished with 15 marks and 6.5. Yes, he is Carey-like: Strong overhead, quick on the ground and leader by example.
Walker and Patrick Dangerfield - who was simply awe-inspiring - might be the most problematic forward duo in the competition this year,
The win of the weekend was Collingwood.
Drugs scandal abounding, the Pies hit the road and hit Brisbane with the kind of in-your-face pressure that Collingwood, at its best, can produce.
Brodie Grundy, 20 and in his 23rd game, took on Stefan Martin and Matty Leuenberger in what was a statement game. The Lions eventually responded in the final quarter, but you can’t give up 50-odd points and expect to win.
Nathan Buckley deserves to be proud. Questions swamped the Pies, be it about the coach, or about the talent, and the team responded.
As did Essendon, for three quarters. It was a slog of a match, where moments changed the momentum. Buddy Franklin’s tackle on Joe Daniher in the fourth quarter might’ve won the game, and his goal minutes certainly did.
Hird was proud and rightfully expects an enormous season ahead.
There should be no more debate about Richmond and Carton starting the season. There was 83,000 in attendance and, for a couple of days, the Tigers were on top of the ladder.
Unknowns helped them beat the Blues, while the Blues continue to be the unknown. A finals berth for Mick Malthouse would seem to be a miracle from here, is where does that leave a contract extension.
The joy of Round 1 was for all to see.
There were thrilling games, genuine excitement at the Doggies under Luke Beveridge and St Kilda’s Josh Bruce might already have the car with his “hanger” over three Giants.
But always there’s a time for reflection.
Jack Riewoldt broke down on Thursday night and yesterday Nick Riewoldt showed he will play with the memory of his deceased sister, Maddie, for all of the season.
He had #fightlikemaddie written on his footy boots.
Football might not conquer everything after all, but lets hope it helps.
***
PAV AND FREO STOOD UP TO BE COUNTED IN BRUTAL CONTEST
GRANT Thomas, then the commentator and not the coach, famously questioned Matthew Pavlich’s leadership.
It was about 2007 from memory and to be fair to Thomas, he wasn’t the only observer to question aspects of Pavlich’s game.
In the seven years since, Pavlich has risen from very good player to genuine superstar and it was matches like yesterday’s against Port Adelaide where his reputation was staked.
He kicked goals yesterday, including two in the final quarter, and they were clutch.
He wasn’t always known as the clutch goalkicker, but his kicking yesterday was simply exquisite.
In a match where it seemed both teams had to carry off their dead, such was the ferocity of the contest, Pavlich nailed goal after goal in his team’s seven-point win.
It was a victory for Pavlich and for coach Ross Lyon who laboured to tell the football world his team would be fitter than last season.
They beat the best fourth-quarter team in the competition 4.4 to 3.0 and it was a strong reminder that the Dockers are still playing for keeps and still in the hunt for a premiership.
Gee, it was a brutal contest.
Former Port Adelaide Dom Cassisi said on Twitter it was finals footy in Round 1.
It was the kind of game where as soon as you won a free ball, you were assaulted by the opposition.
Lyon said in the post-match: “There were bodies flying everywhere, right until the end.”
He added: “Your leaders have got to lead … they all stood up.’’
It was a pointer to Pavlich and to David Mundy and Michael Johnson and the unstoppable Nathan Fyfe.
Lyon is using Fyfe as a resting forward after midfield duties. It is a move which will delight the football watcher. Joel Selwood had a similar role last year, Patrick Dangerfield will play it this year. And Robbie Gray might be the best mid-forward in the competition.
Port were far from disgraced. They lost Matthew Lobbe before the game, boom recruit Patrick Ryder was so-so against Sandilands, and Ollie Wines remains a bull despite dropping several kilograms.
When it’s trench footy like it was yesterday, it often comes down to taking your opportunities, for they are rare and well-earned.
Pavlich took his. Port didn’t. Game over.
THE TACKLE: ROBBO’S ROUND 1 LIKE AND DISLIKES
Originally published as Collingwood, Adelaide, Melbourne victories show the joy of football can overcome anything
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