Mark Robinson shares his likes and dislikes after the AFL semi-finals
PORT’S version of Chappy and Stevie J, Dal Santo shines but nowhere to hide for Pav and Bartel. Check out Mark Robinson’s hits and misses from the AFL semi-finals. Replay live chat
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HERALD Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson shares his likes and dislikes after the AFL semi-finals. Live chat from 11.30am
FREMANTLE V PORT ADELAIDE
LIKES
1. Robbie Gray. Man of the moment in countless games this year and did it again in the third quarter. Five possessions, four goals, character, leadership and love from the coach. Port trailed by 24 points at half-time and Ken Hinkley urged his team to play “their way”. Gray did it his way. Four goals in a quarter in a semi-final is big-time footy.
2. If Gray doesn’t get you, Chad will. Named in the The Tackle a month ago as the player who had to find his mojo if Port was to threaten. Since then, he has kicked three, two, two and four goals and averaged close to 20 possessions. His play from half-back and follow-up run to goal in the final quarter was not only class, but done on the back of fierce effort. His first goal 30 seconds before half-time was as crucial as his last because it kept Port in contact when Fremantle had control of the game. By the way, Gray and Wingard remind me of the Chapman/Johnson combo at Geelong at the start of 2007: Ball winning magic, goal savvy, matchwinners.
3. Jake Neade. To borrow a line from Jack Ziebell, Neade couldn’t get a kick in a cattle truck at half-time. His second half didn’t produce a goal, but his run and carry and involvement helped to ignite Port Adelaide.
THE TACKLE: BLOODY BOOMER’S DONE IT AGAIN
4. Nathan Fyfe. MVP worthy in both losing finals, Fyfe was a wrecking ball. Had 28 disposals, 21 of which were contested and kicked two goals. Add 11 tackles and seven clearances. My favourite was a play in the middle of the ground in the final quarter. He hunted the ball against two Port players, tackled both, and then won the ball himself and moved it forward. He has the same DNA as Joel Selwood which is a relentless attack on the man and ball.
5. Cameron O’Shea. There were thousands of individual moments which contributed to the win and defeat and O’Shea’s spoil in the goal square, where he ran from who knows where and punched the ball away from Matthew Pavlich (I think) was just superb.
Honourable mentions: Crowley v Boak and Crowley won, Ibbotson v Westhoff and Westhoff won, Sandilands v Lobbe and Sandilands won, Lachie Neale’s first quarter, Pearce responded, Matt White’s courage, Ebert’s running, Pittard was solid, Hartlett’s just a star and cometh the final quarter, cometh the man named Jay Schulz.
DISLIKES
1. Good Golly Mr Ollie. Retired Port Adelaide great Dom Cassisi had a simple comment last night.
Many of us can’t. Most of the under-22 selected haven’t played finals and then Wines goes close to best afield in a semi-final on the road. He had 26 disposals, five tackles, seven clearances, seven inside 50s and three goals. His attitude, however, can’t be measured in numbers. What a freak.
2. Tendai Mzungu. Not his best game and made worse because his mistakes were set upon. He gave up two goals in the second quarter, the first when he didn’t handball to a teammate in the back pocket, the ball was turned over and Wines kicked the goal. Second, a dropped mark led to a Matt White goal. Just 13 possessions — four clangers — for 34 ranking points made it a final to forget.
3. Bad kicking is bad football. Twelve Fremantle players kicked behinds, with Walters and Pavlich the main culprits with three each. Walters was a star so will give him some slack. Pavlich will be disappointed. The one in the final quarter from 45m just had to be kicked. And so, too, was Stephen Hill’s just before half-time. With the Dockers still in charge, Hill bounced his way from back of the centre and through the 50m line and missed the shot at goal. It would’ve made the score 53-17. A minute later, Wingard goals again and Port Adelaide is alive.
4. Sorry to harp. But Pavlich let his team down. He wasn’t alone, but Pavlich missed important goals, one in the first quarter and one in the last quarter. If he kicked them, they would be called captain’s goals and he would be called a clutch player. He missed both. So what do we call him now? Of course, he’s still a future a Hall of Famer, a champion, but it wasn’t his night on Saturday.
5. Ross Lyon bashing. He is a genius coach, but can’t be called a great coach until he wins a flag. That said, the critics said his team would never kick enough goals, but is it his fault his players kicked points. It happened in the Grand Final last year and it happened again against Port Adelaide.
NORTH MELBOURNE V GEELONG
LIKES
1. Todd Goldstein. They said Mark Blicavs would run him off his feet and it was nothing of the sort. Brilliant first term — he had 25 hit-outs — and then clunked the matchwinning mark in the fourth term. Had 54 hit-outs, five tackles, five clearances, a snap goal and was the most influential player on the ground. It’s an interesting one. Do you like Goldstein’s mark or Kayne Turner’s smother as the moment in the final minute. I’ll go with the mark.
2. Nick Dal Santo. North Melbourne recruited him because they believed they were in a position to challenge. Why else would they go for a 30-year-old. Interviewed on Fox Footy a month ago, he disagreed there was more pressure on him to perform than most of his teammates. Still, he would’ve been criticised if he went missing on such an occasion and, in fact, enhanced his reputation. Poise, class, smarts and important defensive running underpinned what might’ve been his best finals performance.
3. Hawkins and Selwood. Both 26, both at their peaks and both were amazing on Friday night. Selwood is a beast and when the legendary Michael Voss is humbled when Selwood is compared to him you know we have greatness in the No. 14. Hawkins was Carey-like. He demanded the ball and his teammates just knew they had to kick to him for the Cats to be any chance of victory. He kicked two 50m goals and one from the goal square in nine minutes of football.
4. Luke McDonald. How’s the poise on this kid? He makes mistakes because he’s young, but he also makes the play. Had 20 and six marks in his second final and his left foot is to die for. Coach Brad Scott is full of confidence. He played on Motlop, Murdoch, Bartel, McCarthy, Horlin-Smith and even big Josh Walker for a short time. He has the pace to go with the quickies and the smarts of a five-year player. You wonder where he will end up as a player because I’m thinking it will be in midfield soon enough.
5. Michael Firrito. Again, there are thousands of moments and Firrito running with the flight to get a touch on Steve Motlop’s shot for goal was inspirational and courageous. Firrito didn’t know where the goalpost was and still flung himself at the ball. It was a final-quarter moment of which there were many.
Honourable mentions: Sam Gibson’s gut running and tackling, Drew’s on a roll, Ziebell’s clutch goals, Chris Scott’s press conference, Black’s role to take away Taylor from defence, Boomer’s last quarter, Caddy’s final three quarters.
DISLIKES
1. Boomer. Let’s be clinical without the romance of Boomer playing in a North Melbourne final. Nathan Fyfe might lose the Brownlow Medal because he bumped and hit the head of Michael Rischitelli and was suspended for two weeks. Harvey did the same against Joel Selwood so why are we thinking anything less for him? Yes, Selwood gets cut open every week, his face has more scar tissue than any player, but all he was doing was running after the play when Harvey jumped into him. Not sufficient force, you say? If that happens, we know the MRP is looking after the finals.
2. Cats veterans. Football manager Neil Balme said the club and the players will make the hard decisions. Those decisions involve Jimmy Bartel and James Kelly. The expectation is they will play on, but the Cats, Balme said, will give it consideration. Kelly had three kicked on him in the first quarter, two of which weren’t his fault, and he curtailed Lindsay Thomas after that. His kicking can be an issue and pace is a problem, but he maintains a strong attack at the ball. Bartel is practically a permanent forward and doesn’t impact games like he used to. He will play on, but positions on the field are becoming limited.
IS IT TIME TO GO? THE BOYS DISCUSS THE CATS VETERANS BELOW OR CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE IN ITUNES
3. Lindsay’s diving. It’s hurting him because the umpires are doubting him. Kelly was all over Thomas in the goalsquare and the umpire called play-on. If it was anyone else, I suspect a free kick for in the back would’ve been paid. It’s a consequence of Thomas crying wolf on too many occasions previously.
4. Left to too few. Last week it was Selwood then daylight. This week it was Hawkins, Selwood then Caddy, then daylight. Sixteen of Geelong’s 22 players had fewer than 70 ranking points and if we’re going to be brutal, the finger is pointed at Taylor, Stokes, Varcoe, Murdoch, Motlop, Bartel and even Lonergan, which perhaps is a touch unfair. But when was the last time you saw Lonergan five metres off a player, this time Petrie, to allow an easy mark?
5. This ‘end of an era’ bullshit. The glorious Cats’ era is continuing, only not with the same players. Even if you had to pick a time when the baton was passed on, it was probably two seasons back. Straight sets hurt like hell, but they won 17 and lost seven. It can’t all be negative down the highway.
TOP TWEETS
@ivezica: LIKE: Port & North proving wrong those saying current finals series is predictable. DISLIKE: Ross Lyon in denial about Freo
@Marajax: LIKE Tom Mitchell NEAFL GF BOG #TheFuture. DIS Heavy rain forecast for Sydney Friday after north beat Swans inwet last time
@BigVicTIA: Dislikes: Ross Lyon’s game plan. Likes: Upsets, anything can happen, never ever give up, Ken’s pregame speech
@KROCKFootball: Josh Walker flying for his marks with no fear. Give him 18 games in 2015 and he will be a star
@rusty 230189: kayne turners courage and hardness to play the ball
@MattNowitzki: Nicky Dal-icious. Repaid his 3 year contract in one game.
@nathweathers: Like: Ollie Wines dominating a final like that at his age. Dislike: James Kelly’s performance.
@mattpearce01: like Kayne Turner smother with 1 Min left. Dislike living in Geelong with idiots who won’t let go that they lost
@scottbrennan13: Likes: Todd Goldstein, should be all Australian, Dislike: Next weeks start time for Port-Hawthorn
@666Harps666: Hate how 1 AFL team gets an extra 21 hours break before the Grand Final, Both games next week should be 2:30 Sat. #Unfair
@Hazey_07: Ross Lyon highly overrated egotistical arrogant
@DanielMcLean40: Like — Josh Caddy’s last month & Josh Walker’s finals series. Dislike — People writing off Cats once again ...
@croweyrocks: like- Ollie Wines proving he should be in the 22 best players for under 22. Dislike- Adelaide crows twitter account #trolls
@osama_hag: like: Kayne Turner smother + tackle count, Hawkins’ last quarter, Wingard, Wines. dislike: Freo and Geelong inaccuracy
@sammuggletron: like — wines and wingard absolutely outstanding. dislike — james kelly playing a back pocket shut down role
@BrentonMenzies: like: Footscray, Robby Gray and Mad Monday. Dislike: things I liked that didn’t rhyme.
@david_alvardo: likes: Boak & Crowley — mutual respect and both play tough and hard, and show good sportsmanship at the end of it
@HARDYtlc: hello; Ross Lyon the perpetual bridesmaid ... will he continue to coach Freo or turn his attention elsewhere?
@chadd11: loving the great saints #futurefest signings. a fantastic sign of the unity going forward. #strngththroughloyalty.
@noley19: like: @jackziebell big goals, big game and Nicky Dal awesome dislike: selwood’s paperthin eyebrows and forehead.
@Roogirl4eva: Likes- My mighty Kangas reaching their first prelim after 7 years. Dislike-Ridiculous plane prices to Sydney
@leigheustace: Likes: Goldstein’s 25 hit outs in the first qtr, unheard of #catalyst & Ken Hinkley calming his side after the win #genius
@lukeymedley: like how both port and north have made prelims without help of salary cap concessions or priority picks #unequalisation
@magoogly: Ross Lyon has lost me. Mitch who? And arrogant pressers
@kevskiphammond: dislike dibber dobber selwood like non top four belief
@desnotdez: Oliver Wines, the best U22 player in the country and he didn’t make the 22 Under 22 squad
@asglongden: Like: Pittard’s best ever game but not even mentioned? (87.5% dish efficiency, 4 bounces, 4 R50s 5 giant 1%ers)
@mattg1975: Like: Goldy running Blicavs off his feet & game saving mark. Dislike: none, just a happy Kanga
Originally published as Mark Robinson shares his likes and dislikes after the AFL semi-finals
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