Mick Malthouse, Eddie Betts, tummy taps and missed chances in Round 5 likes and dislikes
FROM Mick and Eddie to tummy taps and missed chances. Mark Robinson looks at his Round 5 likes and dislikes.
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FROM Mick on Friday night to Betts on Sunday afternoon, Mark Robinson looks at his likes and dislikes from Round 5.
LIKES
1. ISAAC SMITH: Left him out the top 50 and it’s my mistake. His past three games have returned 36 disposals, 29 disposals and two goals and, against the Kangas, 27 disposals and two goals. Add 500m gained in each game and you have a devastating wingman, if that’s the name of his position. Tend to think he roams from point post to post.
2. MITCH DUNCAN: That’s what Geelong wants, Mitch, hard running and more inside footy, more tackles and more meaningful involvement. Best performance of the season and, to be honest, we were waiting for it. His goal in the final quarter from 55m, from a Selwood handball/clearance, was Duncan at his skilful best.
3. MICK MALTHOUSE: It was Mick who broke bread with Eddie, telling officials at the Carlton presidential dinner to ask Eddie on stage and Ed was all class when spoke off the cuff. So, too, was Mick in the post-match. It was a devastating loss, one where the life had been sucked out of the football club, but Mick didn’t shirk any question and answered with honesty. His selection of the team is another thing, Two ruckmen? Warnock and Wood? Casboult could be the worst kick in the history of the game, but he needed to play. At least he can mark the damn thing.
4. BACHAR HOULI: If this bloke wasn’t playing for the Tigers they would be in far greater strife. Arguably his best game of his career against the Cats with career-best disposals (33), career-best tackles (9) and one off his career-best rebounds (eight). A simple tactic to stop Richmond’s run is to close Houli down. Clubs try, but they can’t do it. Go on, say it aloud, NINE TACKLES FOR HOULI. The whole Carlton team had 47.
5. CHRIS MAYNE: Am in the mood to start throwing “best evers’’ around so I’m asking: Was that the best game Chris Mayne has played for Fremantle? Fair dinkum, this bloke played a different sport last year he was so ineffective. Ross Lyon said pre-season he was returning Mayne to his best position and the results are obvious. Four goals, nine marks, 12 tackles, which was one off his career-best. As an aside, don’t the Dockers have beasts: Fyfe, Mundy, Mayne and Neale. Am I missing anyone?
6. ELLIOT YEO: When Yeo left the Brisbane Lions, his former coach Michael Voss predicted he would be the one the Lions would rue the most. Voss said he had poise, class and a good footy brain. That was for all to see on Saturday night.
7. ALIPATE CARLILE: The quiet achiever of the Port Adelaide juggernaut and the big fella took another scalp on Sunday. Last week it was Jarryd Roughead, this week it was Taylor Walker. Tex took four marks and kicked two goals and Carlisle had 19 disposals, took four marks and had six rebound 50s. Good on Robbie Gray and Boak and Ebert in the midfield, but Carlile was equally as important. Betcha he figures in the coaches votes.
8. TRAVIS COLYER: Takes a certain kind of courage to take on the game when bodies are tired and mistakes could lose you the game. Deep in the final quarter, Colyer received a handball between centre and half-back and bounced his way through the middle, through centre half-forward and kicked the go-ahead goal for the Bombers. Thank God he was playing because by that stage, the Bombers were moving like crabs and their forward line had come to standstill. That’s another issue, altogether.
9. EDDIE BETTS: Seemed like a one-man forward line on Sunday for the Crows and Eddie was it. Kicked 5.3, it felt like he kicked 8.2, such was his presence. Lynch helped, Tex was down and so was Jenkins, leaving Eddie to mesmerise. He used do that for Carlton, remember.
10. PORT BACKSTOP: Time and again the Crows had screw shots for goal and time and again Port had an unmarked player in the goalsquare to take the easy mark. Hartlett was there in the third quarter. White was there on the three-quarter time siren. Both stopped Crows goals. The Power must have a designated backstop position, for they are rarely without coverage when there’s a mad scramble for the ball
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Clancee Pearce gets rewards, Tommy Mac does it again, we have to say congrats Gold Coast and Big Charlie, Harry’s back, Blicavs does it again, so does Hannebery, so does Sam Mitchell, did I mention Liam Picken? Ling Jong’s mum, Sydney’s 109 tackles, Mason Wood has a big future, Jack Gunstan’s 13 grabs, Josh Kennedy (WC), Dustin Fletcher’s smother, Scotty Thompson’s final quarter, all of St Kilda.
WHAT MADE HODGE AND LEWIS LASH OUT? THE BOYS GIVE THEIR TAKE IN THIS WEEK’S SUPERFOOTY PODCAST BELOW:
DISLIKES
1. DAYS OF THUNDER: Hodge and Lewis turned back the clock with cheap shots to Swallow and Goldstein. It made the atmosphere electric - and admittedly damn watchable - but violence cannot be accepted. Hodge’s was deliberate. Lewis was careless. Hodge will get three. Lewis will get two. Suspect Hodge apologised to Swallow after the siren and suspect he will publicly apologise because a) you can’t promote hot wheels for kids and then b) go out and whack someone on the weekend. Bad look. As for Lewis, an apology won’t be forthcoming.
2. CARLTON: Don’t worry about reviewing the game against Collingwood, they should watch the Bulldogs v Sydney. Actually, just watch the Bulldogs. Actually, just watch Liam Picken. Actually, just watch Picken’s final three minutes.
3. DEATH IN THE COUNTRY: Hated reading that a young man, a father of two, a champ of his footy club, died playing the game he loved. It rocks the family and the community. RIP Aaron Mahoney.
4. ADAM SCHNEIDER: Had kicked 252-169 across his 216 game career, but his two behinds at Etihad in the final quarter would be the ones which will haunt him for sometime. Took a shot from 40m with six minutes to play to extend the Saints lead to 10 points and missed. And then, a few minutes later, he missed an awkward shot from the just outside goalsquare which somehow squirted left - and he had a teammate alone in the square. Schneider didn’t lose the game for the Saints, but he could’ve been the bloke who won it. The Bombers held on to win by two points.
5. BRYCE GIBBS: In Round 2, Gibbs laid 12 tackles against West Coast. In Round 5 against Collingwood he laid zero. For the reigning best and fairest, it is a poor return. Where is Gibbs at the moment. He is a leader lacking leadership and he’s not alone. In 2014, he was genuine force as a midfielder and now he’s been talked as a possible trade option - maybe the club’s best trade option. Dog-hungry effort is needed, not the spiritless performance dished up on Friday night.
6. GWS GIANTS: Failed in Perth amid great expectations and that’s disappointing. It’s a been tough period - Perth, Canberra, SCG, Canberra and Docklands in the first five weeks - and they play at home this week against Hawthorn, the first time this year. That’s five weeks away from home. Anyway, it’s a tough business and the performance against the Eagles was a car crash. They’ll be right, although the Hawks on home isn’t lovely.
7. NORTH MELBOURNE’S RESPONSE: Loved how Jack Ziebell jumped into Hodge after Hodge cracked Swallow, and how the boys got into Lewis who banged Goldstein. But they were fleeting moments. “Someone stand up to this,’’ premiership player David King tweeted as the Hawks took control. No Dal Santo and no Wells is no excuse. There was heat in this game and the Hawks soaked it up and then powered away. The Kangas won this game last year. On Saturday night they lost by 60 points. The heat was too much in the kitchen.
8. WORST FREE KICK OF THE SEASON: First quarter at the ‘G on Sunday and Zac Clarke gives a tummy tickle to Jesse Hogan and the umpire pulls it up and gives Hogan the free kick. You had to see it to believe it. The contact happens a 100 times a game without umpire interference. To watch the Dogs and Saints and the Showdown teams crack in without fear or favour, and then to watch Hogan free kick, you’d think you were watching a different sport.
9. ALLEN CHRISTENSEN: Didn’t see a minute of the game because the Doggies were playing and the Doggies needed attention. But saw Christensen run in for an open goal and miss from 10m. Says exactly where the Lions are at the moment. What has happened to this team? The coach is talking and the players are not listening or not wanting to listen. They should watch the Doggies game as well.
10. THIS SUNDAY, CARLTON v BRISBANE: Fans should get in for free as a goodwill gesture.
DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS: Why don’t umpires pay free kicks against players who duck their heads instead of paying free kicks to the duckers? Annoying.
BEST TWEETS
@SPiercePatrick: Dislike former players now commentators going easy on former colleagues. Did not go nearly hard enough on Hodge/Lewis
@luke_h10: L: The Crispy steak knives Collingwood received. : Brisbane, absolute rabble, becoming irrelevant
@dabigfella1: like - Pies over Blues, Dogs on the up, Bob’s back on AFL360. Dislike delay in B sample result for Keeffe Thomas
@AlanGarbuio: like the way the bulldog players play for their coach hate the way my blues play for their coach
@jonoburton: like: Andrew swallow not having a bar of hodge apology post game. No words excuse that cheap shot
@Lachie_McD: LIKE: Nat Fyfe is an unbelievable footballer DISLIKE: uneducated pathetic Dees supporters jeering Jack Watts on his 100th
@wtdunlop: likes: the McEvoy trade for the saints. Dunstans a future gun, savage proving useful and longer filling the void well.
@NathanHorsburgh: like - Liam Picken. Finally the shackles have been released and he is showing just how damaging he can be!
@jonoburton: like: Risky Bulldogs recruiting. Would Talia, Dahl, Jong be as improved if you still had Lake, Cooney, griffen
@lijwashere: liked stew crameris game. Disliked Sydney fans booing at the end of the game
@dingoderek: Likes Bob Murphy & Doggies big balls. Dislikes Carlton players disrespect for Malthouse
@joshyg1997: like: who would’ve believed a bloke named Josh Bruce would currently be outright second in the Coleman after round 5??
@foreverandadave: Taylor Adams work in the centre for the Pies&Grundy’s tackling. Dislikes: tweets about the wet weather, Jordan Lewis
@bluezkings11: y it may sound boring but umpires that keep paying marks that clearly aren’t 15 metres, it’s annoying
@pilbarafrenzy: L: Doggies belting out their song D: Hawthorn thuggery and Carlton lack of ticker
@bowiesrant: dislike that Richmond didn’t even consider Jeff Garlett when they’re crying out for a quick small forward
@_shmick: Like: Collingwood’s young players getting the job done. Frost, Oxley, Ramsay, Crisp, Williams, Adams all good.
@gphalls: Don’t like ‘trial by media’ from all the so called ‘experts’
@LancashireShaun: like Paul Roos’ passion at quarter time. Shows his true commitment to the improvement of his team.
@tcb934: dislike Boundary umpires getting involved in scoring decisions when they are clearly not in positions to call
@Nickdafox1: @BobMurphy02 yaaaaaaaaaaaaa dead set superstar. I’m so pleased for bob. I’ve got a rascal crush
@_shmick: Dislike: Pies still have no respect in the media. Friday night all the talk was about how bad the Blues are.
@TiarneSwersky: Dislike: Tom Rockliff can’t catch a break. He’s a tough, great player to watch... needs to be out there.
@inv_saints10: Dislike blatant thuggery. Should AFL consider a sin bin/ send off system after Lewis/Hodge hits?
@dylz16: LIKE Elliot Yeo in the midfield and his second quarter. LIKE WC team defence and pressure all night outstanding
@sammya23: personally dislike the terrorist comment... to casually call a Muslim that and 3aw to take no action is poor
Originally published as Mick Malthouse, Eddie Betts, tummy taps and missed chances in Round 5 likes and dislikes
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