The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from the first week of the final series
Port Adelaide’s issues against Brisbane started well before injuries hit, and it’s time for players other than Rozee and Butters to step up, writes Mark Robinson.
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Week one of the finals has been run and the premiership picture is a lot more clearer.
The Pies and Lions are on the verge of that last Saturday in September, while GWS and Carlton kept their seasons alive.
Meanwhile there will be questions asked this week of the Demons and Power as the Swans and St Kilda ponder what may have been in 2023.
Check out Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from every game of week one of the finals.
Collingwood v Melbourne
DISLIKES
1. PRESSURE ON MELBOURNE
Max Gawn said after the game it was a typical Melbourne loss. He had to be referring to the goalkicking. They kicked 7.11 from 62 entries. In the final quarter they had 19 entries and kicked 3.2 from seven shots. Ouch. Yes, the Magpies stacked the defence but the Demons didn’t take care of the ball. They missed set shots, they were hurried in other shots and they panicked in others because they thought the pressure was coming. If you’re glass-half full, you could argue they were unlucky. If you’re glass-half empty, the conclusion is they choked. The fact is the opportunities were aplenty and they were missed. Now, this bunch of players face an elimination final. They were bounced last year in straight sets and if it happens again, the club will have failed again with a group of generational talent. The one premiership is not enough for this group. Essendon won one flag at the turn of the century after choking in the 1999 preliminary final, and then lost after leading the 2001 grand final at halftime 54-40. North Melbourne won two flags in the 1990s, but left another at the bar, kicking 6.15 in the 1998 Grand Final against Adelaide. Geelong choked in the 2008 grand final against Hawthorn. Another choke was the 1970 grand final by Collingwood. And what about Essendon’s 1946 team. They kicked 7.27 and drew the Grand Final with Melbourne who kicked 10.9, only for the Demons to win the GF replay. There’s pressure on both Melbourne and Carlton this week, but if we’re running a book, it is heavily stacked on the Demons.
2. WHERE’S THE COMMON SENSE?
After a weekend of hysterical debate, Brayden Maynard will be judged on whether he had a duty of care for Angus Brayshaw, and whether his action to protect himself was careless. The duty of care debate is complex. When Jeremy Howe crashed into Tyson Stengle in Round 1, we raised the issue of Howe having a duty of care for Stengle. Howe’s was a marking attempt and Maynard’s a smother attempt, the difference was Maynard braced for contact, which wasn’t unreasonable in the circumstances. What was he supposed to do? Land on Brayshaw with arms splayed? It goes against every human instinct. The protection of the head is important but we have to accept accidents happen. The footy world is divided. For example, Leigh Matthews has issues with Maynard’s action, Chris Judd doesn’t. Daniel Harford does, Mick McGuane doesn’t. David King is wrestling with it and so is Patrick Dangerfield who initially defended Maynard and then softened. The concern in all this is not the actual collision because that will be sorted at the tribunal and then possible appeal. No, the concern is for Brayshaw. He’s suffered head knocks before and regardless, he will be keen to play in the preliminary final if the Demons make it. But he has to ask himself, what would 52-year-old Angus Brayshaw say to 27-year-old Angus Brayshaw? The 52-year-old Brayshaw might say, mate, it might be best for your long-term health to sit out the remainder of the season. And he might say, mate, it’s just footy and your brain needs more than 12 days to recover.
3. IS PETRACCA THE ANSWER?
We’ve been talking about the Melbourne forward group for 18 months and it’s staggering that it’s more depleted now than ever before. This is not bad luck, this a curse. The answer can’t be Brodie Grundy. Not because Grundy is hopeless, it’s because Max Gawn cannot be taken away from the ruck. When Gawn is rested, the job could go to Tom McDonald. That means the key is Petracca. Coach Simon Goodwin moved him forward in Rounds 17 against St Kilda which was bold coaching anyhow because Goodwin didn’t have midfielder Clayton Oliver who was injured. It would mean the Demons would play small-ball for periods against Carlton, which might be ballsy, but desperate times demand different thinking. It’s either Grundy (tall) or Spargo (small), and Petracca more forward whatever avenue they take.
LIKES
1. WHERE THERE’S WILL, THERE’S A WAY
Will Hoskin-Elliott is a great survivor. That was his 202nd game and probably his most important final. Come on, amid the hullabaloo about the axing of John Noble, who tipped that Craig McRae and his coaching team would send their half-forward to half back? Hoskin-Elliott had been graduating towards defence since being played there in the Round 23 match against Brisbane. Even with McCreery coming in and Ginnivan staying in the team as sub, Hoskin-Elliott was expected to remain in his customary forward role. Instead, McRae went with McCreery, Mihocek, McStay, Hill, Elliott and Adams and then Ginnivan when activated. Hoskin-Elliott played on Alex Neal-Bullen. The Demon had 17 disposals and kicked a goal, while Hoskin-Elliot had a season-high 20 disposals, a season-high 475m gained and a season-high eight intercept possessions. Popular commentary says teams shouldn’t spring unpredictable positional changes in finals, but McRae proved that to be a crock. The next move is, who makes way for Nick Daicos? Pat Lipinski will have a nervous fortnight.
2. PETRACCA GIVING IT TO TOM MITCHELL
There’s players’ code and Mitchell failed it. He took a dive in the first quarter and tried to suck in the umpires to give him a free kick. In a bruising game, those kinds of acts are hardly a badge of honour. Petracca wasn’t impressed. He leaned into Mitchell who had collapsed to the ground and said some choice words, anger clearly evident in Petracca’s delivery. Trying to bluff the umpire is not new, and some people can see it as playful, if not smart. But this was final. And if the umpire paid a free kick and Mitchell kicked a goal, there would’ve been hell to pay. Mitchell should’ve been fined by the MRO for acting.
Carlton v Sydney
DISLIKES
1. ISAAC HEENEY
He didn’t totally disappear, but he was disappointing, so much so he was assessed by Champion Data as the lowest rated player on the ground, barring the subs players. He had 16 possessions and went at 32 per cent by foot. He played half-forward in the first half, and some midfield time in the second half. In the forward line, he had Mitch McGovern as an opponent and Sam Walsh when he went to the midfield. Overall, he had two score involvements and didn’t have a shot at goal. He played high half-forward more than deep forward, with the Swans preferring to use Luke Parker deeper. In the final quarter, when the Swans surged, Parker played 100 per cent forward, while Errol Gulden played all of the final quarter on the wing, meaning two of Sydney’s playmakers were out of the centre square. But Heeney, well, another finals series is done and dusted and it was another average game from the player who some commentators who continually rave as being a superstar. No, he’s not. He’s a player with rare talent whose reputation doesn’t match his output.
2. WHO’S GOING TO RUCK?
Colleague Sam Landsberger told us on Saturday the Swans were frontrunners for Brodie Grundy. It makes sense. Tom Hickey has retired, so the Swans are in the market. Previously, they had asked Tim English’s management – as did several clubs – if English would request a trade from the Bulldogs and were told no. The problem is, if they can’t find a ruckman, they might have to use Hayden McLean in that role when McLean looks more suited to a key forward role. McLean has been a slow burn but you can’t deny his ability to find a big game after he had 17 disposals and took 12 marks, including eight marks in the forward half. All this on All Australian candidate Jacob Weitering. McLean kicked the one goal, so the Blues would be pleased, but McLean was an avenue. He was involved in 30 ruck contests, while Hickey was involved in 62, so rucking is not foreign to him. The issue is the Swans need McLean forward because Joel Amartey has tricks but is inconsistent and was subbed out on Friday night and Logan McDonald needs a big-man partner. That’s why Grundy makes sense.
LIKES
1. SAM WALSH
The mindset to run from contest to contest is often rewarded when the prize is getting the ball in your hands. The mindset to run to make a tackle or a spoil is much more rewarding in a team sense and, as they say, they will be in the review on Monday. Walsh’s run to spoil Logan McDonald late in the final quarter, when he was exhausted and when the game was on edge, might’ve been the one percenter of the weekend. Yes, there were many across the four games but Walsh’s awareness to a) see the problem and b) get and diffuse the problem was outstanding. The margin was nine points and if McDonald marked the ball and kicked the goal, well, who knows how the final result would’ve landed? Four minutes later, Walsh had a hand in the Blake Acres goal. The best player on the ground was probably Errol Gulden, but Walsh wasn’t far behind.
2. IT’S NOT MATT WHO, IT’S MATT COTTRELL
He’s making the fellow No. 46ers proud. It is a rare number. No. 46, because it’s usually consigned to the first-year players or predominantly twos players. Brisbane’s Oscar McInerney wears No. 46, as does Collingwood’s Mason Cox and Geelong’s Mark Blicavs, but the only other current senior players of note the No. 46 is Cottrell and Callum Brown from the Giants. Cottrell is a player, says Michael Voss, who doesn’t get headlines but who is held in high esteem within the club. Voss loves his work ethic. He’s quick and has endurance and in what is high transition footy, his run to defend and pressure is equally as important as his possessions. He reminds you of Richmond’s Jason Castagna. The now retired Tigers small forward kicked more goals (127 in 134 games) as opposed to Cottrell’s 24 in 52 games, but Castagna was much more celebrated inside Punt Rd than out of it. Cottrell. He kicked two goals in the first half on Friday night and should be in the coaches votes announced on Monday.
GWS v St Kilda
LIKES
1. JOSH KELLY
He will be shaking Willem Drew’s hand before the game on Saturday night and have the Port Adelaide tagger in his back pocket for the rest of the games. Drew subdued Brisbane’s Lachie Neale at the Gabba and while Neale scrapped for 19 touches and five clearances, Drew’s effort was a light on a dark night for Port. Kelly is a star of the competition because his work rate matches his skill set. In the first half, he had 19 and kicked two goals. In the second half, with Windhager as an opponent, he had eight disposals and two score involvements. The evidence is clear – he needs a tag, which would mean Rozee and Butters would be head to head with Coniglio and Tom Green. Drew is a chance to go Green because they are coalface players, which would leave Rozee-Butters v Coniglio-Kelly. That’s a dream promotion, but Drew to Kelly is the most likely.
2. THE BOY FROM NYAH
Population of Nyah is 536 and the footy club is Nyah Nyah West United in the Central Murray League. It is the home of Brent Daniels, the pocket-sized fire starter for Greater Western Sydney. The only other AFL player we could find from Nyah Nyah West United is a bloke named Ashleigh Thompson, who was pick No. 37 in 1993 national draft. Sydney claimed him but he didn’t play a senior game. Daniels, after a series of injuries, has quickly become a critical player in the front half for the Giants. He won the ball against St Kilda (he had 19 disposals) and he applied the second highest amount of pressure behind midfield bull Tom Green. He also kicked a goal and four direct score assists. While being active offensively, he also did a job on dual All Australian Jack Sinclair. In the time they were opposed to each other, Sinclair had six disposals and Daniels four, before Sinclair was moved into the middle. Of course, the famous Rose family from Collingwood came from Nyah West (before the merge in 1978) as pointed out by former Pies president Eddie McGuire with a midnight text on Sunday.
DISLIKES
1. MISSED SHOTS AT GOAL
It was Melbourne on Thursday night and St Kilda on Saturday afternoon. The Saints were beaten by four goals and while it looked like the Giants controlled a lot of the game, the scoreboard was OK. Twice the Saints came from seven goals down to get close-ish, but when you’re so far in arrears, there’s little room for error. And the Saints made errors. In the second quarter, Seb Ross missed a goal, Dan Butler was short on a snap and Max King missed another, before he kicked two goals. It was the “almost’’ Saints, but not just good enough. In the last quarter, the inside 50 count was 17-12 to the Saints but they kicked 2.3 and four complete misses. They can’t threaten with that return.
2, THE SMALL-FORWARD PROBLEM
Dan Butler and Jack Higgins didn’t get it done. Higgins had 14 touches and Butler seven touches and they combined for just one goal. Add quiet games from Phillipou (nine touches) and Caminiti (three touches) and the Saints struggled forward. Mitch Owens was OK, while King has some bad habits. He plays for free kicks, he waves his arms at umpires in frustration and reacts to the moment instead of getting involved in the next moment or play. In other words, he gets distracted by what’s happened. He is carrying an injured shoulder which will probably require surgery in the off-season, but that’s nothing to do with the body language.
Brisbane v Port Adelaide
LIKES
1. FLETCHER AND RAYNER
One is the No. 1 draft pick and the other is a father-son and together they kicked six goals. Fletcher was superbly composed in his first final and kicked three goals from the wing, while Cam Rayner was more permanent forward and looked every inch the second-most explosive player at the Lions, behind Charlie Cameron of course. Rayner has always had the capacity, but not the consistent contribution and his three goals came in the first half when the game was being decided. His challenge is to do it again in the preliminary final and then again at the MCG.
2. THE GABBA MUSIC
Gotta love Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver when Charlie Cameron kicks a goal. And you’ve gotta love Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond when Cameron Rayner kicks a goal. But you can’t love Let It Go from Frozen, the animated musical by Walt Disney, when Joe Daniher kicks a goal. The only people who can sing Frozen are teenie boppers and, anyway, it takes too long to get the chorus. And it’s not bouncy enough for the crazy Gabba crowd. Big Joey needs something like Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, because the big fella is always having a good time, whatever happens.
DISLIKES
1. TOO MANY PORT PASSENGERS
They were banged up, but they had a busload of passengers before the injuries piled up. Ollie Wines played one of his worst games this year. He had 14 touches and just one tackle, which is unlike Wines. Is he carrying an injury? He played a wing-forward role because Drew, Butters, Rozee and Horne-Francis are the preferred options inside. Maybe Wines’ grunt could return to the centre square and Horne Francis (14 disposals) could find a wing or halfback. Horne-Francis is explosive and that’s attractive at stoppages, but 14 touches is about one minute’s football with ball in hand and he’s not doing much else. Finlayson was missing, Marshall choked in front of goal, (he kicked 2.1 and two out of bounds), and while Powell-Pepper had 19 disposals, it appeared the Gabba deck was too quick for him. The concern continues to be the opposition’s scoring. Port conceded 13 goals from stoppage (the league average is 33 points) and they were opened from the back half. Indeed, they desperately need the comforts of home.
2. BUT THEIR GUNS WERE SOLID
Connor Rozee was fantastic, Butters was better in the second half (nine disposals in the first half and 20 in the second half), while Scott Lycett in the ruck worked his butt off. He had 11 disposals, five clearances and nine tackles opposed to McInerney’s 11 disposals, five clearances and five score involvements. No, Lycett wasn’t the problem. The problem was Port’s deficiencies were exposed and hometown heroes were found wanting on the road.
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