The Tackle: Jay Clark’s likes and dislikes from round 23 of the AFL season
There was plenty of positivity surrounding Essendon in 2023, that was until they copped a 126-point belting. Jay Clark names his likes and dislikes from a wild round 23.
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Just when the top eight looked almost settled, the Western Bulldogs tipped the end of the home-and-away season on its head by losing to West Coast.
There are serious questions at the Dogs on and off the field, at AFL HQ after a huge score review failure, and for Brad Scott and the Bombers.
AFL reporter Jay Clark reveals his likes and dislikes from a wild round 23.
DISLIKES
1. Blowtorch coming on Dogs
It’s all on the line for Western Bulldogs on Saturday night against Geelong.
All season the Dogs have been the most unpredictable and frustrating team in the competition, mixing their glorious best with their worst form from week-to-week.
And on Sunday the Dogs produced their worst performance in Luke Beveridge’s time as coach to go down to the hapless Eagles at Marvel Stadium.
Beveridge looked in shock on the final siren.
The Dogs will be the story for the next 24 hours; as pundits consider how a team with such a stacked midfield and gun forward line can be overrun by the worst team this season.
They’ve been underachievers, the Dogs, with that list. And another failure against Geelong this week will end their finals hopes and turn the blowtorch up to lava levels to end the season.
There will be a big spotlight on the club and the Dogs will have to review themselves harshly, first and foremost.
Is there a disconnect between the players and coaching staff? Too many surprise selection calls? Flaws in the game plan? Are the players happy?
Does the playing group need to take responsibility?
In reality the buck always stops with the coach, and the Dogs have been inconsistent when they should be in their prime.
The decision to flick backline coach Rohan Smith took many by surprise at the kennel a fortnight ago and Beveridge fought back tears. If the grapevine is right, Beveridge didn’t want Smith gone.
The Dogs had a poor year last season, bowing out in the first week of finals. If there is a repeat, Beveridge will ask serious questions of himself.
He has two more years to run on his contract, but ‘Bevo’ will have to ponder whether he is getting the best out of the team in 2023.
On Sunday’s evidence the answer is no.
2. Dismal Dons
Essendon put up a white flag against GWS to produce the kind of horrific performance which should drive the team over summer.
The club is adamant it never got ahead of itself even amid all the finals talk mid-season.
But the 126-point defeat smacked of a club which had checked out on the year.
And they will have only a short six-day turnaround to try and redeem themselves against Collingwood on Friday night.
Midfielder Zach Merrett has had an outstanding season on-field in his first year as captain but questions have to be asked of the leadership more broadly after that sort of effort.
Does the club get a pass mark for the season? Considering some of their wins over Melbourne and Adelaide this year it has to be a yes.
But the tick is only a small one considering their drop-off over the past month. Fans were angry after the no-show against the Giants.
We know the club is into North Melbourne’s Ben McKay to bolster the back half.
And the need to bring in another strong body was only underlined further after another key forward, Jesse Hogan, slotted nine goals on the Bombers on Saturday.
3. A blunder we won’t forget
Adelaide has every right to be fuming for the goal umpire horror show which cost the Crows a shot at finals on Saturday night.
Ben Keays slotted what should have been a goal in the frantic finish against Sydney Swans and celebrated like he had just hit a hole in one.
But the goal umpire signalled a behind and failed to review it.
AFL officials would have been pulling their hair out from their lounge rooms watching the nightmare unfold.
But you can bet your house on the email which will be sent out to field umpires across the league in the wake of the disaster.
Next time, if it appears to be a close call, the field umpire should double-check with the goal umpire, are you sure this doesn’t need to be sent upstairs?
Especially in the final minute or so of a one-point thriller when the ball comes so close to the goalpost.
What was required in that moment was some more composure.
Easy in hindsight, but it was one of the biggest umpire blunders of the past decade.
4. Where’s Finn?
Sam Mitchell may rue the decision to drop the tag on Clayton Oliver.
Finn Maginness had put the clamps on Oliver until three-quarter time on Sunday, keeping Melbourne’s onball superstar to only 10 touches until the final change.
But Oliver started the fourth term on the bench and Mitchell sacked the tag.
That is when Melbourne sprang to life as Oliver kicked the goal which sealed the win from a goalmouth scramble on his left boot. Finally, he had some room to move.
Until that late burst, it was another big scalp for Maginness.
Kysaiah Pickett was another who was quiet despite some mark of the year attempts, while Ned Reeves had Max Gawn’s measure for big periods to keep the superstar captain a little down in his 200th match.
Remarkably, Hawthorn won the clearance battle at the MCG without raging bull Jai Newcombe, who was a late out with hamstring soreness.
Melbourne has bigger fish to fry in September but the Hawks have done a lot right in 2023.
However, Mitchell might have made a rare error ditching the Oliver tag at the last change.
5. No snubbing the Souva
It will be one of the biggest snubs of this year’s All-Australian team if the selectors overlook Kangaroo Nick Larkey.
The full-forward has booted 62 goals in the worst team of the season to sit third in the Coleman Medal race behind Charlie Curnow (75) and Taylor Walker (67).
He nailed another six majors in the loss to the Richmond on Saturday and has gone at 70 per cent goalkicking accuracy across the season.
Lots of gun players will miss out on the All-Australian team, but Larkey has been outstanding and will challenge Harry Sheezel for the Roos’ best-and-fairest.
It has been an extraordinary debut AFL season from Sheezel, who remains the favourite for the Rising Star Award after another 37 touches on Saturday.
But it is a little easier gathering possessions across half-back than it is taking contested marks as part of a starved forward line, and Larkey deserves recognition.
LIKES
1. What a win
Can you save your job with one win?
All the talk out of the west suggested Eagles’ coach Adam Simpson was in real trouble after another flogging from Fremantle last weekend.
The board was weighing up sacking him with two years to run on his deal was the hot tip.
But the extraordinary victory over Western Bulldogs on Sunday says plenty about Simpson, whether he had lost the players, and those tanking claims.
The win has cost the Eagles Harley Reid, as the top draft pick will now go to North Melbourne.
North list manager Brady Rawlings would have popped a bottle of champagne as the Eagles notched one of the upsets of the season.
But can West Coast turf the coach now? It would be hard, even though the body of work across the season has been putrid for the bulk of it.
The players were right behind him on Sunday and they played until the end to register their third win of the season.
The Eagles’ board has a big call to make and things got even more difficult in a sense after the upset win on Sunday.
2. New contract for Vossy?
There seems little doubt Michael Voss is headed for a contract extension at Carlton.
Over summer, expect chief executive Brian Cook to put together a new two-year deal to keep Voss at the club until at least the end of 2026.
It will help increase the feeling of stability in pre-season as the Blues look to make the most of their talented list next year.
And Voss will deserve it, after turning around the Blues’ season in stunning fashion this year.
Now, they can go deep into finals in September, considering the weapons at the Blues’ disposal across every line.
Charlie Curnow played another brilliant second term on Saturday to lead the fightback against Gold Coast, while Harry McKay returned from knee injury.
The Blues are confident having McKay back significantly helps Curnow.
Patrick Cripps is probably a lot more sore than he is letting on, but he won’t want to rest against GWS on Sunday with a home final up for grabs.
But the Voss gloss is one of the stories of the season as Carlton look set to play its first finals campaign in a decade next month.
The Blues will look to keep the momentum rolling over summer with a new deal for the coach.
3. Dusty Dynamo
The game was about Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin’s farewell.
But Dustin Martin was the lead character in Richmond’s win over North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday.
The argument goes that ex-coach Damien Hardwick shouldn’t bother calling Martin’s phone to check his interest in a possible move north to Gold Coast.
Martin is a Richmond man and all that. He could play 300 games in the yellow and black next season.
But, as Hardwick watched on from the MCG stands on Saturday, it would have been clear to him that Martin remains one of the most impactful players in the game after a blinder against the Kangas.
He bullied the Roos and kicked the Sherrin like he was using a three-iron off the tee.
And he only had eyes for Cotchin and Riewoldt all game.
If Hardwick asks the question, it would be about lifestyle for Martin.
Getting out of the Melbourne fishbowl. Enjoying some more sun and space up north.
Dusty loves Dimma. Hardwick may be a three-time premiership coach at Richmond but when he pulls on the Suns’ polo it will all be about what is best for Gold Coast.
4. Back to his best
Brad Hill fell out of love with the game last year.
There was lots of talk about the size of his contract, he was struggling on field and there was some potential trade interest.
In round 18 and Round 22 he had 11 possessions.
But fast forward 12 months and he is one of many Ross Lyon success stories as the Saints secured a finals berth in his first year in charge as coach.
Back on the wing, Hill is back to his hard-running best, gathering 31 disposals in the win over the Cats despite a sore knee.
Hill looked like his career might be winding up last year but he is a weapon on the wing again as the Saints look to win a final.
Rowan Marshall is another player having a brilliant season, after another 24 touches and 28 hit-outs. Leigh Montagna on Sunday said he should be in the All-Australian mix.
He is not a towering ruckman, but rather more of a dangerous floating tall.
Brad Crouch has been outstanding, Jack Sinclair is getting away with murder off the back of the stoppage, and Jack Steele kept Patrick Dangerfield to 13 possessions on Saturday night.
Some said the Saints have gone backwards this year. It is not the case.
5. Flag favourites?
The Brisbane Lions look like the team to beat, and the MCG hoodoo isn’t keeping the players or coach up at night.
The Lions notched a big win over Collingwood on Friday night, showing they do not lack anything considering the midfield talent, options in attack and reliability of Harris Andrews down back.
With two home finals in the works, the Lions look bound for the grand final.
And, internally, the club looks back on the win over Melbourne at the MCG in the second week of finals last year as the night they ditched the hoodoo.
The Lions had a poor day against Hawthorn at the MCG earlier in the season, but when Chris Fagan asked Leigh Matthews about the record at the MCG, Matthews said don’t worry about it.
On grand final day it is more of a corporate crowd, anyway, Lethal told Fagan.
And the memories of the win over Melbourne in a big final last year is all the validation the team required to believe they can win at the home of footy.
The bookies still had the Magpies as premiership favourite across the weekend, but that is underrating the Lions.
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Originally published as The Tackle: Jay Clark’s likes and dislikes from round 23 of the AFL season
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