Mark Robinson looks at Round 6’s highlights and lowlights, including the state of today’s game
COLLINGWOOD lost the game but won a lot of respect against Richmond and are generating plenty of belief. MARK ROBINSON on the Magpies, Bombers, the state of the game and more in his Round 6 likes and dislikes.
Mark Robinson
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IT WASN’T a good weekend on or off the field.
Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson believes there are major issues in the game with congestion and defence stifling the game.
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At the conclusion of Round 6, we look at the highs and lows of the weekend.
Have your say on the weekend’s big issues and how to fix the game.
WHAT I DISLIKE
1. IS IT CRISIS TIME?
The AFL says it doesn’t like zones. That it doesn’t like congestion. And it has kept interchange rotations at 90. And the game is worse for it. Australian Rules has become the AFL, a managed product of strategy and process controlled by coaching departments and allowed to by headquarters. Last week was the lowest scoring round since Round 16, 1996. There are highlights, but they are too rare. Matches are largely a mass of players playing in the bubble who are set upon when they get the ball. The immense pressure means sub-standard skills, although poor goalkicking can’t really be explained. Exhaustion maybe? Round 6 is over and people will say don’t panic. Will try not to, but am worried where the game is and where it’s going.
2. DEFENCE/PRESSURE IS STIFLING THE GAME
It’s brutal football, but messy. Players fill the defensive 50m. Coaches send forwards to the stoppages to protect their midfields and leave a number at the back. So, when the team wins the ball and moves it forward, it’s difficult to keep possession. If they don’t move it forward, they swing it around halfback trying to find an avenue to goal. If not that, they use short kicks to find territory. The game has changed more in the past 15 years than it did in the previous 100 years. It’s swung too far defensively and the AFL must act at the end of the season. As Leigh Matthews says, the game is good, but it can be better.
3. SO, WHAT ARE THE TRENDS?
Contested possessions (145.8 per team) is the highest we have seen since Champion Data has been taking numbers. There are fewer stoppages (59.3 per game) and fewer ball-ups (18.7 per game) which suggests, as Alastair Clarkson has argued, there should be more free kicks paid to ease congestion. Handballs in congestion has resulted ugly football because the receiver is set upon straightaway. Scores are the most worrying aspect. The average score per team is 84.3 points per game, which is the lowest average after Round 6 since 1968.
4. NOT A GREAT WEEKEND OFF THE FIELD EITHER
Still confused about the AFL’s stance on a payment made to a woman who has been sexually harassed and how that doesn’t raise red flags under the respect and responsibility policy. The AFL on Friday said boss Gillon McLachlan did not endorse the principle of hush money, although it is strongly alleged a payment had been recently made to a former Fremantle employee. Confidentiality was the key, said McLachlan. So, how it’s resolved is not really the issue? So, it all goes away then? This issue won’t disappear despite the AFL’s attempts to bury it.
5. ST KILDA’S SCORING
After kicking 16.11 in Round 1 against the Lions, the Saints have registered five, seven, seven, 10 and on Saturday night seven goals in its next five matches. It would be too simplistic to suggest swarming defences have made them look like rabbits in the headlights, because they continue to be the most unrewarded team in the competition. Since Round 1, St Kilda has kicked 36.65. with Jack Billings leading the way with 4.11. You can’t have that much bad luck for 22 games in 2017 and five matches this year. Despite the arrival of Ben Dixon, who was a super reliable kick for goal, the Saints have been infected with the goal kicking disease. That, or they don’t have enough talent forward of the ball.
6. WE CAN’T OVERLOOK BRISBANE
The Lions have kicked 17 goals in their past three matches, which includes returns of two goals (Round 4) and five goals (Round 6). Defended strongly against the Giants and got the ball inside 50m pretty well — it was 46-43 to the Giants — but it breaks down from there. Eric Hipwood needs a big game, Dayne Zorko needs to find the pill and be a scoring threat, Lewis Taylor plays mid and forward and has two goals for the season and Allen Christensen has kicked one goal from his past four matches. There are reasons and excuses for everything, but sometimes players have to simply perform better.
7. CATS PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE
“The most important number besides the scoreboard was the centre clearances and they weren’t good for us all day, which was obviously a huge disappointment,’’ Geelong coach Chris Scott said. That is an understatement. Geelong has lost the clearance in every game this year. They rank 18th for clearance differential. Amazingly, it is ranked No.1 for scoring from clearances, but 18th for conceding scores from clearances. It’s one or the other at the moment and when you’re losing the clearance count as Geelong is, it’s an uphill battle.
8. TULLAMARINE STINKERS
They were christened the Tullamarine Globetrotters, but the Bombers are anything but. They play with purpose but lack cohesion — thanks Juddy for that word — and penetration. Had 40 more disposals, eight less inside-50s but kicked only 10 goals. There are serious questions about Essendon, namely what has happened to the progress of Joe Daniher and why such sloppy football. We know one thing, you can put a line through the Bombers for September.
9. BACK ON JOEY
On big money and delivering not much and the coach John Worsfold — and Daniher himself — must be tearing his hair out. His most influential player is in a serious form slump and nine goals from six matches isn’t enough from a player who looked set to explode this year. It is not just Daniher’s fault the Bombers are 2-4, but every team needs its best player to play well.
10. IDIOT FANS
There was a fight at Adelaide Oval last week. Another at Launceston on Saturday night. And there was the overly exuberant fan who gave it to Melbourne’s Max Gawn at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Pull your head in people.
WHAT I LIKE
1. YELLOW AND BLACK
Scrapped against the scrappers and in the end they wore down the opposition. Once again they bolted away in the final quarter, this time kicking eight goals to match their eight across the first three quarters. What is it about Richmond? They call it belief and confidence and the narrative is becoming all too familiar, hold up in the first half of the game and surge at the end, but it also helps when Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin stand up in the second half and ruckman Toby Nankervis sweeps all before him dropping back in defence.
2. COLLINGWOOD
Can you lose a game but gain confidence and respect? Absolutely. The Pies lost with two players down for most of the second half, which was gallant. More impressive were Collingwood’s methods. Commentator Jimmy Bartel spoke pre-match of cracking the Richmond code which centred on protected ball situations and the Pies refused to give Richmond what they want, which is long kicks down the line. It was seven goals in the end, but it was also the game Collingwood proved to us, and probably themselves, that it can contend. Forget the blowout, the Pies are on a good thing.
3. MAX GAWN
Geelong coach Chris Scott said recently you either have a great ruckman or you don’t. He hasn’t and Melbourne does. Gawn was dominant in a runaway victory for the Demons and recorded a career-high hit-outs-to-advantage. In layman's terms that means he hit the ball to his teammates which allowed the clearance dominance that was led by Nathan Jones with a game-high nine. Now for Jack Viney to return.
4. LUKE BREUST
In All-Australian form and could have had four goals to quarter-time if he had any luck. Jarryd Roughead said on 3AW there was a time last year when observers asked if Breust should be traded. Could be those observers knew little about football. Breust is in the top handful for the Coleman Medal after finishing with three goals and you just know when Breust, Jack Gunston and best afield Isaac Smith are finding the ball, the Hawks are on song.
Smith was simply brilliant with his run in yet another heavy congestion game.
5. PORT ADELAIDE
Emotional business footy and Ken Hinkley’s boys ended one of the most challenging weeks in the club’s history to play with terrific purpose. “It felt a bit like the world was ganging up on us,’’ coach Ken Hinkley said after Todd Marshall lost his father and, far less significantly, Hamish Hartlett ruptured his ACL. On top of that was the Sam Powell-Pepper business. Power are 4-2 after six matches and still not sure if Port is serious contender or a team that plays good or bad depending on emotional levels. Patrick Ryder’s return will help provide a more consistent performance.
6. JUSTIN WESTHOFF
Talking about emotion — or a barometer player — Westhoff is the prime example. He played mainly forward with Charlie Dixon in the ruck on Saturday and only kicked the one goal. But he finished with 25 possessions, eight marks, five tackles and eight score involvements and was the leader of a bevy of teammates to apply pressure in the forward half. When he plays well, Port plays well. Since 2013, when Westhoff has scored 100-plus ranking points Port has won 73 per cent of its matches (32-12 win/loss record). When he has scored fewer than 100 ranking points, Port has won 48 per cent of its matches (37-40 win/loss record).
7. JOSH KENNEDY
Extraordinary last quarter from the Swans skipper with six clearances and 13 disposals which again says never write-off a champ. More extraordinary was Sydney’s domination of a pretty insipid Geelong at stoppages. Sydney’s stoppage work in the last quarter won the game. The Swans won the last 12 centre clearances and were 16-5 for the quarter. From stoppages, they scored 25 points. They were +16 contested possessions, + 42 uncontested possessions, +57 disposals and +28 marks. When the going got tough, the tough got going and it embarrassingly wasn’t Geelong at home.
8. PAUL SEEDSMAN
Only Seedsman and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley really know what led to Seedman’s departure from the Pies to Adelaide at the end of the 2015 season. Wonder if Seedsman thinks it was Buckley’s issue and not his and that it might have been the reverse. Anyway, he had promise at the Pies and is now delivering for the Crows. Had 24, 28, 26, 29, 26 and 26 possessions in first six matches playing mainly halfback and is thriving in the Second Chance Saloon.
9. BULLDOGS
A confused person said there was a group of Bulldogs not talking to each other. Well, they were talking to Bont on Friday night. Coach Luke Beveridge lifted midfield minutes for his best player and arguably should leave him there. Marcus Bontempelli played 76 per cent game time in the midfield against the Blues after averaging 64 per cent for the season. Team high in ranking points (145), score involvements (eight), metres gained (497) and was second applying pressure (52).
10. DAVID SWALLOW
Not even Gazza is a one-man band, but even he would acknowledge his former teammate was practically one out against Adelaide. He had 32 possessions and kicked three goals, which is a phenomenal performance. He was the only Suns player in the eight highest possession-winners on the ground. He’s a good player, Swallow, but who knows how much better he would be if injury didn’t rob him of so many games.
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Originally published as Mark Robinson looks at Round 6’s highlights and lowlights, including the state of today’s game