The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from round 12
The Crows proved once again that their best footy isn’t on show away from Adelaide Oval, putting serious doubt on their finals credentials. See Robbo’s likes and dislikes.
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After Sunday offered up two cracking contests, we can officially say this AFL season is
halfway through, which means All-Australian talks are heating up.
So who makes the cut in Robbo’s mid-year All-Australian team?
Here are Robbo’s likes and dislikes plus a look at his mid-year All-Australian side
LIKES
1. BRODY MIHOCEK FOR AA
That’s All-Australian and not Alcoholics Anonymous, and he deserves selection. He’s kicked 31 goals this season – that’s one fewer than Tom Hawkins and three more than Joe Daniher – and big Joey seems to be a popular selection in other AA teams. Mihocek doesn’t get enough credit for what he does. He’s an undersized key forward taking marks and kicking goals and moving packs. Have selected Jeremy Cameron and Charlie Curnow in the two key posts and that’s expected in any mid-year AA team. Could easily push another midfield into the forward six. Such as Christian Petracca and punt Mihocek, but that would defeat the purpose of selecting a team in the position the players play. It’s why Essendon’s Nic Martin is on a wing and not Caleb Serong (never plays there) or Clayton Oliver (never plays there) or Matt Rowell (never plays there). Only last week, this column likened Martin to Bombers premiership wing/half-forward Blake Caracella and during last week, Champion Data revealed that Martin was the highest rated wingmen this season. Steele Sidebottom was also a contender for Martin’s spot. The only other surprise for some would be the selection of Gold Coast’s Charlie Ballard. To that, we say watch the Suns play and note what Charlie does. The captain is Darcy Moore and the vice-captain is Toby Greene.
2. WHERE’S DUSTY PLAYING NEXT YEAR?
Dustin Martin has a year to run on his $1 million-plus contract, and it’s understood he will analyse where his future lies in about eight weeks. That’s not hinting that he’s about to pack his bags and head north, which is what Hawks premiership champ Jordan Lewis declared he would be doing at season’s end. Lewis might be right, but which of Sydney, GWS, Brisbane and Gold Coast can pick up a $1.3 million one-year contract, because Richmond won’t be paying any of it? And is Dusty worth that much? Maybe Sydney. On Sunday, Martin played his 280th game and if he fulfils his contract at Richmond, he would join Bartlett, Riewoldt, Edwards, Bourke and Cotchin (298 games) in the 300 club. Being the mysterious figure he is, we wouldn’t know if 300 games for the Tigers was a burning ambition, or whether joining a new club at 32 would be ideal, either. He played mainly as a permanent forward against the Giants on Sunday and only attended three centre square bounces, and was even deep in defence at times, which is unlike Martin. The Tigers say he is invested, but without Damien Hardwick as coach, and probably Cotchin, and probably Riewoldt (retirement), Martin will have some thinking to do in eight week’s time.
3. DEFENCE WINS CLOSE GAMES
Essendon was threatened by the Kangaroos on Sunday and the six point margin was testament to a game loaded with character from both sides. The kids at the Kangas were outstanding, and if you haven’t seen George Wardlaw play yet, do yourself a favour. He’s a threshing machine in the mould of Zak Butters. The Bombers have their own thrashing machine in terms of pressure. Matt Guelfi was third in last year’s best and fairest because he plays his role across half-forward and applies pressure. In a tense final quarter on Sunday, he gave a massive run-down tackle and won the free kick, applied forward pressure to give Essendon a goal and, with four minutes to play, won high tackle and Kyle Langford took advantage and kicked the goal. Jake Stringer could well ask, what about me? He had a double whammy in the one play, a smother and then tackle which opened the door for D’Ambrosio to kick the winner. What a game. What a Sunday of football.
4. THE ODDS AND SODS DID IT AGAIN
Remember when Chris Scott took a hammering from those who knew better when Scott moved Mark Blicavs away from full-back? Terrible move, won’t work, because Blicavs is not a wingman, let alone a ruckman. The All-Australian continues to be a force for Geelong. Now 32, he and Jon Ceglar were beaten by an enormous game from Tim English on Saturday night but even in defeat Blicavs was not invisible. He had 17 disposals, his pressure was high, he had seven tackles and led the team for contested possessions (12). The other Blicavs quality is his durability. While a lot of his teammates have fallen around him with injury, Blicavs as a ruck/onballer has missed just two matches in the past six seasons.
5. JACK THE LAD
That’s consecutive bags of five goals for Jack Lukosius in the humidity of Darwin and he looks accomplished as the third forward. Finally, he has his position. Previously, he’s been tried everywhere. Off halfback so he could use his delightful right foot, on a wing to run and kick, and now as a forward. He’s taken Mabior Chol’s spot. Chol has talent but questions surrounded his absolute desire to compete. That was the slows on Lukosius in his first couple of seasons. The No. 2 draft pick had talent but appeared lackadaisical, which truly is nit picking from the critics. Lukosius is still 22 and is playing a key post beside Levi Casboult and Ben King. King and Lukosius are the future and they’re already delivering on their talent. The Suns are in good hands.
6. WHAT TO DO WITH ELLIOT YEO?
He was superb for periods on Saturday, tough and bouncy and influential for the Eagles and suddenly he has currency again. Do the Eagles keep him or do they sell him? He’s 29, turns 30 in October, and is littered with injury over the past four years. Still, what could you get for him? If a club had confidence in its fitness department to get his body right, a club could get 40-60 very good games from him. What’s that worth? A second-rounder maybe? The Eagles should do it in a heartbeat because they need picks and players coming in. What about giving up pick No.1 and Yeo – if they get pick No.1 in the draft – for an Aaron Naughton, or Tim English, or Shai Bolton? That would work.
DISLIKES
1. WASTEFUL AGAIN
Missing chance seems to be the common thread in 2023. The Giants on Saturday were +23 inside 50s and lost to Richmond by six points. They kicked 15.14 to Richmond’s 16.14 and so crazy was the game, the Tigers looked more threatening inside 50m. The Giants’ F50 core was Hogan, Greene, Cadman (didn’t touch it), Callum Brown, Toby Bedford (huge tick) and a combo of Lloyd, Daniels (injured) and O’Halloran. The flip side is you could argue Richmond’s back six defended really strongly because although the inside-50 differential was +23, overall the Giants had 70 entries. On pure volume, they should’ve won. Port Adelaide on Saturday had 72 inside-50s, the most of any club this year, and beat Hawthorn by 55 points. The Hawks had 70 inside-50s in round 10 against West Cast and won by 116 points. Yet, the Giants had 70 and lost the match. While it was a great contest, Giants coach Adam Kingsley won’t settle for “good effort’’ plaudits. They left this game on the shop floor and it will infuriate him.
2. WHERE WERE YOU, EAGLES?
Elijah Hewett is 18 and played his fourth game of footy. It will be remembered – that’s if he has any memory recall – for Jordan De Goey’s brutal late bump to Hewett’s head. These things happen. A split second decision, a wrong decision, crash bang, and you’re looking at four weeks. It was a dumb decision by De Goey. Dirty and dumb. Two observations, though. 1) De Goey didn’t show any remorse and 2) the Eagles didn’t make a stand for their 18-year-old mate. Ten blokes should’ve piled in to De Goey, just as 10 Magpies would come running if Nick Daicos’ hair was being rubbed. The Eagles don’t have the skill level to go with opposition teams, and now they’ve shown they don’t have the heart either. A couple of Eagles players were displeased, but where was the rest of them? Will say it again, if that was Nick Daicos knocked out, 21 Magpies would’ve descended on the culprit. That incident has to be one of the defining moments for the rebuilding Eagles. Never again can they be so weak with their reaction. Never again can they accept an 18-year-old teammate being bashed. Coach Adam Simpson should be disgusted.
3. AARON NAUGHTON
He’s on a slow burn to superstardom and this season can best be described as tantalising without delivering. He’s played 12 games and kicked 22 goals. Yes, he brings the ball to ground and he competes in the air and he takes the opposition’s best defender, but 22 goals from 12 outings? Air Naughton was supposed to launch this year after consecutive seasons of 47 and 51 goals. Sixty goals beckoned for the 23-year-old, but it’s not panning out. His past four matches have returned 1.1, 1.2, 1.1 and 1.3. Naughton’s record against top-eight teams is 1.2 (Melbourne), 2.2 (St Kilda), 1.0 (Brisbane), 1.0 (Port Adelaide) and 1.1 against the Cats. On Saturday night, he had only two touches in the second half from 25 entries from his teammates. Am trying not to drown you with stats, but there’s one more. Naughton has been targeted 77 times this year and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan 63 times. The ball retention rate is 46 per cent for JUH and 38 per cent for Naughton, which rates Naughton No.37 of players targeted inside 50. I rated him, I think, fourth key forward behind Charlie Curnow, Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins in the pre-season Top 50, and he’s not at that level. It could change in the second half of the season, and it must if the Bulldogs are to win the premiership. For what’s worth, No.1 for retaining the ball is Jeremy Cameron, No.2 is Jye Amiss and No.3 is Kyle Langford.
4. ANDREW GAFFE
To look at Andrew Gaff is to look at a shadow of what he was able to deliver in his prime. It feels like it’s become open season on the veteran left-footer in recent weeks, as fans and media types take aim. On Saturday, and while his numbers were solid enough for a midfield, one pivotal play in the third quarter shut this game down in a blink of a bad kick. The embattled Eagles were in the game, the score 63-48 to Collingwood and such was the momentum the Eagles had, their fans were sniffing the upset of the season. So, back to Gaff. His teammates busted their backsides to get him the ball 35m out in front. What should’ve been a doddle to make the margin nine points with six minutes to play in the third quarter, Gaff’s half-hearted caress of the ball barely made the distance for a point. It sucked the life out of the Eagles. The Magpies kicked the ball in, took down field and the mercurial Ash Johnson kicked a goal. Then Bobby Hill kicked a goal. Then Brody Mihocek kicked a goal. It was three goals to one after the Gaff behind and the margin at three quarter time was 26 points. Game over. Gaff’s miss didn’t lose the game, but it sure lost momentum for a team playing its best footy of the year.
5. ROAD WORRIERS
Extraordinary night in Darwin which proved, once again, the Crows don’t have the heart on the road. They led by 35 points in the second quarter and from that moment, they lost contested ball by 39, clearance by 10, inside-50s by 10 and conceded eight goals from stoppage. You are a flaky team when you can lead by six goals and lose by four goals. And somewhere amidst all that they wrestled momentum back from the Suns and then lost momentum again. That last quarter was mind-numbing. The Crows kept kicking back down the line from their D50 and the Suns would win it and take back in. Rinse and repeat and lose. Their next game is against West Coast, and who cares. And then it’s Collingwood at the MCG. That’s the day we find out for certain if the Crows have the bottle to be contenders this year.
Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from round 12
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