Early Tackle: Sam Landsberger names his likes and dislikes from round 16 so far
In 24 hours Geelong, Sydney, Gold Coast, Fremantle and now Essendon have endured disappointing results. Where does it leave the race for finals?
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Geelong and Sydney may have both blown Friday night’s game, but could two unheralded players – one from each side – be headed to All Australian selection?
While Isaac Smith might be destined to go from Norm Smith to retired in a season, and why are players milking the impact from tackles to draw free kicks?
Are the Bulldogs charging towards a top-four finish for the first time under Luke Beveridge, and what is it with the Roos and Adelaide Oval?
And Stuart Dew’s future is once again in doubt after the Suns’ dismal display against the Pies, plus the Power have pulled off the great heist of the season, breaking Bomber hearts in the process.
See Sam Landsberger’s likes and dislikes from round 16 so far.
DISLIKES
DOES ANYBODY WANT TO FINISH EIGHTH?
In 24 hours Geelong, Sydney, Gold Coast, Fremantle and now Essendon have endured disappointing results. But the Bombers produced the best of that bunch on the back of their mighty midfield. Merrett, Parish, Caldwell and Hobbs outmuscled and outhunted their more-fancied opponents in the third quarter and the Bombers should have buried Port Adelaide before the last break. But they did not, and the single behind contributed by Peter Wright and Sam Weideman was disappointing. That point was a simple set-shot that Weideman just had to convert in the last quarter, particularly when opposing spearhead Jeremy Finlayson and then Dan Houston slotted long-range bombs in the same term. The Bombers rank 18th for pressure this year and 15th for inside 50s conceded (56.4 per game). Clearly, when they lift their pressure – as they did in the third term – they become a far better team. Sam Draper’s hip injury could not have come at a worse time … you imagine he would have enjoyed playing against debutant Dante Visentini.
HOW MANY MORE MULLIGANS FOR DEW?
Stuart Dew and Damien Hardwick are 2004 premiership teammates and Hardwick has too much integrity to play any part in the unseating of Dew. But a 13-goal loss just days after Hardwick confirmed he wanted to coach a second AFL club was the last thing Dew needed. Yes, Collingwood is the best team in it. But the Pies were missing De Goey, Sidebotton and McStay and the Suns have now lost five games by more than 40 points – two more than all of last year. How many mulligans can you give? Surely not five, and there are still eight games remaining. Dew will coach his 50th game after the mid-season byes (2018-2023) when the Suns travel to take on Port Adelaide next week. His record is currently 9-40, and a sixth-straight season that flatlines would make it hard for the Suns to stick fat with Dew again.
ROOS OUT-WORKED
Adelaide’s firepower in front of its fans has been unstoppable for every team except Collingwood this season. The Crows have kicked scores of 117 (Port Adelaide), 111 (Fremantle), 118 (Carlton), 121 (St Kilda), 95 (Brisbane), 174 (West Coast) and now 138 against North Melbourne. So the Kangaroos aren’t exactly Robinson Crusoe. But their work-rate in the second half was substandard. To be out-tackled 81-52 in a big loss was unacceptable. Nine Crows combined for 56 tackles – which was more than North (Jordan Dawson, Chayce Jones, Ben Keays, Josh Rachele, Reilly O’Brien, Rory Laird, Rory Sloane, Max Michalanney, Luke Pedlar and Wayne Milera). These Roos barely laid a glove on an opponent – Callum Coleman-Jones, Eddie Ford, Jack Ziebell, Cam Zurhaar, Ben McKay, Jy Simpkin, Miller Bergman, Hugh Greenwood, Jaidyn Stephenson, Tarryn Thomas, Darcy Tucker, Nick Larkey, Aidan Corr and Liam Shiels. Those 14 players combined for 19 tackles. The Roos are 0-11 at Adelaide Oval with an average losing margin of 45.3 points. Ouch.
PLAYERS TRYING TO MILK DANGEROUS TACKLE FREES
Nick Blakey lay motionless when he was nailed by Tom Stewart with a brutal tackle in the last quarter. Stewart gestured to Sydney’s medicos. But Blakey was fine, saying post-match: “It was a good tackle and I got caught holding the ball, fair play to him”. So why did Blakey lay limp? Was he trying to fool the umpire into paying a dangerous tackle free kick? Adelaide football director Mark Ricciuto outed Crow Luke Pedlar for that tactic after he was given a free kick for being dangerously tackled by West Coast’s Rhett Bazzo last month. “He stayed down until the whistle blew,” Ricciuto said. “Stays down, as soon as the whistle blew, pops up. Nothing against Luke – that’s what all the players are doing.” Stop it.
SPICY MISSES
The Spice Girls sang: “Slam it to the left if you’re having a good time, shake it to the right if you know that you feel time” – and Scary Spice might’ve thought those lyrics doubled as Sydney’s goalkicking advice as she sat at the SCG on Friday night. Key culprits Robbie Fox (0.3), Tom Hickey (0.2) and Isaac Heeney (0.2 and three no-scores) were among the handful of Swans born when that song was released in 1997. Heeney has been a lightning rod for criticism this year and his yips are nothing new. He has kicked 15 goals from 43 shots this year – not good enough for a reigning All-Australian. And what’s happened to Tom Papley? The 2021 All-Australian has kicked 25 goals from 50 shots. Papley has 11 goals in 10 games since booting six against Richmond in Gather Round. The Swans play the Tigers again next week. Maybe that’s the match-up Papley needs.
TWO LOSERS
Geelong was horrible and Sydney blew it (Champion Data’s expected scores had it winning 97-72) – but the reality was this was almost as bad as a loss for both teams given their healthy percentages. The Cats and Swans each rose one place on the ladder. But a Cats win would’ve seen them soar from ninth to fifth while a Swans win could’ve seen them rise from 13th to eighth. Only Adelaide’s percentage trumps these clubs from outside the top four and Geelong and Sydney’s percentage now only matters against themselves, Richmond and Carlton. Who said a draw wasn’t a result? Players quickly made excuses post-match after playing in a match as inaccurate as a Donald Trump speech. Zach Tuohy said the wind was swirly and Patrick Dangerfield said the Sherrin was waxy. Perhaps the scheduling was partially to blame for the sloppiness. Parking the 171-point twilight rout of West Coast, day games at the SCG average 186 points versus 128 points at night. It’s a big discrepancy. Then again, Braeden Campbell’s powerful left foot had no problem drilling Sydney’s only goal of the last quarter.
FROM NORM TO GONE?
Isaac Smith’s 65 games at Geelong included that golden performance in last year’s grand final. But you wonder how many he has left? Smith is out of contract and turns 35 this year. It’s been a marvellous career but Smith’s impact on matches has diminished. Will Izzy consider retirement?
FIXTURE CLASH
The bye rounds are over and that meant two games going head-to-head at 1.45pm. It’s needless cannibalisation. Why not start the Dogs-Freo clash at 1.10pm and the Crows-Roos clash in Adelaide at 2.10pm?
LIKES
HOUSTON, WE DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM
Dan Houston dripped with confidence when he held a soggy Sherrin knowing he had to thump it 55m after the siren to defeat Essendon. The drop punt sailed through and delivered a dozen wins on the bounce for Port Adelaide, which no longer needs to wear prison bars to look like Collingwood. Four of those 12 wins have been come-from-behind epics – they trailed Sydney (14pts), Western Bulldogs (2pts), Melbourne (11pts) and Essendon (9pts) at the last change. The wins over the Swans and Dons came by a couple of inches rather than points and were both confirmed by the ARC. Where do you start for Port? The courageous firestarter Zak Butter? Kane Farrell, whose leg is as powerful as Houston? Aliir Aliir, who stops the No.1 goalkicker each week? Classy Connor Rozee, who had nine tackles, eight score involvements and three goals? Consider that Port lost ruckman Scott Lycett in the warm-up and this was a seriously special win. It was Power’s version of Jamie Elliott’s miracle after-the-siren goal last year, which was also kicked on the MCG against Essendon. If Port Adelaide meets Collingwood in September, which seems odds-on to happen, there’s going to be 46 players who truly believe they can win from anywhere.
HOUSTON WINS IT AFTER THE SIREN!#AFLDonsPowerpic.twitter.com/8RBcsfCYB7
— AFL (@AFL) July 1, 2023
THE END OF THE CURSE OF THE BYE?
Carlton and GWS fans can breathe a sigh of relief entering Sunday’s clashes after a break. The theory clubs could not win after the bye when opposed to a team that had played the previous week always seemed farfetched and Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs crushed it on Saturday. Yes, after Brisbane pumped a fresh Richmond it was 0-9 in favour of teams who had played the previous week. But most of those nine results were expected. The real trend was fresher clubs getting the jump on opponents who were not coming off the bye – which the Power (led Essendon 14-0) and Dogs (led Fremantle 18-0) continued. In the previous fortnight Essendon (led 14-1 against Fremantle), Hawthorn (led 18-0 against Gold Coast), Geelong (led 38-18 against Port) and Gold Coast (led 16-1 against Carlton) also got out of the blocks coming off the bye against clubs who had played the previous week.
TOP FOUR BATTLE BREWING
Western Bulldogs boss Ameet Bains said pre-game the club had a top-four list and was targeting a top-four finish. The players backed Bains up. The Dogs’ best two performances have come against Fremantle this year, with their inaccurate rout of Adelaide in Ballarat a close third. That will leave the Demons nervous because they are looking shaky. From rounds 10-15 they rank 16th for points (67.6) and 14th for points from turnover (38.8). The Dogs will be barracking for their long-time rival, GWS, on Sunday before a Friday night blockbuster against Collingwood. The Pies have produced only one poor performance in coach Craig McRae’s 40 games – last year against the Dogs, who led 41-2 in the first term. Sunday’s game in Alice Springs and Friday’s game under the Marvel Stadium roof are critical contests that might shape the top four.
PUPS LIGHT UP KIDZMANIA
The Dogs promoted this game as Kidzmania and then their three youngest pups, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, James O’Donnell and Rhylee West, popped. West’s handball to set up another kid, Cody Weightman, was extraordinary and he backed that up by setting up the next goal to Aaron Naughton and the sealer to Lachie McNeill. It was the perfect sub performance – five impactful disposals. Surely the son of a gun has played his way into the starting 22. O’Donnell only played one VFL game after getting dropped, but came back looking like a different player. His timing in defence was Rolex-like, particularly in the first half. Then there was ‘Marra’, who has threatened to tear a game to shreds for some time. Ugle-Hagan laid a couple of bone-crunching tackles against Gold Coast and Geelong and slotted the odd mercurial goal. On Saturday the glimpses became glaring – nine marks (four of them contested and five inside 50m) and 4.2 with another snap sprayed out of bounds. Not sure the Dogs have ever isolated Ugle-Hagan like that before – but it worked.
NOBLE WARRIOR
John Noble embodies Collingwood. He attacks the ball with purpose, plays with infectious spirit and he chases damn hard. Noble was overlooked in four drafts and played 43 SANFL games before he was taken as an inspired choice in the 2019 mid-season draft. He then played four VFL games for Collingwood, one AFL game, one more VFL game and has not looked back since – chalking up 83 more AFL games and zero state-league games. Is he Collingwood’s most underrated player? Or is he its most improved? Perhaps both. Noble’s one goal from 30 disposals included 17 handball receives, which highlights his work-rate. He does not stop trying until the final siren, his disposal is tidy by hand or foot and he recorded 23 sprints (more than any Gold Coast player). So many of those runs are pressuring and harassing the ball carrier, like those two efforts in the dying seconds that helped seal last week’s win against Adelaide. They do not go on the stats sheet, but are crucial to the Magpies’ DNA. Their latest mid-season pick, speedster Oleg Markov, is also improving by the week and will not be seen at VFL level anytime soon.
AA GULDEN AND GRYAN
Gryan Miers could be All-Australian as the most creative half-forward – his pass to goalkicker Ollie Henry was his fourth score assist early in the second quarter summed up his genius – and Errol Gulden should be All-Australian on a wing. Gulden sees things nobody else can and his decision making belies the 20-year-old’s birth certificate. Gulden laid nine tackles and he took the ball 698m. He set up Braeden Campbell for the game’s first goal and then saved a goal with an attempted speccy over Max Holmes after running hard into defence. Gulden clocked 14.2km – more than every other player – and is simply a gun. He’s similarly powerful with a golf stick and it’s a mystery how no club bid on him until Geelong did in the 30s in the 2020 draft. The kicker for rivals is the Swans – who were focused on Campbell – might’ve let their academy star go if a bid came in the first 20 or so picks. Also love Angus Sheldrick, who’s tough in the contest and clean under pressure – much like Bulldog Tom Liberatore. Gee, the Swans have some ripper kids.
BACKLINE BATTLE
Lewis Melican kept Tom McCartin out of Sydney’s backline on Friday night. Melican has played on Harry McKay, Joe Daniher, Oscar Allen and Tom Hawkins recently, who have kicked a combined six goals. You’d think McCartin gets back in after getting through a full VFL game after concussion issues. But Melican has been a mighty understudy.
LION-HEARTED MIDFIELD
Lachie Neale, Oscar McInerney, Hugh McCluggage and Deven Robertson won 27 clearances and Richmond won 22 clearances. The Tigers were outmuscled around the ball smashed in stoppages, contest and territory. Unless you were a Lions fan it was hard to watch such a one-sided contest, particularly with the Ashes a click of the remote away. The Lions are the best side around the ball and taught the Tigers a lesson. Interim coach Andrew McQualter was midfield coach before Damien Hardwick stepped down, so this was his area. Kane Lambert stepped up to take that line and it’ll be a tough review for the on-ballers.
SMART CALL NOT TO BOUNCE INJURED RAY
Bouncing no longer appears to be a prerequisite to be an AFL umpire. Ray Chamberlain has been given a licence to toss the ball up, which he did in the centre square after first-quarter goals to Tim English and Mitch Hannan at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. The whisper is ‘Razor’ has a sore shoulder and the AFL is happy for him to keep umpiring because the veteran is one of the better decision-makers. Bouncing has never been a strength for Ray, with Chris Scott urging him to throw it up during the 2020 finals. Mature decision to let Razor umpire without having to bounce in what sets an interesting precedent.
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