Early Tackle: Scott Gullan’s likes and dislikes from round 15 so far
It started being a tad annoying, now it’s just downright stupid. It’s almost like the AFL conceded defeat this week.
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West Coast suffered an all-time loss as the club’s woes deeepen.
That drab affair exposed a fixture flaw, while it was deja vu for St Kilda on Friday night.
And the AFL is to blame for a social media beat-up.
See Scott Gullan’s likes and dislikes from round 15.
DISLIKES
1. SAY GOOD-BYE TO FIXURE FARCE
IT started being a tad annoying, now it’s just down right stupid. The AFL spreading the byes over a month must be addressed for next season.
It’s almost like the AFL has saved the worst for last to ensure the football world completely hates the concept.
Having two games this Saturday, both interstate with the first not starting until 4.35pm - and involving Sydney and West Coast - is a debacle. (That game was over after the first 10 minutes).
Then on Sunday, again only two games ending with Gold Coast playing Hawthorn in Queensland. Snooze fests everywhere.
It’s almost like the AFL conceded defeat this week as The Ashes and rugby league’s State of Origin captivated everyone.
Geelong and Melbourne gave an enjoyable contest on Thursday night but it’s been all downhill since then with St Kilda on Friday night becoming hard work to watch at the moment.
The league clearly doesn’t want to have a full week off but spreading the byes over a simple two week period rather than four is the logical solution.
This shortens the season but they can be inventive at the start and end of the season if they really want to on that front.
Split the opening round across two weeks - the fans are salivating so they will cop four games each week - and then rather than have the end-of-season bye, play a wild card weekend between teams ranked from 7th to 10th to nail down the final two finals spots.
Now that reeks of excitement, not something you can say about the Round 15 fixture.
2. DEFENDER DEJA VU FOR SAINTS
ROSS Lyon was feeling a bit crook before the game on Friday night and gradually got worse as he watched Harris Andrews single-handedly destroy his forward line.
The problem for the Saints coach is what transpired against Brisbane had a real sense of deja vu about it.
Back in Round 11 when the Saints bad trot started Hawthorn captain James Sicily did exactly what Andrews did, had a day out.
In what was lauded as one of the most dominant displays produced by a defender, Sicily amassed 42 disposals – nine more than his previous best – to go with 21 intercept possessions, 17 contested possessions, 16 marks, 11 score involvements and 628m gained.
On Friday night Andrews had a similar career night which included 14 marks, nine intercept marks - one short of matching the AFL record - 14 intercept possessions and 11 spoils.
On both occasions the No.1 defenders in the opposition didn’t play on the Saints No.1 forward Max King.
They instead took the second or third St Kilda forward option - Andrews played on rookie Anthony Caminiti - and exploited them to the point where they were able to become the best players on the ground.
Lyon needs to find a cure, not just for his cold, in a hurry as his team’s season starts to wobble.
3. GOODWIN MUST BITE THE BULLET
IT’S time for Simon Goodwin to bite the bullet on his forward line.
For teams like Melbourne who are in the premiership race, crucial decisions need to be made over the final nine weeks of the season to ensure they have the right mix firing together when it counts in September.
Ben Brown and his dodgy knee might just hold the key for the Demons.
He was an emergency for Thursday night’s loss which is a positive given he hasn’t been sighted since Round 3 because of his on-going injury issues.
In the opening two rounds Brown kicked eight goals and what he does is straighten the Demons up with his hard leading.
Right now Goodwin’s team can’t win the flag with their forward set-up. Bailey Fritsch, Jacob van Rooyen and Joel Smith aren’t going to get it done.
A more traditional key forward like Brown might be the ace up his sleeve which he needs to pull out, starting next week against the GWS Giants in Darwin.
3. AFL TO BLAME FOR ROHAN COMMENTARY
THE AFL needs to take the blame for the farcical social media commentary after the Jeremy Cameron incident on Thursday night.
There were plenty of people who with a straight face were willing to argue that Gary Rohan should be sanctioned by the MRO for the bump which knocked out his teammate.
This was all based on what they believe the AFL has pushed down their throats with their crackdown on the bump and hard tackling this season.
They tried to argue it shouldn’t matter what jumper the player is wearing if the edict is to protect the head at all costs.
This is a complete joke but sadly an insight into the frustration and confusion which is not only clouding the football fan’s head at the moment but players as well.
4. IMAGINE THE BUDDY BAG
LANCE Franklin not playing against West Coast robbed this game of any sort of interest.
Potentially this game could have been the classic Buddy fill-up show where the crowd at the SCG and anyone who bothered to tune in from the couch at home was invested only to see how many the superstar could kick.
How much fun would it have been to be cheering every time Buddy went near the ball as he wound back the clock with his eyes set on kicking 10 goals.
Unfortunately “soreness” kept him out for another week and he would have been spewing with the Eagles again an embarrassment.
At half-time Buddy’s two understudies Logan McDonal and Joel Amartey had two goals each with the Swans lead already 68 points and the interest factor zero.
5. DONS’ BIG FLAW EXPOSED
TO Essendon’s credit they’ve been getting away with a big cover up over the past month.
As we know, winning covers over any cracks and the Bombers were on a four-game winning streak coming into Saturday night against the Fremantle Dockers.
While the calibre of the wins could be questioned — an out of form Richmond by one point, the two worst teams in the competition, West Coast and North Melbourne, followed by a triumph over the hopelessly out of sorts Carlton — a win is a win.
But what the Fremantle Dockers uncovered is the Bombers don’t have a forward line that will cut it in September.
Coming into the game Sam Weideman hadn’t kicked a goal in the previous three games, Jake Stringer had kicked just three goals during the four-game winning streak but that was all forgotten thanks to Peter Wright’s stunning five-goal return against Carlton two weeks ago.
Swingman Kyle Langford had been the one who’d been carrying the load with 25 goals for the season.
So what happened when the blowtorch was applied properly for the first time in over a month? The forward line crumbled.
Weideman and Wright didn’t kick a goal, Stringer got one - a freak soccer off the ground - while Langford also managed one.
As a unit they were clearly outpointed by the Dockers defence for most of the night which meant it was left to the Bombers midfield to generate scores which is not the recipe for success in September.
Former captain Jobe Watson was in the Channel 7 commentary box at Optus Stadium and was concerned about Weideman’s role moving forward.
“With Wright coming back he just has to take more of his opportunities when he gets them,” Watson said. “And being the third or fourth tall you’re going to have to play with more pressure.”
The Bombers slipped to sixth after the 32-point loss and with Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs to come in the next month, they need to find something to fill up those suddenly widening cracks.
LIKES
1. YOUNG CATS STAND TALL
ACTING Geelong captain Tom Stewart was distracted immediately after Thursday night’s win.
It wasn’t because of his slight push on an “injured” Jack Viney which led to a ridiculous fine the following day. He just didn’t think he should be doing the post-game media interview as there was a far more appropriate story that had unfolded against the Demons.
You should be talking to the kids Stewart said, specifically Tanner Bruhn should have the microphone in front of him.
The local boy had just produced his best game in the blue and white hoops collecting 19 possessions - 12 contested - six clearances and two goals.
With Patrick Dangerfield missing, the pressure was on the midfield to respond against Melbourne and Bruhn, a first-round pick who arrived via a trade with GWS Giants, had stepped up big time.
What Stewart knows is that if the Cats are to challenge again they will need to find a replacement for Cam Guthrie, whose toe injury is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season, and Bruhn had just played a Guthrie-like game against the Demons.
The other “no-name” who also played his best game for the season and reminded everyone how crucial he is to the Geelong machine was Brad Close.
Close produced a career-high game, collecting 24 possessions - 14 contested - and seven score involvements. He is the connector who played such a pivotal role in last year’s premiership success.
So for Stewart, seeing Bruhn and Close putting their hands up, was more than timely and something worthy of talking about.
2. SCOTT’S BOLD CALL
CHRIS Scott broke a couple of his golden rules against the Cats season stabilising win over Melbourne.
Rarely does he highlight individuals for praise but Gary Rohan and Sam De Koning got some serious love from the coach.
Rohan was understandably applauded for how he bounced back from knocking out Jeremey Cameron to be the match-winner in the forward half.
But the De Koning pump up was interesting with Scott declaring the 22-year-old was playing All-Australian level football.
After a testing first half of the season where he was banged up physically and eventually missed three weeks with a facial fracture, De Koning has gradually got back to his ‘22 levels.
His fearlessness to fly for marks, both in a courageous sense and also just backing himself to beat his opponent, is a joy to watch.
While Scott might be premature in allocating an All-Australian jumper to his man just yet, the young Cat isn’t too far out of the conversation which would start with Darcy Moore, Harris Andrews and James Sicily.
3. HIPWOOD PROVES DOUBTERS WRONG
THERE would have been a few putting their hands up (us included) after watching Eric Hipwood torch St Kilda.
While there have been flashes of brilliance over the journey, there hasn’t been such an aura of authority about how he’s gone about it previously.
The Lions forward line operated the best it has as a unit on Friday night. Sure, they’ve scored a lot more many other times, but the way they set up and operated together suddenly gave the Lions a new shine.
Hipwood kicked four goals and had seven score involvements while his partner in crime Joe Daniher kicked two goals from 19 possessions and had eight marks.
A new six year contract for Hipwood caught many by surprise but if he plays like that and the synergy between the Lions forwards remains then it looks more like good business.
What has been good business for coach Chris Fagan has been introducing more youth and leg speed to his side.
With veterans Daniel Rich and Jack Gunston out of the side, the likes of Darcy Wilmot, Will Ashcroft, Jaspa Fletcher and Kai Lohmann have come in and given them a different look and one which has a much better September feel about it.
4. TEACHER’S PET
A GOOD line from Brisbane’s Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale when talking about the impact Josh Dunkley has had this season.
Dunkley has been the No.1 rated player in the game over the last couple of weeks and he was again influential with 26 possessions and seven tackles against the Saints.
Neale has clearly enjoyed not having the responsibility of being the main man in the Lions midfield all the time although he’s still enjoying a stellar season with 29 possessions on Friday night.
On how the former Bulldog has fitted in at the Lions, Neale revealed he’d taken one thing off him . . . the coach’s favourite.
“Fages (Chris Fagan) hasn’t spoken to me since Dunks got to the club,” he said.
5. OH, ERROL
ERROL Gulden managed to do what the whole of the West Coast Eagles team couldn’t do on Saturday night.
The Swans wingman at least was able to evoke some interesting debate. (Clearly, the less said about the woeful Eagles the better).
Gulden has put together an impressive first half of the season despite the Swans having their issues.
Coming into the clash with the Eagles, the skilful left-footer was averaging 24.5 disposals per game and had kicked 10 goals.
The man many have pegged for one of the All-Australian wings is Collingwood’s Josh Daicos who so far this year has averaged 25 disposals per game and kicked nine goals.
Given the Pies better season, Daicos potentially has his nose in front.
But Gulden certainly helped get his name back up there against the hapless Eagles, booting three goals and getting up to his season average of touches by three-quarter time.
While any stats against the Eagles should be largely disregarded given how bad they are, Gulden’s beautiful left-foot and clever decision-making warrants him to be on the whiteboard next to Daicos when the All-Australian selectors meet in a couple of months time.
6. DEES MISSING RUCK STAR
TWO nights after Melbourne left Geelong with that feeling that something was missing, up sprung Luke Jackson to remind them exactly what it is.
While the jury is still out on the Max Gawn-Brodie Grundy partnership, Jackson continues to grow in his role as Mr All-Over-The-Place at the Dockers.
There has been a lot of discussion about how Jackson and traditional No.1 ruckman Sean Darcy would work and after some early teething problems — which was probably more about the whole team being out of form — the pairing certainly found its mojo against Essendon on Saturday night.
Jackson was the difference maker for the Dockers, kicking three goals from 17 disposals with just six hit-outs which is an interesting stat. Darcy took much of the ruck workload with 24 hit-outs but was also influential around the ground.
The two-pronged ruck set-up was too much for the Bombers who badly missed Sam Draper with Jackson’s performance certainly sending a reminder to the rest of the competition (in particular Melbourne fans) that he’s found his groove in the west.
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