Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield disappoint as unheralded Blues step up
THE TACKLE: Mark Robinson looks at the highs and lows from Round 6 as Pies make the perfect statement, Hawks struggle and Watson needs a rest.
Mark Robinson
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ROUND 6 is in the books and Mark Robinson looks at the highlights and lowlights.
It was a dark day for Geelong at the MCG as Collingwood produced the upset while a day earlier — at the same ground — it was Carlton stunning Sydney.
What were your talking points from the weekend? Chat with Robbo from 12pm AEST
SUNDAY RE-CAP: DEMONS, MAGPIES, CROWS PICK UP CRUCIAL WINS
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WHAT I LIKE
1. COLLINGWOOD. Under fierce heat, from the coach to the captain through to 21-year-old Darcy Moore, the Pies responded with not only resilience after a five-day break, but a game style which was exciting and brave. Instinctive footy, Scott Pendlebury called it. Great coaching from Buckley to send Greenwood to Joel Selwood and the rest of the midfield was the clear winner. If Daniel Wells stays on the park he has the ability to transform this footy team. He and Hoskin-Elliott both had huge games and huge score involvements.
2. CAM PEDERSEN. The worst game of the season — by far — had its quiet rewards. The Demons won and fill-in ruckman Pedersen might even get coaches votes. Too aerobic around the ground for Tom Bellchambers and while he only won nine hit-outs, he had 19 disposals, took eight marks and had a team-high eight score involvements. He’s unlucky Pedersen because he’s a jack-of-all-trades behind key backs and forwards, but his game on Sunday was a reminder he can play the game.
3. MATTHEW WRIGHT. Other than ardent Blues fans, if Matthew Wright sat next to you on the No. 76 tram to Preston would you instantly recognise him? Hardly does media, doesn’t find trouble, but gee he plays solid footy. Kicked four goals on Saturday against Sydney which is outstanding for a player picked up as a delisted free agent. Since coming to Carlton last year he has averaged 20 disposals, 12 uncontested possessions, one score assist and has kicked 32 goals — the most of any Carlton player. That makes him a bargain buy.
4. ALEX SILVAGNI. Not many players named Alex playing the game and not many times Alex Silvagni finds himself in the likes. The 29-year-old went head-to-head with Lance Franklin on Saturday and won. Silvagni had Franklin for 64 minutes and in that time Franklin had 14 disposals, kicked one goal and never really looked threatening.
5. JONATHON PATTON. Eight goals from Lobb, Cameron and Patton of the 11 kicked by the Giants was the key to a lucky victory because if the Dogs kicked straight this game was theirs. Still, you have to kick them. Patton’s goal from the corner of the 50m line should win Goal of the Week, but it won’t. For pressure, time of the game (final quarter) and difficulty it was probably the best of his career. The lead up was superb — Patton gives it to Josh Kelly, runs on, doubles back, marks, points to the goal, takes the responsibility and nails it. This from the bloke who has had three major knee operations.
6. WELCOME BACK, DOGS. Didn’t win but the Dogs’ grunt and territory-based style has returned in the past two weeks. The Giants have been the No. 1 ranked side for contested possession differential and inside-50 differential. On Friday night the Dogs beat them in both. What a rip-snorter of a game, although Luke Beveridge wouldn’t have found it entertaining. Accuracy is killing the Dogs. They are going at 42.5 per cent which is ranked 17th and means they have no-one else to blame.
7. SAINTS FOOTY. It used to be a catchphrase at St Kilda and it returned on Saturday in spades. Tough, unrelenting, hard-running footy in what forward Josh Bruce said was a “line-in-the-sand’’ game. We love those kinds of games. The Hawks now hate those kinds of games. Winners everywhere and most pleasing for coach Alan Richardson was the performance of he midfield led by Jack Steven, Seb Ross, Jack Steele and Jack Newnes. Best stats were +83 disposals and +17 tackles.
8. JEREMY McGOVERN. Why did Fremantle continue to bomb it long on Saturday night only to see Jeremy McGovern mark it. He took eight intercept marks, and 13 overall. It was a poor game from the Dockers. They looked as if they only had 15 players on the ground as the Eagles, led by Elliot Yeo and McGovern ran rampant. So, what did we learn? The Eagles munched another team at home so not much really.
9. BEN BROWN. Wanted to talk about Gazza and his career-high 18 clearances and his fifth 200-plus ranking points game but it was Brown who was the difference between these two teams. What would he worth on the open market? How much would, say, Collingwood or Richmond pay to have him? $600,000? $700,000? On Saturday night, albeit against a team without Steven May and Rory Thompson, Brown had 16 forward-half disposals, took six marks inside-50, was the target 17 times inside 50, was involved in eight one-on-one contests and won three. He also kicked a career-high six goals.
10. THE TAGGER IS BACK. While the modern game of team defence means most midfielders can have “all care and no responsibility’’, Connor Blakeley is bringing back the tagger. And not only gagging but winning the pill himself. On Saturday, it was Luke Shuey for a short assignment, who he kept to six disposals while winning 13 himself. His other match-ups this year have been wins over Marcus Bontempelli, Nathan Jones and Jack Ziebell. The Pies followed suit with Levi Greenwood on Cats great Joel Selwood, who was kept to 17 touches.
WHAT I DISLIKE
1. JOBE WATSON. Poor numbers on Sunday. Solid numbers in his first six games, but he doesn’t look to be the same Jobe Watson from 18 months ago. Pace is not the issue because that’s been his lot, but his kicking has lacked penetration, his decision-making is not the standout it once was and his skill level seems to have dropped. Not so long ago he looked powerful when running. Sunday it looked like he laboured. Wonder if he needs a rest after two games in five days. He had 13 disposals and seven of those came at stoppages via clearances which meant he got only six disposals in general play while playing 69 per cent midfield and 31 per cent forward, the most forward action he has seen this year.
2. GEELONG. No Dangerfield, no Selwood, no Cats. It’s the tale of the tape but coach Chris Scott has more concerns than his two best players being ineffective. Tom Hawkins is out of whack, Steven Motlop and Nakia Cockatoo try too many banana kicks, Brandan Parfitt’s out for a month which takes away creativity and we still don’t know if Zac Smith is a good player or not. Hawkins is a worry. Started the season well enough but is jumping, marking and bodywork seemed to have deserted him.
3. HAWTHORN. Will start with the stats because they spell out the insipidness. 1. The Hawks conceded 101 points from turnovers, the most conceded in a game since 2005. 2. The Hawks conceded 468 disposals to St Kilda, their second most ever conceded. Their most conceded in a game was Round 3 this season versus Gold Coast. 3. Hawthorn’s pressure factor of 160 versus St Kilda was its third lowest ever recorded. No run. No pressure. No skill. No heart. Yep, the Hawks stunk.
4. SO WHAT DOES CLARKO DO? The coach put “catastrophic change’’ on the table so there has to be big-name changes and one or two of Josh Gibson, Luke Breust, Paul Puopolo and Jack Gunstan will be nervous this week. After three defeats by 75, 86 and 86 points, there has to be serious concerns at the club. Clarkson has either lost the players or the players have lost their zest because this once unshakable football team is trembling at its knees. The third quarter on Saturday, where the Saints scored 8.5 to 1.1, was embarrassing for all involved. Surely it’s attitude, but why? The Mitchell-Lewis departures? Other players being asked if they would consider leaving such as Breust? Or is it simply a case of too old and too young?
5. WHAT ABOUT THE SWANS? Their players say it’s attitude and the coach says it’s unacceptable football. Unacceptable football? They are 0-6 and won’t play finals. It’s absolutely unacceptable from a team with this much high-end talent in it. They lack depth and more than likely it’s mainly because of the contracts to Franklin and Tippett. Still, their footy is poor and on Saturday the coaching was poor. The Blues showed that if you break even with the Swans in the midfield battle, they don’t have the ball movement capabilities to hurt you. Not so the Blues. Kade Simpson and Sam Docherty destroyed the Swans across halfback, combining for 70 disposals, 53 uncontested possessions, 1108 metres gained and 12 intercept possessions. The game has changed, but any chance these two could have been defended?
6. TOBY GREENE. What a flawed talent he can be. He would argue he was trying spoil the ball, but that won’t wash. This kid can make the ball talk with near-perfect execution by hand or foot, he can mark, and his touch around the ball is superb. That’s why any argument his late fist to the head was an accident is silly talk. He threw his right hand to spoil and left hand to hurt. Two weeks minimum.
7. STEVIE J. He is playing ordinary footy and he’s on the watch list. Kane Cornes thinks it’s worse than that. “I think he’s in trouble,’’ Cornes said on Channel 9. “When their best team is back ... he will struggle (to get a game).’’ Just six goals in five games and on Friday night just 11 touches against the Dogs. The fumbles don’t help, either. The end is near and the question is will Johnson be in the team when the whips are cracking near the end of the season.
8. UMPIRING. Swore not to get involved in umpire bashing, but it was another horrendous weekend. The deliberate out of bounds rule surely is a long-term investment because it sucks right now. Am trying to imagine five years from now when players will be brainwashed into not kicking it near the boundary line, which means more footy will be played, which is good for everyone. At the moment, we’re experiencing frustrations because the decisions aren’t in the spirit of the game as we know it. Basically, the AFL has decided more game time is more important than fairness and common sense.
9. THE PLAYERS AREN’T HELPING. To watch players plead for a deliberate free kick is a blight on the game. Sharrod Wellingham did it on Saturday night when his opponent led up the boundary line and the kick was poor and went over the line. Wellingham knew it was poor kick, but he still appealed to the umpire for a free kick. It’s a terrible look, but the new interpretations mean that players might as well have at crack at it.
10. BRISBANE. For all the good vibes coming out of the Gabba, they have dished up some trash in two of their past three matches — against Richmond and Port Adelaide. The reality is they are getting smashed. They have had 80 fewer shots at goal than their opposition, a differential 22 worse than any other side. Time in forward half differential of -17:07 minutes is the worst differential by any non-expansion side.
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