The Tackle: Fremantle, Marc Murphy and Hawthorn among Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes

HAWTHORN’S loss to the previously morale-sapped Gold Coast is further evidence the era is over, while Fremantle was blessed.

The Hawks are bottom of the ladder after their stunning loss to Gold Coast. Picture: Getty Images

FREMANTLE’S effort in beating the Western Bulldogs and Ross Lyon’s coaching performance have to be applauded.

Richmond and Collingwood also showed intensity and commitment but Hawthorn is no longer contenders.

Mark Robinson reveals his likes and dislikes for Round 3.

What were your highlights and lowlights?

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LIKES

1. FAITH

IT IS needed to invest in game plans, in coaches and in players, and after Saturday night’s win over the Western Bulldogs, it appears skipper Nathan Fyfe has faith in someone rated higher than even Ross Lyon. Moments before the start of the second quarter, Fyfe rubbed his hands together and crossed himself — in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit — an act carried out a million times a day around the globe, but extremely rarely on an AFL ground.

Maybe Fyfe was thanking God for Fremantle’s first quarter. Maybe he was asking for guidance and support during the next three quarters. Whatever the reason, the Dockers were blessed with their first win of the season.

Nat Fyfe goes on the attack. Picture: Getty Images

Fyfe calling on a higher power. Picture: Channel 7

2. INTENSITY AND COMMITMENT (I)

FREMANTLE: “I thought we tackled and pressured really well,” coach Ross Lyon said. Tactics are crucial in football, yet it was a weekend of resilience. Fremantle’s effort against the premiers is the coaching performance of the year to date. Lyon dumped veterans, brought in kids and he had them mentally ready. The Hill brothers were superb with their running and creativity.

3. INTENSITY AND COMMITMENT (II)

RICHMOND: “Our forward-line pressure was once again improved after halftime, and that allows us to score a little more freely,” coach Damien Hardwick said. In the slush in the second half at the ‘G, the Tigers wanted it more than the Eagles. Career games from Reece Conca and Daniel Rioli and yet another three votes for Dustin Martin were significant, but even Eagles coach Adam Simpson acknowledged what the problem was.

“Hardball gets, the ability to stick your head over the ball when it really mattered, went away from us in that third quarter in particular.” The loss further questions West Coast’s ability to play the MCG.

Tigers speedster Daniel Rioli had a breakout game. Picture: AAP

4. INTENSITY AND COMMITMENT (III)

COLLINGWOOD: ‘’Scott (Pendlebury), Steele (Sidebottom) and Taylor (Adams), their leadership was first class,” coach Nathan Buckley said. “They were our highest pressure players. There’s been a little bit of criticism around about their defensive pressure but they’re elite players, hardened players.”

They were on Friday night and without their intensity, it would’ve been another defeat. The pre-match focus was on tackling and pressure — why isn’t it every week? — and the Magpies applied a pressure factor of 2.05, when they average 1.83.

5. MARC MURPHY

THREE games back as skipper after injury, Murphy is Carlton’s best player this season. Another strong leadership game created one of the upsets of the early season. Murphy’s banana goal in heavy rain in the third term was the genius move. It was another example of intensity and commitment from a team which was cleaner with the ball, more stoic and had greater character for the conditions.

Marc Murphy has been the Blues’ best player this season. Picture: Michael Klein

6. SUNNY SUNS

ON THE day the Tasmanian government wanted to shut the joint down and relocate the team, the Suns dragged every ounce of pride and self respect to the surface and embarrassed the Hawks. Gaz was solid enough, but more pleasing was the form of Jack Martin, Touk Miller, Jarrod Witts and Jarryd Lyons. By the way, David Swallow was superb with 30-plus touches. Kudos Rocket, albeit against a team a shadow of itself.

7. TEX WALKER

THERE’S only one player who can do what Buddy Franklin does with his left foot, and that’s Taylor Walker on his right foot. The skipper’s 70m bomb — a drop punt, mind you — which broke the back of Port Adelaide was as thrilling and inspiring as Buddy was the week before against the Bulldogs.

The difference was the Crows won and the Swans lost. Adelaide’s scoring power is absolute. Since the start of 2016, Adelaide has kicked 100+ points on 20 occasions — six more than any rival — by scoring heavily off turnovers, where they are ranked No.1.

8. JOSH KELLY

BUT not his contract offer. North fans who weren’t certain who Kelly was saw him on Saturday and would’ve been impressed. Kelly has had 27, 27 and on Saturday 31 disposals. He’s a star, but I don’t know if he’s worth a nine-year contract. Leigh Matthews and Mick Malthouse say long-term contracts like this one should not be allowed. Tend to agree.

9. TAGGING’S NOT DEAD

DAMIEN Hardwick continues to be a trendsetter in the coaches box. First was his intent to keep a forward deep, preferably Martin or Trent Cotchin, or as deep as possible. Second was to run Shaun Grigg as the forward 50m ruck in response to the ruck rule change. Third was to institute a tagger in the age of 18-man defence.

After Sam Mitchell spanked the Tigers with 12 first-quarter disposals, Hardwick went back to the future. Kane Lambert was sent to Mitchell and kept him to seven touches in the next two quarters. It was a game-changer.

10. HARRY IN DEFENCE

IT IS Adam Hunter in reverse. The one-time West Coast swingman moved from defence to attack when John Worsfold was desperate for impetus. When Geelong coach Chris Scott is desperate to stem the scoring — the Cats have conceded 104 and 89 points to three quarter-time in its past two games — the Harry Taylor experiment forward is abandoned. Might be coincidence, but when Taylor goes back to defence, the Cats tighten. They have given up just one goal in each final quarter.

DISLIKES

1. WESTERN BULLDOGS

OR SHOULD that read Western Bigheads. Lacked the intensity which has been their trademark against a team who last weekend played boring football and who just elevated a bunch of kids. Perhaps the Bulldogs believed their talent was enough. Perhaps they believed that after fighting back to lead at three quarter-time, it was game over when in fact it was game on. They won contested ball (146-141) and laid more tackles (63-54), but those stats lie. The Dockers out-toughed the toughies.

2. WEST COAST EAGLES

DIDN’T handle the wet conditions after halftime and didn’t flex their muscle in drier conditions in the first half. Disappointing all-round. Against a Richmond team that has improved its defence significantly, the Eagles’ standing as a premiership contender nose dived. The loss further questions West Coast’s ability to play at the MCG. Jamie Cripps, Lewis Jetta and Josh Hill were so-so opposed to Dan Butler, Jason Castagna and Daniel Rioli, who were terrific.

3. BAD KICKING IS BAD FOOTBALL

A LOT to like about the Demons — and Jayden Hunt heads that commentary off halfback — but they’ll believe they lost this game more than Geelong won it. They have an argument, despite the Cats’ domination in the final quarter. The fact is Melbourne’s goalkicking accuracy was woeful.

They had four more shots at goal than Geelong, but the Cats shot-at-goal accuracy was 71 per cent. The Demons went at 41 per cent. Hawkins and Menzel kicked 9.1 between them, while Jones, Kent and Stretch kicked 3.8.

4. SYDNEY

THREE losses and West Coast (away) and Giants (SCG) to come in the next two weeks and, let’s be honest, a finals finish is in doubt, let alone holding hopes for a top-four spot. Injuries (Heeney, Tippett, McVeigh, Papley) and poor from (Jack, Sinclair) and a belief the Swans have lost their aura have combined to derail the start of the season. With the Hawks near the same position, the AFL’s equalising measures look like they’re kicking in.

5. MAX ON CRUTCHES

IT DIDN’T look good when Max Gawn walked from Etihad on Saturday and it looked worse after scans on Sunday. It could be as long as 16 matches before Gawn is back on the field, depending on the operation. So, no Gawn, no Lewis, no Hogan and the Demons only lost this game in the final quarter. Jake Spencer, the club’s second cult figure, now gets his time to shine.

Max Gawn hobbles off the ground. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

6. HAWTHORN

ANYONE still arguing the Hawks are contenders this year? There would be very few. Their third loss of the season, this time to the previously morale-sapped Gold Coast, is further evidence the era is over, despite coach Al Clarkson’s assurances he is putting together a team to have another crack at the premiership. He is doing that, but the premiership won’t be happening this year, or next year. The rebuild will be fascinating.

7. CHANNEL SEVEN

DOES plenty right and the discussion between Cameron Ling, Matthew Richardson and Luke Darcy about the ruck rules and their fears for the craft at Subiaco on Saturday night was not only important, but knowledgeable and desperately needed. But please, more football and less vaudeville, especially now BT has moved to Friday nights.

In the first quarter, with the Dockers leading the Bulldogs 26-1, and in what was a huge response to a week of fierce criticism, the Seven boys got lost talking about man-buns. We need banter, but, gee whiz, the contest was absorbing and the whys, wheres and whatevers of man-buns should’ve been parked.

Channel 7 seemed to be more interested in man-buns, such as Cam McCarthy’s, than the action on Saturday night. Picture: Getty Images

8. BACK TO THE RUCK RULE

WE HAVE ruckmen having to nominate themselves, ruckmen contesting without an opponent, mids going up against a ruckman and, in one situation, the absolute height of incredibility. At Subiaco, Aaron Sandilands was a lone ruckman who hit the ball over the boundary line on the full and had a free kick paid against him. This decision by the AFL to ban the third-man up has created a situation where ruckmen have been undervalued and, in some instances, irrelevant. It’s not right and the AFL has to fix it.

9. BLOOD RULE

SURELY the blood rule needs relaxing. Flowing blood you can accept, but a small scrape to the knee with blood appearing rather than running cannot continue to stop games. It happened several times at the weekend. At Fremantle, youngster Brady Gray left the game in the final quarter with a scratch. Do we need to stop games at the mere sight of blood?