The Tackle: Jack Ziebell bump debate, Jack Martin, Collingwood and Harley Bennell among Robbo’s Round 4 likes and dislikes

THE TACKLE: JOHN Worsfold says the banned Bomers have hit the wall already. Meanwhile, Hawthorn’s premiership stars face a whole new challenge. REPLAY ROBBO’S LIVE CHAT

Travis Cloke is helped off the ground after copping a hard bump from Jack Ziebell. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

ESSENDON coach John Worsfold says the banned Bombers have hit the wall after four rounds. Hopefully he was just making excuses.

SCROLL DOWN TO REPLAY ROBBO’S LIVE CHAT

Hawthorn has much bigger problems with question marks over a host of premiership stars.

Gold Coast’s Jack Martin has shaken off his bad boy reputation but former Suns teammate Harley has again made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Elliot Yeo has left SuperCoaches with egg on their faces, while Collingwood fans should be frustrated by their team’s loss to St Kilda.

Mark Robinson reveals his likes and dislikes for Round 4.

What were your highlights and lowlights?

LIKES

1. ZIEBELL DEBATE

TRAVIS Cloke is out for six weeks and some, including Leigh Matthews, want Jack Ziebell charged and suspended. He chose to bump and broke Cloke’s ribs. To me, that’s Cloke’s bad luck. As opposed to the head, the body, as far as I know, is not sacrosanct. And the day the body becomes sacrosanct is the day footy jumps the shark.

The only mistake made in this collision was the umpire didn’t pay a free kick down field. If a free kick had been paid, perhaps it would be a different narrative. Because a free kick makes Ziebell’s act illegal and if a player has ribs broken in an illegal act, how much responsibility should Ziebell then take? UPDATE: The MRP has cleared Ziebell, saying contact was not unreasonable in the circumstances.

Jack Ziebell crunches Travis Cloke late in the third quarter. Picture: Channel 7

2. JACK MARTIN

HE’S been sensational the past two weeks and, against the Blues, finally cracked it for the first 30-disposal game of his career. Still, he might not get a Brownlow vote. Three to Tom Lynch, two to Brandon Matera and one to Gazza is the probability. Interesting that while Harley Bennell finds himself in trouble again, Matera has turned his football around.

Matera used to run with the pack at the Suns — “He didn’t have great habits,” Rodney Eade said at the weekend — but on Saturday night he played a monster game. He kicked six goals last week and three against the Blues and when the game was decided in the third term, Matera was the No.1-ranked player (47 points) with six disposals, four score involvements and a goal.

Jack Martin is starting to live up to his potential. Picture: AAP

3. TEX WALKER

ADELAIDE’S first quarter against Essendon best sums up its footy. The Crows broke even around the footy, but their efficiency is better than any other side. Scored 11 times from 15 inside-50s and six times from 12 clearances when the AFL average is 25 per cent. And Tex’s first quarter best sums up his footy. He had 86 SuperCoach points, five disposals, three marks inside 50 and four goals. The question has to be asked: Is Tex’s 2017 season better than Buddy’s? The answer is yes.

4. JARRYN GEARY

FOUR games into his captaincy and what Geary delivered was exactly why he was named St Kilda captain. Dylan Roberton was outstanding and may be leading the Saints’ best-and-fairest and Seb Ross and Jimmy Webster were influential, but Geary was huge in critical moments on Sunday. His spoil against two Pies players just before halftime and smother moments later — which saved a certain goal — will surely be highlighted by coach Alan Richardson. It was terrific from the Saints. It was terrific coaching from Richardson.

5. ELLIOT YEO

SUPERCOACHES went big on Yeo in 2016 but were gun-shy this year. They blew it. The Eagles defender would be one of the All-Australian back flankers if the team was picked now. Yeo’s 17 intercept possessions against Sydney last Thursday night were second most ever by a West Coast player and he ranks No.1 in the competition for intercept possessions a game (12) this season.

Elliot Yeo is the intercept king. Picture: Getty Images

6. THIRD-QUARTER LACHIES

ONE is named Weller, the other Neale. Lachie Neale’s third quarter — 12 disposals, eight contested, five score involvements, two goals — was part of a best-afield performance against Melbourne. Lachie Weller’s third quarter — 13 disposals, 11 uncontested, 204m gained, three inside-50s — underlined the fact Dockers coach Ross Lyon is starting to get more out of his kids.

7. LUKE DAHLHAUS

DISCUSSION recently went along these lines: Who is the second-best player at the Bulldogs after Marcus Bontempelli. One bloke said Tom Liberatore. Another offered Lachie Hunter. In the Top 50, Dahlhaus was the second-ranked Bulldog. On Good Friday, he continued to get the job done. In the second half, Dahlhaus had a team-high 15 disposals, 10 score involvement and when he was involved in a chain the Bulldogs scored 67 per cent of the time. The bloke is a gun and if this continues, the All-Australian selectors can’t ignore him.

Luke Dahlhaus is in All-Australian form. Picture: Michael Klein

8. BRUTAL FOOTY

IF you want to see footy at its destructive best, watch the final quarter of the Giants versus Port Adelaide. Kane Cornes, however, didn’t like it. The Power great tweeted: “Last Q stats: Disposals 133-50. Clearance 12-4. Marks 47-7. 5.6 to 0.1. OUCH’’. Ouch it was against a team that was ultra-competitive for three quarters.

The Giants are flexing their muscles after the Round 1 thrashing at the hands of Adelaide. Their midfield is averaging differentials of 29 more contested possessions a game, 17 more clearances a game, 19 more inside-50s a game and nine more tackles a game. Good luck to the Swans at the SCG on Saturday night.

DISLIKES

1. HARLEY BENNELL

FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon has defended Bennell from all-comers, to the point where he accused the eastern media of racism in their reporting of Bennell’s calf muscle injury. After injuring his calf again recently, which will keep him on the sidelines for 10 weeks, Bennell responded by being booted from a plane on Saturday because he was drunk.

The Dockers said they would support him, but Lyon has to be disappointed with the situation. Do we take it as one of those things that happens or does Bennell not get it? Favour the latter in a trade deal that keeps throwing up red flags.

Harley Bennell is in trouble again. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

2. COLLINGWOOD’S INTENSITY

LAST week it was world-record talk because the Pies laid 115 tackles against Sydney. And it was oppressive pressure. On Sunday it was back to 56 tackles against St Kilda. The lack of consistency in tackling, running defensively and overall pressure allowed the Saints to dominate after halftime. Goals at the end made the margin three goals, but if the Pies had won, it would have been the steal of the season.

3. ESSENDON

The Bombers are in for a long season if they “have hit the wall” after four games. For the competition’s sake, let’s hope it’s an excuse for Saturday night and not reality. The fact is Essendon’s best quarter was the third when it could have laid down and it wasn’t hitting the wall then. Essendon isn’t great on the road and tired bodies didn’t help on Saturday, but God help us if the wall stands strong for the next 18 games.

John Worsfold talks to a weary Jobe Watson. Picture: Sarah Reed

4. KIEREN JACK

HE’S either playing injured or playing on borrowed time because Jack is not the player he was. It’s only four games into his 11th season, but the signs and numbers are terrible. The 29-year-old has played more than 20 games in eight of his 10 completed seasons and the body looks beaten up. He is averaging his fewest SuperCoach points, disposals, contested possessions, pressure acts and tackles since 2010. And he is going to ground far too much.

5. DELIBERATE (I)

AS the rucking mess continues to haunt the AFL, the witch doctors at headquarters must address the rule notionally called “deliberate” but really “not desperate enough to keep the ball in play”. Patience has run out. I like the rule when it’s clear a player has aimed for the boundary line, but we can’t have umpires guessing. That Scott Thompson was penalised for deliberate as he tried to tap the ball to teammate Sam Gibson was an embarrassing and perhaps a game-changing decision against North Melbourne. The umpire had no feel for the moment, seemingly not understanding that Thompson knew his teammate was there. It was wrong.

6. DELIBERATE (II)

IF the Thompson decision was a joke, the decision to penalise David Zaharakis at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night was deadset the worst decision made in the history of football. The umpire penalised Zaharakis for deliberate after Zaharakis won the ball at the centre bounce, tried to banana the ball forward as players came at him, miscued and the ball eventually rolled out of bounds between wing and half-forward. Not a single player on the ground believed it a free kick. Not a single viewer on the TV surely believed it a free kick. The AFL can’t tell us today the decision was right. It just can’t.

7. THROWING MUD

EYEBROWS raised at Greater Western Sydney recently when Craig Hutchison questioned the coaching capabilities of Leon Cameron. Hutchison’s argument was that fourth-year coach Cameron was handed the keys to the Ferrari and he doubted Cameron could drive it. Giants people have noted Hutchison was handed the keys to the Ferrari — The Footy Show — and not only is he struggling to drive it, he has driven it into a tree.

Thursday night’s show was up against live footy, but Sydney bosses would be very worried about the ratings. Colleague Jon Ralph tweeted on Friday: “Just 127,000 viewers in Melbourne for The Footy Show last night. Up against live footy. Lowest number in show’s 23-year history.” Putting it up against Eagles v Swans, you have to ask: Have Sydney’s Nine executives already raised the white flag?

8. INDUSTRIAL ACTION

IT’S increasingly likely after the latest pay deal offered by the AFL to the players. It was basically a 20 per cent increase in the first year and a 1 per cent rise each year after that. What’s disappointing is the AFL gave every indication in late February a deal was close. Then it offers this which has floored the players. The AFL believes it’s fair while the players believe it’s effectively a pig wearing lipstick — it looks good, but it’s a bit stinky.

ROBBO’S TOP TWEETS

@danielclarke83: Likes: Andrew McGrath showing why he was taken #1 Dislikes: the absurdity of some of the deliberate out of bounds decisions

@Brooksey1995: Like: Daniel Rioli goal brilliance Dislike: Collingwood home game against St Kilda at Ethaid Stadium

@jjpage4: Like: GF Footy, Freo revival, Rob Whittaker KO. Dislike: Ruck rule, deliberate out, M Hurley form and H Shaw behaviour to kid - not a good look

@mduke83: Dislike: Collingwood midfield struggle to chase, tackle and kick straight! Forwards running around like headless chooks!

@PeteWest_: Like: J.Howe and the mighty Eddie Betts. Dislike: Pies shizen disposal efficiency

@AngeBiv : dislike..waiting til after round 6 to review 3rd man up rule. Just scrap it now

@LaurenJade35: Like Cam McCarthy’s work rate and excited to see what he can produce. Dislikes feels like it’s the same old Melbourne

@razorsharp1983: Like Eddie Betts response to last week, Dislike putting your hand up to be a ruckman, just throw it up, 3rd man up free to opposition, easy

@BrianCullen30: Like - Tiger small forward line Dislike - Lindsay Thomas playing for free kicks again #headovertheballplease

@DougBlack7: And Dislike has to be that idiot Bennell, the @freodockers must be furious! It’s not hard to not get blind in public!

@TimDeLuca: Like: Brad Scott post match press conference with Zane Tormey

@peterbyrnes67: Like - McGrath the next Hodge. Dislikes - Lewis and hogan

@north4lyf: Like: The future of Brown, Garner, Simpkin & Wood.

@MichaelVaralla: like Zac Fisher debut. Classy, poised, skilled, speedy little goer.

@gdore89: Like: Eddie Betts. No matter who you support if you don’t like Eddie, you don’t like AFL football. Simple as that

@r1ckjames7: I like David Astbury. Always had the talent now injury free and showing it.

@TheSkyStrikers: Dislikes: Collingwood groundhog day. Lack of run, lack of dare, poor goalkicking - club has never been more boring and more vanilla

@priesty74: Blair being a forward target in the air on 4 odd occasions sums it up.

@ByronHoward1: Dislike umpires treating players like auskickers with nominating for ruck duels.

@_benrobertson_: Like: Eddie Betts. What a champion ambassador for the human race. Dislike: The third man up rule and The Dees losing to Freo

@liamkelly05: Like: quality goalkicking Tex, Eddie betts and Tom Lynch. Dislike: suspensions have cost Dees 4-0 start.

@Matt_Holden79: Dislike commentators who were too quick to proclaim SPP the steal of the draft. 2 last games should see him dropped. He’s just a kid.

@GeorgiaLove71: Like: Brad Scott with Zane post match Friday night was beautiful. Dislike: The fact that North hasn’t won since 30th July 2016.

@stickers_bown: Dislike lindsay thomas not getting frees when clearly they should be paid! Only foe a free for exact thing to be paid the next play

@cam_1975 33s34: Totally agree, the effort today was disgraceful.. surely time for you guys to really start looking into this club from Eddie down!!!