The Tackle: Steve Johnson answers the critics and adds to Nathan Buckley’s despair

THE TACKLE: Recap Robbo’s live chat about all the big football issues including Collingwood, Buckley, Richmond and sledging plus check out this week’s likes and dislikes.

A disappointed Chris Scott leads his team off the ground. Picture: Getty Images

AFTER having his future questioned, Stevie J answered the critics the only way he knew how.

He denied Collingwood a brave victory with his superb last-minute goal, that also added to Magpies coach Nathan Buckley’s despair.

MARK ROBINSON looks at the highlights and lowlights from Round 8.

CHAT LIVE WITH ROBBO FROM 11.30AM

WHAT I LIKE

1. Steve Johnson

THE front and square, the one-touch gather, the goal, the fist pump, the spittle ... it was Stevie J’s finest moment at Greater Western Sydney. Under pressure for his performances in recent weeks, Johnson responded with his best game of the season. It was an emotional Johnson in the post-match as he spoke about recent conversations with coach Leon Cameron and clearly he was aware half the football world had been writing him off.

Not so his former coach Mark Thompson who declared you should never write off a champion. Moments after Johnson’s goal Thompson said: “Stevie might not be finished ... loved his post-goal celebration. Passion. Wish I was a good lip reader.’’

Steve Johnson responds to recent criticism by kicking the winning goal for the Giants. Picture: Getty Images

2. Josh Kelly

IT is beyond doubt the Kelly for Christian Salem/Dom Tyson deal has Kelly in front. So much so you could argue Kelly is the best performed Giants midfielder this year. Didn’t think he was worth $1 million per year over nine years, which is on the table from North Melbourne, but this kid might be worth every cent. The Giants will have to offer at least $700,000. He had a career-high 36 disposals, game-high 11 tackles and a game-high 10 score involvements, although Levi Greenwood did quell him somewhat in the second half.

3. Delivering

DOWN by four points, three of Fremantle’s best players seized the moment. At the centre bounce, with 20 seconds to play, Aaron Sandilands put his body between the ball and the opposition and knocked it to Lachie Neale, who had watched Richmond’s Dustin Martin go for the ball and not get it. Neale got a shepherd from Sandilands, scooted through the middle and kicked it to David Mundy, who kicked the winner. It sounds simple enough, but the tension was absolute.

David Mundy watches his matchwinning goal sail through. Picture: Getty Images

4. Melbourne

THIS might be performance of the year. On Saturday night Melbourne dismantled the most attacking team in the competition at home. Defensively the Dees shut down the Crows, denying them their turnover game. Before this round, Adelaide averaged 87 points per game from turnovers. Melbourne conceded 44 points and the Demons kept the Crows to their second lowest score since 2015.

There was plenty to like, such as Christian Petracca playing midfield in the second half. But if you’re looking for a player symbolic of Melbourne’s commitment it was Jayden Hunt. He would be in the discussion for All-Australian because of his bravery off half-back, but it was a different kind of bravery and commitment that helped set the tone. He knocked himself out when he went at Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs in a tackle in the second quarter. It was indicative of how the Demons challenged for the remainder of the game.

5. Conor McKenna

DAVID Zaharakis made an impact after his heart-to-heart with the coach, as did Joe Daniher and his band of small forwards, yet the Irishman also pleased the coach. His skills are a work in progress, but McKenna’s positives are outweighing the negatives. He played his third game in a row and 18th of his career. His run and carry is a standout, as is his speed. And his game knowledge in terms of when and where to run from the back half has vastly improved. Could the project player keep his spot?

6. Carlisle and Billings

BIG Jake was the intercept king and continually thwarted Carlton’s attack. The Saints generated 10 scores from defensive-half intercepts and Carlisle recorded seven defensive-half intercepts. Up the other end, Jack Billings announced himself with an equal career-high 30 disposals, career-high five goals and 11 score involvements.

7. Ryan Burton

WE asked who was in the next wave of youth at Hawthorn and people in the know said Ryan Burton. They were right. This kid is a potential star. In his 11th game, he had a game-high 11 intercept possessions playing across half-back against Brisbane and rates above average across the season for intercept possessions.

8. Andrew Gaff

NOW that tagging is back, it’s time to fix up the prolific Eagles midfielder. Had 35 possessions, took 15 marks and had a game-high 11 score involvements against the Bulldogs on Friday night. He’s had 30-plus in five of his eight games and is one of the best linkmen in the competition. If he could kick more goals, he would an elite midfielder.

9. Patrick Cripps

THE Blues lost this match but Cripps lost no admirers. He doesn’t have the speed to be explosive from stoppages, but he is beast in a team that is becoming a beast to play against. The way Carlton defends keeps it in matches. It controls the game by foot more than any side, recording the highest kick-to-handball ratio of any side. But just 33 inside-50s against the Saints made it difficult to kick a winning score.

Patrick Cripps reaches for a mark against St Kilda. Picture: Getty Images

10. Port in China

IT was their gig and Port held up its end of the bargain against an ordinary Gold Coast and powered into the top four. Winners everywhere and Brad Ebert was best afield. A standout again was Patrick Ryder who has proved to be best performer of the returning players. Led all comers yesterday and is one of the major reasons Port Adelaide is a contender again

WHAT I DISLIKE

1. Geelong

THIS was so bad you’d think it was a protest from the players. Clearly there is a breakdown somewhere because the tackle differential of -41 was their worst ever. Their pressure factor differential of -42 (203-161) was also their worst recorded.

Their 14 tackles in the first half was the fewest in an opening half under Chris Scott. At halftime, the Cats had just three players who had at least two tackles and they were kids — Nakia Cockatoo, James Parsons and Mark O’Connor. On the other side, Essendon had 15 players. The positive is they lost by just 17 points. The negative is if they were playing a better teams the margin would have been 57 points.

2. So what’s happening?

THE Cats can’t defend and Saturday night’s performance wasn’t a one-off. In the past three weeks they have given up an average 58 points per game from opposition chains starting in the back half. That’s two goals more than any other side has given up. Brisbane is the next worse and if you’re in the same postcode as Brisbane, which is a developing team, you know there are issues. Is strategy the issue or attitude? More than likely both. The want wasn’t there to pressure and the defensive plans are being split open.

3. Has it come to this?

THERE is a possibility of an investigation into the sledging of Marc Murphy by some St Kilda players on Saturday which, if it happens, will be the final straw for the PC-haters. So what if the Saints players hit a nerve with Murphy. So what if Murphy went back at Jake Carlisle. If it has got to the point where it was unacceptable sledging, then it’s something the players should sort out via the Players’ Association. They have code of behaviour, so let’s go there instead of wasting everyone’s time with an investigation.

Marc Murphy gives Jake Carlisle a serve. Picture: AAP

4. Bulldogs inaccuracy

WHAT is going on at the Kennel? They have an goal accuracy rate of 40.8 per cent, which is ranked 18th in the competition. They have kicked more behinds than goals in each game in the past six weeks — 8.13, 11.14, 9.19, 17.20, 12.17 and 10.13. West Coast’s Josh Kennedy was even worse than the Bulldogs.

5. Gold Coast

VERY poor performance from Rodney Eade’s men. They embarrassed themselves in the first half against Port Adelaide. The score was 65-23 and the lacklustre performance was the let down in the historic first match in China. Eade wasn’t in the brightest spirits having to take his team overseas and he will be even worse after that result because it undid plenty of the good ground made up in recent weeks.

6. No Rory, no Crows?

THE inspiring Brownlow Medal favourite has been tagged in his past two games (North Melbourne’s Sam Gibson first and then Melbourne’s Bernie Vince on Saturday night) and has had 18 and 11 disposals after averaging 30 disposals per game in the opening six weeks. Vince had him for 61 minutes, according to Champion Data, and in that time Sloane had just four touches. Again, why doesn’t it occur more often. Sloane has been tagged 11 times in his career — which is having an opponent for more than 50 minutes — and when he gets tagged he averages 16 disposals and when he’s not, it’s 23 disposals.

7. Tommy’s shoulder

TOMMY Rockliff has had super season and again on Saturday against the Hawks, he brought his own footy to play with. He had 30 disposals, 21 contested disposals, 16 clearances which was eight more than the next player, 13 tackles and five inside 50s. Unfortunately, he popped his shoulder in the final minutes, meaning the Lions will be without its two best mids — Rockliff and Beams — for several weeks.

Tom Rockliff injured his shoulder in the final minutes of Brisbane’s loss to Hawthorn. Picture: AAP

8. Buckley’s despair

AFTER Steve Johnson kicked the winner, Nathan Buckley buried his head because he knew all was lost. Bucks just can’t take a trick. He took a team under siege without Adam Treloar and matched it with the Giants for all of the game, as his team has done in most matches this season. But the fact is the Pies are 2-6 and are in the bottom three on the ladder and the clock is ticking. And not just on Buckley. If he does go, who else follows?

9. Tigers

TOOK a spray from the coach at three-quarter time to spark a final-quarter surge and while it’s pleasing they responded, the 4.5 to 0.4 in the third quarter ultimately did them in. Still, the last bounce will come under review. Hardwick will ask where were his players off the back of the square to close in on Lachie Neale and who was helping Grimes on Mundy. In that situation, two big plays were two too many with 20 seconds to play.

10. Angus and Ben

ANGUS Brayshaw suffered yet another head knock in the VFL and didn’t finish the game, which must be a huge concern for him, his family and the club. Much like Richmond’s Ben Griffiths who is undertaking test for his concussions and hasn’t got a return date to play, Brayshaw might have to decide if footy is for him. His long-term health has to be a consideration.