Mick McGuane: How all of the 0-2 teams can bounce back this year
They might be the youngest list in the competition but that is no excuse when it comes to having a crack. And the Hawks have well below standard to start the year.
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Six teams made the dreaded 0-2 start to the AFL season, many of whom were tipped to be in finals calculations this year.
Leading football analyst Mick McGuane takes a look at the issues facing those without a win and what they need to do to turn around their poor starts to the year.
GEELONG
There’s no reason to panic about the reigning premiers just yet.
That said, the Cats would not want to go 0-3 with a loss to a struggling Gold Coast this weekend.
Any team would struggle without four of their first-choice defenders, with Geelong having sorely missed Tom Stewart, Jack Henry, Mitch Duncan and Jake Kolodjashnij over the first two weeks.
But their issues are more than that.
The Cats aren’t getting their hands on the footy often enough and when they do they are turning it over far too regularly.
Over the first two weeks, Geelong has won a combined 643 disposals to have the second-worst disposal differential in the competition.
Players need to work harder to start winning more ball — both contested and uncontested.
Over recent times, the Cats have been regarded as one of the most effective and efficient ball using teams.
However, that is another area that is not up to scratch this year.
They are making far too many unforced errors and have recorded the fourth-worst kicking efficiency of any team over the first two weeks at 63.5 per cent.
Consequently, Geelong was ranked No. 1 in the competition for defending turnovers last year, but has slid to 17th this season.
That hurts.
The return of personnel will be important over time, but winning more ball and ensuring better ball security would be clear themes that Chris Scott would be selling for now.
The Cats can’t rely on their great goalkicking accuracy or some heroics from key forward Jeremy Cameron to get them through.
Some other leaders need to help provide a spike, starting with captain Patrick Dangerfield.
His Grand Final performance last year and what he has put out in his first two matches this season have been chalk and cheese.
I’ve got full faith that Dangerfield will rediscover his mantra of being a contested ball-winning machine, but the Cats need that sooner rather than later.
ADELAIDE
The Crows are the Jekyll and Hyde of the competition right now.
Their good has been great and their bad has been horrible.
Adelaide led GWS by 28 points at halftime in round 1, only to fall away and lose the second half by 44 points.
It was a similar story against Richmond in round 2.
In the third quarter, the Crows dominated contested possessions (+19), clearances (+6) and inside 50s (+17) to put 38 points on the scoreboard.
Across the other three quarters they scored just 38 points combined on the back of losing contested possessions (-15), clearances (-9) and inside-50s (-15).
The Crows might be a young and developing side, but you can’t pick and choose when to bring great effort.
You also can’t make excuses when you have experienced players across every line in captain Jordan Dawson, Brodie Smith, Rory Laird, Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker.
Those senior players need to be setting the standards for others to follow.
This is a game where you have to be tough enough for long enough, bringing a competitive attitude across four quarters.
The Crows aren’t there at the moment.
If Matthew Nicks can address the concentration lapses, other aspects of his side’s game are fixable.
Adelaide has been supplying its forwards with plenty of ball, but those forwards are not converting.
The Crows have recorded goalkicking accuracy of just 36.7 per cent over the first two weeks to rank a lowly 17th.
Recruit Izak Rankine has been exciting, but has booted just four goals from 12 shots on goal.
Adelaide is also conceding too many inside-50s against at an average of 55.5 a game.
If you concede high numbers like that you put your defence under pressure and the dam wall is eventually going to break.
HAWTHORN
They might be the youngest list in the competition, but that does not excuse a lack of effort.
The lacklustre pressure that the Hawks have applied over the first two weeks has made their ability to defend the whole ground a genuine car wreck. You don’t have to be experienced to play desperate.
Hawthorn’s pressure rating this year is 159, which is ranked 18th in the competition and well below the AFL average of 180.
The side also ranks last for post-clearance pressure.
Putting pressure on the opposition ball carrier is not about age or experience, but simply about effort and your willingness to run and chase.
We have not seen enough players giving 100 per cent effort for 100 per cent of game time over the first two weeks.
When towering ruckman-forward Lloyd Meek is your equal-leading tackler with eight after round 2, it is not a great sign.
Midfielders with some leg-speed like James Worpel, Jai Newcombe and Cam Mackenzie should be the ones leading the way in the tackle count.
If some players aren’t willing to chase to tackle and apply great pressure, coach Sam Mitchell needs to introduce others to the team who will.
If the Hawks keep conceding an average of 62 inside-50s a week to their opposition, it is going to be a long year.
Defence aside, there are also some serious issues at the attacking end.
Of just 13 goals Hawthorn has kicked across two games, Luke Bruest has booted four and Blake Hardwick is the only other multiple goalkicker with two.
You’re in trouble if you’re relying on a medium-sized forward and a defender to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
In his fifth year at the Hawks, key forward Jacob Koschitzke has to step up in the absence of the injured Mitch Lewis.
He’s taken only four marks and has had just two shots on goal for two behinds so far this year.
GOLD COAST
If the Suns want to secure their first finals berth this year, a lot has to change and it’s time to do it against Geelong.
In the first two rounds, they have kicked nine and 11 goals.
Those are tallies that are not going to win you many games the way footy is being played this year.
Ben King and Ben Ainsworth have each kicked three goals but Levi Casboult looks a shadow of the player he was last year and Mabior Chol was dropped after one game.
The makeshift forward line that the side is putting out on the park is not one that is dynamic enough to trouble too many opposition sides.
Too much is also regularly left to too few at the Suns.
Touk Miller, Matt Rowell and Joel Jeffrey have laid a combined 38 of Gold Coast’s 108 tackles so far this season.
That’s more than 35 per cent of tackles coming from just three players.
The Suns needs more buy-in across the field, because without that they are an easy team to play against.
What is making them even easier to come up against is their turnovers.
Gold Coast ranks last in the competition for kicking efficiency at 57.8 per cent.
Until they improve their kicking they will continue to be punished on turnover and won’t be winning too many games.
FREMANTLE
The Dockers’ territory game is in good shape, as is their defensive set up.
But to have kicked only 20 goals from 118 inside-50 entries across the first two rounds shows where their issues lie.
If you are going to play a territory game, you need a forward line that capitalises on those territory wins.
Fremantle does not have that at the moment.
Luke Jackson has been targeted in attack on 10 occasions this year and Fremantle has scored nothing from those.
Zilch.
Jackson is either not marking the ball, getting out marked or not bringing the ball to ground so that his small forwards like Michael Walters, Sam Switkowski, Lachie Schultz and Bailey Banfield can get to work.
Sean Darcy is the No. 1 ruckman and that means if Jackson wants to fulfil his role as a high-profile recruit, he simply has stand up as a key forward and provide better contests than he currently is.
Overall, the Dockers have had the fourth-most inside-50s of any side this year but rank as the worst side in the competition at scoring from them.
The money kick going inside 50 is something they must improve if they are going to change their fortunes in Sunday’s Western Derby.
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