Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes for Round 12 of the AFL season

In Patrick Dangerfield and Tim Kelly, Geelong has the best midfield duo in the AFL. Mark Robinson says the star Cats are ahead of a GWS pair as the premier combination in the game.

Cat Tim Kelly has made Geelong a far more dangerous team. Pic: Michael Klein.

Geelong keeps chugging along, Patrick Cripps lifted Carlton back to the winner’s list and a couple of top-four aspirants blew it.

As we head towards BigFreeze5 at the MCG and a Queen’s Birthday blockbuster, Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson reveals what he liked — and wasn’t so keen on — during the weekend’s shortened Round 12.

ELITE: ROBBO’S MID-YEAR ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM

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Tim Kelly’s arrival has been a big win for Patrick Dangerfield. Pic: AAP

LIKES

1. Batman and Robin

Patrick Dangerfield is having a stellar season and it’s because he’s been able to play without tag for most of it. The arrival of Tim Kelly has a) created the best midfield duo in the competition and b) put all the attention onto Kelly. That Kelly is one of the Brownlow Medal favourites suggests a tag hasn’t been too detrimental to his game, either. He has been tagged by James Harmes in Round 2 for 37 minutes, Matt De Boer in Round 4 for 47 minutes, Daniel Howe in Round 5 for 63 minutes, Jack Ziebell in Round 8 for 41 minutes and George Hewett in Round 11 for 63 minutes. Only De Boer beat him. Dangerfield, meanwhile, has had the one tag — De Boer for 31 minutes in Round 4. As for the best midfield duos, it has to be Kelly/Dangerfield from Stephen Coniglio/Josh Kelly, Nat Fyfe/David Mundy and Luke Shuey/Elliot Yeo.

2. And then there’s Patrick Cripps

He was Wayne Carey-like playing in the midfield — all purpose and presence. It was arguably the best game of football played by an individual this year. Mids can win the ball, but not many mids kick four goals after halftime in a come-from-behind win. It’s been noted weekly that Cripps needed big-body support in the middle, and it came via Ed Curnow after the main break. They were two huge wins for the Blues. Curnow went to Lachie Neale and kept him to six touches in the second half and Cripps made a mess of Jarryd Lyons as his tagger. It meant there was two ineffective Lions midfielders and two effective Carlton midfielders so it was largely four Blues against two Lions in the centre square. Please, Ross Lyon and David Teague, can we watch Cripps v Fyfe in Round 15?

3. Where did that come from Sydney?

Fox Footy’s Gerard Healy was stunned at the SCG as the Swans dismantled the Eagles. We’ve been waiting for Tom Papley to elevate his game and in the past six weeks he has kicked four, four and last night five goals. Once a deep small forward, he now plays high half-forward in a role not too dissimilar to Gary Ablett. He had 27 possessions, an astonishing 16 score involvements and five goals. Another comparison is Sam Reid and Jarrad Waite — both prodigious talents but a touch erratic. Waite was more consistent than Reid, but Reid’s game (three goals) yesterday beside Lance Franklin (five goals), combined with Papley’s performance, blew away the Eagles. It was Sydney’s best game of the year. In that form Sydney will shake the finals.

4. Jack Ziebell

Fitting when he was interviewed after the game on Fox Footy that blood was dripping from a cut above his left eye. Fitting because he has been a warrior for the Kangas. In his 200th game he had 28 possessions, kicked two goals and laid a game-high 10 tackles. Was worried about Ziebell in recent times. He was confined to a forward role because of the lack of support for Ben Brown and perhaps a belief he would be exposed in the midfield spread due to a lack of pace. But he’s returned to the middle and resumed his warrior role. Often think his aggressive nature was somewhat stripped off him as the rules tightened on bumping, but that hasn’t stopped Kangas fans admiring him. He and Ben Cunnington have been superb in the transition from Brad Scott to Rhyce Shaw.

Jack Ziebell and the Kangaroos are back. Pic: Getty Images

5. Off Broadway, on song

The game was over at quartertime and it’s two from two for North Melbourne under Rhyce Shaw. What are they doing differently? North is slowing down their ball movement, which is more in tune with how the top teams play. North had its fewest handballs for the round and has moved to a more kick-mark based style. Under Brad Scott the mark-play on ratio was 27 per cent. Under Shaw against Richmond it was 13 per cent. Against the Suns it was 12 per cent. At the same time — or maybe that because of it — North Melbourne’s forward 50m marks have exploded. Collingwood is the best team for marks inside-50 per match this year with 14.3. Over the past three weeks North has had 15.7.

Reilly O'Brien was huge opposed to Shame Mumford. Picture Sarah Reed

6. Reilly O’Brien

A big decision is looming for Adelaide coach Don Pyke. Stick with 23-year-old O’Brien or play Sam Jacobs? When Jacobs hurt his knee in Round 2, the prospect of asking that question 10 weeks later would have been remote. O’Brien has been a revelation. He beat Shane Mumford around the ground on Saturday night and was influential in the final quarter surge. Pyke would be thrilled with his development. But does he go age or youth? Or play both? Jacobs will need a few games in the SANFL, but if O’Brien continues to contribute as he has, Jacobs might not be an automatic inclusion. O’Brien is averaging 87 ranking points this year and Jacobs averaged 84 points in 2018.

7. Unbiased views

Social media — who would have thought — caught fire over the free kick count in the Adelaide-GWS game on Saturday night. The 24-7 free kick count in Adelaide’s favour was the most one-sided count of the season, but that stat was only noticed by The Tackle after the match. Watching the game, there didn’t seem anything to get hung up about in terms of unfavourable treatment to the Giants.

Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin’s Tigers are suddenly in a slump. Pic: AAP

DISLIKES

1. Predictable Tigers

They may have got to breaking point with their injuries, but that is too easy an excuse. The Tigers have been poor in the contest in the loss to North Melbourne and Friday night’s humiliation to Geelong and they haven’t looked dangerous with the ball. It doesn’t help that they are predictable to the point of banging your head against a brick wall. Tom Lynch has been a bust since his arriving at Punt Rd. Maybe we won’t see the best of him until he has a season to build strength and confidence in his previously injured knee. That’s not stopping the Tigers, though, from playing through the big man. He was the forward 50m target on Friday a whopping 18 times — for just one goal. Next best was Jason Castagna four times for one goal, Ivan Soldo (twice), Liam Baker (twice) and Jacob Townsend (twice). Opposed to Mark Blicavs, Lynch also had to contend with Harry Taylor and Tom Stewart coming over the top. It was rope-a-dope for the Cats defenders.

2. And they were hurt in defence

Against the Roos Richmond was out-marked up and down the line in the defensive 50m and then again by Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea on Friday night. Ryan Garthwaite and Noah Balta played key defence and have played just 19 games between them, so that is a reasonable excuse. The Tigers just couldn’t contain Geelong’s fire power. Tom Hawkins was the target 11 times for four goals, Gary Rohan six times for a goal and Ratugolea three times for two goals. The Tigers are in a hole. When their signature pressure and swarming game is denied their inexperienced personnel are thrown under the bus.

Jack Higgins’ form has dropped away. Pic: Michael Klein.

3. Jack Higgins is a worry

His form in the first six weeks was strong, but his form over the past six weeks has dropped away alarmingly. He kicked six goals in the first three weeks and then three goals in the next nine games, but it’s not just about goals. He’s found the pill (25 touches in Rounds 5 and 6), but largely is not dangerous. It’s a tantalising mix the Richmond small and mid-sized forward brigade, yet tantalising is not good enough. Higgins is a worry, Castagna is a worry, Dan Rioli is just playing, Shai Bolton is in the twos and Dan Butler is just going. The one playing dangerous footy is Liam Baker.

4. Bashing Beames

Gambling counsellor Jan Beames got both barrels from the AFLPA and its president Patrick Dangerfield on Saturday over, we presume, her condemnation of the AFLPA’s ability to deal with problem and addicted gamblers. They effectively dismissed Beames’ credentials, with Dangerfield saying: “I look at this and think she’s a disgruntled operator.” Never mind that Beames has worked with hundreds of footballers, sports people and high-profile business people over many years. This has blown up. Beames and her husband Colin have demanded a retraction from Dangerfield and are considering taking legal action against him and the AFLPA.

West Coast was beaten up by the Swans. Pic: AAP

5. What a joke West Coast

When the Eagles lose, they lose big. Their four losses this year have been by 44 points, 42 points, 58 points and 45 points against the Swans. They lacked Elliot Yeo’s grunt in the middle and Shannon Hurn at the back. They were destroyed by Sydney’s ball movement. There are damning stats and horror stats and the Eagles yesterday allowed the Swans to score 45 points from chains starting in the defensive 50m. The AFL average is 13 points. That is a horror stat. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say they didn’t try.

6. Lack of direction

We have to admire and try to understand the AFL’s stance to improve respect for umpires. It appears that “maggot’’ and “flog’’ are on the banned words list. What else is on the banned list? Fool? Scoundrel? Idiot? And will it be policed one incident at a time? The AFL should announce the crack down on umpire abuse from fans, why they are doing it and what they hope to achieve. Fans should be told the boundaries because at the moment all looks a little silly.

Robbo wonders what Ross Lyon is up to. Pic: AAP

7. Ross Lyon

He’s a smart man, Rossy. He has a year to run on a contract with the Dockers, he publicly tells Fremantle he wants a contract extension and then is seen having lunch with great mate and Carlton list manager Stephen Silvagni in Lygon St. To borrow a line from Humphrey Bogart — “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.’’ What is Rossy playing at? He and SOS are mates, but he also knew if he was seen with Silvagni it would make the news. He wouldn’t be playing politics with the Dockers, would he?