Mick Malthouse looks at the run home for each of the Victorian finals contenders
Of all of the clubs in the pack hoping to sneak into the top 8, Mick Malthouse believes there is one that stands above the rest — the Western Bulldogs. And he says they look like the Bulldogs of old. Could they shock like 2016?
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Winter solstice has been and gone, but some clubs, it seems, are still coming out of hibernation.
They’ll need to wake up properly soon before their winter slumber risks derailing their season.
In elite sport it’s difficult to maintain form — top form — for a long stretch of time, whether that’s a team or an individual.
Bodies get sore, minds get tired, structures falter.
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The biggest challenge for any athlete or team is to get through the rough patch quickly and as unscathed as possible. Then to peak at the right time.
This is easier said than done. We’ll know soon enough what Geelong and Collingwood are made of.
The Cats, until the bye, have had an outstanding season. Their early blistering form not only allowed them the luxury of resting players, but also put enough money in the bank to keep them on top even through a stock market crash.
But after losing two of their past three games they wouldn’t want it to become a recession.
Geelong is notorious for losing games after the bye round, so I doubt the club would be panicking about its recent defeats. Though it may need to reconsider its time-off process going into finals with another week off after Round 23.
In their remaining six games the Cats play interstate three times and take on the always tough Hawthorn, Sydney, Fremantle and North Melbourne who are still vying for a top-eight spot, and current top four Brisbane Lions.
They’ll be tested on every level.
I believe they’re good enough to surge again, because they are simply better than the rest.
Tom Hawkins was magnificent in the first half of the season but had fallen away in recent weeks as Geelong struggled to settle on a forward line structure with injuries affecting the line-up.
Esava Ratugolea back in the team helps Hawkins and certainly straightens the team up structurally, though he needs to contribute more on the scoreboard.
The mids have also needed to lift, and get back to once again scoring and supplying a good ball to the key forwards.
Up the highway, Collingwood, until half time on Friday night, had seemed lost.
The Pies are just a game behind where they were at at the same time last season, but for all intents and purposes they had recently appeared more vulnerable.
They lost to West Coast at the MCG in round 17 last year and the Eagles became bona fide finals favourites.
Mason Cox was kicking goals and causing mayhem with his height and forward ruck work. Josh Thomas was a goal kicker. Then.
Now, it isn’t easy to put your finger on any one area where the Pies are lacking compared to their exhilarating performances of last year and early this season, but in general the team hasn’t seemed as manic.
They got that desperate look back this weekend in the second half against the Eagles.
They‘ve lost “should win” games against Fremantle, North and Hawthorn.
They can’t afford to lose anymore of those contests, with Gold Coast, Melbourne and Adelaide still to come.
But it’s nothing Collingwood can’t turn around, as proven against West Coast. It’s whether it can maintain the ferocity, which may determine its fate this year.
The Pies are a brilliant football team.
Well coached and well led on the field by Scott Pendlebury.
Structurally they are sound. Taylor Adams’ return will steady the midfield and give it flexibility in numbers.
And the backline continues to stand up (even without injured again, Darcy Moore) — with recruit of the year Jordan Roughead in stifling form.
The next few games will be season defining for Collingwood, not in terms of win/loss, but in how it goes about regaining the structure and intensity that was once so hard to beat.
Coming games against an injury depleted GWS and dangerous looking Richmond will shape the ladder as well as the Pies’ mindset, with a Round 23 clash against Essendon who may then be fighting for a final position in the eight.
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One big club to emerge from hibernation refreshed and hungry is Richmond.
They are one game inside the eight, but their recent form is ominous.
We do have to take into consideration its victims, Gold Coast and St Kilda, so today’s game against GWS is the test we are all waiting for.
Another big win and the Tigers will genuinely be back in premiership contention.
They have a tough draw including Port, Collingwood, West Coast and Brisbane, but victories in these games will tell us that up until now Richmond has only been sparring.
Alex Rance is still an outside chance to return, and Jack Riewoldt needs a couple more weeks to regain his touch, but the Tigers young additions – like Sydney Stack – have them looking exciting again. And lethal.
North Melbourne and the Bulldogs trail Port, Adelaide and Essendon by one game.
Port and Adelaide are frustratingly inconsistent and drive me nuts.
Essendon and North are doing everything right and on their day can beat anyone, but they each have a habit of losing games they “should” win.
Of all of these clubs, the Bulldogs’ current form is the most inspiring, as it begins to look like its 2016 self.
But the Dogs are in a no slip-up position.
Today’s game against Melbourne is critical.
If they are going to make the finals they will have to do it the hard way with away games against Brisbane and GWS, and a Round 21 clash with Essendon.
But they won their 2016 premiership the hard way too.
The days are slowly getting longer as winter gives way to spring, but there is still enough time for clubs feeling the cold to turn the heat up and get warm again.
After all, the sun shines brightest on those at the top.
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