Early Tackle: Glenn McFarlane’s likes and dislikes from round 13
Judging by Damien Hardwick’s reaction in the coaches box, the Mac Andrew decision might be replayed a few times this week – and it won’t be the only one. See GLENN MCFARLANE’S full round 13 likes and dislikes.
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The race for the top eight continues to narrow as the true premiership contenders separate themselves from the top-eight hopefuls.
The blowtorch has been turned on Adelaide and coach Matthew Nicks after a home loss to lowly Richmond, while Brisbane Lions are back in the finals mix after Lachie Neale and Eric Hipwood spearheaded a commanding win over Western Bulldogs.
See all Glenn McFarlane’s likes and dislikes from round 13 below.
DISLIKES
NOT SO MARVELLOUS, DIMMA?
Three Saturday games; three controversial umpiring decisions.
The Suns will feel aggrieved by a free kick paid late against Mac Andrew which resulted in Max King’s match-winning goal, judging on Damien Hardwick’s reaction in the coaches box.
Were Andrew and King just wrestling off the ball when the umpire pinged the Gold Coast defender?
Jack Riewoldt said on Fox Footy: “That is absolutely not a free kick.”
Hardwick was still shaking his head in disbelief as he walked back to the rooms in the moments after the Saints held on by three points.
But in many ways the Suns only have themselves to blame for falling into Ross Lyon’s trap, only coming to life in a second half they could have closed out with a little more dare and method in clutch moments.
How were there not a few more Suns players on the goal-line when Ben Ainsworth almost kicked the winning goal only to have it touched on the line!
And why didn’t the Suns come to Touk Miller’s aid more when he was being so tightly tagged early on by Marcus Windhager.
Until Gold Coast learns to win on the road (and we’re not talking about Darwin), it’s bloody hard to trust them.
Their only wins so far this season have come on their home deck and at Marrara Oval.
Is it any wonder Damien Hardwick hates the Docklands? He hasn’t won a game in his past 10 visits there (nine losses and a draw), with the last time he saluted as coach back in 2021.
free kick against Mac Andrew. GOAL to Max King. #AFLSaintsSunspic.twitter.com/4cF1itgNhs
— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) June 8, 2024
HAS HOLDING THE BALL INTERPRETATION CHANGED THE DYNAMICS?
Luke Beveridge made some pertinent points at the back end of his press conference on Friday night about how the AFL’s pendulum swinging ‘holding the ball’ correction had gone too far in favour of the tackler.
Just a day later, the AFL would have been extremely relieved that the Kangaroos ended up beating the Eagles by nine points – instead of less than a goal – after a controversial free kick was paid against Elliot Yeo, which resulted in a goal from Jy Simpkin, regaining the lead for North Melbourne.
Don’t get me wrong, the Kangaroos deserved this drought-breaking victory, and it was validated further with a late goal to Paul Curtis.
The umpire deemed Yeo to have dragged the ball back in, but he had little chance before he was quickly penalised, leaving Eagles coach Adam Simpson in disbelief.
As Matthew Richardson tweeted on X: “Players will start second guessing if they should take possession of the ball. That can’t be a good thing surely.”
Gerard Healy was even more emphatic on Fox Footy: “Something would appear wrong to me if that is a free kick.”
“(Yeo) busted his backside to get that from the opposition player – and it has fallen that way.
“He’s basically got up on his knees and he’s been pinged with no prior opportunity.
“That is going to have a fair bit of airplay over the next 48 hours.”
Simpkin, the beneficiary of the free kick, had no doubt when asked if he should have won the free kick: “Yeah, absolutely.”
Beveridge said on Friday night: “In the AFL’s charter, it talks about our game being a contested game. And in the charter, you have to protect the player who tries to win the ball. We can’t move away from that, otherwise the game changes.
“When a player has not had prior opportunity, we’ve got to make sure that we protect the player.”
GREEN WITH ANGER
Adam Kingsley might want to get a new stress ball as there are some serious problems emerging at the Giants.
This was always going to be a ‘danger’ game in Tassie against the Hawks, but Kingsley will be lamenting poor decision-making in a second half which cost the Giants when it mattered.
Ultimately, it might cost them a top four berth.
The one-time premiership fancies have now lost five of their last seven games and the lack of discipline in key moments has been one of the reasons for this.
We’re not just talking about the controversial free kick paid against Tom Green for his late bump on James Sicily in the dying moments, which resulted in a downfield free kick that gave Luke Breust the chance to put the Hawks in front.
Green gives away a downfield free kick and Breust goals with 1 minute left!
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) June 8, 2024
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If he hadn’t cannoned into Sicily (and the Hawks skipper did milk it a little), it would have been out on the full, with scores level and with the ball back in the Giants’ hands.
There were countless other examples throughout the second half, including allowing Calsher Dear to mark unopposed almost on the goalline, as well as the inability to rush a ball through when Jack Gunston dribbled one of his three goals off the ground.
The coach had every reason to be angry.
Skipper Toby Greene had a headache too after copping a knock, which saw him leave the field with blood flowing.
He re-emerged wearing Darcy Jones’ Giants’ coloured helmet, but couldn’t lift his team home.
The Giants host Port Adelaide and Sydney at home in the next two weeks and it’s no exaggeration to suggest their season could rest on what happens in that time frame.
IT’S BUYER BEWARE FOR RORY SUITORS
Rory Lobb seems almost certain to line up for a fourth AFL club next season … but potential suitors watching on Friday night might be starting to have second thoughts.
Yes, Lobb suffered an ankle injury and was ultimately subbed out of the Bulldogs’ game against Brisbane Lions in the last quarter when the game was already gone.
But the way he was performing before his injury — five disposals, one mark, 0.0 and limited impact – meant he could well have been subbed out earlier.
Some Bulldogs fans certainly thought so.
He was given some Bronx cheers when he came to the bench, a sure sign the supporter base has already moved on from him.
Coach Luke Beveridge hasn’t yet, at least for now. He knows that Lobb will be needed in the short-term to fill the gap that the absence of Aaron Naughton and Sam Darcy has caused.
But the 31-year-old, who still has two more years to run on a contract with the Bulldogs, missed a real chance to show his wares against the Lions on Friday night.
And it’s not the first time he has done that in red, white and blue.
It’s no secret he will ask for a trade from the Bulldogs at the end of the season, with the Herald Sun recently reporting that up to four clubs — Melbourne, North Melbourne, St Kilda and Collingwood — could be interested in the forward.
Those clubs should be aware of what they are getting.
He’s not a goalkicking forward (he averages one goal per game), and he is unlikely to get better at his age, evidenced by the fact he has kicked only two goals in his five AFL games this season.
Given the dearth of experienced forward-rucks, he will find a home, but the clubs chasing him have to ensure they don’t pay too much for him or expect too much of him
CROWS WHO MUST LIFT THEIR RATINGS
For a football club considered as big and as powerful as the Adelaide Crows, they have been a serious disappointment for a long period of time.
Two flags won across three and a half decades (both before the turn of the millennium) and no finals since Dusty and the Tigers dismantled the Power Stance back in 2017.
And now another season that dawned with hope and expectation has been slammed shut at the halfway mark of the year.
So who or what’s to blame? Is it recruiting? Is it coaching? Is it the underperforming players?
The truth is, it is probably a combination of all.
The only fixable thing right now rests with coach Matthew Nicks and the players turning around what has been a lamentable start to 2024.
Nicks has a contract for two more seasons but you could see the pressure etched across his face after Richmond ambushed the Crows on Thursday.
He has to get harder with his group and you suspect he will do so now … given so many of the Crows are way down on their 2023 rankings.
Champion Data’s list of the Crows with the biggest drop off in terms of year on year rankings shows why the team has struggled so far in 2024.
The biggest sliders in terms of rankings points are Luke Pedlar (-28 ranking points), Taylor Walker (-21), Brodie Smith (-17), Lachlan Murphy (-16), Ben Keays (-15), Rory Laird (-13), Josh Rachele (-13), Chayce Jones (-11), Jordan Dawson (-11) and Reilly O’Brien (-7).
Four and a half wins from 13 games isn’t good enough.
The season is already shot … but now it’s about trying to shore up some futures beyond this year and getting a bit of lost respect back.
BYE CONUNDRUM
The set-up of this year’s fixture was always going to be a challenging one, especially with the northern states spectacular of Opening Round throwing an extra dimension into it.
But three months on, it seems bizarre that the Brisbane Lions — who competed in that first weekend of footy — have now had two byes while the Western Bulldogs — who didn’t start until round 1 — won’t have an in-season break until after next week’s clash with Fremantle.
Confused? Yep, you should be!
You can pencil in the Opening Round northern roadshow again next season, and so it should be. It is a great way to showcase footy in New South Wales and Queensland.
But AFL HQ must look at how they structure the byes in the first three months next year to ensure the failings of 2024 don’t happen again.
LIKES
BY GEORGE, IT’S TIME TO JOIN IN THE CHORUS
North Melbourne ended fears of claiming an unwanted 60-year VFL-AFL mantle by winning its first game of the season in stunning circumstances as George Wardlaw finally got to sing the club’s theme song in his 19th AFL match.
Fuelled by inspirational displays from Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jy Simpkin as well as five goals to Nick Larkey, the Kangaroos won their first match since that contentious win in the final round of last year, which cost them access to Harley Reid.
The Roos did the hard way, too, having coughed up a 33-point margin early in the last term to lose the lead late before Simpkin and Paul Curtis kicked the final two goals of the game.
No team has gone through an entire VFL-AFL season without a win since Fitzroy back in 1964.
But after 11 consecutive losses by an average of 52 points leading into this game, the Kangaroos had people wondering if they were at risk of inheriting that record after a miserable first half of 2024.
Those fears are thankfully now gone, as Alastair Clarkson’s return to the upstairs coaches’ box had an immediate impact with the Kangaroos withstanding a late Eagles’ surge to finally taste success.
Incredibly, this was Wardlaw’s first chance to sing the song after his previous 18 matches had resulted in losses. We trust he had done some necessary research on the lyrics.
Wardlaw was one of four Kangaroos players who hadn’t had a win before Saturday’s nine-point victory, but he let fly with gusto in one of the best renditions of ‘Join In The Chorus’ for years.
Asked to describe the emotion, Simpkin – who kicked two monster goals in the final term – said it was “absolute joy … everyone gritted their teeth.”
This was North’s highest pressure rating game for the season (204) and the first time they had not conceded 100 points all year.
Now maybe, just maybe, this victory might be the building block from which the Kangaroos can launch their rebound.
UGLY SAINTS GET THE JOB DONE AGAIN
Let’s all agree this game won’t be used as part of the AFL’s promotion in selling the game to new markets, but Ross Lyon won’t care at all.
All he would be worried about is that for the second straight week St Kilda ground down their opposition to get the four premiership points.
Last week it was against the Eagles, this was at least a better scalp in the Suns, but they are going to have to be a hell of a lot better to match the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Friday.
You won’t win many games kicking 51 points in a game … Eric Hipwood (6.2) and Joe Daniher (2.3) beat that tally by themselves (53 points) on Friday night against the Western Bulldogs.
The Saints have won five games for the season, but with games against the Lions, Port Adelaide and Sydney ahead, you have to doubt whether their brand is sustainable when the whips are cracking.
WHY THE GABBA MIGHT HOLD THE KEY TO THE LIONS’ CHANCES
As Lloyd Christmas famously said in Dumb and Dumber: ‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance’.
Just when Brisbane’s season looked down and dusted, there appears to be life in Chris Fagan’s Lions.
There is minimal room for error, given Friday’s 43-point win over the Bulldogs took their tally to five wins and a draw, but the manner of the victory and the form of some of their most important players means they still have a chance of playing off in September.
Sydney took almost half a season last year to recover from their 2022 grand final heartache and squeezed into the eight with 12 wins and a draw.
To reach that rating, the Lions need to win at least seven of their remaining 11 matches to be in the frame, and it might come down to the remaining Gabba clashes.
Starting with St Kilda on Friday night, the Lions still have six games on their home deck this home and away season. The other clashes at home are against Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, GWS Giants, and Essendon.
They lost the first three at the Gabba this season, but have won the past two.
Add in a game at Gold Coast’s home ground, and it means the Lions have seven of their remaining clashes in their home states.
The travelling matches are against Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), West Coast (Perth Stadium), St Kilda (Marvel Stadium) and Collingwood (MCG).
Maybe it might come down to the clash with the Bombers in the last round to make it.
Can they win the flag? That might be a bridge too far. Can they make the finals? That dream is still well and truly alive.
SAM’S GIANT-KILLERS
Leaving aside ladder leaders Sydney, is there a hotter team in the AFL right now than Hawthorn?
If it hadn’t been for a few moments of madness in the final minute and a bit against Port Adelaide a month ago, Sam Mitchell’s Hawks would have had six wins on the trot after going through the first five weeks without a victory.
As it sits now, they have won six of the past eight games, and Saturday’s six-point win over the Giants might have been the pick of the bunch in terms of their ability to fight back from adversity.
Having lost their only ruckman Ned Reeves to injury early in the game, trailing by 19 points at half-time, and again by a narrow margin deep into red time, the never-say-die Hawks dragged themselves off the canvas yet again when Luke Breust nailed the match-winner courtesy of a downfield free kick.
There is something about the intoxicating dare and flair of youth, especially when it is matched with the smart-minded nuances of experienced players. It’s a near perfect blend at the moment.
This column predicted last Sunday the Hawks would smash the finals dreams of a number of teams in the back half of the season.
They delivered a blow to Giants’ top-four hopes just a week after effectively ending the Crows’ September dreams.
This was another win for the Rascals … and didn’t they enjoy it!
With ten games to play, including two against Richmond, and one each against West Coast and North Melbourne, could the Hawks do the unthinkable and make the finals?
It’s unlikely, but not impossible. The certainty is that it’s going to bloody good fun finding out!
NANK AND THE LEADERS
It’s always hard to replace premiership captains, let alone a guy who helped to transform the club with three flags in four years.
So it is fair to say there was a bit of scepticism when Richmond went with Toby Nankervis as co-captain alongside Dylan Grimes when Trent Cotchin chose to give up the role.
Some questioned whether Nank was vocal enough to get the job done. But after sharing the role with Grimes for two seasons, he seems to be flourishing now on his own as he tries to get the kids on the same page as the older Tigers in what has been a very difficult season.
The 29-year-old was enormous in size and impact in Richmond’s gritty win over Adelaide on Friday night. He helped to turn the game with a powerful second half, which included eight disposals (seven contested), 10 hit-outs to advantage and three scoring involvements.
Four of Richmond’s seven goals in the second half came from stoppages.
Nankervis played a huge role in all this, relishing the fact that Matthew Nicks had dropped Reilly O’Brien and that his replacement, Kieran Strachan was off injured.
Nankervis’ impact on the young Tigers was just as important as his impact on the game.
The Tigers might have been missing key players on Thursday night, and no more so than Dusty Martin, but the premiership players within the group got around the younger players.
Jayden Short was back to almost his best, Liam Baker showed great leadership (the Tigers have to try and move heaven and earth to stop him from leaving for the Dockers), Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton and Nick Vlastuin look to have a rapport with the kids, and Noah Balta looks better down back.
RISE OF THE TAGGER
Why don’t more clubs opt for a legitimate tag on the superstars?
It’s a question that often beggars belief, even though we as fans love to see the game’s elite get a free rein throughout a match … unless they are playing against your team.
Take Brisbane’s decision to run Jarrod Berry tight with Marcus Bontempelli on Friday night. It was a statement-making moment that ended up playing a massive part in the Lions’ success.
Chris Fagan flagged it as a possibility in a media interview before the game (without naming Berry), but we all knew it would be him.
He had, after all, done the job on Clayton Oliver in a final at the MCG in 2022.
Berry got under Bont’s skin, and a few other Bulldogs to boot, and left the skipper with his quietest first half in recent memory. In fairness, Bont sent himself forward at times in the second half and ended up with three goals, but the horse had bolted.
Berry’s role came less than a week after Marcus Windhager shut down Harley Reid in Perth, so expect to see some more of the run-with role to come.
Suspect we might see a ‘turn back time’ to the old-style tagger in the coming weeks.
YOUNG TIGER CUBS
Richmond’s recent recruiting had been under the spotlight since the club fell down the ladder.
Most of the talk has been negative, albeit the trades for Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper hurt the drafting bottom line.
But we are starting to see some buds of growth from some of the younger Tigers in recent weeks, most notably what happened in Adelaide on Thursday night.
Tom Brown is giving vibes that he is going to be a serious player, not just with the 11 interceptions he had against the Crows, but with the composure he has.
David King said on SEN: “He’s got class, he’s got poise, he actually makes the right decision every time. I know he’s a beautiful kick and everyone talks about his actual kicking efficiency and his style.
“But he can kick the ball 50 metres off one or two steps – he’s one of those guys – and he sees things that others don’t.”
Seth Campbell’s telling final term goal from outside 50m got the ultimate tick of approval on social media when Matthew Richardson tweeted: “Big moment taken.”
A host of other young Tigers are getting a chance given the long injury list, with Tyler Sonsie, Kane McAuliffe and co benefiting from working alongside more experienced teammates.
Imagine how big it will be for them playing alongside Dustin Martin in game 300 next Saturday!
Originally published as Early Tackle: Glenn McFarlane’s likes and dislikes from round 13
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