Mick McGuane previews Round 3 AFL matches, outlining his concern about unbeaten Essendon
In a shortened season, there is no time for slow starts. Who is under the pump to deliver on what will be a massive Saturday of footy? Herald Sun expert Mick McGuane looks at all today’s big games.
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In a shortened season, there is no time for slow starts.
Who is under the pump to deliver on what will be a massive Saturday of footy?
Herald Sun expert Mick McGuane looks at big games left in Round 3.
SYDNEY SWANS v NORTH MELBOURNE
North Melbourne is the bangers and mash team of the competition at the moment – they are doing the basic fundamentals really well.
The best thing about the Kangaroos is their pressure game.
Last week’s win over the Giants was the team’s third-highest pressure game since 2016.
Players that stood out were guys that had question marks in relation to their intensity off the ball, namely Aaron Hall.
His workrate defensively to tackle or pressure an opponent was something he is not renowned for but that changed last week.
On the back of that pressure, they made GWS’ game look ordinary and that’s what they will have to do against Sydney because the Swans are a renowned pressure team as well.
The Callum Sinclair versus Todd Goldstein match-up is important. That will be a pivotal factor in the result because first hands in and around stoppages will be really important.
COLLINGWOOD v ST KILDA
This is St Kilda’s real litmus test. It’s at the MCG and their midfield group has got a big challenge this week.
The Saints outscored the Dogs by 31 points from turnover la
st round and that was their second best differential recorded in a match in the past year. Relentless, in your opponent’s face pressure is a must against Collingwood.
Paddy Ryder and the midfield group of Jade Gresham, Jack Steele, Zak Jones, Seb Ross, Bradley Hill and Jack Billings have got a huge responsibility to win the battle against Brodie Grundy and Collingwood’s midfield group.
But they must continue to apply pressure because Collingwood is a high volume team and they will win their share of possession.
If your pressure drops off against the quality of players like Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom, they will destroy you with their ball use.
The challenge for Collingwood – against the pressure we know the Saints will bring – is can their offence hold up? Can they get more out of their ball movement and take more risks with their kicks so they can get it into their forwards quicker and hit the scoreboard? Jamie Elliott and Jordan De Goey would benefit from that faster ball movement.
A percentage increase in playing on from marks will help.
GEELONG v CARLTON
It’s all about the start for Carlton. They can’t afford to give the Cats a head start.
The Blues have been caught napping in the first quarter of both their losses against Richmond and Melbourne this season.
The challenge for Blues’ coach David Teague and the players is not to worry about the result. Narrowing their focus on the first quarter is where their energy should lie. They’ve got to live by the mantra of contest by contest, minute by minute for the first quarter.
If they get that right, their second to fourth quarters have been really positive in their first two games – their forward half game, contested possession, clearances, their inside 50 numbers have been great.
But they are still 0-2 for a reason, the very reason of having slow starts. So ignite the fire boys, right from the first bounce.
You can’t give Geelong the opportunity to go bang and then reel them back in. It is too big of a mountain to climb.
BRISBANE LIONS v WEST COAST
There were four teams last week we all thought were legitimate premiership contenders and not one of them registered a win. Richmond and Collingwood played out a draw, GWS was another, but West Coast was probably the most disappointing of them all.
It was all about their inability to compete, they just lacked energy. Without hunting the ball or winning the ball, the system doesn’t work.
They’ve got to go back to the core of why their system didn’t work and it is all about getting their inside game right – Tim Kelly, Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo, Nic Naitanui in the ruck, Andrew Gaff and Jack Redden on the wing – the blokes around the stoppages were exposed by some youth and hardness.
They’ve got to get back to hunting the footy. It’s simply all about the contest, both at ground level and overhead.
Don’t forget it was Brisbane that took them to the cleaners in Round 1 last year then they got to work on the back of a kick in the bum.
MELBOURNE V ESSENDON
Melbourne’s first 30 minutes against Carlton was probably the best 30 minutes they have played since the back-end of the 2018 season.
But after quarter-time the whole game went pear-shaped. What went wrong? They will be looking for the hard enough, long enough mantra.
The positive for Melbourne was the influence of Christian Petracca.
His game against Carlton was elite. He could be potentially as dynamic as Dustin Martin or Patrick Dangerfield if he maintains his fitness level and appetite to work hard like he has in the first two rounds.
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He has finally got his body to a level so he can play long minutes through the middle of the ground.
The most impressive thing about the Bombers is their forward half game. Historically, they have not been a very good forward-half team. They are creating forward-half intercept possessions and scoring from them.
I still question whether the Bombers can last the journey. They have blitzed their first two opponents with their starts, but they are giving the opposition a chance to get back in the game.
Is it a drop off in intensity, defensive structure, or ball use? All these elements are being looked at to see if Essendon are the real deal.
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