The Tackle: Why Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell could be the best coach of the year
John Longmire would be the front runner if coach of the year was awarded today. Justin Longmuir and Chris Scott are also contenders, but MARK ROBINSON writes that none of them have come from the clouds like Sam Mitchell.
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The umpiring is once again in the spotlight after inconsistent calls across the weekend sent fans into conniptions. Mark Robinson unpacks where to next and what else caught his eye across the weekend.
LIKES
1. When footy means so much
We’re all invested in our own way, but we haven’t coached, so we can only imagine the range of emotions which are heaped on senior coaches. From frenzied joy in victory to the utter hollowness of defeat, the pendulum swing cannot be good for the soul. On Sunday, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley choked his words as he spoke of his pride in his players after they held on to beat St Kilda. It was raw and he was vulnerable, and it was rare to see a coach’s emotions revealed on national TV.
Some will question whether it was appropriate but no one can question its authenticity. It’s little wonder the Port players say they love playing for Hinkley. It’s clear the pressure of the week’s examination on him and his team was absolute, as was Hinkley’s belief that it was unfair. Port is sixth on the ladder, equal on points with Collingwood and Geelong. The win on Sunday was hard work, and if Aliir Aliir didn’t shore up the defence, and Jason Horne-Francis didn’t play game-breaker in the middle, Port probably would’ve lost and the pressure on Hinkley would’ve permeated for another week. But they won, all is good for a week, and no one was more relieved – and prouder – than the coach.
2. Professional Blues
Even on a miserably cold and wet Sunday afternoon at the MCG, the Blues didn’t waver from the high standard they have imposed on the competition. They kicked 20.11 and the three-headed midfield monster – Cripps, Walsh and Acres – had 99 possessions between them. Tigers coach Adem Yze is not on the hard-tag trend. Cripps, who normally had Kane McAuliffe and Jacob Hopper as an opponent, had 14 possessions in the first quarter and 16 in the third quarter. Cripps, with Marcus Bontempelli, are raging towards Brownlow favouritism. They are equal third in the market – they are $5 on the TAB – behind Nick Daicos ($3.50) and Isaac Heeney ($4.50). Two other weapons, among many, are at half-back. Adam Saad and Nic Newman had 13 intercepts and 1079m gained. That’s the transition side of the Blues full bloom. That’s complemented by a deep offensive unit. After the Tigers got within six points in the third quarter, the Blues kicked 80-25 on the back of eight individual scorers in that period. It’s Round 16 and the Blues are the No. 2 seed behind Sydney. But that gap is awfully close.
3, Pull levers and doors open
Geelong’s Tom Stewart enjoyed a different role as a midfielder and it worked because he won the ball and he wasn’t continually harassed. Mark Blicavs played forward. Max Holmes returned to half-back. And Patrick Dangerfield returned to his best. The one lever which was forced on coach Chris Scott, however, was reworking the front six without the injured Tom Hawkins. Big Tommy’s days are over. A Cats legend, he’s kicked 15 goals in 12 games this year, and Geelong’s past two outings before Saturday night returned 75 and 82 points. Against Essendon, they kicked 105. On the back of a surge mentality, the Cats, without Hawkins, were different, dangerous and unpredictable. Gary Rohan added pizzazz to the forward group and his speed and sure hands gave the Cats something different. Blicavs was the other magnet. He played forward-ruck and had a slice on wing and it was his highest rated game since Round 4. The three amigos Miers, Stengle and Close – were also good on the deck, and Jeremy Cameron kicked 2.3. But it was Rohan, the great survivor, who gave the Cats a different look. He had 12 disposals, eight score involvements, took seven marks and kicked 2.1. It’s his 200th game this weekend – in his 15th season – and he looms as a key player going forward, especially without Hawkins there.
4. The cool dudes
That’s seven wins from their past eight games for Hawthorn and how perfect is it that the great rival of this century – Geelong – awaits them at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. The Cats are back in form and the Hawks keep rolling out the type of footy which has them knocking on the door of the eight. They are now equal on the ladder with four other teams on 32 points, and two points outside of eighth. Think about that after they lost their first five games. It’s difficult to assess the coach of the year to date, although John Longmire tops the list with his team 13-2. Justin Longmuir will have votes despite him having his team third and having some observers still to decide if they are premiership fancy or not.
And most other coaches have had a run of bad defeats, including Cats coach Chris Scott. But none of them have come from the clouds like Sam Mitchell. His Hawks dismantled West Coast on Sunday in a manner befitting a highly-rated team. They had winners galore and kept the Eagles to just 33 inside 50s and 33 points at home. The Hawks doubled them with inside 50s, had 148 more possessions and doubled them in clearances. The heat now goes up again on Adam Simpson who after taking a couple steps forward in recent weeks took a mighty, if not fateful step backwards on Sunday.
5. Suns out-Collingwood Collingwood
It was a brilliant game and halfway through the final quarter, when Nick Daicos kicked the goal of the year – it was breathtaking in skill and repeat efforts – it seemed Collingwood would heist another four points. In the first 15 minutes of the last quarter, Daicos had eight disposals and four score involvements. In the last 15 minutes, he had just two touches. This time, when the going got tough, it was the Suns who got going. In that critical 15 minutes to close the game, Ben Ainsworth had nine touches and kicked a goal, Noah Anderson had nine disposals and Touk Miller had six disposals. Suns coach Damien Hardwick can prattle on about tagging Daicos and Jordan de Goey, which he did in his post-match, but the fact is Hardwick doesn’t like tagging. He likes to let his players play and it’s why the Suns didn’t curl up and surrender in fear when the Pies loomed large in the fourth quarter. Ainsworth took control in his wing-forward role and Ben Long had two important touches inside 50 – one a goal to himself and the other a brave tap to Ainsworth for his goal. It was the best win of Hardwick’s coaching at the Gold Coast. If he can get his team to duplicate that will and desire on the road, then they will play finals. The most important word in that sentence was if.
6. Talking of beauty
Adelaide’s Izak Rankine plays footy at a different level to 99 per cent of the players in the competition. He sees the game unfold and reacts quicker, and sharper, and his ability to work the Sherrin by foot makes him the most watchable players in the games. He’s not unlike Andrew McLeod for the utter devastation he pours on the opposition. He minced the Giants in the first half on Saturday, and consequently so did Crows with seven consecutive goals in the second quarter. Gee, footy is played above the head. The Crows were in crisis at 7.30 on Saturday and backslapping at 10.30pm. They’re a crazy mob, the Crows. The names didn’t change much but the attitude did. Rankine dazzled, Mitch Hinge had 30-plus as a kind of link man from halfback, Sam Berry played his best game of the season, Ben Keays played one of his buzzing Ben Keays games, and Tex Walker back inside 50 just gave the forward group stability and direction. They deserve praise but it begs the question: Where has it been? Once again, if you emphasise the fundamentals – pressure and contest – the rest of your game can fall into place.
7. Give it a go
The return of State of Origin football would be like getting back with your girlfriend or boyfriend after a long break. It feels like a good idea, and maybe the passion wouldn’t be the same as it was yesterday, but you never know if you don’t have a go. With the footy, let’s work on the reason why it’s a yes rather than hammer home the reasons why it’s a no. The players want it. And the fans want it, so how can the AFL not pursue the idea? Fix the bye breaks, have a weekend off mid-year and play the game, in whatever format, on that weekend. At least give it a try.
DISLIKES
1. What’s your decision?
Laura Kane’s tenure as head of footy has its second on-field crisis. The first was the umpiring which prompted AFL intervention mid-season. The second crisis is the umpiring, post intervention, which demands a full review at the end of the season. If footy was politics, a royal commission would be held. Coaches have bitten their tongues all season, although North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is never one to keep his mouth shut. He was perturbed, as most football watchers were, when Bulldog Cody Weightman acted more like a trapeze artist than a footballer on Saturday. Weightman earns respect for his ability but not for his theatrics. On Saturday night, the Bombers were stiffed by umpiring decisions in an incredulous third quarter. The bewildering decisions swung momentum and ultimately helped shape the result.
We wrote two weeks back that, in nearly 30 years of covering footy, the umpiring had not been in more disarray. That opinion has not changed. The Sam Draper decision was simply a mistake, and the Jye Menzie penalty for running the ball through the goals seemed harsh because pressure was behind him. The conflict lies, however, with what is prior opportunity and what is incorrect disposal. The non-payment of a free kick against Geelong’s Tom Stewart was exactly the new interpretation of having prior opportunity. And the free kick against Jordan Ridley was exactly the opposite of the new interpretation of having prior opportunity. There were some curious calls made in the Saints-Power game on Sunday, too, which Fox Footy commentator Gerard Healy at one stage called a disgrace. The new interpretations were supposed to make the game better, yet players are confused, coaches are bemused and fans simply want clarity and consistency. A review is desperately needed.
Wonder why fans are frustrated with today's officiating AFL? pic.twitter.com/mxiVJyYrlr
— Scooter (@ScooterMcNeice) June 30, 2024
2, So, where to start?
Working out what prior opportunity is priority No. 1. Do we have it or even dump it? Rushed behinds is anyone’s guess. Push in the back, either in a marking contest or as players mass on the ground is rubbery. Throws and not handballs are commonplace. Short kicks are paid marks when they haven’t travelled the required distance. Often, players are able to run parallel to the opponent standing on the mark and kick the ball, either without the umpiring calling play-on or the man on the mark not hearing the umpire call play on. The stand rule is rigid in one game and elastic in the next. We have a sport where interpretation of the rules from four umpires is different from game to game. So, it’s little wonder there’s confusion and anger in the game. Former coach Rodney Eade has a good idea. Let’s get the AFL, coaching and player reps, and the umpires together, ask the umpire what are the five most difficult aspects of the game to umpire and try to work out collectively how best to deal with them. At the very least, the AFL should concede that there is a problem. That would be a start.
3. Robbing Peter to pay Paul
The Tigers used Noah Balta as their key forward on Sunday because stocks are bare and Tom Lynch was out with a hamstring injury. It meant Ben Miller and first-gamer Jacob Blight took the big dogs, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay. Blight was impressive. McKay kicked 2.2 and took eight marks, and you’d take that any day McKay played. Balta kicked three of Richmond’s 10 goals, so it was sort of a gain, and Blight at least had an adventure on one the game’s best forwards.
And if he is to stay in the team, he better get used to that, anyhow. The dark cloud accompanying the black clouds which descended on the Tigers in the last quarter and a half was the injury to Dustin Martin. He was subbed out in the third quarter after winning only seven disposals. Dusty never liked cold winter days in July and on Sunday it was one of his worst. The more you watch Martin play, the more you are convinced that it’s Richmond or no one next year. The confidence in him playing at Richmond is even diminishing. Once, he was the most frightening player in the game. Now, he looks like he’s going through motions. If that doesn’t change, he might as well retire.
4. Essendon at the MCG
Is playing at the MCG a problem for the Bombers? Since Brad Scott took over as coach, the Bombers are 11-2 win-loss at Marvel Stadium and 5-7 and a draw at the MCG. It might mean nothing, or it might mean something. Maybe the Bombers prefer the slick track of Marvel and are better at covering for each other on the smaller ground, as opposed to the wider expanse of the MCG. Against Collingwood, and since Anzac Day of 2018, they are 3-8 and a draw at the MCG. Against Geelong, they are now 3-19 dating back to 2006. Their most recent form against Geelong at the ’G reads 0-4 from their past four outings. Maybe it’s just coincidence and the real issue is the Bombers are simply not a match against the better teams. On Saturday night, their stoppage game was good, they weren’t able to sufficiently defend transition and the connection between their mids and forwards was left wanting. They won the inside 50 count 60-56, but only kicked 9.6, although repeat entries when there was 26 players inside 50 made it hard to score. It was the 10th time in 15 games they had won the inside 50 count, giving them six wins, a draw and three losses. Their issue on Saturday night was they couldn’t score when they had momentum and they couldn’t stop Geelong scoring when they had momentum – and the umpiring – on their side after half time. The jury is also out on whether Sam Draper is the answer as the second key forward, although the rain didn’t help his cause.
5. Broken Giants
That’s six losses from their past eight games and for the first time this season, they are outside of the eight. We’re not sure they are worthy of getting back in. Against a hyped-up Adelaide, they lost contest ball by 19 and clearances by eight, so that put them on the back foot. And they couldn’t get their ball movement going which is now a broken record when talking about the Giants. They used to frighten teams with ball in hand and they are now pedestrian. Since Round 8, they’ve kicked 69, 62, 43, 78 in a win, 79, 73 in a win, 75 and 78 points. They aren’t getting goals from their smalls. Toby Bedford tagged Jordan Dawson, so he wasn’t a goalkicking threat, while overall Brent Daniels has 14 goals from 14 games. Jeremy Hogan leads with 36.16, followed by Jake Riccardi with 23.9. Then it’s Toby Greene (22.19), and Aaron Cadman and Callum Brown with 17 goals. They are an average team, the Giants, and they play Carlton in what is a season-defining game this weekend.
6. The silly season is all season
Player managers must giggle to themselves sometimes because they know they fuel the player movement stories. And to their benefit. This year, we had Patrick Dangerfield linked to a move back to Adelaide, which he laughed off as ridiculous. Will Hayward was leaving Sydney, but didn’t. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was supposed to be going to Hawthorn, but he stayed, as revealed by colleague Sam Landsberger. Hugh McCluggage and Errol Gulden both re-signed. Tyson Stengle has had more commentary in the past two weeks than Julian Assange, yet he re-signed at Geelong, as revealed by colleague Jay Clark. Tom Barrass might be/could be/should be leaving West Coast but he then says he wants to stay. Luke Davies-Uniacke was the hottest ticket in the free agent market – next year, mind you – but he told colleague Jon Ralph he wants to stay at the Kangas. Elliot Yeo’s manager sucked in one journo who declared Yeo could be at North Melbourne next year – and then Yeo re-signed at the Eagles a week later. And on and on it goes. Player movement stores dominate the football landscape – and some are right and some are speculative – and sitting back enjoying it all are the managers.
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