The Tackle: Jay Clark’s likes and dislikes from Round 6
With the pressure at the Dees at an all-time high, it was the skipper that took it upon himself to probably save Simon Goodwin’s job.
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It’s been a bumper Easter weekend across the AFL, and Jay Clark dives into the likes and dislikes to see who’s taken the chocolates.
DISLIKES
1. STUCK AT THE STATION
Perhaps it is the rebuild to nowhere.
Three weeks after we got sucked into thinking North Melbourne had turned a big corner in its win over Melbourne, we realise it was just another false dawn.
It has been a dark six years for the Kangaroos and their fan base who have sat through an endless string of beltings and coach sackings.
But what played out on Good Friday might have just been the worst performance of the lot.
For a club stacked with early draft picks, on the biggest day of its home and away season, the Kangaroos gave up some of the easiest goals of the season.
The blowtorch will turn to the defence and clearly back there the system and the personnel has been a disaster coughing up more than 100 points in five of its six games.
Poor Charlie Comben is playing a lone hand and is one of the very few silver linings, but he must be sick of watching opposition midfielders steam through the engine room on their own.
This club has hand-picked a golden young midfield brigade with more top draft picks than it has known what to do with in recent years and the lack of pressure, intensity, blatant turnovers and easy give-up goals through the middle part of the ground was abysmal.
It is one thing to rack up high possessions numbers in a North jumper, but is another to switch off as your man sticks another knife inside 50m down the other end.
And that includes Luke-Davies Uniacke, who was guilty as anyone after signing a blockbuster $1.3 million a year deal, Harry Sheezel who needs more defensive balance in his game, former Swan Luke Parker who missed targets by hand, Cam Zurhaar who got caught with the ball, and Colby McKercher who doesn’t appear ready for the rigours at the top level yet.
The outside game and ball movement relies heavily on Caleb Daniel, Dylan Stephens and Zac Fisher and currently there are question marks on all three.
The Bulldogs copped a lot of heat for dropping Daniel to the VFL last year but clearly Luke Beveridge was unsure if he fit their system anymore in a game which revolves heavily around run.
But the Roos gave up pick 25 for him and their top pick (currently number three) in this year’s draft for 27 last year (Matt Whitlock). Jeepers.
What that move tells us is the Roos certainly think they would not still be here, stuck in the doldrums of the AFL ladder once again.
The discussion will inevitably morph into whether the Roos deserve the Good Friday slot anymore, but in reality the problem is much bigger than one marquee game.
The club has put all its eggs in the Alastair Clarkson basket.
And the sliding doors scenario for the three experienced coaches who took new jobs at the end of 2022 will remain a fascination.
North Melbourne opted for Clarkson over Ross Lyon, while Essendon was turned down by Clarkson, and went for Brad Scott.
Heading into this round, Lyon and Scott had passed a major milestone, tracking at a 50 per cent or better win rate after 50 games in total in charge.
While Clarkson stepped out for a period in his first season for mental health reasons due to Hawthorn’s racism saga, he has only seven wins from 42 matches.
But this was the year North was meant to pop and grow, in campaign number three under the Hawthorn premiership mastermind.
But in the season the club’s development and growth were meant to pop in year number three under Clarko, they have gone backwards in 2025.
So in the review meeting on Monday, it is clear what the first question has to be – and maybe it is better coming from president Sonja Hood, chief executive Jen Watt or football boss Todd Viney – Where is the disconnect?
Where is the breakdown in the system Clarkson is trying to teach?
Because it couldn’t look any worse than it does at the moment. Clarkson was brought to the club to implement his premiership plan and it looks nowhere near up to it. Or the players aren’t following it.
And for one of the few times, North fans seemed to turn on the team late in the loss on Friday afternoon with frustrated chants.
Hard nut George Wardlaw stood out like a tuxedo at a pool party for the inspired effort and clean handling he produced, and every footy fan hopes his hamstrings hold together.
If Sheezel is the next captain, Wardlaw looks like the spiritual leader.
North will hope Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard wasn’t watching.
North desperately need him to help stiffen the back line and provide some steel, leadership and consistency.
But on that evidence, for all the money in football, he won’t be going anywhere near Arden St.
2. SYDNEY
It is hard to peg it all on the grand final scars when Sydney has had so many key injuries this year.
But Dean Cox’s men could quickly find themselves out of finals calculations.
And it continues the trend of clubs who get belted in the premiership decider falling out of the eight the following season.
For the last 30 minutes on Sunday, super sub Aaron Francis looked like Charlie Curnow banging home three late goals to give the Swans a chance at home against Port Adelaide.
But with Chad Warner going only OK this year (seven AFL Coaches votes for the season), and no Tom Papley, Errol Gulden or Callum Mills, this is not the same side that looked like the best team in it by some margin for the bulk of last season.
So much currently rides on the shoulders of Isaac Heeney who gave everything.
But now the 2-4 Swans face a difficult fortnight against Gold Coast away and GWS Giants (SCG) before taking on Essendon (Marvel) and Carlton (SCG) as part of a stretch will either help make or break their season.
To Port Adelaide’s credit, the Power’s season has steadied after a disastrous round one loss to Collingwood had everyone calling the succession plan a dud.
Superstar onballer Zak Butters is back to looking like one of the best and toughest ballwinners in the competition again and when Jason Horne-Francis (20) touches and Connor Rozee (27) fire as well they are a handful.
They should climb back into the eight after toppling North Melbourne at home next week but they will have to prove themselves against better sides to earn their finals spot.
3. TEASERS
Fremantle is at risk of being the most underperformed team in the competition.
When you have a list like the Dockers, which lacks for nothing, the expectations rise after only one finals appearance in 10 years.
But when it comes to trust they are as reliable as a two dollar can opener, and especially on the road.
On Saturday in warm conditions, Jack Viney locked down on Caleb Serong, Max Gawn towelled up Sean Darcy in the ruck, and all flair went out of the Dockers’ game as they bombed long down the line instead of changing angles in the loss to Melbourne.
They can beat up on the opposition all they want in Perth, but the Dockers’ record at the MCG under Justin Longmuir is 4-6.
So while there has been plenty of hype, again, about a top-four team this season, there remains one of the biggest asterisks in the game.
LIKES
1. BEVO’S DOGS HAVE SPIRIT AND BITE
Luke Beveridge is going to have to climb some mountain to make something of this season.
In what could be his final year at the club pending a decision on his contract, Beveridge will have to overcome some of the greatest adversity of his coaching career.
As if this year hasn’t been turbulent enough losing Jamarra Ugle-Hagan for reasons which still confound the footy industry, as well as Adam Treloar and Cody Weightman, Sam Darcy also went down on Sunday night in what is the biggest injury story of the season so far.
His suspected serious knee injury is a gut-wrenching blow and a shattering loss for the league.
But Beveridge will have to try to find a hook and a narrative to help the Dogs attempt to achieve something special this year against all odds without the No. 1 pick and the prodigiously talented Darcy.
Certainly, judging by the captain Marcus Bontempelli’s inspired performance in the win over St Kilda, he is still a believer in 2025.
They have got their backs to the wall, the Doggies, but over the past month they have the best onball operation in the league, and a sense of spirit.
And that was without Bontempelli until Sunday night when he put on a masterclass to remind us why many still believe he is still the best player in the league.
His hands are as sharp as a sushi knife.
And even after starting the first five rounds on the sidelines he looked like a man who has lost none of his superstar qualities pushing forward.
The tag went to Ed Richards which, for the first time in a long time, will release Bontempelli in a way he will relish for the rest of the season if other clubs follow suit.
If they are going to make something of this year and push into finals, the assault will have to be powered from the middle.
But they have the weapons.
There might have been an angst at the club in recent seasons over the non-selection of Caleb Daniel, Jack Macrae and perhaps even Lachie Hunter going back even further.
But there is a sense of unity and purpose at the kennel this year.
If they can overcome these odds, the Dogs, Beveridge will deserve that new deal.
2. SUPER SETH
The Richmond rebuild has received a big electric jolt.
For all the talk about all the top draft picks from last year, there is a rookie pick from Clarence in Tasmania who looks on track to become one of the most damaging small forwards in the game.
Seth Campbell, 20, was the man who pulled off the backflip celebration when he kicked the magnificent sealer against Carlton in the upset of the year in Round 1.
But what he produced to pip Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night shows the speedster is no novelty act.
If he isn’t pinched by Tasmania in coming years, the lightning forward is going to put together some highlights reel at the MCG over his career, and to get him at pick 12 in the rookie draft makes him potentially one of the biggest draft bargains in recent years.
The No. 44 showed he has all the tricks on Saturday night after his blazing run down the wing which set up the Sam Lalor goal, the juggled mark and long bomb from 50m in the third term, and the eye-of-the-needle snap after the Mac Andrew skirmish in the first term.
But don’t sleep on his work rate either because there is some Gryan Miers in his ability to push up the field and then burn off his men on the rush back to goal.
The kid has a tank and he is handy overhead.
Maurice Rioli played maybe the best game of his career, too, to show the small forward revival is back on in earnest at Punt Rd.
But Campbell won’t fly under the radar anymore despite playing 21 games last year for 10 goals.
He has serious speed, a penetrating kick and some sizzle in his game which is sure to attract the recruiting attention of the AFL’s 19th club.
Richmond has already locked him in until next year and list boss Blair Hartley will be quick to get a new deal under his nose.
3. LATTE WITH ONE
Max Gawn’s catch-up with the incoming Melbourne president Steve Smith in Adelaide might have sent hearts racing about a coaching check-in.
But the Melbourne captain on Saturday made it absolutely clear what he thought of under-pressure coach Simon Goodwin on Saturday.
The Demons might have been one of the worst last-quarter teams this season, but the big man pulled out one of the most heroic terms of his career in the last 30 minutes to steer the Demons home.
And make no mistake, this win was in part to show how much the team still plays for its coach.
Gawn might be Goodwin’s biggest fan and it was plain to see against a Fremantle ruckman who looks underdone, but is still a handful to shift around in Sean Darcy.
Gawn missed the crucial set shot which could have buried the Dockers earlier in the final term, but his aerial prowess was first class as he set up some crucial goals with his tap work at the death.
The Darcy performance will ignite a fresh wave of questions about whether the Dockers should make Luke Jackson the number one man when he returns from injury.
But Gawn was the story.
And while he can have coffee with the new president, it is clear his heart and mind is still fully behind the coach whose job looks safe for now.
4. DEFENDING MOORE
Collingwood is challenging Geelong for the best defensive system.
The Magpies lost their shape and Darcy Moore lost his All-Australian form last season.
But five rounds in, the Magpies are one of the teams to beat again because of the way they set up and control the ground on defence which makes it easier for Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard and perhaps most importantly, Moore, to intercept in defence.
In fact, with the pressure and shape in attack and through the middle, being a Collingwood defender might be the best job in footy in the early part of the season.
Brisbane has the best ball movement in the game and the Lions could only manage 37 inside 50s and 53 points at home on Thursday night. That is a big statement from a team who know Jordan De Goey won’t play his best footy until the back end of the season.
Superstar Nick Daicos is back to his best and has attracted all the attention in recent weeks but it’s the defence which has catapulted the club back into the hunt for a second flag in three years.
Tip your lid to assistant coach Jordan Roughead who leads the defensive regime.
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