AFL Talking Points Round 16: West Coast’s dominance, Majak Daw’s magic comeback

An Eagles duo acted like a pair of Pelicans as they hammed it up after a Derby triumph but an AFL legend has warned the premier is no joke.

Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass enjoy a good laugh, note their shorts.

Early season pace-setters Geelong, Collingwood and GWS all failed miserably at the weekend as a host of teams pushed to make the finals.

The ladder has become somewhat packed with eight points separating the fifth-placed Giants and 12th-placed Western Bulldogs and if you remove the Giants from that equation just 10 percentage points separates them in total.

It’s all set up for a big end to the season now.

Here are the talking points from round seven of the AFL.

WEST COAST LAUGHING AT FREO AND MAYBE THE COMPETITION

Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass enjoy a good laugh, note their shorts.

Allow the photo leading this article to tell you all you need to know about the Premiers — and that is, they are having a laugh.

Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass may have got their pants higher than a kite in this photo after a big Derby win but how how light-heartedly these two enjoyed what would traditionally be called a big win says a lot.

Firstly that all is well at the Eagles after a slow start to the season.

Second they absolutely can go back-to-back.

While we know that Fremantle right now are far more pretenders than contenders the Eagles went about destroying their rivals in a fashion that was both emphatic and impressive.

What’s more the club is in an even better place than they were personnel wise last season.

They beat Freo without two-time Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy as fellow experienced forwards Jack Darling and Jamie Cripps kicked four goals each but also impressive was third-gamer Jarrod Cameron, who kicked four himself in a match where both Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli were kept quiet.

‘You didn’t know we;re this good?’ Jarrod Cameron celebrates a goal.

The Eagles have also got a fit Nic Naitanui back — they didn’t have him last season and Brad Sheppard, who was best on ground against the Dockers has also become an elite player in the competition.

AFL legend Leigh Matthews agrees, especially as Naitanui gets back to full fitness.

“We’ve always thought when they brought in the 6-6-6 set-up, where only six players from each team are allowed around the centre bounce, that Nic Naitanui’s ruck work and his second effort stuff would be really valuable,” Matthews said.

Nic Naitanui rises higher than Aaron Sandilands for the Sherrin.

“It’s already been that way.

“He’s only played 50 per cent of game time, and he’s only showing glimpses.

“But if he gets back to being 70-80 per cent game time, and gets anywhere near his best, Luke Shuey will be a better player.

“He is just such an X-factor player, Naitanui. He’s not prolific, but his glimpses and touches of the ball can be absolutely dynamic.”

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAJAK?

Majak Daw is congratulated by teammates after his first game back.

OK, so bad American Pie references aside this one is the feel good story of the week and maybe the season.

North Melbourne’s Majak Daw pulling the boots back on for his first competitive game since he was found by emergency crews at the bottom of Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge after a horrific series of events makes one feel warm and tingly.

Daw didn’t have to be impressive in his VFL return because just getting back on the field itself was impressive.

In his fall Daw suffered hip and pelvic fractures in December’s incident, with the extent of the injuries meaning he effectively had to learn to walk again.

Daw played limited game time for North Melbourne’s VFL team in Sunday’s clash with Sandringham at the Kangaroos’ Arden Street headquarters and appeared to move freely before his day ended, as planned, at quarter-time.

“It was super exciting having him back … it was a great day for the club and for Maj himself,” coach David Loader told reporters after North registered a 57-point win.

Daw was all smiles as he was given a hero’s welcome by about 1000 fans as he ran out for the warm-up, giving the crowd a fist pump in appreciation.

After the game Daw even handed out signatures as one young fan waited for almost two hours to get his heroes’ autograph. It was just one of many great moments.

Darcy waited in the cold for almost two hours to get his favourite player’s signature. @majakdaw said he was in good form and vowed to return for longer than 18 minutes next week. pic.twitter.com/bmfJ8rmDfC

— Charlotte Grieve (@CharlotteGriev1) July 7, 2019

Plenty of others chimed in with their happy thoughts on Daw’s return.

Love seeing @majakdaw back in action! We’ve missed you big man!!

— David King (@davidking34) July 7, 2019

Couldn’t hold back emotions during that first bounce and when he touched the ball today man ❤️ So proud of this guy and how far he has come💯 Well Done Majak we are all behind you 🔵⚪️ North Melbourne Fans, y’all are magnificent 👌🏿 #majakdaw https://t.co/aoDtB1VRyi

— Akec Makur Chuot (@AkecMakur) July 7, 2019

BIG CATS ARE ROARING

It’s not just the Brisbane Lions, who delivered a polished performance by beating GWS on Sunday afternoon to make the top four — but dare we say it Richmond are back.

Their massacre of the Gold Coast on Sunday saw that pesky percentage problem erased once and for all and with a host of stars back on deck and Jack Riewoldt and Toby Nankervis due back within the month suddenly things at Tigerland aren’t so grim.

They’re season was written off way back when Alex Rance’s ACL went on him but now they’re just win and some percentage points out of the top four, it’s quite the rise for a team who have stared adversity in the face all season long and somewhat come out on top.

Their path home isn’t easy with five of seven matches against top eight sides but go 3-2 in those and a meaningful September may not be far off.

ADELAIDE ARE ‘EMBARRASSING’

This is not a team who are performing well.

At the opposite end of the spectrum we have the once mighty Adelaide Crows.

A week after putting a good effort in against Geelong but ultimately coming up short they were belted by cross-town rivals Port Adelaide in a humiliating Showdown loss.

And club legend Mark Ricciuto duly whacked the Crows for the insipid display against Port.

“This is embarrassing at the moment,” said Ricciuto late in the last quarter, after Port Adelaide had firmly put its hold on the derby with six unanswered goals in the third term.

“The Crows fans are walking out — and so they should.”

“Adelaide have been really embarrassing in the last half — you can’t see it as any other way.”

Indeed even Crows coach Don Pyke saw it this way: “We were embarrassed — miles off what we expect from ourselves.”
With a pack of teams chasing finals the Crows now hardly seem a lock for September action — fortunately for the Crows fixtures against the Suns, Bombers, Blues and Saints over the next four weeks should see them through but any slip ups there could be catastrophic.