Recap what you missed on the Monday night footy TV smorgasbord

THE four shows wrapped up an action-packed weekend of footy, with Essendon, North Melbourne and Fremantle dominating the agendas.

Port v Melbourne AFL game at Adelaide Oval.

HAD an important dinner, stayed at work late or filled in for your friend’s basketball side on Monday night and missed the AFL television smorgasbord?

No stress, we’ve got you covered.

The four shows wrapped up an action-packed weekend of footy, with Essendon, North Melbourne and Fremantle dominating the agendas.

AFL360 (FOX FOOTY)

TOP of the agenda was retiring West Coast ruckman Dean Cox, who announced on Monday that he would retire at season’s end.

Co-host Mark Robinson said the Eagles’ 2006 premiership big man and six-time all-Australian will bow out as one of the greatest ever West Coast players.

“In my time in footy, he’s the second-best performed ruckman I saw. Simon Madden was one, Cox is two,” he said.

“When Cox first arrived on the scene, we all thought Cox was the prototype ruckman. We haven’t seen anything like it. He’s a future Hall of Famer.

“He was part of that midfield of Cox, (Chris) Judd, (Daniel) Kerr and (Ben) Cousins — that is the best starting four (midfield group) in the history of the game.”

Anthony Hudson, who filled in for regular host Gerard Whateley, added: “He has been a magnificent player. Arguably the greatest rookie of all time.”

Cox then joined Hudson and Robinson via phone, where he admitted his body wasn’t allowing him to produce performances to the level he wanted to.

VOTE: IS COX THE BEST MODERN RUCKMAN?

“I have very high standards that I set upon myself. And if I can’t reach those standards, I knew it’s time to give the game away.”

“You’d love to play for as long as you can, but I’m a realist. I’m lucky enough to have played until I’m 33.”

Congratulations to Dean Cox on an outstanding career. Revolutionized the role of the Ruckman.The best I've seen play our great game #bigcox

— Hamish mcintosh (@HMcintosh01) July 21, 2014

FREMANTLE’S loss to St Kilda was a big blow to its hopes of hosting a qualifying final.

While the good news is that key players Hayden Ballantyne, Stephen Hill and Aaron Sandilands aren’t too far away from making their respective returns, Robinson said there are “mechanics” in the Dockers’ line-up that coach Ross Lyon would be concerned about after the defeat.

“They didn’t turn up to play and St Kilda took advantage and blew them out of the water,” Robinson said.

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“Ross Lyon spoke about effort. But it wasn’t just about effort. He’ll know who did their role and who didn’t do their role. But they were exposed. When that happens, everything collapses and it looks like they’re not trying.

“It was a really bad loss, but knowing Ross Lyon, he’ll use this as a positive. “

NORTH Melbourne’s shock loss to Carlton was also on the agenda.

Robinson accused the Kangaroos of playing with arrogance and a poor attitude.

“I think they’ve got big heads. I think they go into games thinking ‘we’ve got so much talent to burn and we can see it and things are just going to happen’,” Robinson said.

PART II: ROUND 18 BAROMETER

“What underpins all North Melbourne losses is their underperforming forward line. They are in sixth spot and they’ve had a non-performing forward line for the whole season. They’ve got to find another key forward, because they’re struggling.”

Hudson revealed star midfielder Daniel Wells, who has been out of action for the past three months with a foot injury, will return to the VFL this weekend and play a half.

AFTER the opening break, Essendon coach Mark Thompson — coming off a tight win over the Western Bulldogs — and Melbourne coach Paul Roos — coming off a heartbreaking loss to Port Adelaide — joined the panel for their regular Monday night slots.

The Bombers’ win over the Bulldogs was highlighted by Jake Carlisle’s eight-goal haul — a haul that had Thompson grinning from ear to ear.

“At one point, we just thumped the ball in there (inside 50) thinking ‘he’ll just mark the ball’,” Thompson said.

THE TACKLE: BOMBER JAKE MAKES HIS MARK

“I’m happy for him that he’s playing good footy. He’s shown he can play at both ends, which is a real asset.

“I just coached him, supported him, worked with him and built his form up.”

Robinson added that Carlisle is a “special player”.

“He’s got rare hands. He can take Essendon to new places. He’s the hottest player in the comp right now. (But) he’s just got to find consistency,” Robinson said.

FLETCHER IS FINISHED: BRERETON

THOMPSON was then quizzed on the playing future of Bombers defender Dustin Essendon, who struggled to have an impact at either end of the ground against the Bulldogs.

The Essendon coach said what Fletcher does next season is “completely up to” the veteran.

“He might decide he wants to play on, (but) I haven’t spoken to him about it. It’ll be soon, I suppose.”

Roos added: “The biggest thing is a player can be going really well, but when they get to a certain age and it (a form slump) can happen really quickly, and that’s difficult when you face that situation (of potentially retiring). It’s so hard for players to make that decision.”

THE return of exiled Bombers coach James Hird was also raised, with Thompson adamant no decision on Hird’s match-day role had been agreed upon yet.

“I’ve only spoken to him once this year. When he gets back we’ll have a chat,” Thompson said.

“It won’t be a distraction to the players. We’re just concentrating on footy. It’s only fair to them.”

MELBOURNE fell agonisingly short of upsetting Port Adelaide on the weekend, falling three points short at the Adelaide Oval.

But coach Roos found plenty of positives from the performance.

“It was the best two-way game we’d played after half-time. Our second half was the best we’d done all year. We were able to impact the scoreboard, but also apply great pressure,” Roos said.

ROOS was asked about reports linking the Demons with star Sydney defender, and free agent, Nick Malceski.

“I think he’s in career-best form, but I haven’t spoken to him,” he said.

“(But) we definitely need a running half-back that can use the footy. We’ve got a great group of defenders, but we need that line breaking guy.

ROOS was also quizzed about his meeting with aspiring coach Cameron Ling.

“It was just an informal chat. That (being an assistant coach) is the next stage he wants to get to. Once you get an assistant’s role, you can then get an idea of what it takes.”

BEFORE the end of the show, Carlton’s Jarrad Waite was thrown onto the agenda.

After an inconsistent 2014 season filled with injuries, suspensions and form slumps, Waite roared to life against North Melbourne in Round 18, booting four goals and laying six tackles in the Blues’ win.

However Robinson said there is no guarantee that free agent Waite would remain at the Blues in 2015.

“He has three choices: he stays at Carlton, is traded by Carlton or walks out of the club as a free agent. I’d like to see him stay, but I think he might have been hurt a couple of times this year by getting dropped. A few clubs are circling him,” Robinson said.

ON THE COUCH (FOX FOOTY)

GEELONG’S narrow win over the GWS Giants on Saturday night just another a win where it barely did enough to earn four points, according to veteran AFL journalist Mike Sheahan.

Sheahan said the Cats continue to “do what they have to do” to win games, instead of grinding sides into the ground like they had done in previous years.

”They’ve had eight games decided by 20 points or less — and they’ve won all of them,” he said.

“No one rates them at the moment except (coach) Chris Scott. They still find ways to get across the line.”

Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy, however, was not as glowing in his assessment of the Cats.

“I don’t think they defend well enough when they get the game in control,” he said.

“You look at Chris Scott in the coaches box and he’s frustrated. He knows he’s got one more shot at a Grand Final with this list of players.”

Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall added: “They’re so good that they set everything up in the first half. They do their work early then hit their comfort zone. If they get challenged, they can find their way out of it. But they go into cruise control early.”

FREMANTLE’S humiliating loss to St Kilda means its chances of earning a top-two spot are in jeopardy, according to Sheahan.

The Dockers face three top-five sides (Geelong, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide) as part of their five remaining games.

“They’re no certainties to make the Grand Final. All measures are saying they weren’t ready to face St Kilda,” Sheahan said.

Dunstall said he had “never seen a more listless performance” by the Dockers in recent years.

“At no stage did they mount a challenge. I thought the midfield was particularly poor,” he said.

“It was un-Fremantle like. It was as if 20 of them had a weekend off.”

Healy said the Dockers’ trademark defensive pressure is nowhere near as manic this season.

This is evident by the average time spent in the Dockers’ forward half, which they are ranked seventh in the competition

“Chris Mayne hasn’t been the same influential player and Michael Walters hasn’t been there,” Healy said.

THE panel then turned its attention to Port Adelaide, which escaped with a narrow win over Melbourne on Sunday.

They highlighted a handful of players, including skipper Travis Boak, Matthew Lobbe, Hamish Hartlett and Jared Polec, whose form had dropped off significantly in recent weeks.

However all three panellists were full of praise for young midfielder Ollie Wines, who is averaging 26 disposals and 105 SuperCoach points this season, which are outstanding numbers for a second-year player.

“He will be a career star and probably end up as Port Adelaide’s captain,” Healy said

Dunstall added that he admires Wines because he “plays the same way all the time”, while Sheahan said Wines “was born to play league footy.”

SUPERCOACH STUDS AND DUDS: ROUND 18

HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson was the show’s special guest and revealed how disappointed he was at the AFL and North Melbourne for its handling of Brian Lake’s choking incident with Drew Petrie.

Lake accepted a four-week suspension from the AFL Tribunal after wrestling with Petrie and grabbing his opponent’s throat during the Hawks’ Round 16 loss to the Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium.

However the Hawks defender spent four days in the public eye and received ample media coverage before the verdict was handed down.

“I was disappointed with the way we handled it as a footy club, I was disappointed with the way North handled it as a footy club and I was disappointed with the way the AFL handled it,” Clarkson said.

MRP: ROBINSON COPS TWO

“We got a Tuesday night hearing, (but Kangaroos coach Brad) Scotty’s speaking on Monday night, Drew’s on the telly twice across the weekend, he’s on radio on the weekend.

“What Lakey did wasn’t right and he had to pay a price for that. But the way it was trotted out across four days — I think as an industry we can do a whole hell of a lot better than that.

“That includes realising as an AFL body this is a pretty serious incident that’s occurred on the Friday night that’s going to gather plenty of media, maybe ringing both clubs and saying ‘listen, whoever’s involved in these incidents shouldn’t be talking to anyone involved in the press until the hearing is heard.”

IF YOU DON’T MIND, UMPIRE!

Clarkson suggested holding a tribunal hearing on a Sunday night in the future, saying it would be “great for the game”.

“Friday night incidents, we should get them out of the road. Refer them straight to the tribunal and get them straight to the tribunal as soon as you possibly can.

“It helps everyone. And that can be done by the Sunday night.”

CLARKSON also weighed in to the debate surrounding the interpretation of holding the ball, revealing he’d prefer to eradicate the prior opportunity rule “out of the game altogether.”

“There are just so many grey areas to do with that particular rule in our game and I reckon our game survived really well for a long period of time when that ruling wasn’t in. It’s just made it more confusing,” he said.

“We’ve got a very complex game and we’re making it even more complex with the way we’re interpreting the holding the ball decision and prior opportunity.”

The Hawks coach also said defender Josh Gibson, who has been sidelined with a pectoral injury for the past few months, is a strong chance to return to face Sydney in Saturday night’s blockbuster clash and, potentially, play on Lance Franklin.

“If he gets through training this week, then he’s a big chance. He’s pretty keen to play. He was even keen to play against Adelaide before the bye,” Clarkson said.

“He’s had a serious injury, so we need to make sure he’s right. Our docs have been really conservative in his rehabilitation program. “

TALKING FOOTY (7MATE)

MELBOURNE utility James Frawley spoke about his playing future.

Recent reports have suggested that free agent Frawley, whose contract with the Demons runs out at the end of this season, and his management are seeking a new seven-year deal.

However Frawley said the number of years reported was incorrect.

“Security’s always a positive, but I don’t know where the seven years comes from,” he said.

“I just want to be at a successful club. Melbourne’s going in the right direction at the moment.

“I’m just biding my time and waiting to make my decision.”

Frawley said he would like to make a decision in the next four or five weeks.

FORMER Western Bulldogs ruckman Luke Darcy suggested the Bulldogs should use skipper Ryan Griffen as currency to lure one of GWS’ three tall forward to Whitten Oval.

Darcy said one of Tom Boyd, Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron, who worked well together during the Giants’ narrow loss to Geelong on Saturday night, would be available to pick up in the coming years.

The 2002 all-Australian said the Bulldogs must be bold and brave to give them the best possible chance at poaching one of the Giants’ big men.

“The only currency they’ve got to me is Ryan Griffen … he is a superstar, an all-Australian last year,” Darcy said.

“He’s 27 at the moment. You’ve got to throw up something and potentially put the current captain on the table.”

FOOTY CLASSIFIED (CHANNEL 9)

JAMES Hird’s imminent return to the Bombers led the show’s agenda.

Hird returns from studying in France on July 28 and is allowed to rejoin the club from August 25. However the Herald Sun understands Hird has told people close to him that he’s keen to stay away from a hands-on role, aware he needs to give current coach Mark Thompson space.

Essendon champion goalkicker Matthew Lloyd said it was important that Thompson remained the senior coach until the end of the season.

“To me, it’s common sense that he (Hird) doesn’t have a match-day role and he just has a back room role,” Lloyd said.

DUSTIN Fletcher’s playing future was also discussed, with the panel grilling Fletcher’s former teammate, Lloyd, about whether the veteran should play on next year.

“He’s had a better year this year than he had last year. At the moment, who’s better out of him and Tayte Pears? I’d probably say Fletcher,” Lloyd said.

“(But) if he gets rested or dropped in the next six weeks, maybe Fletcher will say to himself this isn’t for him.

“I don’t think he is a liability. I think he’s got some footy left in him still.

TRIGG SET TO TAKE BLUES CHIEF POST

THE panel also made mention of the similar themes arising from North Melbourne players and coaches following losses this year.

The underlying melody behind all post-match responses suggests the team is confused and unsure why they lose games.

Melbourne champion Garry Lyon said those kind of responses were unacceptable.

“If you don’t know why you’re losing, you don’t know why you’re winning,” he said.

Lloyd added: “If you just allow your opposition to get a run on, you’re asking for trouble.”

CARLTON is expected to announced Steven Trigg as its new chief executive officer on Tuesday morning, a move Caroline Wilson lauded, despite Trigg’s hand in the Adelaide-Kurt Tippett salary cap scandal at the end of the 2012 season.

“Steven Trigg’s been given a second chance, I think he deserves another chance,” Wilson said.

“It’s a positive move by Carlton. He won’t leave Adelaide straight away, but he’ll be there soon.”

FRESH from his appearance on AFL360, Melbourne coach Paul Roos graced our television sets for the second time in three hours.

Roos, who in 2013 signed a two-year contract with an optional third year, was quizzed about his intentions as Demons coach and if he wanted to extend his tenure beyond 2015.

Roos admitted he hadn’t made up his mind yet, but said he was “absolutely” more open to the idea, compared to when he first began negotiating with Demons chief executive Peter Jackson.

“I’m really enjoying it, enjoying the group of players. While it’s been frustrating at times, I can see some real progress,” Roos said.

“When you’re coaching, you don’t think about next year unless it’s something about list management.

However Roos said he was happy to hurry his decision if either the club’s administration, board or playing group needed an urgent answer.

“It really needs to be promoted within the club. If it’s an issue with the players, I’m more than happy to discuss it,” he said.

“Hopefully what I’m doing for the footy club is getting them competitive.”

ROOS also admitted he had begun informal discussions with potential coaches — including Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling — to eventually succeed him.

“We’re really just getting a feel for things at the moment. Ideally you’d like a shortlist by Round 22 then hopefully we can really get stuck into it and take it to the board,” he said.

“I’m more comfortable with it (the succession plan) because of John (Longmire) in Sydney and I’ve seen it work.”

Roos admitted he is keen to retain free agent James Frawley, who has shopped himself around to other clubs yet not negotiated with the Dees to date.

“We haven’t made him an offer because he hasn’t been prepared to sit down. And that’s fine, that’s his choice because of free agency,” Roos said.

“We want him to stay and we hope we can get in front of him and see what he wants to do.”

Originally published as Recap what you missed on the Monday night footy TV smorgasbord