AFL starts to regain its mojo as players fill the highlights reel
Port Adelaide’s thrilling win over Carlton at the Gabba was among several top matches where quality football returned.
Robbie Gray delivered the magical, matchwinning moment at the Gabba that encapsulated a marvellous round of football with a deadpan expression.
But as soon as the Port Adelaide champion realised his kick to clinch victory over Carlton in Brisbane on Sunday was arrow straight, the four-time All Australian erupted with glee. Port Adelaide’s three-point win at the Gabba enabled the Power to retain top position outright after a thrilling game that enraptured footy fans across the country.
It’s a fair bet neutral viewers stuck at home in the strangest of seasons would have been as excited as Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and the Power players.
Hinkley was arguably coaching for his career at the start of this season. The pressure has clearly focused his mind and the Power has handled the adversity of 2020 better than any side to date. Over the past week, Port has twice risen before dawn in Adelaide to fly to Queensland for resounding victories over the Giants and the vastly improved Carlton. Hinkley’s celebration in the coaching box on Sunday was boisterous as he embraced his assistants and thumped the door four times on the way out to join his players.
Given the quality of football played across the weekend, the odd exception such as North Melbourne aside, this might prove to be the round the game regained its mojo in 2020. From Collingwood’s classy performance in the wet on Thursday night in Perth to the great game at the Gabba, the football played was daring and dashing.
In a disjointed season, there has been significant criticism of the style of football played, some of it clearly justified.
But for all the hand-wringing about players kicking backwards, the teams showing the most dare and belief occupy the upper echelons of the ladder. Is the football being played in 2020 really that bad? Had critics paid enough attention to the manner with which Port Adelaide and Brisbane, for example, were playing and excelling?
From a distinguished champion in Carlton’s Eddie Betts to a Bulldogs debutant in Cody Weightman, there has been plentiful evidence to suggest Australian rules football has been far from dour. Coaches had warned leading into the resumption that players would struggle to produce their best form initially given the various challenges the 2020 season has presentedof the year. Being able to train together as a group only once a week is a clear example of this and a reason why some clubs have struggled to produce cohesive football.
Hinkley’s reaction 😂ðŸ‘
— 7AFL (@7AFL) July 19, 2020
pic.twitter.com/MF580m1QYF
All clubs now have more than two months of training and six matches under their belts. Better football is almost certainly ahead as sides find further rhythm.
The clash between Port Adelaide and Carlton provided an example of just how exciting football can be when played with dare and verve. Betts produced some superb moments in the opening half, with his flying mark on the half-forward flank in the first term as brilliant as the sunshine that bathed the Gabba.
Fans who have decried the lack of space in games would have been delighted to see Port Adelaide’s Darcy Byrne-Jones take four bounces while sprinting down the wing in the third term. Not long after 2019 Rising Star winner Sam Walsh risked head-and-chin when soaring courageously into a pack with the flight of the ball to mark.
The full forward position was supposed to be dead. Clearly no one told Charlie Dixon. The Power forward marked everything in sight when too strong for Liam Jones, though kicked poorly for a return of 3.4.
Elsewhere, some of the performances of players still in the infancy of their careers hint at a prosperous future for the game as well. On the Gold Coast, Izak Rankine has picked up the baton from the injured Matt Rowell and is shaping as a star of the future.
Bulldog Weightman’s opening term mark and goal against Essendon on Friday night were superb. Kysaiah Pickett displayed considerable skill for the Demons against Hawthorn. Reigning premier Richmond’s Derek Eggmolesse-Smith and Mabior Chol are shaping as Tigers of the future.
The next challenge will be to sustain and build further quality.
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Holy moly! Robbie Gray has won the game for @PAFC after the siren with a sensational set shot 🤯
— RSN927am (@RSN927) July 19, 2020
Where does that rank among the best ever winning goals?👇pic.twitter.com/pZVXL1Ss5I
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