Early Tackle: Scott Gullan’s likes and dislikes from round 10 so far

By half-time on Saturday night, the conversation surrounding the Bombers was about whether they were a bottom four team rather than a potential top eight side, writes SCOTT GULLAN.

The Blues led at the last change but couldn’t get the job done on Friday night as the pressure on Michael Voss intensifies.

Meanwhile, Sydney’s season is still alive.

Scott Gullan names his early like and dislike here.

DISLIKES

REALITY BITE

This was the night. Five wins from the past six games looks good on paper but taking on the Western Bulldogs in prime time on a Saturday night is statement time.

Are you a trustworthy outfit with realistic September hopes or one which has enjoyed an easier early season draw?

It took less than half-an-hour to answer that question and it was clearly the latter.

By half-time the conversation surrounding the Bombers was about whether they were a bottom four team rather than a potential top eight.

This was putrid from Brad Scott’s team. One goal to half-time is embarrassing and it meant that in the previous four quarters – taking in the two-goal second half against Sydney last week – they’d managed just three goals.

It was a horror night for Essendon. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

The Bombers engine room was given a lesson by the Dogs and from there their young inexperienced underbelly was exposed.

Captain Zach Merrett has been carrying the load brilliantly all year but even he was rendered helpless by the Bulldogs blitz, only having eight touches in the second half for 20 for the match.

The gulf in class was glaringly obvious when the opposition had players like Marcus Bontempelli and Bailey Dale doing as they pleased.

Sadly for Bombers fans, their statement night turned into a cruel reality check.

MORE BLUES RUBBISH

Michael Voss’ angry post-match press conference said it all.

The Carlton coach knows he is running out of time, not just for this season, but potentially in the bigger picture as these sort of losses could impact his job security down the track.

Voss was rightly “p****d” at his team for another final quarter fade-out which saw an undermanned Sydney kick five of the last six goals to claim its own season-saving victory.

The Blues are now 10th with just four wins for the year – two of those against the bottom two sides West Coast and North Melbourne.

Michael Voss. Picture: Getty Images

That is rubbish for a team that boasts a top six which includes two-time Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps, Charlie Curnow, Sam Walsh, Jacob Weitering, Harry McKay and Tom De Koning.

Not having the urgency against a struggling Sydney team was what would hurt Voss the most.

Wise old coaches always say don’t lose to what you know. The only way the Swans were going to win was if Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner carried them over the line.

Voss knew this and had plans for both but as he said post-match, his players simply didn’t follow instructions.

“Roles that we had; we strayed from. Heeney and Warner we put a heap of effort into in our planning and we couldn’t get it done in the second half. They got off the chain,” he said.

Heeney and Warner combined for 68 disposals and 4.5 on the scoreboard.

Courtesy of a luxury draw the Blues do have a chance to briefly keep their heads above the water over the next month with a Marvel Stadium clash against Greater Western Sydney next week followed by the bye before taking on Essendon at the MCG and then double-up games against the Eagles and North.

They have to win three out of those four to have any chance of remaining alive for 2025 and it’s a position the Carlton board wouldn’t have thought they’d be in at the start of the year which is a worry for Voss.

NOT QUITE YET

Good teams have trust.

They have trust in each other and generate trust from their supporters because every week they know what they’re going to get.

With Collingwood that’s an extraordinary will to win, a brilliant game plan that doesn’t rely on personnel and an inbuilt ability to know what each other is doing.

Adelaide still doesn’t have trust.

Just when everything points to them becoming a legitimate contender, they fail a critical test.

The Crows look like a team that would thrive on the big stage of September, a dangerous tall forward line, the biggest X-factor in the game (Isaac Rankine) and a gun captain (Jordan Dawson).

But when you’re a team that hasn’t played finals since the 2017 Grand Final, you have to earn your stripes.

For Adelaide that was ending the hold Collingwood had on them. The last four games against the Pies had been cliff-hangers with the Crows blowing big chances to win and ultimately losing all by under a goal.

Izak Rankine was one of the Crows’ most wasteful stars against Collingwood.

They came to the MCG on a nine-game losing streak against the Pies so the stage was set to make a statement, break the curse and announce themselves as a legitimate finals contender.

To do that they had to nail the big moments, it’s the only way to beat this well-oiled Collingwood team. They didn’t.

The blown chances in front of goal will haunt Matthew Nicks in the coming days.

In the second quarter Darcy Fogarty, who was the Crows best forward all day, missed a left-foot set-shot snap from next to the behind post. You could live with that given he’d kicked three goals in the quarter.

But you can’t live with the misses in the third quarter when Adelaide dominated general play but couldn’t capitalise.

Rankine kicked two gettable set shots out on the full and then youngster Daniel Curtin missed a set shot from 25m directly in front.

Then in the last quarter when they were surging and within 17 points, Josh Rachele fluffed his big point sending a 35m set shot wide for a point.

From the resultant kick-in Collingwood went end-to-end with Brody Mihocek kicking a tough set-shot from 52m.

That’s one word . . . trust.

COLD WEATHER

The first real crack of winter caused havoc at the Adelaide Oval.

Four hamstring injuries before half-time – two from each side – was clearly a response to the arctic conditions which despite being in the middle of May hadn’t yet impacted this season.

Port star Jason Horne-Francis was the first to go, clutching his right hamstring after an attempted chase midway through the first quarter.

Unfortunately the Power had already activated their sub after Josh Sinn was forced out of the game, getting a nasty corked hip in a marking contest against Irishman Mark O’Connor in the opening couple of minutes.

Geelong had their first hammy victim shortly after with Jack Bowes departing when his hammie went ping.

The carnage continued in the second quarter with Cats skipper Patrick Dangerfield, who’d been strangely quiet, forced from the ground with his right hamstring giving way.

And then to even up the hamstring-a-thon, Port defender Lachie Jones pulled his left one and limped from the ground.

So by time-on of the second quarter, five players had already been ruled out of the game.

Afterwards Geelong star Jeremy Cameron, who kicked seven goals in a brilliant win, gave a unique take on losing Dangerfield from the forward line.

“He’s due, he averages one hammie a year but we’ll look after him,” Cameron said.

LIKES

CRUISE TIME

Mission Impossible has been the theme of the week with Tom Cruise launching the final instalment of his popular action series.

At the start of the season the Western Bulldogs were facing what many thought was the AFL’s equivalent of Mission Impossible.

They had a coach out-of-contract and seemingly under pressure before a ball was bounced, their best player and captain Marcus Bontempelli was out injured, as were other key playmakers Adam Treloar, Cody Weightman and full-back Liam Jones, while gun forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was MIA.

Ryley Sanders and Buku Khamis after the win. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

In the lead-up to the opening round, there were many experts predicting North Melbourne would beat them in the first game.

Two months later and the Dogs have emerged as a premiership contender.

The way they bullied Essendon on Saturday night was the sign of a team who knows they’re playing at a much higher level than most in the competition.

“I think they can be a very serious contender because they have got excellent role players,” Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall said in the Fox Footy commentary.

While the likes of Bailey Dale – who had an extraordinary club record 49 disposals – Bontempelli (24 touches, two goals) Tom Liberatore (34 possessions, eight clearances, one goal) and Ed Richards (27 disposals and two goals) were their usual excellent selves it’s the support cast which continues to get better and better.

Rhylee West kicked four goals, Buku Khamis was exciting at centre half-forward (3.1 goals), young gun Riley Sanders (24 possessions) continued his rapid second year improvement while James O’Donnell again looked every bit a 200-game defender.

Speedy Lathan Vandermeer got under the Bombers skin early, Joel Freijah is becoming a serious player by the week, mature first-year recruit Sam Davidson continues to look comfortable while no-nonsense Luke Cleary has slotted into the back six.

But when you’re talking about playing your role for the team, Rory Lobb deserves as much plaudits as anyone. His career-saving move to defence has completely transformed the Dogs.

Only Collingwood are probably playing at the same standard as the Dogs right now.

Next on the agenda is what once they might have viewed as another Mission Impossible – a trip down the highway to play Geelong on Thursday night – but there is no such thing for Beveridge’s team anymore.

Isaac Heeney is presented with the Goodes-O'Loughlin Medal. Picture: Getty Images

There are plenty of great players who for a variety of reasons never win a Brownlow Medal.

Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli is the modern-day poster boy for this club given how close he has come yet despite brilliant seasons, the umpires seem to find someone else better.

Isaac Heeney could be joining him.

Everything about the Swans superstar screams Brownlow medallist. He is tough, courageous, fair, brilliant, exciting and wins matches off his own boot as he did against Carlton on Friday night.

Isaac Heeney seals the game for the Swans ⭐#AFLSwansBluespic.twitter.com/FSK1nDHSQ5

— AFL (@AFL) May 16, 2025

Heeney was a good-thing beaten in last year’s Brownlow medal count. The 29-year-old was like Vo Rogue in the first half of the season, polling 21 votes by round 10 when he was clearly the best player in the league.

But he was controversially suspended in round 17 for an incident many thought didn’t warrant a one-match penalty and ended up finishing an ineligible fourth in the Brownlow.

That was his year, the Swans were winning games and the golden boy was leading the way.

Now that Sydney is going through transition and obviously not winning as much the opportunities for Heeney to get the three votes are unfortunately diminishing.

MORE FLOWERS PLEASE

It sounds ridiculous that a best and fairest winner in a premiership year would still be in the shadows but when you’re the brother of possibly the best player in the game, that can happen.

Josh Daicos was the best player for Collingwood throughout the 2023 season playing on a wing.

Late last year when the Pies were struggling, he was switched to half-back by coach Craig McRae with promising results.

For Collingwood to continue to evolve, they couldn’t serve up the same thing and positioning the oldest Daicos behind the ball was seen as a risk worth taking.

Josh Daicos’ evolution as a halfback has been crucial for Collingwood.

It has turned into a masterstroke with Josh everywhere against Adelaide on a wet afternoon at the MCG where his elite skill and creativity shone out.

Midfielders becoming defenders used to be frowned upon but it’s now a trend – Port captain Connor Rozee is the latest – and Daicos is happy to be a cheerleader for it.

“I love playing with the backs, we have a great chemistry down there and I have a ball playing with them,” he said.

Against the Crows he had 29 touches – his brother had 28 after at one stage having one kick and 11 handballs late in the second quarter – to be the highest possession winner on the ground.

THE NEW LING

Stopping opposition stars is about the only thing they share in common.

One was a local boy, who started as a full-forward and then became an All-Australian tagger and premiership captain.

The other hails from the other side of the world, was introduced to the game as a defender and is now Chris Scott’s blanket

Irishman Oisin Mullin is the second coming of Cameron Ling.

Having a weapon to sit on the gun midfielders of opposition clubs is a luxury for Scott and it could end up being the ace up his sleeve later in the year.

Oisin Mullin hardly gave Zak Butters an inch.

Ling was a critical member of those great Geelong premiership sides of 2007-09-11 with his ability to negate freeing up others to do the damage.

Mullin, 25, arrived at Kardinia Park from County Mayo in 2021 and was playing his 27th game against Port Adelaide on Saturday night.

Two weeks ago he was praised for his job on Collingwood’s Nick Daicos who many considered untaggable.

Mullin kept the Pies match-winner to just three disposals in the last quarter which went a long way to getting the Cats home in an epic close contest.

Against the Power, Scott deployed his stopper to Zak Butters and he delivered in spades again.

The Port superstar couldn’t shake Mullin and was a non-factor in a game which his team lost a handle on in the second half. He finished with just six kicks and 14 handballs.