Early Tackle: Glenn McFarlane’s likes and dislikes from round 14 of the AFL season

The loss itself result wasn’t a surprise – but the way an uncompetitive Essendon was pulled apart was, writes Glenn McFarlane. And it all points to a long second half of the year.

The Hawks owned the moments that mattered on Friday night while the Dogs had everything their own way on Thursday under the roof.

What’s happened to Rossy’s DNA? And could the scheduling of an evening game on a freezing night in Launceston be more planned than first thought?

Glenn McFarlane names his likes and dislikes in the Early Tackle.

LIKES

‘DASH BROTHERS’ THE BEST ONE-TWO ACT IN FOOTY?

If the pre-game narrative was about the Scott twins reaching a collective 1000 games as players and coaches, the game-day talk centred firmly on the ‘Dash Brothers’ – Geelong’s running machines Bailey Smith and Max Holmes.

How do you stop them?

It’s almost the most vexed task in footy, with Fox Footy’s Jason Dunstall and Garry Lyon saying you can take down one, but it’s almost impossible to do it to both of them.

Bailey Smith had 41 disposals against the Bombers. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Midfield partner in crime Max Holmes had 36. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

“They are two unique runners … to have two of them in your team – not just one of them – means they are so hard to shut down because you don’t have two players in your arsenal who can shut down those players ... you are lucky to have one of them,” Jason Dunstall said.

Lyon agreed: “You’ve got to get your best gut runner – who is maybe one of the best five in the competition – and you’ve got to (shut down) two of them …(you’ve got) no chance.”

Geelong roared up to second on the ladder with a massive 95-point victory over an undermanned, outclassed Essendon, and it was fuelled by the run of Smith and Holmes, the pressure work of the Cats’ forwards, and a six-goal haul from Coleman Medal favourite Jeremy Cameron.

Smith and Holmes combined for a total of 77 disposals (41 and 36), 14 clearances (six and eight) and a staggering 1633 metres gained (760 and 873).

It sets up a massive Friday night clash with Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium to keep the Cats’ top two spot intact, in what looms as Patrick Dangerfield’s 350th match.

So which of the ‘Dash Brothers’ is the fastest over the ground? Holmes insisted on Fox Footy after the game: “Me easily over 100 metres, but if you take it past 400 metres I reckon he (Smith) would start to get me.”

HAWKS OWN THE MOMENTS

Sam Mitchell might want to fast forward to the last quarter when he and the Hawks sit down after their mid-year break to review Friday night’s ‘chiller-thriller’ victory over the Crows.

Yes, whatever happened before that needs to be addressed, but there was a lot to like about the way some of Hawthorn’s key players owned the big moments in the frantic final term, sending them off to the bye with a handy 9-5 win-loss ledger.

The Hawks didn’t just own the moments, they ripped them from the Crows’ hands. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Let’s break some of those big moments down.

There was Jack Gunston’s crafty experience of ducking out the back at a late stoppage, anticipating what might happen, then dishing off to Jai Newcombe who kicked the matchwinning goal.

The Hawks may have initially been lukewarm when Gunners requested a return from Brisbane at the end of 2023, but he has been important. And he deserves to go on again next year.

There was Mabior Chol’s late spoil just forward of centre when the Crows looked to be gearing up for a late flurry forward. He can be frustrating at times, as he was at stages on Friday, but Chol’s best can be very good.

There was Blake Hardwick’s clutch switch to Josh Weddle in the middle of the ground, a stunning kick that matched risk versus reward. It worked spectacularly, and helped to set up the hard-running Jarman Impey to deliver to Connor Macdonald for a crucial late goal.

There was Dylan Moore’s tackle-happy intent, Impey’s 10 interceptions and 756 metres gained, Weddle’s run and carry and Macdonald’s ability to make the most of even a half chance.

This might have been Hawthorn’s third-lowest-scoring win in its 100-year VFL-AFL history, but the reward was the same.

Key moments matter … Hawthorn ripped them out of the Crows’ hands; Adelaide left so many on the table.

Dylan Moore and Sam Mitchell sing the song. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

MOORE PLEASE!

Dylan Moore was an all-Australian last season, but has come in for some close attention after a challenging first half of the season.

But the way in which the Hawks vice-captain has filled the leadership breach in the absence of skipper James Sicily in the past fortnight has seen him get back to his best.

He refused to yield when it looked like the Crows had the edge, stepping up to the challenge of leading but also adapting to a slightly different role.

He relished the chance of taking on a James Worpel-type role, reeling off a game-high 13 effective tackles and 66 pressure points, and a team-high 11 contested possessions.

This was Hawthorn’s eighth successive win at their home-away-from-home in Launceston, and Moore played a significant role in it.

The Hawks are sitting well placed at 9-5 from 14 games, but their multi-pronged forward line hasn’t fired at the same time so far this year.

Moore appeared to be sore in the rooms after the game on Friday night, but has some time to prepare for the next engagement back in Launceston against the Kangaroos on June 28.

AARON’S ARRIVAL

The Giants’ faith in Aaron Cadman was such that they were prepared to move almost heaven and earth to secure him with the No.1 pick in the 2022 draft.

And while it may have taken a little longer than they had hoped, the 21-year-old rewarded that faith by producing an absolute breakout game on Saturday to combine with Jesse Hogan to knock off the reigning premiers Brisbane on their home turf.

Cadman brought a swagger and a swag of career-best numbers to the Gabba, kicking 5.1, taking 13 marks and having 19 disposals.

Aaron Cadman takes a screamer against the Lions

He marked almost everything in his path and nailed goals from all angles, working perfectly with Hogan, who booted 6.1 in the race to chase Coleman Medal favourite Jeremy Cameron.

The pair kicked a collective 11.2, while at the other end Logan Morris also kicked 5.1.

This was a victory the Giants needed after a slip-up against the Power last week, and kept Adam Kingsley’s team inside the eight.

There is no doubting this team’s talent, but they can be a head-scratcher at times.

They smashed Collingwood, beat Geelong down at GMHBA Stadium and knocked off Brisbane at the Gabba without skipper Toby Greene. Yet along the way they have also lost to Sydney and Port Adelaide.

Go figure!

Still, what matters most is that the Giants are 8-6 and headed towards a big clash with a fresh Gold Coast next week.

Their best is still good enough to beat the best.

DOGS OFF THE LEASH

What beautiful set of numbers for Luke Beveridge and the Western Bulldogs.

No, we’re not talking about the finer details of his lucrative new deal which was much deserved even if delivered later than it could have been.

We’re talking about the offensive beast his team has become in 2025.

In 13 games this season, the Bulldogs have averaged 103.2 points per game, the best return the club has had since way back in 2009.

They were stiff that season not to play in a grand final that year – don’t ask Bulldogs fans about the Nick Riewoldt after halftime free kick in the 2009 prelim – losing that game against the Saints by seven points.

This year’s Bulldogs are transitioning the ball from defensive 50 to inside 50 at 28%, which is the best return they have had in 16 years.

And the club’s points from clearances – always a strong pointer to a good system – is 50.8, which is the best in the Bulldogs’ history.

It almost goes without saying that Sam Darcy’s almost miraculous early return can only enhance their scoring profile, but maybe not solely in the way you think.

He kicked three goals first-up and, scarily, will be better for the run.

But when Darcy plays, it also helps the rest of the forward line as Aaron Naughton gets less attention and the smalls can hover around the 21-year-old knowing if the big man doesn’t mark it, then it will come to ground easily.

The Dogs had 13 goalkickers on Thursday night; the Saints only kicked eight goals in total.

DISLIKES

ROAD HOME LOOKS TOUGH FOR BABY BOMBERS

The result wasn’t a surprise, but the sheer weight of it – 95 points – was, as an undermanned and under-resourced Essendon was systematically taken apart from one of the best teams in the AFL.

The Bombers’ injury list is longer than Greg Swann’s AFL current to-do list with Brad Scott bringing in the clubs’ ninth and 10th debutants to take on the Cats.

At times it looked like ‘boys v men’ against the Cats, but even so, there were just too many basic skill errors and a collective lack of composure which killed off any competitive edge for Essendon.

The Bombers walk off the MCG on Saturday. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Scott’s young side sits 6-7 on the ladder, which is far from disastrous, but three successive losses with a quick turnaround against the Dockers in Perth on Thursday all points to the fact that it could be a tough second half of the season for Essendon.

The bye follows the Dockers’ game – which at least gives the Bombers a chance to catch their breath – before clashes with Gold Coast, Richmond, GWS, Western Bulldogs, Sydney, Geelong, St Kilda, Carlton, and then the extra Gold Coast game.

How many of those games are you giving to the Bombers?

It’s hard to say, but none of them will be easy, given their personnel concerns.

Scott will learn a lot about his kids for the rest of this season and will put the games into them with an eye on the future, but Essendon fans are clearly going to have to be patient for a fair bit longer.

SO CRUEL FOR ROOS AS TREACY SAVES THE DAY

North Melbourne was so close to a successful double raid on the west that it could almost touch it, only for the Roos to be thwarted by a last-minute game-saving mark from Josh Treacy.

In a thrilling contest played out in challenging conditions, the Dockers looked set for an easy win when they led by 22 points at three-quarter-time before the Kangaroos started a surge.

Four goals in the first 10 minutes of the final term dragged the Roos back into the contest, and it looked as if they might overrun the Dockers - as they did with the Eagles last Sunday.

Josh Treacy takes the match-saving mark in the final minute

There were big moments aplenty including a desperate lunge from Riley Hardeman on the goal-line that overturned a Patrick Voss major, a huge defensive spoil from Finn O’Sullivan as well as some extraordinary forward 50m tackling pressure from both sides.

Luke Davies-Uniacke went on a charge late in the game but spilled the ball when trying to bounce it, and the Dockers made them pay when Luke Jackson put them seven points up.

One last flurry forward from North Melbourne gave their fans hope of snatching a draw or a win, but Treacy outpointed a few Kangaroos forwards by dragging down the mark that saved the Dockers’ bacon.

The young Roos have learnt so much from their fortnight on the road, but they were stiff to only bring back four of a possible eight premiership points, as well as the WA government’s money.

Now, the Roos return to Melbourne for a clash with Carlton.

The Crows just didn’t take their chances on Friday night. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

KARMA CROWS

If Adelaide dodged a bullet last week against a wasteful Brisbane, the script was well and truly flipped against the Hawks in some of the not-so-friendly fire that killed their chances.

Forget about the talk that the umpires had an impact on this game, this was a butchering of the Crows’ making.

This game could have been over if the Crows had taken their chances, and instead of getting a two-game break on the Hawks on the ladder, the ledger is squared for these sides who could well meet again in different circumstances – and weather conditions – in the finals.

The conditions might have had something to do with the Crows’ inaccuracy, but whatever way you want to slice and dice it, the scoreline of 5.14 (44) was a tale of waste

A deeper dive shows that five of Adelaide’s normally reliable goalkickers had their radar off track, combining for a total of 1.10 of the final score – Izak Rankine 1.1, Riley Thilthorpe 0.3, Taylor Walker 0.3, Josh Rachele 0.2 and Darcy Fogarty 0.1.

Rankine’s brilliant late goal regained the lead for Adelaide late in the game, but his snapshot miss earlier from just metres out will stick in his mind.

Rachele too missed a snap that he might otherwise have kicked.

How Thilthorpe missed a shot from point blank range earlier in the game remains a mystery! And let’s not talk about his toe-poke into attack in the final term when a cleaner give to a teammate might have secured a much-needed goal.

Goalkicking hasn’t been an issue for the Crows this season. They’ve been prolific and generally very good in front of goals.

But Matthew Nicks will want to ensure one bad goalkicking night in a frosty Launceston doesn’t become an issue going forward.

LIONS’ YIPS ARE GETTING BIGGER

Wayward goalkicking wasn’t the only reason the Lions blew their chances against GWS on Saturday, but it will still play a significant part in Chris Fagan’s review of the 11-point loss.

You can add to that the centre clearance lesson the Lions took off the Giants, who were more prepared to roll their sleeves up and work.

But what is certain is that if the Lions had kicked straight early – even when they had an almost four-goal lead in the second term – they might have pushed out to what could have been an unassailable lead.

They didn’t.

They left the door ajar – for a second straight week – and the Giants barged through it like a team that recognised the importance of taking their chances.

The Lions had 31 scoring shots to the Giants’ 22, and that’s not counting several out of bounds shots that didn’t trouble the scorers.

Logan Morris wasn’t at fault with his 5.1. But there were plenty of others who squandered chances, and the Lions’ last three scoring shots in the last term – as they appeared to be on the charge – went the wrong side of the post.

One of the other big negatives came when Lion defender Jack Payne went down with a sickening knee injury, with the club saying initial examinations suggested a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee, which could end his 2025 season.

Whatever happened to Rossy’s DNA of being hard to score against? Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ROSSY’S DNA?

Death, taxes, and Ross Lyon teams being bloody hard to score against.

They were once three of life’s truisms.

The first two, naturally enough, won’t change, even if the third is starting to look very shaky.

The Western Bulldogs sliced through St Kilda’s normally well-drilled defences like a knife through melted margarine, as the Saints conceded a sixth 100-plus score this year in only 13 games.

That happened only four times against the Saints last year, and only twice in Lyon’s first year back at Moorabbin in 2023.

This year the Saints are coughing up 92.2 points per game, 53.1 points against from turnovers, and 34.8 points against from clearance – all worst results in Lyon’s second stint at the club.

Is any wonder tetchy Ross was on show at the post-game press conference when discussing the 20,508 fans who turned up to Marvel to watch the Dogs-Saints game!

He’s clearly frustrated by what’s happening on the field.

There have been some good wins – the Cats in round 2, Fremantle in round 8 and the Demons last week – but some big losses have exposed a few cracks in the normally polished Saints’ defensive unit.

We’re talking about the two 12-goal losses to the Dogs, the 63-point loss to the Crows and the 45-point loss to the Lions …

And with tough games coming against Collingwood, Fremantle and Hawthorn across the next three weeks, they will need to clamp down defensively to stop more big defensive leaks.

This club is in the midst of reshaping its list, having gone to the draft in recent years, and they are in the acquisition game with free agent Tom De Koning their No. 1 priority.

But the retention of running half back Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, who can seamlessly slot through the middle as well, might be every bit as important.

Josh Weddle is rugged up against the Tasmanian cold on Friday night. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

LID’S OFF, BUT THE AFL WANTS IT ON

Let’s call it ‘four degrees’ of separation but those who were there in Launceston on Friday night reckon the temperature felt half that measurement on the thermometer.

Some have suggested that the AFL’s fixture decision to schedule a Hawthorn-Adelaide early winter clash as Launceston’s first Friday night game was a stuff up.

But was it?

It might end up being a pre-emptive stroke of genius.

For in a week in which Tasmanians found out when they were headed to the polls, potentially a vote on whether the AFL’s mandated roof on a potential new stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart gets the green light, the league’s reasoning might be a little more understandable.

Maybe this was a none-too-subtle pointer as to why the AFL is insisting on a roof on the proposed 23,000-seat stadium in Hobart.

The sticking point – and admittedly it is a fair one given the shaky world economic environment – is the cost of the new stadium has already bloated out to $945m, with the prospect of it reaching $1 billion.

Tassie footy fans deserve prime-time football, and that means big Friday night games in the future for the Devils.

We might know more about what comes next on July 19, when Tasmanians head to the poll, but let’s hope the AFL locks into the Devils – roof or no roof – as the state deserves its own team.

Originally published as Early Tackle: Glenn McFarlane’s likes and dislikes from round 14 of the AFL season