The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from round 12 of the 2022 AFL season
Last year Collingwood was boring. This year the Pies are fun to watch – and in the top eight. But Craig McRae has competition for the coach of the year title. Likes and dislikes.
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Spots in the top eight are at a premium with some clubs taking giant steps forward, and others falling backwards, in a dramatic round 12.
Collingwood’s coach and small forwards are in the positive column, but two players are not doing their reputations any good by repeatedly and obviously playing for free kicks.
See all Robbo’s likes and dislikes below in this week’s edition of The Tackle.
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DISLIKES
1. Melbourne now bleeds
In 2001, then-Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews famously decreed “If it bleeds, we can kill it. And we reckon Essendon can bleed.” Melbourne now bleeds. The losses to Fremantle and now Sydney has changed the competition’s mindset. The Demons will say they remain confident, but they’re not as confident as they were two rounds ago. And the rest of the contenders now have greater belief, because if the Dockers and Swans can knock off the previously barnstorming Demons, then why not them? You need tactics and you need pressure and, unless Swans coach John Longmire details every single tactic – major or minor – we’ll never know wholly how the Swans rendered the Demons pedestrian. What we do know is pressure needs to be absolute. In 2001, the Lions beat up the so-called tough Bombers in clearance, contested ball and tackles. The Dockers did the same to Melbourne in all three categories two weeks ago, and the Swans tackled them into submission on Saturday night. They had 305 disposals and 75 tackles. The Demons had 348 disposals and 53 tackles. Always, pressure is the pillar which holds up any tactics.
2. Irrelevant North
What more can be said of North Melbourne? It’s like every week brings a new variance of humiliation. In the second quarter, Gold Coast had 29 inside-50s and kicked 7.7. That’s TWENTY-NINE inside-50s. That number is the equal-most conceded in a single quarter since the statistic was first measured in 1999. It is equal with – you guessed it – North Melbourne allowing 29 entries to GWS in 2017. That’s surrender football and, despite North Melbourne previously explaining it was expecting some rough results through this rebuild, was it supposed to be this rough? The inside-50 count overall was 81-36. The Kangas say they’ve got coach David Noble’s back – and he needs every ounce of support right now – but for how long can this sort of football be tolerated before the powerbrokers start asking sterner questions? There’s a lot of talent in that midfield for it to be playing surrender football.
3. Cody Red
In the week Trent Cotchin had his character unfairly questioned by being accused of acting, Bulldog Cody Weightman is the real deal when it comes to playing for free kicks. There’s something undignified about choosing to throw yourself forward in search of a free kick and not absolutely contesting the play on its merits. Weightman stood out on Friday night because the rest of his teammates competed for every ball like it was their last, whereas young Weightman, at times, played for the free kick which meant he not only didn’t contest the ball when he was flopping but he was out of the next play because he was on the ground. It’s a flaw in his game. He’s a talent, no doubt, and, when his focus is the ball, he applies himself to the point of near exhaustion. But that flopping and/or accentuating contact, nah, that’s not good for him or the sport.
4. Jack’s just as bad
Jack Ginnivan has one big bag of tricks and one very bad trait. Similar to Weightman, Ginnivan’s want to play for free kicks is damaging him as a player. It would seem the umpires have cottoned on to Ginnivan’s tactics, too. Three times Ginnivan was central to decisions at the MCG on Sunday, which could’ve gone either way, and three times he didn’t receive the free kick. It stood out because, in the sodden conditions when bodies were put on the line, Ginnivan a couple times too many put his body in the hands of the umpire. Always, the umpires will look after the ball.
5. Lost momentum
Friday night. Second quarter. Geelong in control. Either Tom Hawkins was too unselfish with ball in hand or simply lairising. He took a mark about 40m out and, instead of calming the waters and taking a shot at goal, Hawkins played on and kicked it, on his left foot, to teammate Rhys Stanley in the goalsquare. It didn’t work. It was a momentum shaker. Hawkins needed to kick the goal but, instead, the Bulldogs scrambled to save that play and then, after that, scrambled to try to win the game. In what was a terrific match, they ultimately failed. If they succeeded, Hawkins would still be asking himself: Why didn’t I have a shot at goal?
6. What constitutes a free kick?
Dissent continues to pop up its head – Adam Treloar was stiff on Friday night – and free kicks down the field continue to be a lottery. On Friday night, Rhys Stanley hit Ed Richards after Richards had kicked the ball and, instead of a free kick paid in the Dogs’ F50, the umpire ruled that it had to be taken back at the spot he was knocked over. Two things happened. The Dogs were denied a shot at goal, and Tom Liberatore sought justice with Stanley, which led to a scuffle, which led to Bailey Smith headbutting Zac Tuohy. If the free kick was paid downfield, Libba might’ve kept this nose out of it, which meant Smith wouldn’t have delivered the headbutt. All because the umpire didn’t pay down the ground.
LIKES
1. First-year success
At a pinch, you could argue Craig McRae is the coach of the year to date. Justin Longmuir, in his third season as coach, has taken the Dockers from outside of the eight to the top four and has claims, and maybe Brett Ratten at St Kilda. McRae, in his first season, has a team full of olds and youngs and not much in between, and taken a team tipped for bottom four and has them in the top eight at the halfway mark of the season. The Pies play with flair and substance, which was evident on Sunday in the dry first half and wet second half, and by the end they needed every ounce of conviction to wrestle the game from Hawthorn. The Pies have beaten St Kilda, Fremantle and Carlton and lost to Brisbane and Geelong by two goals, and unforgivably to West Coast in Round 4. There’s one simple stat which details Collingwood’s improvement: Last year they were No.18 for inside-50s. This year they are seventh. Last year they were boring. This year they are adventurous. That’s a tick for McRae.
2. All hail the cast-offs
Without three of their four most-experienced players – Nat Fyfe, Michael Walters and Matt Taberner – the new-breed Dockers made a huge statement for the second week running. Last week, it was No.1 seed Melbourne at the MCG. On Sunday, it was the No.2 seed Brisbane at home. Call it what you will – buy in, role playing, attack strong, defence stronger – the Dockers have drafted well, but recruited even better. Who would’ve ever have thought James Aish, Blake Acres, Travis Colyer and Will Brodie would fill four important spots in a midfield that held sway over the might of the Lions? The four cast-offs have resurrected their careers under Justin Longmuir, who clearly has a gift of giving confidence to – and getting the best out of – his players, not least those four who at some stage in recent years had to wonder where their football was heading. They are empowered, as are the Dockers, and all credit to them and the Fremantle program.
3. The great survivor
This is Sam Reid’s 12th season and Saturday night was his 170th game. I’m not sure if he should be applauded for his determination to compete and play second fiddle to Buddy Franklin, or be questioned about whether his ability has matched his output. Still, he was superb on Saturday night. His three goals followed his three goals in round 11 against Richmond, making it the first time since 2019 he has kicked multiple goals in consecutive matches. To be fair, he’s played five, 10, 10, 22 and one game in his past five seasons, so continuity has been an issue. He rattled the Demons in the air (five marks) and on the deck (10 tackles), had nine score involvements and will likely get the BOG votes from the umpires. At 30, wouldn’t it be great if his best footy was ahead of him?
4. Is Zach Tuohy second to Jimmy?
Jim Stynes will likely always be the best Irishman to play Australia Rules – it would take a hell of a story to beat it – but the second-best Irishman, well, that’s not so easy. The debate is between Zach Tuohy and Swan Tadgh Kennelly. Kennelly was a running half-back/wingman who played 197 games and is a premiership player. Tuohy has played 238 games in every position conceivable, bar ruck, and has played in three losing preliminary finals and a grand final. He’s been a damn good player, and he’s different. When the Cats are chip, chip, chipping down the ground, it’s always Tuohy who tries to take on the game with a kick across the ground, which has adventure, tinged with risk, to it. He likes the spaces to run, but he also likes the confines to be physically aggressive, like when he took down Marcus Bontempelli in the second quarter on Friday night. Kennelly was a damaging player with his run, but if he and Tuohy were lined up against a wall and you had to choose one, I’m taking Tuohy.
5. A small forward glut
Parts of the umpiring aside, footy is in very decent shape. While the key forwards are being celebrated for a return to the halcyon days, the small forward gang is also delivering the sport much excitement. Fox Footy’s David King wanted the spotlight on Geelong’s Tyson Stengle a week or so back, but that same spotlight could easily shine on Adelaide’s Shane McAdam. Stengle has kicked 23.15 in 12 games and McAdam 15.8 in eight matches, meaning both players are going at touch under two goals per contest. McAdam is doing it in a poor team. Against the Eagles, McAdam had 12 disposals and kicked three goals and is adding a heightened defensive effort to his game.
6. Rowell has turned the corner
There was a query, and maybe it was confusion, about the form loss of Matthew Rowell. The one-time wonder boy had six disposals in Round 10 against the Doggies and he looked like a rookie playing his first game, such was his inability to involve himself. On Saturday, he had 25 disposals and a season-high 595m gained, nine clearances and nine score involvements. That’s a complete game in the middle. Prior to Saturday, he was averaging 238m gained, so the transformation was stark. An in-form Witts/Miller/Rowell combination in the middle makes the Suns a very dangerous team coming home.
7. Light at the end of the tunnel
West Coast coach Adam Simpson said dealing with the current plight was about trying to claim wins. Like, winning the contested ball in a quarter or in half, or winning clearances. On Saturday, the Eagles lost the first quarter 32-1. They lost the second quarter by seven points and then won the second half by seven points. It’s a step – a small step, mind you. When it could’ve been easier pack it all in, most pleasing was the fact they kicked five of the last eight goals, which tells us they didn’t give up the fight. Indeed, their pressure index was 200 in the second half, which was a season-high. So, if the Eagles can pressure like that, why can’t the Kangaroos?
Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from round 12 of the 2022 AFL season
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