Gab is back – back again. Yes, he’s back – tell your friends.
If you have any, of course.
1. Izak Rankine is fast becoming the Crows’ most important player
I’m sure a lot of Crows fans will see their resurgence has coincided with a return to form of their former skipper in Taylor Walker. After a slow start to his 2024 campaign, his Round Five effort in eclipsing Jacob Weitering had a lot to do with the Crows opening their account. It was also on this day that Rankine played his best game for the year kicking three goals from 23 touches.
He’s kicked 16 goals for the year and provides the spark for Adelaide. Jake Soligo was adjudged the best player on the ground this week and rightly so, but Rankine’s three goal contribution was instrumental in the derby win. He has that X-factor and I wonder if anyone else sees similarities between Rankine and the enigmatic Jason Akermanis? The Crows season is looking brighter, and a home game against Brisbane looms next week.
You’re going to hear the word “embattled” a lot when you hear talk of Ken Hinkley. After finishing in the Top 4 last season, only to go out in straight sets, one gets the sense that the club begrudgingly ceased discussions which might see an end to his tenure as head coach. Expectations were high coming into the year. The Power looked the goods early with Rozee taking over as skipper and leading the way in form as well. But just like Carlton, it seems they’ve stalled. They’ve lost their last two games and seem to have lost their way, particularly in front of goal. 5.18 is as ugly as any score line going, and the Crows were never threatened despite having five less scoring shots. As is also the case with the Blues, the Power’s credential as a Top 4 aspirant has taken a major hit. And Ken Hinkley’s most likely final year as coach might prove to have been one year too long.
2. Nick Daicos is very good when he’s left alone to do as he likes.
When Carlton and Collingwood met last, the Blues had a win and notably, Nick Daicos was kept in check by none other than Patrick Cripps, who made life very difficult for him. It proved a winning formula as Daicos didn’t have his usual influence on the game. Either Nick has learnt a valuable lesson from that, or Carlton didn’t really put in the work to stop him.
For much of the night he seemed to have nobody guarding him, and the resulting best-on-ground performance, which included the sealer, shows just what a difference he makes when given even just a little space. Great players do find a way to break tags, but my observations suggest the Blues didn’t deploy one. Based on last year’s game, that’s mindblowing. The Pies will still be ruing their slow start to the year, but it’s safe to say they’re back on track. A bit of wastefulness around goal might’ve made this a loss despite their dominance on the night. They were a little slow to get into the game, but midway through the second quarter their intensity went up and the Blues couldn’t go with them. Collingwood take on an improved Eagles at Marvel next week. A win there will mean six games without a loss.
The Blues are in a hole it would seem. Injuries may have played a role, but there are some glaring deficiencies being laid bare before our eyes. They are still making poor decisions going forward, or perhaps it’s just poor execution. If you were to thoroughly analyse the personnel on their list, you’d find elite kicks are few and far between. And when oppositions spread, their lack of pace becomes apparent.
Early season talk of premiership favouritism needs to be put to bed for now. At least for two weeks anyway. They’re playing Melbourne on Thursday then head up to Sydney the following week. They could easily tumble out of the eight with two losses. And as well as Harry McKay played during the night, his final kick for the match could’ve iced the game. Instead, he pinpointed the one Collingwood defender in amongst a swarm of Blues. Harry, and more importantly, Carlton, need to work those brain fades out of their game if they want to be genuine contenders.
3. The “battle of the bridge” is such a crap title.
So in Perth it’s the “derby”. Adelaide has the “showdown”. Brisbane has the “Q-clash”, another one I’m not particularly enamoured with. Sydney has the “battle of the bridge”. I mean really?
No. There’s got to be a better name someone could come up with than that. It’s about as bad as calling a Lions v Suns game “the battle of the pineapple”, or an Eagles and Dockers game “the battle of the mining magnates”. Maybe it should be called “the battle for recognition” in a state which is still very much an NRL dominated state even after nearly two generations since the AFL went after the Sydney market.
One gets the feeling in this game that the Giants are still playing second fiddle to the Swans. I dare say that the Sydney Swans would’ve probably caught whatever AFL market that existed in NSW. Room for a second team might have been a fanciful notion. In spite of this, the Giants have been competitive for the most part. And they were in this game too, but this Swans unit may be onto something special this year, and a part of it seems to be as a result of Isaac Heeney being thrown into the middle. He had another high possession game, but superstar Errol Gulden might be the best player from this game. The Swans have a plethora of elite kicks in their squad, and Gulden and Heeney are prime examples. Next week it’s Freo in Perth. It won’t be easy.
The Giants had two crucial injuries during this game, and as much as we all love the way he goes about his football, Stephen Coniglio must be wondering how much more games he can milk out of a body that seems to be growing in fragility. Tom Green also went off injured in what is a huge blow for the Giants, so injuries are becoming an issue. And when was the last time Toby Greene had two games in a row where he went goalless? A few chinks are appearing in the armour of what is a good team, and the Swans seemed to be a level up on GWS in this game. Going down to Melbourne to face the Bombers presents a huge challenge. Their record against Essendon on the road is pretty average.
4. It’s getting really hard to cover North Melbourne games
Talking about the Kangaroos is like being on a loop cycle. Trying to come up with positives is getting harder each week. Yes, there are definitely some good kids on their list. They often seem to start games well, but at various stages throughout the games they fall away and are constantly unable to defend against the avalanche that comes, even when they’re playing against somebody who is not far from the bottom of the ladder. In all eight games this year they are yet to keep the opposition score below 100.
Where a win will come from us anybody’s guess, but as each week passes, it seems less and less likely. I know they’re lost isn’t great, but you have to ask the question as to whether or not Clarkson is the right fit. The results and lack of progress make that seem dubious.
The Saints will take the win, but it was about as impressive as the rest of their season has been. A 38 point win against the Kangaroos after a sluggish start is what you’d expect most sides will do against the worst performing side in the AFL by quite some way. After making finals in 2023, many were wondering if the overachieved. Ross Lyon certainly got them playing way above expectations last year. Based on their list, and a few key injuries, this year looks more like the reality check needed at St Kilda. There’s very few A-Graders in their ranks and most teams need at least. Six or seven to be a contender. The Saints maybe have two. Jack Sinclair is certainly one of those. He was one of their best yet again finishing with 33 touches and two goals. Darcy Wilson put in his bid for a Rising Star nomination with three goals from 21 touches. But all in all they beat a side that isn’t going to trouble many sides. The Saints will have to beat Hawthorn next week to stay in the finals race, and after the Hawks’ good win, that’s no certainty.
5. Melbourne is still a Top 4 contender
The Demons have had a season of intrigue, for mine. It may surprise people when they realise that they haven’t scored over 100 in any game this season, yet have won six out of eight. They still seem to have problems in finding the right forward combination, but when you have May and Lever down back, perhaps it’s not as big g a problem as it could be.
Coming up against the undefeated Cats who have averaging 95 points a game on Saturday night, they managed to restrict them to a score of just 66 points for an eight-point win. Oliver seems to be finding his way back to form with 31 touches, but you don’t need to go down the page too far to see the real story, and that’s the fact May (25 possessions) and Lever (24 possessions) tell you all you need to know as to why despite a couple of off games and problems relating to their scoring ability, Melbourne are still a chance to go all the way this year.
Geelong’s last fortnight shows contrasting stories in relation to their ability to score. Against a undermanned Carlton defence, they only needed 45 forward entries to score an impressive 18 goals. This week, they had five more entries, but May and Lever, with 21 marks between them, were a big reason why they could only manage nine goals. Ollie Henry continued his good form booting another three goals while Max Holmes had a game high 31 touches.
Geelong have surprised us all this year with seven straight wins to kick their year off. They play Port Adelaide at GMHBA. We all know what a fortress it has been for Geelong and how difficult winning there can be, but it will be interesting to see how they fare against another of the better teams. Manny have been waiting for the Cats to maybe fall away a little and come back to the pack. Their next few games will tell a start.
6. West Coast are no longer easybeats
After their game against the Swans and following their win against the Tigers, I did get a sense that the Eagles had turned the corner, but two more weeks of a sustained level of form has me convinced they are out of the deep hole they’ve been in for the past two seasons. The form of Jake Waterman this last month, and the link to their improvement can’t be ignored either. He currently sits just one behind Curnow on the Coleman ladder on 24 goals, 18 of which were from West Coast’s last four outings. The 26 year old is having a breakout season and is a big part of the improvement at West Coast.
After the first three rounds, Bombers fans would’ve been seeing this as a percentage booster. A six-point victory would’ve possibly indicated Essendon were struggling. I think the supporters and players will know this win is one with merit. Aside from the improved opposition, Bombers did well to hold off a fightback late in the game. In years gone by, they might’ve dropped that one. Things are working well u see skipper Zach Merrett. He scored three goals from his 29 touches to make another claim for Brownlow votes. Merrett has set the tone early in the year and his players have followed. He’d be easily the standout captain of the year. Essendon fans can dare to dream about breaking their finals drought. A big challenge awaits his men against the Giants at Marvel.
7. Winning a Grand Final can often mean lean times in the near future.
There are clubs that never bottom out which I talked about last week, but for some clubs, building up a team to get a flag can often see a lot of retirements happening at once causing a powerhouse team to fall down the ladder in as little as two to three years. We’ve seen what happened to the Eagles post 2018. Now it seems it’s Richmond’s turn. They’re in a world of pain not helped by injuries. I don’t recognise a lot of their names any more. I note they may have found one in Lefau, but he’s only one bright spark in a sea of gloom. They’ll most likely finish in the bottom two. They face the Bulldogs next week who despite not travelling well will probably easily account for the Tigers. Tough times ahead.
Fremantle have done well to bounce back from three-straight losses. The low point was the heavy loss to the Eagles, but since then they’ve had solid wins over the Bulldogs and Richmond. Josh Treacy had one of his best games kicking four majors. Luke Ryan is on fire finishing with 39 touches and the midfield trio of Serong, Brayshaw, and Young all had 30 or more. But whilst there’s a lot to like, they’re yet to take a genuine scalp. They’ll get their chance to do just that this week as they host the Swans at Optus Stadium. These are the games they must win if they want to be taken seriously.
8. Luke Beveridge odds on being first sacked coach in 2024 have tightened
I’m not sure if the club are contemplating moving the coach on, but from the outside looking in, it does appear that is not well between the coach and his playing group. The Caleb Daniel situation is intriguing, and there was also how Bailey Dale was treated which left many scratching their heads. Dale is flying now, but Daniel was dropped after returning for just one match. And now at 3-5 and losing to the lowly Hawks, the pressure is only going to mount. There are times it seems that the weight of the world is falling in Bontempelli. Something needs to change. Maybe a win against the Tigers next week will get them back on track, although that’s what we thought after the good win they had against the Saints.
Hawthorn fans would’ve loved this game for so many reasons. Obviously, winning is the main reason, but watching some of their younger layers doing well enough to beat a side with more experience will be a joy. Jack Gunston could’ve had a day out but just couldn’t nail it in front of goal finishing with 2.4. However, those who are wondering if he’d gone a season too long might think twice. We also saw Impey in great touch with 29 touches. Most of us are now wondering if Hawthorn are getting better or worse or if the Bulldogs are just no good. The Hawks have the Saints next week. I think we’l have a better idea following that result.
9. The Suns just can’t rise above mediocrity
Gold Coast came into this game two games clear of cross town rivals Brisbane. The punters still had Brisbane as favourites despite their indifferent form, especially at the GABBA. It turns out they were right.
From the beginning, it was obvious the Suns were going to get their pants pulled down. They certainly did, and it could’ve been far worse were it not for Brisbane’s wayward third quarter where they only manage a staggering nine behinds. There just seems to be a core of Suns players who seem satisfied with almost being good enough. They have the right coach to instil more strength into their mindset, but I think it’s going to take a couple of seasons for it to truly become ingrained. I believe they won’t play finals this year. I’ll change my mind if they beat the Roos, then follow that up with a victory over the Cats in Round Ten.
Brisbane couldn’t buy a goal for large parts of the game and really should’ve won by a lot more, but still, restricting Gold Coast to just 45 points to win by 34 is still a hiding in real terms, and it’s about time Brisbane finally sustained a four-quarter effort. Zorko was awarded the Ashcroft Medal for the first time after having played in 24 Q-clashes. Daniher finally hit the scoreboard after a couple more of lean weeks, but Hipwood is now goalless for three weeks. Brisbane head over to Adelaide with both sides with seasons hanging on this result. It’ll be fireworks. The loser of this game would be all but done as far as finals go.
