Well, when there are winners, there are losers. Time to dig a little deeper into the Semi-Finals and uncover a few that fit each category. And, of course, you’ll tell me if I’m right or wrong. 🙂
THE WINNERS
JASE BURGOYNE
A chip off the old block.
Deployed at half-back, and largely responsible for Jack Ginnivan, Jase Burgoyne enhanced his reputation with a big finals game, running off the dangerous Hawk to kick a goal of his own, and replacing the injured and suspended trio of Dan Houston, Kane Farrell, and Ryan Burton.
This position was one I was really worried about for Port coming into this game, as the Power lacked a heap of run from defence last week. Burgoyne solved that, with his dash off half-back opening the game up for Port while the rest of the team closed the Hawks down.
It was another step in what is shaping as an excellent young career.
WILL ASHCROFT
We may have just seen the heir apparent to Lachie Neale’s Brisbane throne.
When the Lions needed a list in the guts, it was the 20-year-old that gave it to them. His work in finding the footy at stoppages, and repeat efforts around the ground gave Brisbane some genuine mongrel at the coal face, and even thought was Big Joe slotting the tough goals, Ashcroft was the spark that lit the fire under his team.
The Lions are in safe hands with this bloke (and probably his brother) for the next decade.
NICK WATSON
The little man stood up in the finals, and gave the Hawks a real taste of why they invested such a high pick in such a small fella.
Watson was clean, exciting, and made the most of his opportunities. Right now, the footy world likes him – he is The Wizard, and he has a cult following, but he is too good, and will break too many footy hearts to remain in everyone’s good graces for too long.
He is an assassin dressed as a scoolboy.
Get ready to hate The Wizard in years to come – he is going to hurt a lot of teams.
KEN HINKLEY
Winners are grinners, and he’ll make up the twenty grand in cashies over the journey, speaking about how he gave it to the hawks after sending them packing.
Personally, I don’t see much wrong with an opposition coach having a bit to say after he’s been under pressure all week, and so, when Ken Hinkley yelled out to Jack Ginnivan after the final siren, imitated a plane and told him he wasn’t flying to Sydney, I thought it was a good piece of byplay – maybe a fitting end to the Ginnivan chapter of 2024.
Hinkley didn’t downplay it, though – he addressed it immediately following the game, and prefaced his press conference by addressing it.
Maybe he heard Sam Mitchell having a teary about it?
JOE DANIHER
Cometh the moment…
Know what’s crazy? At one point, ff there was one bloke you’d hesitate to hitch your wagon to in the AFL, it would have been Joe Daniher.
However, after his last two finals series, he has really emerged as the big game player we speculated he could be back when he started running around in red and black.
His two last-quarter goals were wonderful, particularly the second, as he beat one of the best one-on-one defenders in the game to earn the footy. Watching Joe go back, eat up the pressure of the situation, and deliver in a big way… he is now the player he was destined to be.
Big Game Joe.
CALLUM AH CHEE
If you ever want to see a bloke go about his business with a minimum of fuss, have a look at the game of Cal Ah Chee.
Handed the role of keeping Lachie Whitfield under wraps, he also found plenty of the footy, himself, and restricted the half-back specialist to 19 uninspiring touches. Seven of those were kick in/play ons.
That Whitfield had one score involvement, and Ah Chee led the game with 11, tells the story of how good he was.
WILLEM DREW
I had a couple of people point out to me that Willem Drew really didn’t shut Jai Newcombe down when he moved onto him in the second half. Let’s briefly explore.
After taking Massimo D’Ambrosio out of the game and cutting the Hawks’ run off at the knees, Drew moved to the Hawks’ best midfielder, and held him to seven touches in the last quarter.
Huh?
That’s not holding someone to anything, right?
Oh, but it is, particularly when you consider just two of Newcombe’s touches were deemed effective, and really, Champion Data are pretty liberal with what they deem “effective”. So, to those people who say he didn’t do the job in shutting down his opponent, he obviously did.
Twice.
Suck on a Willem Drew.
THE LOSERS
SAM MITCHELL
You know what?
I sat there listening to Sam Mitchell’s press conference, and whilst I expected him to be flat, what I didn’t expect was for him to come across as a whiner.
Here’s the thing, Sam – when you give your players a long leash and they hang themselves with it, you have to wear it. You don’t postulate, and lament how the opposition coach had a go at the bloke who has been a little mouthy on social media.
Jokes are not only funny when your team is the one making them.
I’ve always looked at Mitchell as a complete competitor. He was ruthless as a player, and he has stamped himself as a legitimate AFL coach this season, but far out, spare me the “poor us” crap, Sam.
You were always going to cop something like this when the run ended. The only way to avoid it would have been the flag.
Live by the drama, die by the drama.
ERIC HIPWOOD
It’s a bit sad when your team gets up in a nailbiter, and you still make this list, but so poor was Eric Hipwood against the Giants that he could have been listed amongst GWS’ best players.
His missed set shot from 25 metres out channelled as much baby giraffe as any tall player in the history of the game.
His last five finals have returned 56 disposals and three goals. As a tall forward, that is horrid. You could give him a pass if he were a developing player (it’s why Logan Morris isn’t on this list), but Hipwood is 27 now, and needs a big game to avoid being thrown in the Gary Rohan category
TODD MARSHALL
Is it just me that notices Todd Marshall attacks the footy with T-Rex arms?
Think about it – when was the last time you saw him extend his arms up to take a grab? He launches at the footy, has his arms bent at a 45-degree angle, and either has it spoiled, or is outmarked. Can someone please spend some time with this bloke, working on the marking bag in the off-season, and get him to mark the ball overhead?
He’s an athletic fella, and has all the tools to become a good forward – we saw it a couple of years ago. However, unless he is genuinely going to attempt to mark the ball overhead, he becomes an easy target to spoil.
JAMES SICILY
Nice way to distract everyone from the fact your missed shot at goal cost the Hawks the game.
All the attention went on the back and forth with Ken Hinkley, but don’t lose sight of the fact that Sic had the chance to win the game for Hawthorn, and he blew it.
ADAM KINGSLEY
Not that I’d say it to his face… he looks like he might eat me.
What I will say, however, is that he either has a team that is incredibly poor at executing when he gives them a directive, or he has a team that isn’t really listening. Watching the Giants slow the footy down with ten minutes remaining spelled huge trouble for GWS. The Lions were coming in like a hurricane on the horizon, and all the Giants did was sit there and wait for it to hit.
Was it his game plan? Or was it a disconnect with the players that saw them opt to play to save the game, rather than go out to win it?
Either way, he now sits at home for the last two September weekend, when his team was very capable of winning the flag.
THE AFL
20 grand for teasing someone, these days?
Spare me…
You can tell the league is now being run by people who are terrified of anything and everything remotely resembling aggression.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. It is a labour of love for me, and having you guys as members of the site basically keeps me going. So sincerely… thank you – HB
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