16 rounds of footy are now done and dusted… where has the season gone?
And here we are, with the Lions claiming a game and a half road win-lead over the next best. Can the Giants close the gap? Or do the Cats and Suns have enough in them to rip off three-straight road wins and take the title?
We’ve heard it for years – the teams based outside Victoria have it tougher.
I get it, though. I really do. Forced to travel interstate almost every second week, some teams clock up enormous miles as they traverse the country to be part of this sport we love.
Meanwhile, we get some Victorian-based clubs cracking the sads when they have to play at Marvel Stadium instead of the MCG, and vice versa. Or those who get a little nasty when a move away from Kardinia Park is floated.
So, how do the teams fare away from home, and who is travelling best at the moment?
The Mongrel has devised a little ladder to assess who is the best road team in the league. Oh, the Vic teams will still get a look in if they’re good enough, and whilst I fully expect a number of fans to say this system is rigged to favour non-Victorian teams… I really don’t care. Stop your whining.
So, how does it work?
The Road Warrior Ladder is named after one of the best Tag Teams of all time. Don’t come at me with your Demolition garbage, or your Powers of Pain crap… they were Road Warrior rip-offs… who were, in turn, rip-offs of the 1980s movie, Mad Max.
It was called The Road Warrior in the United States because… geez, I’m not a film buff. Do your own homework.
Anyway, you get four points for an interstate win and two points for a win at an away venue that IS NOT played at the venue you consider your home ground. I don’t care if it’s not your home game – you’re still at the ground you play your home games. The Road Warrior Ladder Nazi isn’t concerned with your feelings – just facts.
Tasmania is considered a home game for Hawthorn. You choose to play your home games there – you cop it. Same with GWS and Canberra – if it’s your choice, you wear it.
Now that my belligerence is out of the way, let’s get to business.
THE ROAD WARRIOR LADDER AFTER ROUND 16
1 – BRISBANE – 26 PTS (172 point differential in road wins)
2 – GWS – 20 PTS (216)
3 – GEELONG – 16 PTS (233)
4 – GOLD COAST – 16 PTS (216)
5 – SYDNEY – 16 PTS (131)
6 – ADELAIDE – 12 PTS (219)
7 – FREMANTLE – 12 PTS (106)
8 – COLLINGWOOD – 12 PTS (97)
9 – CARLTON – 8 PTS (105)
10 – ST KILDA – 8 PTS (45)
11 – MELBOURNE – 8 PTS (43)
E12 – ESSENDON – 8 PTS (41)
E12 – WESTERN BULLDOGS – 8 PTS (41)
14 – PORT ADELAIDE – 4 PTS (24)
15 – HAWTHORN – 4 PTS (20)
16 – NORTH MELBOURNE – 4 PTS (15)
17-18 – RICHMOND, WEST COAST – NO POINTS
ANALYSIS
Nobody else a little concerned that the Hawks are bringing up the tail end of the ladder? They’ve done well in Tassie, which is their second home, and they’ve fared well at both Marvel and the G, but when it comes to travelling… not so much.
They won on the road in Round Zero against Sydney, but since, have dropped games in Adelaide to Port, and in Darwin to the Suns. They haven’t really had to travel that much, at all.
The Hawks are my team, but at the moment, I still need to be convinced they’re the real deal, and for me, the Round 18 game against Freo at Optus Stadium will be the big test.
GWS are now within striking distance of the Lions. Already, Brisbane have surpassed the 2024 winners’ number of wins. That was Sydney, who finished the home-and-away season with six wins. The Lions have road games against the Blues, Suns, and Dockers to come, and given their work this season, you’d think they’d pick up one more, at least.
The Giants would be licking their chops at the prospect of facing the Eagles this coming week. They then get the Bombers, the Dogs, and the Suns on the road to finish their year. They can absolutely snatch the title away from the Lions, but they’re going to need a run of wins to do it. Really, I think they’ll have to knock over all three.
After 2024 seasons where road form was a huge criticism, both the Suns and Crows have put those ghosts to rest, with a combined seven road wins thus far. Adelaide are a red hot chance at a top for spot, which could secure a home final, but to have winning form on the road coming into September makes them a scary proposition.
As for the Suns, they should really give the Bombers a touch up this coming week at Marvel. Do that, and you’d almost have to concede that this mob are going to play finals.
UPCOMING FOUR-POINT GAMES
GWS head to WA to take on the Eagles at Optus
Gold Coast ventures to Marvel Stadium to have a crack at Essendon
Port Adelaide head to the Gabba to keep their season alive versus Brisbane
Fremantle travel to the SCG sandbox to face the Swans
And Melbourne zoom into South Australia to play the Crows at Adelaide Oval
UPCOMING TWO-POINT GAMES
RICHMOND travel down the highway to face Geelong at the Cattery
FOOTNOTE OF THE WEEK
I didn’t get to touch on this one aspect last week, but I don’t want to allow the opportunity to slip by.
When did AFL fandom become such a collective of sooks? Worse, when did they start embellishing things to further their own arguments to have players suspended?
There’s a couple of questions for you – last weekend, the actions of Marcus Windhager had many stating he should be suspended for basically tagging Nick Daicos. That’s it. He tagged him. He pushed him with his knee at one point, and people lost their minds like he’d assaulted him.
He hadn’t.
He continually bumped into him, made his life difficult, and people had their “leave Britney alone” moments, as though he’d pulled out a gun and blew out Nick’s knee cap.
This is the one that got me, though.
As I read more about it, several people chimed in stating that he was “pinching” Daicos.
I went back and watched all available footage. There was no evidence of this. No player complained of it. No coach addressed it. There was no vision of anything remotely resembling it, and no media source carried it. Yet, the accusations continued. “Oh, if he was pinching him, he should be suspended,” they cried.
It took on a life of its own, as though they were intent on speaking this fabrication of “pinching” into existence, and that would see Windhager suspended.
People… stop being so god damn soft!
There was no pinching. It was all in your head because you so desperately wanted things to be worse than they were. And they weren’t that bad, anyway. It was a tag. A tactic that has been used for decades.
In the end, Windhager got a fine – a slap on the wrist for making contact with Daicos as they were running down the ground. It was a nothing action, and it warranted even less than the almost-nothing penalty.
Daicos overcame the tag. He prevailed. That is the punishment you want to see the tagged hand back to the tagger. The rest… it’s just people having a whine.
And a week later, everyone will (justifiably) turn their outrage to Tom Lynch. And on it goes…
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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