Who has a Mitch Morton to help them win the Flag?
The Mitch Morton Story and his Grand Final Moment
Mitch Morton is one of my favourite players to ever pull on the Red and White jumper. It could not be claimed that he is in the same league as star players such as Adam Goodes, Paul Kelly, Brett Kirk, Micky O, Plugger, Buddy or anyone of a number of other players who have played for the Swans, but that is exactly the reason why he is one of my favourite players to play for the club.
In 2012 he played just five games of his twelve total games for the Swans, being selected in Round 21 and not losing his spot for the rest of the year, including the Finals series.
Much like Stewie Dew for the Hawks in their 2008 Grand Final win, Mitch’s selection to even play in the 2012 Grand Final raised eyebrows (Luke Parker was the sub for that game), but when he was called upon in the heat of battle, he played 20 minutes of blistering, gutsy, body on the line football in the last quarter to ensure the Swans got over the line and won the Premiership.
Make no mistake, his performance when called upon in the Qualifying Final and the Grand Final was the stuff of legends.
Mitch Morton’s 83 game career as a journeyman 2005 to 2013:
West Coast (12 games) (2005-2007),
Richmond (59 games) (2008-2011),
Sydney Swans (12 games) (2012-2013), and
2012 Sydney Swans Premiership Player (Hero for life).
Who is the Mitch Morton of 2023?
As we enter the last three rounds of the season, or the last 15 minutes of the last quarter of the season, injuries, form fluctuations, reading now predictable game plans and just the grind of a 23-game season is taking its toll on all the teams in the hunt for September glory – it is a war of attrition. This season is crying out for a Mitch Morton/Stewie Dew type of hero.
Carlton’s selection of the much-maligned Paddy Dow, due to an ever-growing injury list, or Collingwood’s recruiting of Billy Frampton (especially now Murphy is injured), or Jake Melksham’s form as an alternative forward are good examples of the type of player who could take up the mantle and be the unlikely September hero.
With three rounds to go all the 12 teams in contention will be stretching their lists to the limits to find the ‘X’ factor player/s who have six or seven great games in them and can turn it on from here to the end of the season and be standing on the podium come Grand Final Day.
The finals race for all spots on the ladder is getting closer each week, with not only wins, but also percentage most likely to shape the final eight at seasons end. Melbourne and Brisbane are locked in their own percentage battle, as are the Bulldogs, Saints, GWS and Crows, while due to drawn games, the Baggers, Cats and Swans are locked into their own little percentage battle.
So where is it all at?
The Big Four (or Five or Six)
How Shaky are Collingwood?
A couple of weeks ago Collingwood were considered a moral to finish on top of the ladder at season’s end, however after consecutive losses to Carlton and Hawthorn, with fresh injuries to key players, and with an extremely difficult draw to the end the season, the AFL’s front runner is suddenly in danger of being caught. Or are they?
The term Collywobbles has been prematurely bandied about a bit this week by the media experts and armchair critics who only two weeks ago were praising this team to high heaven as being one of the best Collingwood teams of all time. My oh my, how quickly the fickle bandwagon supporters jump from the trenches at the first sign of trouble and run to the other side.
- Collingwood are still two games and percentage clear on top of the ladder.
- A couple of losses at this time of the year is acceptable for a team that is in the position to be training for September action, so a dip in form from individuals or as a team is acceptable.
- As good as Nick Daicos has been this year, Collingwood are not a one-man team, and they still have three weeks to find the right player/s to cover his loss, ala, Mitch Morton circa 2012.
- The potential loss of Nathan Murphy could be a big one, as he has been the stalwart down back for Collingwood, but like Daicos, they have three weeks to alter their game-plan down back and find the right replacement/s if he does not come up.
- Collingwood’s list runs deep, and any injury replacements do not have to be a ‘like for like’, but rather someone who can get the job done.
If (and that word is overused at this time of the year) Collingwood do lose their next two matches against Geelong and Brisbane, then maybe (another overused word) it is time for shaky concerns. Having said that, all that matters from a Collingwood perspective is how they measure up in September, not August, and for that reason alone I still rate the Pies as the team to beat this year.
The Challenger – Melbourne or Brisbane?
Melbourne and Brisbane are locked in a neck-and-neck battle for second place on the ladder with the reward being two home finals guaranteed. Yes, it is possible they could finish one-two on the ladder, but that it is unlikely, so I prefer to concentrate on their real battle for a September advantage, second place.
Both teams have danger games coming up as they play either other teams in contention for the finals, or a cellar-dweller club that has suddenly tapped into a rich vein of form (Hawthorn).
Melbourne did what they had to do to get over North Melbourne last week down in Tassie, while Brisbane held off a fast-finishing Dockers outfit to win by three points. For differing reasons both wins were impressive.
The chess battle between the Dees and the Lions is intense and it is a waiting game to see which team teeters first, as such I am putting Melbourne and Brisbane on a ‘wait and see list’ until after the weekend. I want to see if the Dees can overcome the Blues, and whether the Lions can fend off an inform Crows team.
Harrison Petty is a big out for Melbourne as he was the missing link in the forward line they had been searching for all year, however, I think they have a handy replacement in a September specialist, Ben Brown. Some of the best football Ben Brown has played at both North Melbourne and Melbourne has been in September and he is just one of those players who can handle the heat of the bigtime.
Port Adelaide
In the space of four weeks, the Power have gone from the ‘penthouse to the outhouse’ as they have slid down the ladder to a point where they are now playing for their footy life just to hold on their position in the top four. Port’s poor percentage means not only can Carlton take their spot, but a resurgent Bulldogs are also an outside chance of pouncing on the double-chance at their expense.
Port must win two games to be assured of the double-chance without relying on other results going their way. While they don’t have the hardest run home, it is still a testing enough draw to measure how far their form and confidence has dropped. First up they face a desperate Giants team intent on making the finals, before finishing the season against an inform Fremantle, and an out-of-sorts Tigers.
Your destiny in still your own hands, Power.
The Big Five and Six
In the last month a few clubs have auditioned as the team or teams most likely to challenge for the flag from outside the top 4, and while Carlton have shot up the charts with a bullet to fifth, the Bulldogs have done just enough to put their hands up as the other team credentialled enough to mount a challenge.
‘It’s Now or Never’ Blues
Carlton is the form team of AFL and unless Port fails miserably for the rest of the year (presuming the Blues keep winning) then the Blues will finish fifth or thereabouts on the ladder.
After bludgeoning St Kilda last week in the second half and pouncing on the Saints’ fifth position on the ladder, Carlton now faces a real acid test against Melbourne this weekend. So far, the injuries to Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra, Matthew Kennedy, Jack Silvagni and Harry McKay have not hindered the Blues’ progression, and they have adapted their midfield and forward setup accordingly, but it has heavily relied upon some fringe players playing true to their role.
Melbourne is a battle-hardened unit, and they will test the mantle of the Blues, especially their role players, and it will be an interesting watch to see how the Blues stand up under the heat of a game that will have a finals intensity about it. For Paddy Dow, Jessse Motlop, Jack Martin, Marc Pittonet, Ed Curnow and others, the pressure is now on, and it is your time to make a name for yourselves, or not.
I really look forward to this match as we will know more about the finals chances of both teams come 10pm Saturday night.
‘Qnando, Quando, Quando’ Bulldogs?
I tentatively have the Bulldogs as the other team that can win the flag from the lower rungs, or at the very least make a charge towards the flag. Presuming anything about the Bulldogs is fraught with danger, but presuming they do beat the Squawkers and the Weagles in the next two weeks, then their trip down the highway to play Geelong in Round 24 will decide where they finish in the eight. Anywhere from fourth to eighth is possible.
On song, the Bulldogs can beat anyone, yet every now and then they skip a beat here and there and lose all melody and harmony. The Bont and Libba are the Maestros leading from the front, but it is time for the rest of the team to consistently keep up to their tempo, while others need to go further and put on virtuoso like performances when called upon.
When the Bulldogs do play in harmony it is a beautiful watch – the operative word being ‘when’.
Hanging on for Grim Death – St Kilda and GWS
Hickory Dickory Dock, the Saints Ran Out the Clock
I am going to be harsh here, St Kilda; how the hell did you kick just one goal and four behinds after halftime last weekend against the Blues? Before anybody answers, it is a rhetorical question. St Kilda had the Blues on toast, and they LOST it after halftime. Hats off to Carlton, but what happened at halftime?
For two or three years now, St Kilda have been the ‘thereabouts’ team, always thereabouts but never quite making it. ‘Thereabouts’ is the AFL equivalent of purgatory, always floating somewhere in the ‘never, never’ regions of the ladder.
This weekend, St Kilda have a chance at redemption against an ‘out of sorts’ Richmond and it is to be hoped they don’t fluff-up this time and they maintain their place in the eight, at least for another week. The Saints are a week-to-week proposition – watch this space.
Come on Sainters, give your loyal supporters some real joy.
The Orange Team
I had to laugh on the weekend when Kelly Underwood took the mickey out herself and again called the Giants, “the Orange Team’. The AFL can be a harsh and unforgiving environment at times, so it was good to see Kelly confronting her embarrassing moment from last year head-on with humour.
The Giants’ loss last week to their cross-town rival Sydney severely dented their chances of finishing in the top 8 and they are now in a position, similar to St Kilda, where they must win at least two of their last three matches.
Can the Giants beat Port Adelaide? Based on current form, they are a chance. Can the Giants beat Essendon? Yes, but this will be a real fifty/fifty game with a lot resting on the result. Can the Giants beat Carlton in Round 24? On current form, possibly only a puncher’s chance of causing an upset.
Given the above, the Giants can only concentrate on the immediate and that immediate is a stumbling Port Adelaide who are looking for a stabilising win. If the Giants can come out of Adelaide with a win, then their season remains alive, lose and it is as good as over.
Based on pure gut instinct, either one of St Kilda or the Giants will hold onto a position in the top 8, but not both.
A Kinda Grand Final Replay
Geelong and Sydney can both still make the eight, however, it is likely only one of them will be featuring in September.
Geelong ‘A Bridge Too Far’
Last weekend an injury-depleted Cats proved they are far from a spent force when they overcame a very determined, though also injury-depleted, Port Adelaide team. It was a good win (Port fans are still complaining about the umpiring) of attrition by the Cats, but because of the injuries to both teams, it is hard to ascertain the true form of either team.
Given the age of the Geelong team and their injuries to key players, the extended season in my view will work against the Cats’ late charge at the eight. While they certainly have the ability to win two (they may need to win all three) of their last three games, it is hard say with any confidence they will be there when the spring flowers start to blossom.
If they beat Collingwood this week, then maybe I need to reassess, but I do think it is ‘a bridge too far’.
Sydney – The Charge of the Light Brigade
As dodgy as the Swans’ wins have been over the last month, they have continued to win and last weekend they displayed some of the form that got them to the Grand Final last year. The Swans played like the Bloods last weekend, with a coherent style that had been missing since, well, since Geelong belted the be-geezers of them again earlier in the year after the humiliation of the Grand Final last year.
Confidence can be very fluid commodity, and when you have it, you wish you could bottle it, but when you don’t have it, all the walls seem to close in. The question with Sydney is whether their confidence has returned a little too late for season 2023?
Sydney’s next opponent is the Gold Coast, to which they should (a word that has brought many experts undone) win, though the Suns do have a good record against the Swans. Given the Bloods are tenth and a huge percentage behind Geelong, let’s just see where Sydney’s late-season charge is at the 20 minutes mark of the final quarter of the season.
The Outsiders – Adelaide and Essendon
Adelaide – ‘Just when I thought we were out, they pull us back in again…’
Tex Walker is adamant the Crows season is not over until it is over, and he and his Crows teammates just keep hanging there, giving hope to their loyal supporters.
Based purely on percentage, Adelaide should already be in the eight, but a few vital losses see them fighting each week just to stay in touch with the other backmarkers chasing the leading pack. Another big test comes this week when the Crows fly to Brisbane to take on the Lions. Win that and you are right in the hunt, lose and you may as well just keep going to Bali.
Weekend at Bernies – The Bombers
Essendon – are they dead in the water or are they still alive and kicking?
One side of me reckons out of all the teams outside of the eight, and in spite of themselves, Essendon will be one of the teams still alive with a chance of jumping into the finals come their Round 24 clash with Collingwood. Let’s not discuss the other side just yet, at least for another week.
I am one of the few people who rate Essendon’s win over the Eagles last weekend as they found a way to win “ugly” – something they have struggled to do in the past. Whether they beat the Kangas by an ugly point, or ten goals is irrelevant, all that matters is they MUST win.
I wonder how many episodes remain of ‘Weekends at Bernies’?
The Rest/ed
Commentator Adam Papalia seemed to be on another planet last weekend when he called the Fremantle v Brisbane game, as he kept referring to the Dockers ‘faint hopes’ of making the finals. Mr Papalia, thank you for insightful commentary, but it was not mathematically possible late last Sunday afternoon for the Dockers to make the eight, on this or any other planet.
Fremantle, to their credit, are playing out the season and even though they can’t make the finals, they are not going to be an easy kill for any team they come up against. Port Adelaide beware in two weeks’ time.
Richmond, whatever went wrong last weekend derailed your season, and from an outsider’s point of view, it looked like you just wanted the season to end.
Gold Coast, you sucked me, again! Softly, softly, if I had a second team, it would be the Suns, but I refuse to buy a membership until you live up to your potential. How many coaches must be sacrificed until you realise your potential?
Hawthorn, looking good for 2024/5.
North Melbourne, how irrelevant have you become, do your supporters even care anymore?
West Coast, there was a smile of relief on Adam Simpson’s face after last weekend’s narrow defeat to the Bombers. I have no doubt this club is playing out the season and it would not surprise to see them pluck a late-season win.
I heard some people on the radio question whether the Eagles tanked last weekend? What the heck? They were leading with a minute or so to go so it must have been the best orchestrated tank I have seen in my life! I am no Eagles fan, or even a distant fanboy, but it is not in the DNA of this club to tank. Further, I still rate the Eagles a chance to win a Premiership this decade, as they have done every decade since the 1990s, such is the might of this club and their will to win.
Let’s see how it all goes this weekend.
