Crash… you hear that?
That was the sound of the road teams thumping back to Earth after Round 22, where no side playing away from their home ground was able to pick up four points.
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 22
1 – GWS – 26 PTS (59-POINT DIFFERENTIAL IN ROAD WINS)
2 – PORT ADEALIDE – 24 PTS (119)
3 – COLLINGWOOD – 22 PTS (162)
4 – SYDNEY – 22 PTS (138)
5 – BRISBANE – 20 PTS (163)
6 – RICHMOND – 16 PTS (90)
7 – FREMANTLE – 16 PTS (41)
8 – MELBOURNE – 14 PTS (122)
9 – CARLTON – 12 PTS (171)
10 – ST KILDA – 12 PTS (34)
11 – WESTERN BULLDOGS – 10 PTS (69… DUDE)
12 – GOLD COAST – 8 PTS (94)
13 – ESSENDON – 8 PTS (77)
14 – GEELONG – 4 PTS (47)
15 – HAWTHORN – 8 PTS (58)
16 – ADELAIDE – 4 PTS (3)
17 – NORTH MELBOURNE – 4PTS (1)
18 – WEST COAST – NO POINTS AS YET
ANALYSIS
Right, let’s take a look at the contenders and their remaining games
Port Adelaide – One interstate game remains – at Freo
Collingwood – They’re done. Despite being the “away” team, they don’t travel again this year
GWS – One more interstate games to go, at Marvel (Carlton). They’re in the box seat to win now.
Sydney – One interstate (Adelaide) game remains and the best they can now do is draw on points, however, the big point differential could see them leap to the top if hey get over the Crows in R23
So, it is looking increasingly like it will be Port or GWS as the Road Warrior Champions this season, with the Swans an outside chance to tie it up and win with their better point-differential.
Who would your money be on?
UPCOMING FOUR-POINT GAMES
BRISBANE heads to Marvel (for some reason) to play the Pies
CARLTON take on the Suns at heritage Bank Stadium
ESSENDON head to Giants Stadium to face GWS
SYDNEY fly into SA to take on the Crows
WEST COAST head to Marvel to face the Dogs
PORT ADELAIDE head west to face Freo
TWO-POINT CROSSTOWN GAMES THIS WEEK
NORTH MELBOURNE have the chance to grab two points against the Tigers at the MCG
GEELONG travel to Marvel to face the Saints
ODD FOOTNOTE OF THE WEEK
Do we need to talk about the state of the AFL’s video review system?
Yes, I think we do, indeed.
For a while now, whenever there has been a decision made that has influenced the outcome of the game, someone asks the question – what if something like this costs a team a final? It’s a solid question, but the point that is being missed is that it is already costing teams a final.
Or it could be, at least.
You see, in a race that is this tight for the top eight, having a decision like this, and the pathetic footage the AFL is using to determine whether the ball was touched or not, ended up meaning Carlton won the game.
Not s bad, right – win, lose, or draw, they were in the eight at the end of Round 22, anyway.
That’s great, but four points in Round 22 is worth just as much as four points in any other round, and decisions like these have a far-reaching impact on the final state of the AFL Ladder at the end of the home and away season.
Humour me for a moment.
Let’s say the video evidence was better – as in something you’d expect from an organisation that is the pinnacle of the sport in any country (so, not the AFL, then?). Let’s say better vision showed clearly that Caleb Marchbank did not touch the footy. Carlton lose and drop back to 46 points on the ladder, positioning them in sixth and in a very vulnerable situation. It’d give teams like the Dogs, Bombers, and Giants a chance to leapfrog them with just one win and secure a finals spot of their own.
So, whilst the argument that it didn’t have an impact on the top eight right now is correct, it is also incredibly shortsighted and ignorant of the fact that every score in every game featuring a top eight team has ramifications on finals.
This is not a new problem for the AFL. Whilst it continues to pour money down the drain on other ventures, its score review system has been in dire need of a technology upgrade for years, and the league is falling further and further behind in comparison to other sporting codes around the globe.
Either get it right or scrap it and rely on the umpire’s call all the time. Hell, with the footage they use now, it is just as reliable to trust the goal umpires as it is the Nokia 2310 version of technology they’re using. Rant over…for now.
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