It;’s that time of the week again – time for HB to run with the column that makes Sliding Doors look well-thought-out.
Here are the Winners and Losers stemming from Round Seven.
THE WINNERS
ANDREW MCGRATH
My fellow Mongrel, Jimmy Ayres, will take great delight in this section. You see, he actually joined The Mongrel back in the days when I was paying out on McGrath for being a poor number one pick, and he really wanted to defend him. Over the years, he kind of came around to my way of thinking, but over the last 12 months, there has been a significant shift.
And it has coincided with McGrath’s most recent tenure as a defender, and his ability to not only be used as the release man for the Bombers, but also his way of slicing through a defence.
To be fair, 2016 was a pretty ordinary draft in terms of high-end quality, with the bigger names coming later in the piece (Shai Bolton, Tim English, Tom Stewart), but of the top ten, McGrath has not been too far from the mark. His main opposition are Tim Taranto, Hugh McCluggage, Ollie Florent, and Todd Marshall. Of all those, only Taranto has won a B&F, and only English has made the AA team.
So, it turns out that HB should just shut up about McGrath, huh? He has taken his time, but with a ripping game on ANZAC Day, he could have almost took home the medal, with 31 touches and ten intercepts. He was vital to the Bombers on the day and is looking better all the time in the back pocket.
Yes, Jimmy, I am conceding… to a point.
JASE BURGOYNE
This was a breakout game for the son of Port champ, Peter Burgoyne, with the young wingman giving Port supporters a glimpse into what they’re in store for over the next ten or so years.
Burgoyne ran himself into the ground for his team, using that improved pace, his natural flair, and an ability to shake a defensive player to open the game up for the Power.
Twice in the last quarter, Burgoyne found himself matched up against young Saint, Will Hastie, and he took the kid to school on both occasions. In a way, it was like watching a player mature at the expense of another kid (two years the difference between them) as Burgoyne looked so poised and composed… which are kind of the same thing, but I am using them, anyway, as he collected the footy and took off toward forward 50.
I also could have added Willem Drew for Port, as he did with the Peter Badcoe Medal for the best on ground (note – not the BABCOE Medal – thanks, Channel Seven), but I opted to go with the kid with the breakout game.
JEREMY CAMERON
He is the knife in the heart of the opposition, this bloke. He covers the ground in a canter, always looks balanced, and has the type of hands that make George Costanza, hand model, envious.
Every time the Blues seemed poised to make the final push over the top, it was Jezza Cameron putting them back in their foxholes. His ability to seize the moment and snuff out the hope of the Blues, on this occasion, made him stand out as the best player on the park. Some players are consistent throughout the game – they collect the footy, post big numbers, but really, plenty of those touches are hollow.
Jezza’s touches tore the heart out of Carlton, and it was his last one that hurt the most – a snap to ice the contest after the Blues closed the gap.
JACOB WEITERING
A player on the losing team making the five winners?
Well, we have to consider the quality of the opposition, right?
Right.
Jacob Weitering held Tom Hawkins goalless. And this wasn’t just one of those “team defence” efforts that see a key defender getting credit he probably doesn’t deserve – no, he beat Hawkins in one-on-one contests all game, holding the big man to eight touches and just one mark.
Weitering is one of those players who is respected to an insane degree by those who watch how defenders operate. I know others get carried away with big numbers and flashiness, but he is as blue collar as they come, and with 19 disposals and 11 intercepts against one of the greatest forwards of his era, Weitering is absolutely deserving of his place on this list.
Just like he was deserving of an All-Australian selection back in 2021. Alas, he had to settle for our Defensive Player of the Year Award, and after a slow start to 2024, he is starting to round into that type of form once again.
JOSH TREACY
CLUNK!
I love watching Freo play. I know that’s a but of a funny statement, given the style they’ve employed at times, but when Josh Treacy attacks the footy in the air, I love seeing the result.
Treacy either marks the footy, or he takes the pack down with him!
Freo had several players that could have been included in this list. Caleb Serong was incredible, Nat Fyfe turned the clock back, and Alex Pearce was… well, he was Alex Pearce, but it was the work of Treacy, with five contested grabs and three goals that really stood out to me.
The Dockers had big questions asked of them against the Dogs, and I reckon it was Treacy providing the answers. At just 21, the future is very, very bright for the big man.
THE LOSERS
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PRESS
You know how many journalists showed up to the post-match press conferences from Ken Hinkley and Ross Lyon following the Power’s win over the Saints?
Three.
That’s it.
You have all these people writing and talking about footy, and just three of them took time from their precious schedules to ask questions of the coaches – you know, the blokes who are often hung out to dry by the media.
Pathetic.
I wonder, had the game seen St Kilda get over Port, would more have turned up to grill Hinkley and prepare to dance on his grave?
I get the feeling they would have, but in a win… where’s the story in that? Where’s the blood?
There was none, so they didn’t bother.
STEELE SIDEBOTTOM
Father Time catches up with us all – hell, it caught up to me a while ago.
And it appears as though it is catching up with the Collingwood 300-gamer, as well.
Sidebottom is averaging the lowest numbers since his rookie season, and is coming off a game that saw him register just one touch to half-time. Usually, I would put this down to Steele doing a lot of the defensive work and retreating back inside D50, but… he wasn’t. He was just there, making a habit of being precisely where the footy wasn’t.
He finished with seven touches for the game, whilst the Bombers ran Xavier Duursma, Nik Cox, and Dyson Heppell against him. All were far superior on the day.
He needs a return to form, and Collingwood need him to find it quickly.
CHRIS FAGAN
Look, teams have made finals, and have even gone deep into finals after a poor start. GWS, just last year, were struggling greatly to commence the season, and then they turned it on in the back half of the year.
But can the Lions?
They looked slooooooow against the Giants, with the rolling wave of orange and charcoal far too damaging for Brisbaner to contain. They have scant little pace, with their midfield looking plodding, and with the key forwards barely giving a yelp (especially when they had to chase), Brisbane legitimately looked like a team that had given up.
Have they given up?
Has Chris Fagan lost the touch that drove this group to so many finals series and top four finishes?
They now a run of six games against sides they SHOULD be able to handle – Gold Coast, Adelaide, Richmond, Hawthorn, the Dogs, and St Kilda. If the Lions remain at a significant deficit in the win/loss columns after those six weeks, they will be in strife, and the coach will be under pressure.
MABIOR CHOL
When your team is struggling to score and finally get a shot at goal, the worst thing a forward can do is give away a free kick 40 metres off the footy.
Enter Mabior Chol, who not only gave the free kick away, but then watched as the kick from Blake Hardwick sailed through for a major.
The Hawks managed just four goals through the first three quarters. They were playing without key forward, Mitch Lewis, and were reliant on Chol standing up and making a difference.
He did… FOR THE OTHER TEAM!
My fellow Mongrel, Trent Adam-Shields, trued to sell me on Chol earlier this year. “He is not Mr Right – he is Mr Right-Now,” he told me.
He is neither… and the Hawks have him for only another three years after this one.
WILL PHILLIPS
You know who was taken at pick four in the 2020 AFL Draft?
Logan McDonald.
Yep, the key forward who has now kicked 16 goals for the season after his apprenticeship under Buddy Franklin (which basically consisted of Buddy telling him to get out of the way).
Phillips was taken a pick before him, and this week, was subbed out of the game after collecting just eight disposals.
Where is he at?
What can he be?
Is he a bust?
He has endured Glandular Fever, which cost him a year, but it has been a couple of seasons since that. I was expecting a big leap from him this season. I haven’t spotted it.
North, as a whole, have been horrid this season, but when you see a high draft pick floundering like this, playing just 34 games for a career average of 14 touches… it must sting North supporters in a big way.
They must be so sick of being stung.
Have some winners and losers of your own to add? I know I miss plenty, as the five in each category limits me quite a bit. You might even feel like slotting me in there for my selections – that’s fine.
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