- Patrick Cripps is still a star
On Thursday night at Adelaide Oval, we witnessed one of the best individual ten minutes of football we are likely to ever see. At three-quarter time, the game was in the balance and the battle in the midfield may have had the Power slightly ahead. Sam Walsh had seen plenty of the ball but the Blues skipper had only had the ball a modest 13 times and hadn’t really had a huge influence on proceedings.
Patrick Cripps opened the final term in spectacular fashion scoring the first two goals with sublime skills to allow Carlton to finally have some breathing space over the Power. By the end of the quarter he gathered nine touches, five of which were score involvements. The Blues kicked eight goals in the final term to run out winners by 36 points, and seven of those goals were from stoppages, such was the midfield dominance by Carlton led by Cripps himself. It was a final term that saw a mediocre game turned into a possible best on ground performance.
It was just two weeks ago that Carlton suffered its heaviest loss for the season, albeit against the form side of the competition. It was the first time for the year that the Blues found themselves outside the eight and looking like anything but a premiership hopeful. They bounced back well to defeat the Suns the following week, but this win against Port Adelaide away from home has football scribes talking about Top 4 and more for this success-starved football club. Sure, it was a great win, but it’s Round 12. Blues fans can get a little excited, but one loss is all it takes for them to slip back into the pack.
We’ve already spoken about Cripps. Sam Walsh continued his great form with 33 touches, and a trio of forwards booted three apiece in Curnow, McKay and Williams. That’s seven in the past two weeks for Williams. He’ll want to repeat this kind of performance in the crunch match against the Bombers next week.
Port Adelaide went toe to toe with the Blues for the first three quarters. Their adoring fans would’ve been expecting them to take control in the final term on the back of home support, but once the Blues went up a gear they simply fell away. This one has many writing off Port as a genuine contender despite still being above Carlton also on eight wins. They’re a fickle lot these media players!!
Horne-Francis was dynamic out of the middle for the first three quarters and also managed to hit the scoreboard. I’m sure North Melbourne fans bleed with every possession. Georgiades continued his good form in Carlton games finishing with four goals. But one of the stories of the night was Charlie Dixon and his inability to make any sort of impact. He managed just one possession in three quarters of football before being subbed out. Port Adelaide now get a chance to reflect on this loss with a bye this week.
- The Magpies injury woes finally reach tipping point
Collingwood have had a couple of very solid years during which time they’ve had their share of injuries. In many cases, they still found ways to eke out wins despite being down on some big names. At three-quarter time on Friday night against the Western Bulldogs, they held sway by a margin of 12 points and looked likely to go on and win. The last quarter saw them only able to manage one behind while the Bulldogs piled on five majors to eventually win by three goals. Lachie Schultz had one of his best games in black and white with three goals and the Daicos brothers finished with two apiece. This loss now puts the Pies in a precarious position with finals now far from certain. They’ll have to get back on the winners list against the Demons in the King’s Birthday match at the G. Both sides will see the game as a must-win.
Marcus Bontempelli played one of his best games in some time. Whilst he always makes a contribution, he’d be the first to admit that his last month has been a little shy of his absolute best. He was brilliant with 38 touches and three goals in what was a match-winning performance. Treloar chimed in with 37 touches to continue his stellar year and Dale had 35. Ugle-Hagan had a tough night on Darcy Moore but still managed a couple of majors.
The Dogs have a few injuries of their own but managed to finish strong for the win. They just keep themselves in touch with the eight for the time being at least. The game next week against Brisbane at Marvel Stadium will be the last chance for the loser, I feel.
- The Hawks are a small chance to play finals
If Hawthorn continue on in this trajectory of form that they’re in right now, you can bet that they’ll come very close to making finals this year which would be an insanely huge effort.
After losing their opening four matches and looking very much like they hadn’t improved on last year, they’ve now won four out of their last five games and their loss was by one-point in a game they really should’ve won. Their last five games have a record that’s as good as any other team in the competition right now, and Sam Mitchell’s stocks are rising sharply by the day.
The doomsday scenario I came up with while doing the ladder predictor was Hawthorn finishing the season with 12 wins and missing out on playing finals by percentage only. If this was to be the result, a lot will be said about those 30 seconds of madness against Port Adelaide which could ultimately rob the young Hawks of the fairytale ending to 2024.
Watching this game, it’s easy to see why Matthew Nicks has no hair. It was an insipid first half. Perhaps the Crows were playing on Adelaide time, but whatever the case, they’re still very much a hit and miss proposition when playing interstate. The loss of Rankine is telling. They needed a spark that he normally provides. Tex Walker is now on the injury list in another blow to their season. This loss would suggest they’re all but done for this year, a year many thought would see them feature in the finals. However, when you consider that, despite Adelaide having 17 more disposals, Hawthorn got the ball inside their forward 50 a staggering 22 more times. Clearly something isn’t working for the Crows.
Special mention to Jake Soligo who is really having a breakout year. He had 29 touches and looked good again.
This is where we start talking about mathematical chances and every game is crucial moving forward starting with the Tigers at home this coming Thursday. They’re not done with just yet, but the road ahead is daunting.
Now let’s talk about those Hawks shall we? Let’s start with emerging superstar, Dylan Moore. He looked to be enjoying himself kicking five goals in a strong win. He also had the most possessions for Hawthorn with 27 if you don’t mind. How many of us thought Jack Gunston had gone one season too long after hearing he was back playing with the Hawks? I sure did, but he’s killing them after booting seven goals in his last two outings. Ginnivan looks somewhere near his best. And the ball use from this young Hawthorn team is outstanding at times. They’re onto something all right. Beware any team playing them this season. They’ll go into next week’s game against the Giants with confidence. Can they keep this level up for 12 more games?
- Eagles and Saints both as bad as each other
St Kilda did a good job getting a much needed win for their fans, but the game was not terribly good on the eye. In fact, there’s more chance of going blind from watching this game than staring at an eclipse.
One player that is usually pleasing on the eye with his raking left foot is Mason Wood. Moving him forward late in the game scoring three of his four goals for the match proved to be a stroke of genius from Ross Lyon. Wood was best afield for the Saints kicking his four majors from 22 touches.
The Saints are still languishing in the bottom four despite the win, and they take on the Suns at Marvel Stadium who can fall victim to the travel bug. A win there might allow the Saints faithful to dare to dream, and Ross and his team can breathe a little easier for the time being, but there’s no sugar-coating St Kilda’s decline in 2024.
The Eagles went into this game without Tim Kelly and their leading goal kicker in Jake Waterman. Whilst the Eagles have certainly shown improvement on the last two years, it is clear that they need a healthy list just to stay competitive with even some of the lower placed teams like St Kilda. They were still in with a chance in the final term but the more experienced heads at St Kilda were able to finish the stronger of the two teams to win by 14 points. Elliot Yeo continued his strong form finishing with 29 touches, the most of anyone playing in this game. Gaff was serviceable returning from exile with 21 touches. Ryan and Cripps both booted three goals apiece and Darling finished with two.
The absence of Jake Waterman with a shoulder issue was always going to favour the Saints. He’s been in red hot form and I’m certain he would’ve terrorised their defence. Next week the Eagles are at home again to the struggling Kangaroos. They should chalk up their fourth victory, although a few more injuries might turn them back into the 22/23 rabble.
- Geelong back on the winners’ list, but for how long?
The Tigers were ahead by 29 points during the second term, and Geelong fans all around GMHBA Stadium were looking at each other fearing the worst. Thankfully, they were able to reel the Tigers back in and eventually overrun them by five goals.
Ollie Dempsey scored three goals and looks like he’s the real deal, and Jack Bowes was terrific with 29 touches. In the end the Cats just could not let this one slip so they found a way to win, but it’s on the back of a less than impressive in which they’ve lost their previous four. And it’s awfully hard to visualise them having a win in Sydney against the Swans in Round 13.
Richmond are inching closer to that elusive second victory. If they get something resembling their best 22 on the park before the season is over, they’ll definitely be serious nuisance value. As it stands now, they only lost by 12 points to the second placed Bombers and led for large portions of the game against the Cats. One four quarter effort should get them over the line.
Liam Baker was strong in this game finishing with 31 touches and a goal. It’ll be disappointing to see him leave should he choose to do so. Dusty kicked a couple from 15 touches as he closes in on the big 300 game milestone. The Tigers head to Adelaide to take on the Crows next week.
- Lucky for Melbourne the Dockers are a low scoring team
Is anybody else as bamboozled by that train wreck of a performance by Melbourne on Sunday afternoon up in Alice Springs? It all seemed OK to begin with, as they opened the game with the first two goals. And then they basically went into deer in headlights mode. It was an inexplicable display by a side supposedly in the mix for a Top 4 spot. It looked anything but.
Melbourne’s forward line woes are worsening. The two biggest possession getters on the field were Jordan Clark (36) and Luke Ryan (28). The two rebounding defenders did as they like and only needed Melbourne to enter the forward 50 zone 37 times to amass these figures. Fritsch and Pickett both went goalless. I’m sure the club will try and put this down to just one of those days, and maybe the absence of Jake Lever in defence compromised their structure, but to lose by 92 points at this stage of the year when you’re supposed to be a contender is gravely concerning. The mental scars might linger making victory against Collingwood for the annual King’s Birthday game unlikely.
Fremantle have had their own issues with respect to getting a functioning forward line offering up decent returns, but they played like kids in a candy store taking turns for their rewards. Jye Amiss finished with four, while Walters, Treacy and Jackson all kicked three. No doubt watching Luke Jackson developing into the star he will be must hurt Dees fans, and he could easily play forward at Melbourne if he were still there. The other concern for Melbourne is their midfield. Oliver just can’t seem to reproduce his best since playing with that injured hand. Whatever the case, the loser of Monday’s game will find themselves outside the eight with their respective seasons on the precipice.
- This is Gold Coast’s best chance to play finals.
This might seem like an obvious enough comment, but let’s break it down in more real terms. 13 wins would most likely be the magical figure to guarantee a seat at the table in September. 12 wins might even do the trick, but 13 all but ensures it. The Suns are on seven wins and have four remaining home games.
They’re undefeated at home this year, so let’s imagine they win all four. Then the Suns have away games against the Tigers, Saints, Eagles and North Melbourne. Before we even look at their other matches, six or seven wins from these games is going to get them into their first finals series.
Have they been here before? Arguably they have, however, I believe they have a good draw, more cohesion in their playing group, as well as a coach that might just be able to convince them that they belong there. The four away games against the bottom four teams hold the key. If they can’t use those games to learn to win away from Carrara (or Darwin for that matter), then a huge opportunity will go begging.
It was a tight contest on Sunday, and the Bombers will rue their inaccuracy in the first quarter. They came out firing early and were clearly the dominant side, but with 3.5 on the board at the first break, that dominance failed to translate. From that point on it was a hard-fought contest which could’ve gone either way, and the Suns managed to hang on for a very important win. Ben King booted four goals to rejoin Charlie Curnow at the top of the Coleman Medal leaderboard on 36. Ben Long also booted four in game 100, and has been a handy pickup. The midfield trio of Anderson, Rowell and Miller all had solid games. The ingredients are there. They now occupy a position in the Top 8 with seven wins, but it’s worth noting that they’ve won all of those games at home and are yet to chalk up a win on the road. They get their chance against the Saints at Marvel this coming week. A loss there will be telling.
Essendon is a very proud club and this loss will hurt. Despite coming into this game in second position with only two losses from their first eleven games, many still weren’t convinced of the Bombers’ credentials. A win would’ve convinced the fencesitters, but the loss has probably vindicated those who think the second half of the season will prove more difficult for the club.
In the end, the loss came down to inaccuracy and maybe a lack of poise late in the game. Zach Merrett was his usual best with 33 touches. Nic Martin continues to impress with 24. The Bombers from previous years would’ve probably been blown away in this game, so there’s no doubt they are a much more committed unit this year and they should see September action. If they want to secure a Top 4 spot, they’ll need to win games like next Sunday’s clash with the Blues. A win there will silence even the harshest critic.
- The holding the ball rule is still a problem
The AFL seems to have gone into self-congratulatory mode after the weekend which saw a new interpretation being used when making calls on holding the ball. Clearly the main area addressed related to how much time is allowed before you must dispose of the ball.
There were some clear examples of this such as the Charlie Curnow decision on Thursday night which would’ve been play on in previous weeks. This aspect of the re-jigging of the rule is a positive one and there is clarity surrounding it. We observed players being tackled very quickly moving the ball on which is a good thing. So, as far as time allowed with ball in hand goes, we can give the umpiring fraternity a tick on this point.
However, we’re not there yet. It seems to me that while the focus has been the prevention of potential injuries, they’ve neglected to address another fundamental concern with respect to the holding the ball rule. As far as what transpired on the weekend, I still saw instances of players not disposing the ball correctly going unpunished. Prior opportunity also seems nothing more than guesswork. Until they start paying free kicks that reward the tackler or punish the player for a missed handball or kick in a tackle, the rule will still be one that will continue to confound fans and players alike.
So no more backslaps guys. The job’s far from done just yet.
