A personal milestone for your old pal, HB – this is my 300th article since the end of the 2023 season.
I write a lot.
Anyway, this is the simplest column of the week, so what a way to bring up the 300 – five winners and five losers from Round 20.
Let’s go!
THE WINNERS
OLLIE DEMPSEY
Pitted against the player likely to challenge him for the Rising Star Award, Dempsey left no doubt as to his value to the Cats, and his future in the game.
With his goal total for the season moving to 15, Dempsey has become one of the best offensive wingmen in the game. His quick thinking, and ability to get the ball to his boot faster than the defence can react, kept North at bay with timely, and bloody excellent goals.
The thing I like best about Dempsey is that he plays that offensive role, but he does not compromise the structure of the Cats. he maintains his width in the wing role, runs hard both ways, and is great overhead, as well.
He will make a deserving Rising Star winner.
DAYNE ZORKO
If you’re sleeping on the Lions, you’re missing something pretty special.
I know Dayne Zorko is not everyone’s cup of tea. I know he has rubbed plenty of people the wrong way over the journey. But if you’re using that as a reason not to note how good he has been in his role off half-back this year, you’re not being fair.
The guy thas been extraordinary, after being pushed back to be the bridge between the role Keidean Coleman was supposed to play, and the role Darcy Wilmot may one day play.
Career-high numbers in disposals per game and rebounds at 36 years of age… the five-time Merrett-Murray Medallist is a star that is still shining well into the twilight of his career.
ROWAN MARSHALL
If you would like to watch one big man turn up the heat and completely outwork his direct opponent, I urge you to whack on (don’t whack off… unless you’re home by yourself) the Saints’ win over Essendon, and watch the way Marshall demonstrates why he is one of the league’s best big men, and Sam Draper, simply, is not.
Marshall has the type of quarter some rucks would dream of, picking up 14 disposals, nine hit outs, and four clearances as he ran rings around Draper.
A few years back, I tried to guess what the AA team would look like in five-years time. We are starting to get close to that time period (I’ll dig it out and have a look soon) and my choice as the AA ruckman was Marshall.
He has the tools to do that, and with 26 disposals, 30 hit outs, and eight clearances for the game, these are the types of games that may propel him to that lofty status in the next two years.
JOSH TREACY
Are you sick of me writing about this bloke? Better stop reading, then, because I get the feeling we’re seeing the formative years of the best crash and bash forward the game will have for a while.
His third quarter efforts in the Derby helped Freo over the line. As other players got involved in a bit of agro, it was Treacy channelling his aggression into the stuff that mattered.
His influence was profound, and he made his teammates walk taller, knowing they had this beast of a man, at just 21 years of age, ready to crash packs and win the footy. He kicked 2.1 for the quarter, took two contested grabs amongst his four marks for the quarter, and gave the Dockers the target they needed to straighten them up.
Hate to say it… it was Carey-esque.
He might be my favourite player to watch in the AFL right now – and I reckon he has made the winners’ list four or five times this season.
Some see the acorn in the oak tree at this age when it comes to big forwards. Treacy is no acorn. He is growing into a giant right before our eyes. Can’t wait to see him play finals.
DARCY MOORE
Moore has copped a bit of a whack this season. His method of defending has been questioned, his disposal has been under scrutiny (and rightfully so), but when he is on, he can still own a game of footy with his defence.
He did that on the weekend, with a complete defensive game (aside from being outmarked by Tom Brown at one point).
Moore finished with 13 intercepts and 14 one-percenters. That is (gets calculator out…) 27 contests he either won or broke even on. A big, confidence boosting performance from a bloke that has done the spoiling right all year, but has let himself down in other aspects. Perhaps, the turning point?
Apologies to Connor MacDonald – was the next cab off the rank.
THE LOSERS
Just the four losers this week. You can add me in thjis week for botching up the title of an article, and somehow coming to the conclusion that the Dogs played the Saints until someone pointed it out to me. Especially dumb, as I covered the Dogs-Sydney game. Duh…
BEN KING
As the Lions slotted goals, Ben King slotted behinds and one out on the full.
That was what he delivered as the Lions knocked over his Suns on what was, until this game, an impenetrable fortress.
The Lions didn’t just beat the Suns – they kicked down the doors, knocked over the walls, and gave Gold Coast a beating that all but killed their finals chances. And Big Ben gave them a hand by missing four of his five shots at goal.
Superstars are paid big money to kick vital goals in big games. King’s misses were vital, and this Queensland Derby was about as big as it gets for the Suns
BEN MCKAY
Ben, you’re a key defender. You have these big meat hooks on the end of your arms that can knock the air out of the footy with the force they can generate.
Spoil the damn ball!
In the third quarter alone, McKay was cleanly outmarked four times, as he opted to attempt to add to his intercept marking stats. Over the previous two weeks, McKay had racked up 30 intercepts, and he appeared keen to maintain the momentum. What he really needed to do was kill the contests.
He didn’t.
The Saints forwards took mark after mark, and had shot at goal after shot at goal.
Go back to basics, Ben. Kill the contest and use the numbers at your feet to whisk the footy away.
BRAD SCOTT
Oh Bombers… the lessons of 2023 are being revisited upon you, and Brad Scott must be feeling pretty pissed off to be reliving what was a huge disappointment.
The Bombers looked sure things to play finals just four weeks ago. They looked a possibility for top two, and now Scott is sitting there, scratching his head, and wondering what the hell he can do to turn this around. Their pressure was poor, the defensive running fell away, and their attack on the footy was… questionable, at times.
That is the version of Essendon that supporters dreaded seeing this season, and they’ve rambled their way back onto the scene at the wrong time.
CHAD WARNER
What a turnaround from a couple of weeks ago.
The power-running, fending, offensive weapon was firing blanks on the weekend, as the Dogs put the Swans to the sword.
The Sydney midfield was poor – I could have chosen any of three to whack into this section, but I went with the bloke who has been the most prevalent in recent weeks. Warner usually takes the game on, but this game was too much for him. Comparisons to the game’s greats now look silly (I made one, damn it!) as he basically allowed the game to unfold around him – a glorified spectator on the weekend.
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