The penultimate week of the home and away season, and the penultimate week of the winners and losers of the round…
… and then we get to the winners and losers of the finals! That’ll be fun.
So, here’s how it works. I pick the winners and losers from this week’s games, and you either agree with me (because you’re smart), or disagree (because… of some other reason).
Simples, huh?
Let’s go!
THE WINNERS
ZAK BUTTERS
Our resident Butters stalker, Matt Oman, was shocked earlier this weekend, when one of his mates confessed he didn’t rate Butters.
Maybe word got back?
In a blistering 42 disposal, 20 contested possession, and ten clearance outing, Butters tore the Showdown to shreds, picking up best on ground honours, and rubbing whoever Matt Oman’s mate’s nose right in it
LACHIE SCHULTZ
We’ve loved him as the loser, but we were scared one day he’d win.
That day was Saturday, and the victims were the Brisbane Lions, as Lachie Schultz came to life just when the Pies needed him to slot two vital goals, sinking the Lions, and keeping the Pies’ finals hopes alive (at that point, anyway).
Schultz has not had a great year, but you always hear about how forwards don’t have to have great games, just great moments. Schultz had two in this one, and I know Pies fans are thinking it was about damn time.
And some may even be thinking it was too late.
CALLUM WILKIE
Wilkie has been one of the best Saints of the last yew years, and in 2023, earned an All-Australian blazer to prove it.
In a game where the Saints had plenty of winners, I chose to go with Wilkie, as he made the Cats pay for not manning him up in defence, with 13 intercepts, providing valuable rebound (eight of them)from the back half.
It was Wilkie that was setting the Saints up, as he was the sand in the Geelong vaseline for the entire night, and as good as Marshall, Steele, and Wilson were, I loved the game of Wilkie the most.
SAM DARCY
A star is born.
With seven snags against the Kangaroos (and double figures was not out of the question), Sam Darcy has stamped his claim on the title of future star in a big way.
Sharing the forward line with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Aaron Naughton, Darcy looked like Paul Salmon, as he outstretched everyone North could throw at him.
Mind you, North have been operating without a genuine key defender all year, and when Charlie Comben went down after a heavy hit with Jamarra, the door was open for one of the forwards to have a day out.
And this week, it was Sam Darcy
BRODIE KEMP
No Curnow.
No McKay.
No worries!
On the road, and with injuries on just about every line, the Blues looked as though they were going to struggle to put a score on the board against the Eagles.
As we now know, it was the Eagles who reverted to their 2023 form, as the Blues sent Brodie Kemp forward and he kicked as many snags as the entire West Coast team.
He came into the game with two AFL goals to his name and kicked four. Have another week off, Charlie and Harry. Kemp has your back.
THE LOSERS
BAILEY BANFIELD
Bailey…
Mate…
When there is a kick in it, and the Coleman leader takes a mark about 75 metres from goal, you have a decision to make. Do you a) push him over and give him a 50-metre penalty, gifting him a goal (don’t choose this one), or do you stand the mark and make him kick to a contest (CHOOSE THIS ONE).
Okay, now make your choice.
Oh… you chose the first one. That’s why you’re on this list.
BRAD SCOTT
Seeing Dyson Heppell ont he sidelines prior to the game, waving to fans, whilst Sam Weideman, Jake Kelly, and Jye Menzie suited up in red and black made me screw my nose up.
Brad Scott – not one for sentiment, or a believer in a team “getting up” for a retiring player, evidently.
Mind you, he is also the bloke that got rid of Brent Harvey at North Melbourne, despite Boomer being one of the club’s best at that time. Don’t believe me? Harvey was averaging 21.57 disposals and 1.57 goals per game in 2016, and wa shown the door.
And didn’t North kick on from there! 15th, 9th, 12th…
And now, he is at it at Essendon
JOE DANIHER
Had a couple of things gone right, Joe could have made the other list, but here we are.
He’s a strange cat, is Joe Daniher. He can make the difficult look easy, and make the fundamentals of the game look like a Chinese dialect.
His running bounce in the third quarter likely robbed the Lions of a goal. Out at half-forward, he had two choices – run in and have a ping, or punch it long to the advantage of Charlie Cameron.
He chose the third of those two options (thanks Denis Cometti) and took a second bounce, lost the footy, and was caught holding the ball. He also had a chance to ice the game from 40 metres out, directly in front in the last quarter, and muffed that one, as well. The Pies then kicked three goals to win the game.
Never change, Joe… unless you’re a Brisbane supporter reading this. In that case, change Joe – and hurry it up.
JOSH RACHELE
For someone who ducks out of contests as often as Josh Rachele does, he certainly loves to talk a big game.
Earlier this season, he jibbed it twice in the same game against the Bombers, and whilst he somewhat redeemed himself when the teams met again, he couldn’t help but run his mouth as the second Showdown of the year approached.
And what did Josh do when there was a hard footy to win against an 18-year-old? He tried to finesse it. Logan Evans ran in a straight line at the footy, put his head over it, and won it.
If you’re gonna talk the talk…
CHARLIE COMBEN
Poor Charlie…I’m not sure there has been a worse start to a game this season than he copped in the game against teh Dogs.
Two big errors that cost goals (a dropped chest mark, and then a poor inboard kick) came right before he was barrelled into by Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, and his night ended early.
He has had a pretty good season filling in down back, but this one… he’d like to put this behind him very quickly.
Righto, over to you, people.
Know who does a shitload of work on this site? Me! You could buy me a coffee if you like it – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
