That time of the week again – time for HB to run you through the winners and losers of Round Three.
THE WINNERS
SAM DURHAM
There is something about a midfielder who can both win his own footy and shut down an opponent that does it for me.
Sam Durham is one of those players.
Below, I give Connor Rozee a bit of a whack for his ineffective last quarter. Sam Durham was the reason for that ineffectiveness. His pressure around the contest rendered Rozee close to useless, and as a two-way mid, he was able to grab seven disposals of his own.
Love what he brings to the Bombers.
SAM DAVIDSON
What a story.
Second game in, ran his guts out, powered the Dogs forward in the last quarter, and helped them bring it on home against the Blues.
He was opposed to both Blake Acres and Ollie Hollands through the last quarter and beat them both handily. Welcome to the big league, Sam.
You absolutely belong.
MATT ROWELL
The crown of midfield Red Menace has well and truly switched, with Matt Rowell tearing it off the head of Clayton Oliver, and putting it on, himself.
Rowell was a midfield monster in this one, torching Oliver at several centre bounces, as he controlled the middle with nine of his 13 clearances coming at centre bounces. For Oliver, it had to be like looking at himself five years ago. For Rowell, it was another day at the office, with 36 touches, seven tackles, and 19 contested possessions.
JACK SINCLAIR
Permitted to do his own thing in the back half (he must have an adventurous partner…), Sinclair notched a new career-high, with 40 damaging disposals against a tired Richmond.
Ten score involvements and two direct goal assists give an indication as to how potent he was running forward, as he simply had his way at Marvel Stadium.
HARRIS ANDREWS
During the week, I published an article about Harris Andrews and Sam Taylor. Some claimed Taylor had already surpassed Andrews as the number one big defender in the game.
So, Harris Andrews gave them a reminder.
An impenetrable presence, the Lions co-captain dominated the back half, collecting nine intercepts, eight rebound 50s, and 14 one-percenters in a vintage performance.
The wolf climbing the hill may be hungry, but the one on top still has plenty of fight left in him.
CAMERON MACKENZIE
Do you see what I see?
Cam Mackenzie is the reincarnation of Sam Mitchell. The way he gathers the footy, and immediately goes into his move. The way he holds the footy out in front of him, always ready to release to a teammate. The way he is always scanning for options. And the way he has that little shimmy when he collects the footy, to shake the opposition trailing him… he has learnt a fair bit about the game by watching his current coach.
Sam Mitchell is a champion of Hawthorn, so there are few better to pattern your game on. Mackenzie is well on his way now… and that is a scary proposition for opposition coaches.
TEX WALKER
Had the footy on a string at points in this game.
Against an undersized North defence, Walker demonstrated he has plenty left in the tank, kicking four goals, taking a couple of contested grabs, and dishing a direct goal assist, as well.
He has held the fort up forward for so long, and now, with Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe emerging as massive threats in their own right, it is time to enjoy the fruits of his labour.
TRISTAN XERRI
Two winners from the same game… on opposite teams.
Yep, I’m tricky like that.
Xerri looked like his afternoon may have been over in the first quarter when he clutched at his hamstring. Many feared the worst, particularly after he did it again soon after, but the big fella did what few do these days – he soldiered on.
I am a bit old school, and if you can play through something, you do. Xerri did, and he battled away all afternoon, finishing with 17 touches, 28 hit outs, and six clearances. Not bad for a bloke on one leg.
LUKE JACKSON
He was my pick to win the Glendinning/Allan Medal in this Derby, as some of those ten clearances Caleb Serong collected were placed right down his throat by some exceptional ruck taps from Jackson.
With Sean Darcy still on the sidelines, Jackson was sublime on the ground and in the air, plucking grabs and making plays for others. Loved his game – love his work, overall.
THE LOSERS
CONNOR ROZEE
Is he the leader Port needs? I would have liked to have seen him play like it when the team needed it.
Connor was missing in the 2024 finals, and under pressure in the last quarter of this game, he became a hacker again. He has to be better than this. He cannot just wait for Zak Butters to come in so he can play Robin. He’s the captain – he has to be Batman.
MITCH MCGOVERN
I seriously did not know he was playing.
So minimal was his impact, so lacking in every department was his play, that some bozo from Row Three could have slotted in and I would not have been able to tell the difference.
At 30, he is not getting any better. This is another of the Blues’ purchases that has not been as advertised.
JACOB VAN ROOYEN
You know, I like what I see in JvR. I think he could make the next step to become at Melbourne what Josh Treacy has become at Freo.
But not with performances like this, he won’t.
As a permanent forward, he had one disposal inside 50 for the whole game. Far out… bring back Kysaiah Pickett as soon as possible!
ADEM YZE
There were some strange decisions from the Tigers coach in their 82-point belting.
Moving Kamdyn McIntosh away from Jack Macrae, allowing Jack Sinclair unimpeded access to the footy across half-back, and moving one of the most reliable defenders, Nick Vlastuin, to a deep forward role despite the footy rarely venturing down there, were just three.
I get that he wants to experiment with his team, but wouldn’t he be better off experimenting with blokes who will still be playing vital roles at the club in three years? Moving your veterans around doesn’t show you anything new from the players you don’t know as much about.
JEREMY CAMERON
It is very rare that you’ll see Jezza on this list, so when he makes a case, you take that opportunity.
Playing further away from goal, Cameron had a dirty night against the Lions, managing just eight touches and one goal. Given his lofty standards, Cameron would be first to admit he was nowhere near his best in this game
CALLAN WARD
There are some days when the ball just does not bounce your way, and the old stager had one of those days against the Hawks.
Ward was subbed out of the game after collecting just four touches in 80+ minutes of game time, with his most memorable moment coming when he was nailed in a tackle by the smallest bloke on the ground.
Not a great night for the Cement Head.
HARLEY REID
Sorry mate, I know the media has come after you, but if you’re not going to run defensively, not going to be an active contributor in centre stoppages, and jog along while everyone else sprints to get to the next contest, then maybe… just maybe…
… they’re not the bad guys.
Forget the physical stuff – that is not my concern. Truth be told, I like a player with mongrel in their game. However, that mongrel has to be applied defensively, and at the moment, Harley is a liability in the midfield. The onus is on Andrew McQualter to handle this well, move Reid forward and allow him to work into shape, because right now, he is not there, and his presence in the middle is actually detracting from the WCE midfield group.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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