Disco’s Weekly
Round 3
Sunday Bloody Sunday
After a woeful run of ordinary games on Thursday night, Friday night, and three shockers on Saturday, it was with trepidation I switched on the idiot box for Port versus the Eagles and the Blues v Demons on Sunday, and boy was I surprised.
Two come from behind wins, a few kids taking on the game and winning, with Kysaiah Pickett playing one of the all-time great games of the modern era, and Harley Reid played the best game of his career thus far.
After a weekend of extremes, I dare say, a couple of coaches and one or three players are left pondering where to from here, but let’s start with a few positives.
Kysaiah Pickett
A confession before I start. When Carlton banged on six straight goals to start the game, I had an old man nap with my alarm set to watch the last quarter, knowing Carlton were likely to capitulate again, as they have in all their games this year.
I literally set my watch to watch another Carlton implosion – snatching another disgraceful and humiliating loss from the jaws of victory.
Like many, I get a macabre enjoyment watching teams implode. Anyway, enough about the abysmal Blues for now and more about Kysaiah Pickett.
While a number of players who signed huge contracts at the end of last year have been slow to start season 2026, Kozzie has repaid the faith the Demons have shown in him with two good performances thus far this season and one game which was mesmerising that played out at the MCG on a sunny Melbourne Sunday afternoon before a bumper crowd of over 67,000 (a lot of love for Max).
When the Dees decided to turn up and play midway through the second quarter, the Blues had jumped to a game high lead of 43 points and the Dees went to the main break having kicked only one goal for the half. In the second quarter, Melbourne pipped the Blues with a paltry one goal and five behinds to one goal and two behinds. It was a very forgettable quarter, and I am so glad I slept through it.
The game needed a hero and while not all heroes where a capes, they do wear the number 36 proudly on their back.
Kysaiah Pickett tore the Blues a new one in the third quarter, while ripping them to pieces in the last quarter.
Pickett is a rare breed of footballer; he has sublime skills combined with a toughness which puts the heebie-jeebies up opposition players. Pickett’s game awareness leaves spectators and opposition teams bamboozled as us mere mortals are left speechless as he slots goals and creates goal assists from nowhere (he is also handy in the middle).
Take a bow Mr Pickett, you have given Max Gawn and Tom McDonald, both celebrating 250 games, a game that will still be talked about in years to come.
Whilst on big Max, you are a superstar and possibly the best big man in the history of the game. For a guy who got told to get off the ciggies at the start of his career, his journey to success has, in the words of the Pipe, has been a thing of beauty.
Andrew McQualter’s Kindergarten is now Paying Dividends
When Elliott Yeo did not reappear after halftime, most would have expected the Eagles to fall away, however, that would be doing an injustice to the current crop of slowly maturing Eaglets under the tutelage of Andrew McQualter, who has given them the freedom to show the football world how bloody good they are.
Much like Harry Rednapp’s famous Westham football factory nurturing the youngsters who would go on to be Premier League superstars, McQualter is doing the same with the raw talent he has at his disposal at Eagle Central.
The Eagles’ comeback against the Power, and their maturity to hold on in the dying minutes on the back of their young ones’ hunger and drive has now put the entire AFL on notice – these kids will eat you alive if you give them a sniff.
Harley Reid had arguably his best game in the blue and gold, and he has now put the football world on notice that he is growing into his maturity at a rate ahead of time. The kid fears nothing, and he actually invites trouble to come his way. There was a play in the final quarter when he and Zak Butters had a battle of strength which probably ended up as a draw, but both players had grins from ear to ear, with Butters (one of the toughest players in the comp) giving Harley the nod of respect.
Harley loves the fight and by his actions he wants to be the top dog, not just on the field, but also within his team, including going to the next level with the Eagles recruitment of Willem Duursma, and a couple of others.
Harley is a cheeky one, and it made me smile when he gave the Port faithful a John Cena, ‘you can’t see me’, salute after kicking a goal.
The game needs characters.
Willem Duursma is a ready-made player, who seems to play the game with the same awareness and guile as players many years his senior.
This is a big call, but Willem moves and plays like a young Chris Judd when he first burst on to the scene a quarter of a century go.
While giving out accolades to Reid and Duursma, there are a few other young’uns maturing nicely at McQualter’s Kindergarten.
Hamish Davis (a real goer), Jobe Shanahan (who took some really special marks when the heat was on), Archer Reid (a star on the rise) and Bo Allan (getting better with each game) are fast becoming household names (at least out West), while Jacob Newton, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Josh Lindsay, and others are getting valuable playing time in a team that is now winning.
Chapeau Andrew McQualter, you haven’t received much love since taking over from Adam Simpson, but credit where credit is due, you have stamped your imprimatur on your young Eaglets, and for the first time since before Covid, there is a real buzz around the Eagles again.
The Curse of the 2000 Finals Series
At the turn of the century the future looked very bright for the two combatants who played in the weekend before the Grand Final that year.
It would be fair to say both Essendon and Carlton felt untouchable at that stage and therein lays the heart of the curse both clubs have suffered since the 2000 finals series.
The AFL landscape changed in late 2000, with the buzz word being accountability, which was contra to the Bombers and the Blues way of doing business.
Gone were the days of the brown paper bags, under the table deals to secure players, and powerbrokers like Jack Elliott were caught out and kicked out.
By a combination of trade sanctions, being stripped of games, some very ordinary trade deals, near financial ruin, board spills, axing coaches, axing players, dissatisfied supporter bases and then some, both Essendon and Carlton have been woeful this century.
Once again, both clubs find themselves at the precipice again, with Brad Scott and Michael Voss being fully aware they will be another casualty with the supporters demanding their heads be put on a spike. With Scott and Voss being the public face of change, the supposed wisemen in the Boardroom while be under pressure to conjure up another five-year plan – well that is until their heads roll as well.
Let them eat cake.
Both clubs presently remind me of the last episode of The Black Adder whereby all the players knew they were going to be dead as soon as the whistle blew and they poked their heads above the parapet.
Eat, Sleep, and repeat Bombers and Baggers – I’m interested to see if the new reincarnation/s are the same as the old incarnation.
We won’t get fooled again!
Just to back up a little bit, most of the talking heads, including myself, didn’t hold any faith that both the Bombers and the Blues would be any better than the way they are playing now – there is always a lot of overkill when either of these teams loses.
Aggregate 19 Goals and 32 Behind combined – I’m Blaming the Dockers
Once upon a time, in a magically land when the superstar full forwards once ruled the turf, watching the likes of Ablett Snr, Plugger, Dunstall and Dermie, Buddy, Jezza (present and past), Modra, Allen Jakovich, Capper, and including the likes of McKenna, Wade, Hudson, BT, Disco Roach, the entire Carlton forward line the 80’s, Jacko, Larry Donohue, the G-Train, Sumich, Gladys Moncrief and others, as a spectator you would run from one end to the other at the breaks just to be as close as possible to the superstars of the game.
What they all had in common was they were all brilliant shots at goal, with the old rockstar (look it up, McKenna did have a number single back in the day) Peter McKenna being the head of the class.
Forget Masters of the Universe, we once had Masters of the Forward Line.
All the above Gods of the game would have watched in horror as the Docker piled on 13 goals accompanied by 25 behinds in one of the blandest games of recent times.
Seriously, my dead Nana could kick more accurately than the entire Dockers team.
Whatever happened to the days of the megastar full forwards?
North’s Year of Living Dangerously
There is a lot to like about the Roo Boys with two wins from three outings, as well as having a very healthy percentage of 116.8. The percentage impresses this little duck as North now find themselves ahead of the ledger for the first since… well, I can’t really remember since when.
Out of all the cellar dwellers at the start of this season, the Shinboners looked the most likely to jump up the ladder this year – it is a year of living dangerously for all at Arden Street as they attempt a similar rise up the ladder like the Hawks did a couple of seasons ago when the shackles were released.
North Melbourne’s success this season, going on their exposed form thus far, will be very entertaining if the players continue to play without any fear of defeat.
Any upper echelon team that treats North an easy kill might well be in for a rude shock.
Interview with a Vampire – starring Tristan Xerri
Why???? Seriously, why????
Tristan Xerri is an old school type of ruckmen, more in the mould of Crackers Keenan or Percy Jones than some of the more highly polished corporate type of players who tow the company line, but the competition is all the better for having players like Xerri who buck the system every now and then.
Not unlike Crackers and Percy, Tristan will occasionally blot his ledger with the odd very weird act that defies logic.
There was a Xerri who when he was good he was very good, but when he was bad, he was horrid.
Xerri is now on three-week holiday.
Kenny Hinkley’s Special Comments Style is Fantastic
In a world where some commentators dissect ever single passage of play, it is refreshing to hear Kenny Hinkley in his new role as the ‘special comments’ guy.
Kenny has a childlike appreciation of the game, coupled with a dry and witty sense of humour. In the absence of Dermie this year, Kenny’s loose style of commentary has filled that void very well.
Kenny’s last quarter commentary as the Power were going under was amusing, Despite the result, there was sheer joy in his voice as he tried in vain to be impartial as his old charges collapsed.
Alixzander Tauru’s Mark
In the early 80’s the late Trevor Barker took a mark over Ricky Quade at the old Albert Park Oval which is still revered as one of the all-time great marks, with his blond locks flowing in the wind as he soared upwards, and in the words of the Pipe again, it was a thing of beauty.
Move forward to the 90’s and a blonde-haired Tony Modra with flowing locks was renowned for his ability to take a specky, and boy, he was loved and adored by the faithful at West Lakes.
Move forward to last Saturday and a young blond haired Alixzander Tuaru pulled down a good old-fashioned ripsnorter of a mark.
The first thing that came to my mind as Tauru soared with the pigeons stuck under Marvel’s roof, was a throwback to the day Trevor Barker made Ricky Quade famous.
What’s with the 12:30 Starts?
The poor old Eagles supporters started watching their team play at Adelaide Oval while they were still in their jammies and slurping over their Weetbix.
Many families have certain rituals they follow on any given Sunday morning to which they don’t want AFL incursions interfering with those rituals.
Both the Eagles and the Purple Haze deserve better than some of the ridiculous starting times thry get just to appease the Victorian powerbrokers.
For different reasons, the 12:35 start time for the Lions game against the Saints at Marvel Stadium was a complete insult to the reigning Premier, especially considering they were paying homage to their old Fitzroy roots.
Very bad fixturing.
GMHBA Stadium and Thursday Night Football
There were many reasons as to why there was bugger all atmosphere watching the game from GMHBA Stadium last Thursday, including the weather, it was a ‘school night’, but above these two excuses, I question whether or not the average Tommy Clockpuncher and Lucy Lunchpail feel a bit overwhelmed by the wall to wall football spread over four straight nights each week?
Geelong supporters are amongst the most passionate supporters in the AFL who turn up in numbers each week, so all the empty seats last Thursday took me by surprised. With the depleted numbers of onlookers at GMHBA Stadium last Thursday the game lacked the normal gameday atmosphere normally associated with Geelong games.
Allowing for the Antarctic weather, the threat of global shortages of fuel, and the associated crippling inflation and, with the game being played on a ‘school night’, I still get the feeling sometimes less is better.
Fin
I’ve really enjoyed writing this weeks Pondering’s, and like all the writers at the Mongrel Punt we value your comments, whether they be positive or negative.
May your team win this weekend.
