Someone once told me they don’t like this concept. Made me smile. If I listened to everyone who told me what they liked or didn’t, I’d either produce everything, or nothing. I like it, and I update it now and again.
If you want to win a flag, you have to win on the road. It’s as simple as that.
Good teams win on the road. You know it, I know it, and the league knows it, as well.
Last season, the Brisbane Lions stormed to a second-straight flag. They also topped the Road Warrior Ladder, runaway winners from the midway point of the season. Interstate, they won seven games, and drew another, indicating that travelling during September was not an issue for them.
And when September rolled around, it turns out it wasn’t.
If you want to finish top four, you have to pick up big road wins, and after the whole league, bar two teams, hit the road for Gather Round, it is time to assess where things sit in terms of away form.
We’ve heard it for years – the teams based outside Victoria have it tougher.
I get it, though. I really do. Forced to travel interstate almost every second week, some teams clock up enormous miles as they traverse the country to be part of this sport we love.
Meanwhile, we get some Victorian-based clubs cracking the sads when they have to play at Marvel Stadium instead of the MCG, and vice versa. Or those who get a little nasty when a move away from Kardinia Park is floated.
So, how do the teams fare away from home, and who is travelling best at the moment?
The Mongrel has devised a little ladder to assess who is the best road team in the league. Oh, the Vic teams will still get a look in if they’re good enough, and whilst I fully expect a number of fans to say this system is rigged to favour non-Victorian teams… I really don’t care. Stop your whining.
So, how does it work?
The Road Warrior Ladder is named after one of the best Tag Teams of all time. Don’t come at me with your Demolition garbage, or your Powers of Pain crap… they were Road Warrior rip-offs… who were, in turn, rip-offs of the 1980s movie, Mad Max.
It was called The Road Warrior in the United States because… geez, I’m not a film buff. Do your own homework.
Anyway, you get four points for an interstate win and two points for a win at an away venue that IS NOT played at the venue you consider your home ground. I don’t care if it’s not your home game – you’re still at the ground you play your home games. The Road Warrior Ladder Nazi isn’t concerned with your feelings – just facts.
Tasmania is considered a home game for Hawthorn. You choose to play your home games there – you cop it. Same with GWS and Canberra – if it’s your choice, you wear it.
Now that my belligerence is out of the way, let’s get to business.
THE ROAD WARRIOR LADDER AFTER ROUND SEVEN
1 – SYDNEY – 12 PTS (222 score differential in road wins)
2 – BRISBANE – 8 PTS (59)
3 – ST KILDA – 8 PTS (22)
4 – FREMANTLE – 8 PTS (16)
5 – WESTERN BULLDOGS – 8 PTS (11)
6 – GOLD COAST – 4 PTS (68)
7 – GWS – 4 PTS (56)
8 – GEELONG – 4 PTS (46)
9 – ESSENDON – 4 PTS (45)
10 – PORT ADELAIDE – 4 PTS (42)
11 – HAWTHORN – 4 PTS (40)
12 – ADELAIDE – 4 PTS (14)
13 – WEST COAST – 4 PTS (2)
14-18 – COLLINGWOOD, NORTH MELBOURNE, CARLTON, RICHMOND, MELBOURNE – NO WINS
ANALYSIS
The Swans are taking all before them in 2026, and their form on the road has been impeccable.
The last time the Swans had a start like this on the road, they made it to the Grand Final. Whilst that game remains the Grand Final that shall not be named, getting wins on the board early enables a team to toy with a line up later in the season, and even endure a fall in form.
The Swans are three from three on the road to start the season, and they’re looking like the team to beat. However, the ghosts of the Grand Final that shall not be named hang over them like a curse. They’re doing the work, but their journey is nowhere near complete until they right some pretty significant wrongs.
Interesting to note that the Saints were one point away from joining the Swans on 12 points. Their stint in Adelaide was very handy, and but for a kick, we would be talking about that team in a much more positive light than we are.
That said, I rate the Saints, and I stand by it. Maybe not this season, but in 2027, when the club has a chance to gel properly, I think we could see something pretty special.
UPCOMING FOUR-POINT GAMES
FREMANTLE head to Marvel and take on the wounded Dogs
BRISBANE also visit Marvel to face the up-and-down Bombers
RICHMOND head west to take on the Eagles
MELBOURNE hit the SCG to face the Swans
GWS head north to take on the Suns
UPCOMING TWO-POINT GAMES
NORTH MELBOURNE make the trip down the highway to take on the Cats
FOOTNOTE OF THE WEEK
Umpiring and the ARC.
I read just this morning, that it is around this time every year that things reach a boiling point with umpiring and the newer interpretations. Interesting.
It seems that this season, we have more thrown into the mix than ever before, with the ARC now becoming more prevalent in the way the game is officiated, and that came to a head in the St Kilda win over the Eagles, with play being called back following a contentious goal line marking attempt by Rowan Marshall.
By the time the ARC had made whatever decision it came up with, play had been going on for over a minutes (30 seconds of actual game time) and it just sucked the air out of the stadum.
People forget, people at home get the benefit of replays and commentators explaining things – the people at the ground just look at each other and wonder what the hell is going on, and why the hell they’re paying good money to sit there and watch this confusing bullshit.
The AFL rushed through their video technology. They had substandard equipment to implement it correctly. And they continue to meander through it like they’re knee-deep in sewerage.
The league loves to point out crowd numbers. Keep this stuff up, and we will see that source of pride quickly become a source of embarrassment.
The fans are the lifeblood of the game, and the league is pissing them off. It is a dangerous game to play.