Just a quickie today – have my boy home here with tonsillitis… or something like it.
The footy world watched on last weekend as Patrick Voss practiced for his upcoming role this week against Harris Andrews.
That is by no means directed as a slap to Callum Wilkie, as he is one of the game’s best overall defenders. However, in terms of the AFL defensive pecking order, he is a level below Harris Andrews.
Everyone is, really.
Voss gave Wilkie no room to operate, and no chance to play his natural game. In a combination of wrestling, aggravation, and some scattered moments of reading the footy and winning the ball, Voss had a huge impact on the way the Dockers were able to emerge victorious over the Saints, and register their club-record tenth straight win.
However, as the spectacle continued to evolve in front of me, I found myself looking forward and wondering just how Voss will play his role against the Lions, and just how Andrews would combat it if Patty starts attempting to throw his weight around?
It makes for the most intriguing potential matchup in Round 12’s most intriguing game… which, or course, is buried in the Saturday twilight spot for some reason.
On one hand you have the young Docker, determined to have a presence in the contest, and if that means disrupting the best defender on the opposition, he will happily do it. And on the other hand you have a premiership captain and one of the best defenders of his generation, looking to control the way the back six sets up.
It generates the feeling that this could be a pivotal matchup in a game that means more than just four points.
You get the feeling that the Lions need to make a stand at home and send a clear signal that they are far from the spent force that the goldfish in the media are now framing them as. I mean, they’ve already forgotten where Brisbane were this time last year, haven’t they? Surely they haven’t forgotten where they ended up?!?!
But yes, playing down a couple of beatings, even if one did include a record-breaking quarter from the Giants, does not generate clicks. They have to make everything about how poorly someone is going, or how bad something could be. There is no room for optimism in the doom and gloom AFL media.
On the other side of the coin are the Dockers – flying and in contention for a top two spot this season. After years of being whacked for not demonstrating this form, there are some who are still looking for a reason to whack them again, and a loss on the road to the reigning premiers, as respectable as it might be, gives them that opportunity.
Voss is a pest. He seemed to quiet down after the pathetic response to him rubbing Harrison Petty’s head earlier in the year, as the media once again found something to be upset about, but over the past couple of weeks, he has found a new way to work himself into the game, and it suits him to a tee.
But Andrews is no stranger to defensive attention to keep him from having his regular influence on the contest. He is one of the very few… and possibly only, key defenders to be tagged in a Grand Final. People mottled Billy Frampton for his stats in that game – a shortsighted view – but he kept Andrews in check in the first half, and had a big say in how the contest played out.
That has to be what Voss is thinking about. Justin Longmuir, as well.
How do you score heavily against the Lions? Apparently, you wear orange and wait for the third quarter?
Or, you chip away at the centre pillar holding up their back six.
Chris Fagan will have watched Voss’ antics closely last week. He would have seen the consistent harassment of Cal Wilkie, and how it limited the St Kilda’s star’s impact on the contest. And he would have to be putting things in place to ensure that doesn’t happen to the man known as ‘the Chief’ in the Lions’ back half.
How, in a game that now prevents you from sitting someone down when they play up, do you combat a pest the likes of Voss who, contrary to popular belief, can actually play footy and do damage on the scoreboard?
It is something the coaching staff will be pondering as we head into this marquee clash.
Of course, there is the chance that Voss decides he is the AFL version of Paul Newman’s Charleston Chiefs this week and plays only the ball. However, if he does decide to stroll down the avenue of trying to upset the game’s best big defender, I have a feeling that the Lions will be prepared.
Make no mistake, this weekend’s Lions v Dockers clash is a ripper on paper – Treacy, Bolton, Jackson, and company, against Andrews, Neale, and Will Ashcroft – it’ll be a knock down, drag out affair, but the contest between Patrick Voss and Harris Andrews may just go a long way to dictating the winner.
Who have you got?
The Chief, or the Prancing Pony?
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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