Disco’s Weekly
Round 15
In this week’s edition, we discuss teams which are in the middle of form slumps, and how, if possible, they can stop the rot. Then we break the rest of the season down into many battles and battles within battles, as we attempt to ascertain what each team is striving for this season, then some titbits, and finally,..
… with a little help from my 118 years old (dec) Nana, I will be casting the Round 15 votes in the fight for the Caseys Nightclub Over 30’s Mirrorball Keyring – the only award dedicated to the ageing veterans of our great game.
Form Slumps
Blues, Suns and Giants
The form of all teams generally dips at some point throughout a normal home and away season, with most teams having the ability to absorb a bit of punishment before righting the wrongs. A good example of this is the Western Bulldogs, who were on the fritz a month ago, but they found a way to get a win, and they are now again in contention for a top four or top six finish at the end of the season.
Kudos to the Doggies for altering the direction of their team when the poo hit the fan, but not all teams are capable of putting the brakes on a fall once it starts.
So, let’s take a look at Carlton, who could only stop their free fall by sacking their coach, before discussing the Suns and the Giants who are currently plummeting down the ladder at a great rate of knots.
Carlton’s Dilemma
In the Opening Round this season, the Baggers held the Swans goalless in the first quarter and while they didn’t take full advantage of their dominance, they still went into the main break with a healthy ten-point lead
History shows the Swans totally eviscerated Carlton in the second half, kicking 18 goals as they ran out easy winners, and while Carlton were rightly crucified for their second half collapse, most pundits ignored Carlton’s first half.
I was at that game with my mate Deano, who is a true Carlton tragic, and at half time he was over the moon about the Blues, and so he should have been. However, by the end of the game, Deano knew the old Dark Navy Blues were in for another long season.
Surprisingly, in the Blues’ Round Nine match against the Lions at the Gabbatoir, the Baggers again displayed how good their best is, when they kicked 11 goals in a second half blitz which nearly got them over the line.
Sadly, for Vossy, it was too little too late as he and the club parted ways.
Though it has never been said, I would hazard a guess that Michael Voss told his players at halftime in the Gabba match there was a knife in his back stuck between his shoulder blades, and he set them free in the second half and told them to start enjoying their football again.
I am only guessing, but the Blues in the second half of the Lions match played that well it seemed like a high-pressure release valve had been opened.
Enter Josh Fraser, the Interim Coach, who has now led the Blues to five straight wins, with there now being murmurings about the possibilities of finals. They are a strange lot at Carlton, with scarves and memberships being burned early in the season, to now having a groundswell of support for the Blues to make the finals.
It is now all aboard the ‘Josh Train’.
Mathematically, the Blues can certainly make the Wildcard weekend, but the question still needs to be asked, where could have their season been without losing eight of their first nine games?
I’ll bet Michael Voss would like to know, as would their supporter base.
Carlton are a good team, but their early season form slump (capitulation) will hurt them come the end of the season, and questions will be asked as to what could’ve and/or should’ve been.
Finally, a note of warning for the Blues, as good as Josh Fraser has been as interim coach, the Baggers still need to go through a process to get the right man, and if that ‘right man’ is Josh Fraser, all the better.
The Darwin Suns
There is a fine line some clubs must walk between on-field performance and fiscal responsibility to the club.
I’ll confess right now, I know very little about how the Suns are funded, so I am going to concentrate on their on-field slump
Each season, the Suns play two games in Darwin, to which they always win, and from the outside the venture to the top end looks successful. However, questions need to be asked about how much damage staying in Darwin for two weeks does to the club for the rest of the season?
Successive losses the Roos, Lions, Cats and Hawks over the last month and it has seen the one-time favourite for the flag heading down the ladder at a great rate of knots, and unlike the Dogies and/or the Blues, there seems to be no quick fix.
From the outside, there seems to be some disharmony within the playing group, as they just don’t resemble a cohesive unit like they did prior to their sojourn to Darwin.
The wheels are falling off at People First Stadium, and with games against the Dockers, the Pies, the Crows and the Bulldogs in the coming month, their character will be tested.
Given the snakes and ladders of the mid-range teams fighting it out for the Wildcard Weekend, or higher, the Suns’ form slump could see them slip out of contention all together, and it may well be the best thing that happens to the club.
In 2016, Dimma’s Tigers had a year to forget, and the Tribe were calling for his head on a stick, however, Brendan Gale and the Tigers Board went all chips in on him, and they were duly rewarded with three flags over the next four seasons.
It is now impossible for the Suns to make the top four this year, the top six, or even the Wildcards based on their current form, which is a sad indictment given their positive start to the season.
There are gaping holes in the Suns list and they lack synergy on the field. As such, during the offseason the Suns must identify all the holes and repair them, ready to relaunch next year.
It worked at Richmond in 2016, and it also worked at Geelong at the end of the 2006 season, however this means the Suns hierarchy need to hold their bottle and back in their man.
While the Suns’ form slump has identifiable factors, the same cannot be said for the Great Western Sydney Giants.
A season to forget – the Greater Western Sydney Giants
After making the Hawks look second rate in the Giants’ Round Zero clash, their season which looked promising has turned to rubbish, losing two or three games on the trot, while occasionally winning one.
The Giants’ slump cannot be measured by a string of losses, but rather by a season which has failed to gather any momentum.
The most frustrating aspect of the Giants’ season has been their ability to beat top teams like the Lions and Demons but dropping games against teams they should have easily accounted for, like the Eagles, the Blues and the Saints.
It is accepted that all teams are capable of having a bad day at the office, but when that bad day turns into bad days and then a bad season, there is something fundamentally wrong at the club.
I accept a number of the Giants players are having ordinary years, but it seems like nearly every one of their elite players has not risen to the occasion this year, except in little bursts here and there.
It is hard to find obvious reasons (excuses) as to why the Giants are in the midst of a season from hell, other than the club as a whole has played with a mentality that some of their wins should have come easily, especially against so-called lesser teams.
The Giants’ list is ageing, which isn’t necessarily a death knell, but for example, can the Giants still afford to be relying on the ageing trio of Toby Greene, Jesse Hogan and Jake Stringer in the same forward line? For some reason, this trio of stars just hasn’t gelled all year.
While Toby is untouchable, playing Jesse and Jake alongside him in the same forward line may be a luxury the Giants can no longer afford.
Before I get tarred and feathered, clubs sometimes must make hard decisions about stars of the game, and while I’m not suggesting the time is nigh for Hogan or Stringer, I am questioning the value of both being named each week in the same team alongside Toby.
Something is amiss at Engie Stadium this season, and while they may still end up playing the Wildcard weekend, this should not in any way cover up the cracks which have developed this season. Further, given preseason expectations, making the Wildcard weekend should still be seen as a disappointing season.
Note: the most vocal voices who make comments each week on The Mongrel Punt, come from the Giants and the Dockers, who will not stand for their club being criticised, and that’s the way it should be.
Battles and Battles within Battles
With there being nine games left for most teams (four teams only have eight teams left), it is a good time to take stock and discuss each team’s ambitions for the rest of the season.
Fremantle and Sydney – Between the ears
Both Fremantle and the Swans are firmly entrenched at the top of the ladder with their nearest threat coming from Hawthorn who are three and a half and two and a half a wins behind the ladder leaders.
Leading the ladder with a nice buffer at this time of the season is great luxury, however, that does not necessarily equate to September success and therein lies the mental dilemma facing both the Dockers and the Swans.
Apart from one of these two teams pooing the bed in the run home, they should both be one and two at the end of the season, and the test for both clubs will come in September to ascertain if they have maintained a positive mental state of being.
Their Round 18 clash is a must watch, and most likely the winner of that match will win the Minor Premiership.
Hawthorn – you’re halfway there
Hawthorn is half a game ahead of a chasing pack who desire their third placed position on the ladder which should be all the motivation they need. While juxtaposed to being the hunted, the Hawks as a hunter would still consider themselves an outside chance of finishing top two.
Technically, the Hawks are in the best position of the clubs who are seriously vying for September glory.
While the two clubs above them are relatively safe, the Hawks must keep on winning whilst hoping one of them slip. At the other end, the Hawks are being chased by the clubs below them, so they cannot afford any mental lapses.
Geelong (8 games left), Melbourne (8 games left), Adelaide (9 games left) and the Western Bulldogs
Where to from here?
This is an interesting group of teams, as they are all vying for fourth spot on the ladder, while trying not to finish seventh or lower because of the dreaded Wildcard weekend.
Geelong, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne have played one more game than Adelaide, however, they all sit on nine wins presently.
Form can be fickle as both the Crows and the Dogs know all too well this season already, and it’s hard to figure out which of these four clubs will rise to the challenge, other than the Cats who have four games left at Alphabet Stadium (a huge advantage).
I reviewed the Crows’ win over the Demons last weekend and came away thinking they are on a determined path to atone for 2025 when they bowed out of the finals in straight sets. If they can maintain their current momentum, they are well placed for a strong September campaign.
As much as I hate to say it, the Demons are the most fragile of the four teams chasing fourth position, or in the alternative, fifth and sixth position. The Demons have had a great season, seeing them well positioned for the next couple of years, and they should still win enough games to be playing Russian Roulette in the Wildcards.
There is a lot to like about the one-time Premiership favourite Western Bulldogs this season, as they have pulled themselves out of a form slump and won a couple games that has put their season back on track. With everything being even, the Dogs will finish in the top six at the very least, and with a bit of luck with players returning, they may well again emulate their successes 2016 and 2021 (runner up constitutes a successful season).
If the Cats do not finish third or fourth this season, they only have themselves to blame. With four home games still to be played at their beloved Alphabet Stadium and a very easy draw, it would be expected they would win seven if not all eight of their remaining games.
Brisbane, a team for all seasons
Brisbane cast a huge shadow over every one of the clubs aiming for silverware this season, as they can win the Premiership from any position from tenth up.
Having said that, the Wildcard games are an unknown quantity, and if they do happen to finish seventh to tenth, then this will mean they will have to win five games on the trot to defend their crown/s.
It is foreseeable the Lions will finish fifth or sixth, and as they have proved over the last couple of seasons, they can win the Premiership from any position.
In the hunt for the Wildcard Weekend
Gold Coast Suns
As stated earlier, unless the Suns can pull a rabbit out of the hat, they will not make the finals this season.
North Melbourne
So, join in the chorus, the Roos have a puncher’s chance of sneaking into a Wildcard game, which by any measure, the mere fact we are even discussing this possibility reflects positively on the progress the lads from Arden Street have made this season.
Collingwood
The way David King fawns over the Pies, you’d believe they have a place in the finals already signed, sealed and delivered, so putting King’s rose coloured to one side, Collingwood are a real chance of not making the cut this year.
It would not necessarily be the end of the world if Collingwood has an early finish to the season after a few years of playing deep into September.
There is a changing of the guard at Collingwood this season, and while allowing some of their senior citizens to bow out gracefully, they have introduced a nice crop of young players as they build the next generation of Pies to mount another Premiership challenge.
St Kilda
In one weekend, the Saints promising season went from hopeful to hopeless, after their twin towers Tom De Koning and Rowan Marshall went down with injuries that look as though they’ll keep them out, or at least hampered in Marshall’s case..
Forget the theory, one soldier down, another soldier in, as there are some players which cannot be replaced using the above mantra. If one of TDK or Marshall was injured and not the other, then no problem, but with both of them going down at the same time it has left a hole in the Saints team which has no quick fix.
Greater Western Sydney
The Giants of 2026 are not playing as a cohesive unit, and while they will upset a few teams on the run home, they will not win enough games to make the Wildcards.
Carlton
Carlton has a run of games coming up whereby it would be expected they would win at least three, if not four of the next five games, which would put them into Wildcards calculations.
The Blues are a rejuvenated team since Fraser has taken over, and as they are a club which has always run on emotional highs or emotional lows, it will be a great watch to see how far they can surf their current emotional high.
Port Adelaide and West Coast Eagles
The Power have been stiff in a few games this season and with nine games left they are stuck in purgatory, whereby they cannot realistically go up, nor can they go down.
It is time to blood a few kids, especially in light of the injuries suffered over the past weekend.
The Eagles have had a reasonable season to date with four wins, and while it feels wrong to praise four wins from fourteen outings, it is a drastic improvement from last season.
Richmond and Essendon
Both clubs are fighting it out for draft picks, which is kinda sad.
Titbits
Well played Taylor Adams, you grafted out a nice body of work when your body was fit, however it is the injuries which see you call it day.
I am a huge fan of the midseason draft; however, I make a case it should be extended to allow for situations like those confronting the Saints at the moment with their twin towers both injured in the same game. In the absence of TDK and possibly Marshall, the Saints are forced into a situation of playing a kid who is not ready yet or using a player to pinch hit in the ruck only to be smashed to pieces. Neither scenario is ideal, and I raise the question, is this Occupational, Health and Safety set of circumstances?
I hinted at it earlier, but David King, especially in tandem with Jack Reiwoldt, tends to barrack for one team over the other and/or fawns over one player way too much, and I’m just not talking about Collingwood games. I don’t mind the statistical side of King’s commentary, and how he unpackages a bit of play from differing angles, but it is annoying when he concentrates on one team, or single player for an inordinate amount of time.
Come the end of the season Jeremy Howe may be a game or two short of playing 300 games, and if that is so, do the Pies offer him a contract for next season? Howe is one of the few players in the competition who is universally loved by all, and there is not a person in the land who wants to deny him his due.
We all have favourite players from other clubs, with mine being Jarman Impey, so it was sad to see him get injured on the weekend. Here’s to a speedy recovery, Jarman.
Disco’s Over 30’s Casey’s Nightclub Award (Nana’s choice again)
This award is for the players proving there is life after 30 in the AFL and it is theoretically sponsored by the once legendary nightclub located in the Glenferrie Station arcade, Casey’s Over 30’s Nightclub. On any given Wednesday or Saturday night the more mature singles of Melbourne would pack the joint to the rafters. The smell of cheap aftershave and perfume was truly overbearing.
There are many players in the AFL thirty years of age or older performing gallantly and as such The Mongrel Punt have introduced this award specifically for the elderly citizens of the competition who will be competing for The Mirror Ball Keyring.
Similar in style to the Coaches Votes, the voting system for this cherished award is the top ten elderly citizens of each round will be ranked with ten being the maximum and one being the minimum.
Votes for Round 15
10 Luke Parker (NM)
9 Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
8 Jordan de Goey (Coll)
7 Luke Ryan (Fre)
6 Karl Amon (Haw)
5 Alex Pearce (Fre)
4 George Hewett (Carl)
3 Nic Newman (Carl)
2 Patrick Cripps (Carl)
1 Max Gawn (Melb)
Leaders Board
42 Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
40 Luke Parker (NM)
37 Brodie Grundy (Syd)
28 Jarman Impey (Haw)
27 Lachie Neale (Bris) Max Gawn (Melb)
24 Jack Gunston (Haw) Toby Greene (GWS)
20 Jeremy Cameron (Gee) Jack Steele (Melb) Patrick Cripps (Car)
19 Tim Kelly (WC) Luke Ryan (Freo)
18 Lachie Whitfield (GWS)
17 Jack Macrae (St K)
16 Zach Merrett (Ess)
14 Scott Pendlebury (Coll) James Sicily (Haw)
13 Jack Cripps (Coll) Christian Petracca (GC)
12 Jayden Short (Rich) Jack Darling (NM) Patrick Dangerfield (Gee)
11 Alex Pearce (Freo) George Hewett (Carl) Nic Newman (Carl)
10 Tom Aitkins (Gee)
9 Taylor Walker (Ade) Dayne Zorko (Bris)
8 Bradley Hill (St K) Jake Stringer (GWS)
Rory Laird (Ade) Jordan De Goey (Coll)
7 Ollie Wines (PA) Ryan Lester (Bris) Tom Stewart (Gee)
6 Brayden Maynard (Coll) Alex Neal-Bullen (Ade) Karl Amon (Haw)
5 Callum Wilkie (St K) Rory Lobb (WB)
4 Jake Melksham (Melb) Elliott Yoe (WC)
3 Jake Lloyd (Syd)
1 Blake Acres (Carl)
In previous weeks votes had been given to Harris Andrews, however he does not turn 30 till December, and the same applies to Peter Wright who doesn’t turn 30 until September.
Fin
Have a great week and may your team win.
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