Murray MiddletonRound Four
April 13th 2008 11:49
1. Hall's Hit A Disgrace
It will be interesting to learn Barry Hall's punishment from the match review panel for his first quarter hit on Brent Staker. To make matters worse for the Swans, Hall appeared to fracture his wrist in the last quarter. He is almost certain to plead guilty to the charge in the knowledge that he will miss a chunk of football regardless. Hall has a dreadful disciplinary record. In 2005 he received the most charitable tribunal outcome of all time which enabled him to play in the Swans 2005 premiership. Surely Hall used up all his luck!
Perhaps the second worst decision by the tribunal involved another Swans player - Andrew Dunkley. James Hird's 1996 Brownlow Medal will be forever remembered for the black eye that he sported while on the podium with Michael Voss. Dunkley was only available for the 1996 Grand Final because of the Swans' enterprising decision to take legal action. It will be interesting to see whether the league finally takes a tough stance on the Swans.
Television footage clearly captured the Hall incident. Staker had no idea the hit was coming. It was a thuggish act. Hall must be suspended. Last season Steven Baker was suspended for seven matches for an off-the-ball incident with Jeff Farmer. There was no television footage of the alleged hit. Hall must go for more weeks than Baker. He has reportedly toyed with the idea of taking up professional boxing. Perhaps he should? To be blunt, Hall's punch was a disgrace. He must miss a minimum of six weeks. Anything less would show blatant favouritism on the league's behalf. Don't underestimate it.
2. Bombers Hamstrung
In the first four rounds Essendon have played some exciting football. They have relied on a group of young players to provide run through the midfield. Matthew Knights placed an emphasis on fitness over the summer. The move payed dividends against the Kangaroos and Carlton. However the Bombers have suffered a series of soft tissue injuries. Gumbleton, Welsh, Dempsey, Jetta, Lonogan and McVeigh have all injured their hamstrings in recent weeks. It is no coincidence. The Bombers are travelling nicely. This week's match against St. Kilda will be an interesting contest. Will the Bombers run prevail? Or will the Saints outdated model of 'tempo football' strangle the young Bombers?
3. Hawks Win Again
Round three was rivalry round. It is no coincidence that all four sides involved in local derby's lost in round four. The Aelaide Crows looked jaded against the Hawks in Launceston. Lance Franklin kicked six and Mark Williams slotted back into the side with three goals. Williams has not played since round four last season. He will make life difficult for Tim Boyle this season. Hawthorn are beginning to establish good depth. In coming weeks they will have to fit Trent Croad, Stuart Dew and perhaps Mitch Thorp into the side. They appear to be the main threat to Geelong at this point. Could it be a re-match of the 1989 Grand Final?
4. Brisbane Miracle
Towards the end of the third term Brisbane trailed Port Adelaide by 47 points. The Power had not won a match all season and had copped plenty of public abuse in the lead-up to Saturday night's match. With David Rodan dominating, it appeared that the Power were destined to notch their first win of the season. To make matters worse for the Lions, there was a torrential downpour at the end of the third term. In the final term the Lions kicked 9.6 to complete a miraculous comeback. Daniel Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown were magnificent. Travis Johnstone played his first standout match for the club. He went a long way to winning the respect of his coach and teammates. Brisbane have a talented list and might push for a finals birth. Any team with Brown and Bradshaw will be dangerous. Conversely, Mark Williams has stuck with the same 22 players for the past three matches. There will be big changes this week.
5. Tigers Roar
In possibly the biggest upset of the round Richmond defeated Fremantle on Sunday. The result was a disaster for Mark Harvey. Last week's derby victory over West Coast should have provided the platform for the Dockers to build a successful season. Losing to the Tigers was inexplicable. The Dockers were run off their feet. They must inject some pace into their side. Serious doubts must surely exist over the Docker's mental state. Terry Wallace outcoached Harvey. His use of Matthew Richardson as a utility was very clever. His decision to drop Joel Bowden was brave, but warranted. The Tigers have won two out four matches. Although they have looked lacklustre at times, their season is well and truly alive. They play the undefeated Bulldogs this week. It will provide the Tigers with a great opportunity to pit their pace against the likes of Cooney, Griffin and Hill. Although Wallace has been much maligned in recent seasons, he deserves all the plaudits he gets for Sunday's performance.
It will be interesting to learn Barry Hall's punishment from the match review panel for his first quarter hit on Brent Staker. To make matters worse for the Swans, Hall appeared to fracture his wrist in the last quarter. He is almost certain to plead guilty to the charge in the knowledge that he will miss a chunk of football regardless. Hall has a dreadful disciplinary record. In 2005 he received the most charitable tribunal outcome of all time which enabled him to play in the Swans 2005 premiership. Surely Hall used up all his luck!
Perhaps the second worst decision by the tribunal involved another Swans player - Andrew Dunkley. James Hird's 1996 Brownlow Medal will be forever remembered for the black eye that he sported while on the podium with Michael Voss. Dunkley was only available for the 1996 Grand Final because of the Swans' enterprising decision to take legal action. It will be interesting to see whether the league finally takes a tough stance on the Swans.
Television footage clearly captured the Hall incident. Staker had no idea the hit was coming. It was a thuggish act. Hall must be suspended. Last season Steven Baker was suspended for seven matches for an off-the-ball incident with Jeff Farmer. There was no television footage of the alleged hit. Hall must go for more weeks than Baker. He has reportedly toyed with the idea of taking up professional boxing. Perhaps he should? To be blunt, Hall's punch was a disgrace. He must miss a minimum of six weeks. Anything less would show blatant favouritism on the league's behalf. Don't underestimate it.
2. Bombers Hamstrung
In the first four rounds Essendon have played some exciting football. They have relied on a group of young players to provide run through the midfield. Matthew Knights placed an emphasis on fitness over the summer. The move payed dividends against the Kangaroos and Carlton. However the Bombers have suffered a series of soft tissue injuries. Gumbleton, Welsh, Dempsey, Jetta, Lonogan and McVeigh have all injured their hamstrings in recent weeks. It is no coincidence. The Bombers are travelling nicely. This week's match against St. Kilda will be an interesting contest. Will the Bombers run prevail? Or will the Saints outdated model of 'tempo football' strangle the young Bombers?
3. Hawks Win Again
Round three was rivalry round. It is no coincidence that all four sides involved in local derby's lost in round four. The Aelaide Crows looked jaded against the Hawks in Launceston. Lance Franklin kicked six and Mark Williams slotted back into the side with three goals. Williams has not played since round four last season. He will make life difficult for Tim Boyle this season. Hawthorn are beginning to establish good depth. In coming weeks they will have to fit Trent Croad, Stuart Dew and perhaps Mitch Thorp into the side. They appear to be the main threat to Geelong at this point. Could it be a re-match of the 1989 Grand Final?
4. Brisbane Miracle
Towards the end of the third term Brisbane trailed Port Adelaide by 47 points. The Power had not won a match all season and had copped plenty of public abuse in the lead-up to Saturday night's match. With David Rodan dominating, it appeared that the Power were destined to notch their first win of the season. To make matters worse for the Lions, there was a torrential downpour at the end of the third term. In the final term the Lions kicked 9.6 to complete a miraculous comeback. Daniel Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown were magnificent. Travis Johnstone played his first standout match for the club. He went a long way to winning the respect of his coach and teammates. Brisbane have a talented list and might push for a finals birth. Any team with Brown and Bradshaw will be dangerous. Conversely, Mark Williams has stuck with the same 22 players for the past three matches. There will be big changes this week.
5. Tigers Roar
In possibly the biggest upset of the round Richmond defeated Fremantle on Sunday. The result was a disaster for Mark Harvey. Last week's derby victory over West Coast should have provided the platform for the Dockers to build a successful season. Losing to the Tigers was inexplicable. The Dockers were run off their feet. They must inject some pace into their side. Serious doubts must surely exist over the Docker's mental state. Terry Wallace outcoached Harvey. His use of Matthew Richardson as a utility was very clever. His decision to drop Joel Bowden was brave, but warranted. The Tigers have won two out four matches. Although they have looked lacklustre at times, their season is well and truly alive. They play the undefeated Bulldogs this week. It will provide the Tigers with a great opportunity to pit their pace against the likes of Cooney, Griffin and Hill. Although Wallace has been much maligned in recent seasons, he deserves all the plaudits he gets for Sunday's performance.
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Comment by J Gastev