Murray MiddletonRound Thirteen
June 22nd 2008 13:10
1. Saints Stumble Past Dockers
On Friday night the two oldest lists in the competition did battle. At the beginning of the season both St.Kilda and Fremantle were expected to seriously challenge for the top four, let alone the top eight. To put it simply, the so-called experts were wrong. Friday night’s match was the worst match of the season. Both sides frequently kicked backwards, sideways and showed no sign of implementing a game plan that might be viable in finals football. In the final quarter the Saints played their whole team in the back half and the Dockers repeatedly bombed the ball into the forward fifty. There were two goals in the final quarter. It lasted less than twenty-four minutes, which must be one of the shortest quarters in league history.
St.Kilda played three debutants - Jarryd Allen, Ben McEvoy and Robert Eddy – and dropped Nick Dal Santo. The move marked a clear change in thinking at Moorabin. By blooding youngsters Ross Lyon is attempting to buy himself time under the guise of ‘rebuilding’. This way, if the team finishes outside the top eight, he may retain his job. The Saints learnt a few things on Friday night. James Gwilt is too mentally fragile to play AFL football, Jarryd Allen and Ben McEvoy are a long way off and Robert Harvey is still one of their best players. Other than the performances of Rhys Palmer and Chris Mayne, there was little for Dockers supporters to get excited about. At season’s end the likes of McManus, Bell and Farmer will probably retire. To add to this the club appears certain to lose at least one of Mundy, Murphy and Warnock. There is every chance that 2009 will be no easier for Mark Harvey – if he is still around.
2. Tigers Go Back to Back
On Saturday afternoon Richmond defeated Port Adelaide by four points to officially end the Power’s season. Mark Williams cut a dejected figure in his post-match press conference. He suggested that the club would now experiment with players to determine who should be retained for 2009. The most pressing question, however, is whether Williams himself will be retained? His credentials speak for themselves. He has won a premiership and has regularly had the Power in finals contention throughout his tenure as coach. However his team is playing stale football. Several elder statesman of the team – Tredrea, Lade, Wilson – are on their last legs. Perhaps Williams is not the right man to bring through the next brigade of Power players?
Richmond’s victory marked the first time all season when they have won back-to-back matches. Cleve Hughes and Mitch Morton kicked a staggering eleven goals between them. Hughes, who has been around for several seasons, kicked six goals from seven kicks. The Tigers coaching staff have always held him in high regard, but he has struggled for form at senior level. It is always difficult for a young tall forward to make his mark on the competition. The likes of Franklin, Pavlich and Riewoldt are exceptions to this principle. By the end of last season Cleve Hughes was in such bad form that he didn’t even make Coburg’s grand final team in the VFL. Brown and Richardson cannot play forever. Hughes, along with Jack Riewoldt and Mitch Morton must form the nucleus of the Tiger’s forward line for the next ten years.
3. Bulldogs Overrun Magpies
Collingwood put up a brave effort at the Telstra Dome on Sunday afternoon. Playing with an under-strength team, they led for the majority of the first three quarters before finally succumbing to the Bulldog’s run. Mick Malthouse will be pleased with his side’s effort. For the final one and a half quarters they had only one player available on the interchange bench. It was inevitable that the Bulldogs would overrun them. Anthony Rocca was a shock late inclusion into the team. He did not seem to be fit. It is likely that he played to improve the side’s structure. The ploy worked until Rocca appeared to injure his hamstring mid-way through the third quarter. It is rare for Malthouse to persist with an injured player. He will argue that he had no choice. Collingwood has now slipped back to the field. They are only one game ahead of the likes of Carlton and St.Kilda. Their next match is Sydney away. Realistically, a top four finish is out of the question. But they proved last season that they are capable of making a run from the bottom half of the eight.
The Bulldogs continue to impress. They now hold outright second position on the ladder. Approximately half of their team are in the prime of their careers – aged between twenty-five and twenty-seven. This is essential for a premiership tilt. The most impressive aspect of the Bulldog’s game is their forward line. They don’t have any power forwards, such as Mooney, Hall, Pavlich or Fevola, but they do have a range of mid-sized forwards who are difficult to match up on. Mitch Hahn and Robert Murphy have too bigger motors to be considered talls, but both pose realistic arial threats to opposition teams. Scott Welsh has been a great acquisition. He and Brad Johnson operate more as leading forwards. Throw in Jason Akermanis, who is in All-Australian form, and it becomes arguably the most potent forward line in the competition. Shaun Higgins, a crumbing forward who has missed the past eleven weeks with injury, may be the final piece of the puzzle. If he gets fit and Scott West squeezes back into the side, a premiership is not out of the equation.
On Friday night the two oldest lists in the competition did battle. At the beginning of the season both St.Kilda and Fremantle were expected to seriously challenge for the top four, let alone the top eight. To put it simply, the so-called experts were wrong. Friday night’s match was the worst match of the season. Both sides frequently kicked backwards, sideways and showed no sign of implementing a game plan that might be viable in finals football. In the final quarter the Saints played their whole team in the back half and the Dockers repeatedly bombed the ball into the forward fifty. There were two goals in the final quarter. It lasted less than twenty-four minutes, which must be one of the shortest quarters in league history.
St.Kilda played three debutants - Jarryd Allen, Ben McEvoy and Robert Eddy – and dropped Nick Dal Santo. The move marked a clear change in thinking at Moorabin. By blooding youngsters Ross Lyon is attempting to buy himself time under the guise of ‘rebuilding’. This way, if the team finishes outside the top eight, he may retain his job. The Saints learnt a few things on Friday night. James Gwilt is too mentally fragile to play AFL football, Jarryd Allen and Ben McEvoy are a long way off and Robert Harvey is still one of their best players. Other than the performances of Rhys Palmer and Chris Mayne, there was little for Dockers supporters to get excited about. At season’s end the likes of McManus, Bell and Farmer will probably retire. To add to this the club appears certain to lose at least one of Mundy, Murphy and Warnock. There is every chance that 2009 will be no easier for Mark Harvey – if he is still around.
2. Tigers Go Back to Back
On Saturday afternoon Richmond defeated Port Adelaide by four points to officially end the Power’s season. Mark Williams cut a dejected figure in his post-match press conference. He suggested that the club would now experiment with players to determine who should be retained for 2009. The most pressing question, however, is whether Williams himself will be retained? His credentials speak for themselves. He has won a premiership and has regularly had the Power in finals contention throughout his tenure as coach. However his team is playing stale football. Several elder statesman of the team – Tredrea, Lade, Wilson – are on their last legs. Perhaps Williams is not the right man to bring through the next brigade of Power players?
Richmond’s victory marked the first time all season when they have won back-to-back matches. Cleve Hughes and Mitch Morton kicked a staggering eleven goals between them. Hughes, who has been around for several seasons, kicked six goals from seven kicks. The Tigers coaching staff have always held him in high regard, but he has struggled for form at senior level. It is always difficult for a young tall forward to make his mark on the competition. The likes of Franklin, Pavlich and Riewoldt are exceptions to this principle. By the end of last season Cleve Hughes was in such bad form that he didn’t even make Coburg’s grand final team in the VFL. Brown and Richardson cannot play forever. Hughes, along with Jack Riewoldt and Mitch Morton must form the nucleus of the Tiger’s forward line for the next ten years.
3. Bulldogs Overrun Magpies
Collingwood put up a brave effort at the Telstra Dome on Sunday afternoon. Playing with an under-strength team, they led for the majority of the first three quarters before finally succumbing to the Bulldog’s run. Mick Malthouse will be pleased with his side’s effort. For the final one and a half quarters they had only one player available on the interchange bench. It was inevitable that the Bulldogs would overrun them. Anthony Rocca was a shock late inclusion into the team. He did not seem to be fit. It is likely that he played to improve the side’s structure. The ploy worked until Rocca appeared to injure his hamstring mid-way through the third quarter. It is rare for Malthouse to persist with an injured player. He will argue that he had no choice. Collingwood has now slipped back to the field. They are only one game ahead of the likes of Carlton and St.Kilda. Their next match is Sydney away. Realistically, a top four finish is out of the question. But they proved last season that they are capable of making a run from the bottom half of the eight.
The Bulldogs continue to impress. They now hold outright second position on the ladder. Approximately half of their team are in the prime of their careers – aged between twenty-five and twenty-seven. This is essential for a premiership tilt. The most impressive aspect of the Bulldog’s game is their forward line. They don’t have any power forwards, such as Mooney, Hall, Pavlich or Fevola, but they do have a range of mid-sized forwards who are difficult to match up on. Mitch Hahn and Robert Murphy have too bigger motors to be considered talls, but both pose realistic arial threats to opposition teams. Scott Welsh has been a great acquisition. He and Brad Johnson operate more as leading forwards. Throw in Jason Akermanis, who is in All-Australian form, and it becomes arguably the most potent forward line in the competition. Shaun Higgins, a crumbing forward who has missed the past eleven weeks with injury, may be the final piece of the puzzle. If he gets fit and Scott West squeezes back into the side, a premiership is not out of the equation.
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