Murray MiddletonRound Twenty-One
August 24th 2008 12:28
1. End of an era at Sydney?
On Saturday night Collingwood continued their stranglehold over Sydney. The last five times that the two team have met the Pies have enjoyed comprehensive victories. Although Sydney are guaranteed a place in the finals, Saturday's loss has raised many questions about the direction that the club is heading in. After the match Paul Roos conceded that his side would pose little threat to opposition teams in September. The week before Roos conceded that no side could beat Geelong. Although Roos has always been applauded for his calm and honest approach, his recent comments suggest that he may not stick around to develop the next generation of Swans players.
Sydney made a genuine tilt at the top four this year. They have spent the majority of the season in fourth position and may consider themselves unlucky for surrendering their position at the business end of the year. At present the Swans look old and jaded. Several of their older players - many of whom were at the forefront of consecutive grand final teams in '05 and '06 - appear to be on their last legs. Peter Everitt is finished. Leo Barry is struggling, but may last one more year. Jarrod Crouch is likely to pull the plug at season's end. Nick Davis will almost certainly seek a trade. Michael O'Laughlin's body is deteriorating. Brett Kirk is still a top player, but he is on the wrong side of thirty. Ben Matthews and Nic Fosdike are likely to be delisted. Tadgh Kennelly has already announced that he will retire at the end of 2009. And Barry Hall is a ticking time bomb.
It will be interesting to see the approach that the Swans adopt in the off season. They have been loathed to 'bottom out' in the past decade because their attendances will drastically drop. It now seems that they have no choice. The most interesting decision will be whether Paul Roos has the hunger to commit to the job at hand. It will take between three to five years to turn the club's fortunes around. It is unlikely that Roos will want to stay this long. The Swans already appear to have a succession plan in place. John Longmire has increased his coaching duties this year and is well-versed in the Swans approach to football. Although Longmire has quite good credentials as a coach, if he takes over from Roos the side will almost certainly persevere with 'tempo football'. Perhaps the next generation of Swans players should learn a more attractive brand? It might help their attendances in the future.
2. Lions out of finals race
Brisbane surrendered a five goal lead in the final quarter on Saturday night to lose to Carlton at the Gabba. Considering what was at stake, the result was unacceptable. The Lions kicked nine goals to one in the third quarter and looked like winning convincingly. Unfortunately, they used up all of their energy getting in front. They are now out of the finals race. The result was terrible for the club. Last season they finished just outside the eight and were widely predicted (not by this scribe) to finish in the lower half of the eight in 2008. Although the team does appear to have improved, it will be a difficult result to sell to the fans. Leigh Matthews has established his credentials as a coach. He can, in effect, coach the Lions as long as he wants. But 'Lethal' will now be questioning whether his side are actually moving in the right direction.
The Lions game plan relies upon delivering the ball to Daniel Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown. While most sides - the Cats and the Bulldogs included - do not have this luxury, it can also be a disadvantage. The longer the season has gone, the more predictable their style has become. St.Kilda experiences a similar problem. The majority of their forward thrusts are directed at Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke. It doesn't matter how good two key forwards are, they need support. The Lions do not have enough crumbing forwards or midfielders who are capable of resting in the forward line with damaging effect. This means that opposition teams can play large numbers around the Lions two big men in the knowledge that the ball will be kicked in their direction.
Travis Johnstone will be getting on Leigh Matthews nerves. Although Johnstone has played some good football this season, he has not been consistent. This is typical of Johnstone, who has always been an immensely talented player who lacks the desire to take his game to the next level. Was Johnstone really going to change at age 27? Clearly Matthews thought that Johnstone's presence might help the Lions pinch the finals place that eluded them last year. It will be interesting to see the way that Matthews recruits over the summer. He has found a gun player in Bradd Delzeil. Delzeil runs tirelessly until the end of matches. Travis Johnstone could take a leaf out of his book. The most important thing of all is for the Lions to retain Jonathan Brown. At present his body looks like it is falling apart. If Brown really does love the Lions he must surely recognise why they have reservations about offering him five more seasons.
3. Campbell Brown the swinger
On Sunday afternoon the Hawks comfortably accounted for the West Coast Eagles. WIth the result determined prior to the match, much attention centred around whether or not Lance 'Buddy' Franklin would kick the six goals that he needed to reach one hundred. Franklin kicked four goals, which sets up a mouth-watering shootout with Carlton's Brendan Fevola at the Telstra Dome next week. The Hawks played Campbell Brown up forward once more. He kicked four goals and showed that he might be a valuable asset up forward come finals time. The question is: can the Hawks afford to play Brown up forward?
Lance Franklin and Jarrod Roughead are the Hawks focal points. Mark Williams plays as a mid-range forward who often operates as a decoy to drag opposition defenders away from the big two. If Williams is able to secure a mis-match, Clarkson will happily isolate Williams to exploit it. Cyril Rioli has slotted into the team nicely as a fast, tackling forward with natural goal sense. Cameron Stokes has performed a similar role to Rioli, but may struggle to retain his place in the coming weeks. Michael Osborne has also spent some time up forward operting in a largely defensive role. Although the Hawks forward line is one of the most dangerous on paper, the coaching staff must feel that it is deficient to have experimented with Brown so late in the season.
Last season the Hawks altered their forward line in the finals. They played RIchard Vandenberg and Michael Osborne as defensive forwards. Their roles were to tag the opposition's most attacking defenders. This left the bulk of the goalscoring to the stars of the team. The reason that Brown is being tried up forward is because he can perform two roles in one. He can certainly shut down an opposition defender, but he can also kick important goals. Brown is one of the fiercest competitors in the league and has a good vertical leap. If the Hawks back line can hold firm, the move might be a masterstroke. The problem is: I'm not sure that the Hawks back line can hold firm.
Good night and good luck!
On Saturday night Collingwood continued their stranglehold over Sydney. The last five times that the two team have met the Pies have enjoyed comprehensive victories. Although Sydney are guaranteed a place in the finals, Saturday's loss has raised many questions about the direction that the club is heading in. After the match Paul Roos conceded that his side would pose little threat to opposition teams in September. The week before Roos conceded that no side could beat Geelong. Although Roos has always been applauded for his calm and honest approach, his recent comments suggest that he may not stick around to develop the next generation of Swans players.
Sydney made a genuine tilt at the top four this year. They have spent the majority of the season in fourth position and may consider themselves unlucky for surrendering their position at the business end of the year. At present the Swans look old and jaded. Several of their older players - many of whom were at the forefront of consecutive grand final teams in '05 and '06 - appear to be on their last legs. Peter Everitt is finished. Leo Barry is struggling, but may last one more year. Jarrod Crouch is likely to pull the plug at season's end. Nick Davis will almost certainly seek a trade. Michael O'Laughlin's body is deteriorating. Brett Kirk is still a top player, but he is on the wrong side of thirty. Ben Matthews and Nic Fosdike are likely to be delisted. Tadgh Kennelly has already announced that he will retire at the end of 2009. And Barry Hall is a ticking time bomb.
It will be interesting to see the approach that the Swans adopt in the off season. They have been loathed to 'bottom out' in the past decade because their attendances will drastically drop. It now seems that they have no choice. The most interesting decision will be whether Paul Roos has the hunger to commit to the job at hand. It will take between three to five years to turn the club's fortunes around. It is unlikely that Roos will want to stay this long. The Swans already appear to have a succession plan in place. John Longmire has increased his coaching duties this year and is well-versed in the Swans approach to football. Although Longmire has quite good credentials as a coach, if he takes over from Roos the side will almost certainly persevere with 'tempo football'. Perhaps the next generation of Swans players should learn a more attractive brand? It might help their attendances in the future.
2. Lions out of finals race
Brisbane surrendered a five goal lead in the final quarter on Saturday night to lose to Carlton at the Gabba. Considering what was at stake, the result was unacceptable. The Lions kicked nine goals to one in the third quarter and looked like winning convincingly. Unfortunately, they used up all of their energy getting in front. They are now out of the finals race. The result was terrible for the club. Last season they finished just outside the eight and were widely predicted (not by this scribe) to finish in the lower half of the eight in 2008. Although the team does appear to have improved, it will be a difficult result to sell to the fans. Leigh Matthews has established his credentials as a coach. He can, in effect, coach the Lions as long as he wants. But 'Lethal' will now be questioning whether his side are actually moving in the right direction.
The Lions game plan relies upon delivering the ball to Daniel Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown. While most sides - the Cats and the Bulldogs included - do not have this luxury, it can also be a disadvantage. The longer the season has gone, the more predictable their style has become. St.Kilda experiences a similar problem. The majority of their forward thrusts are directed at Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke. It doesn't matter how good two key forwards are, they need support. The Lions do not have enough crumbing forwards or midfielders who are capable of resting in the forward line with damaging effect. This means that opposition teams can play large numbers around the Lions two big men in the knowledge that the ball will be kicked in their direction.
Travis Johnstone will be getting on Leigh Matthews nerves. Although Johnstone has played some good football this season, he has not been consistent. This is typical of Johnstone, who has always been an immensely talented player who lacks the desire to take his game to the next level. Was Johnstone really going to change at age 27? Clearly Matthews thought that Johnstone's presence might help the Lions pinch the finals place that eluded them last year. It will be interesting to see the way that Matthews recruits over the summer. He has found a gun player in Bradd Delzeil. Delzeil runs tirelessly until the end of matches. Travis Johnstone could take a leaf out of his book. The most important thing of all is for the Lions to retain Jonathan Brown. At present his body looks like it is falling apart. If Brown really does love the Lions he must surely recognise why they have reservations about offering him five more seasons.
3. Campbell Brown the swinger
On Sunday afternoon the Hawks comfortably accounted for the West Coast Eagles. WIth the result determined prior to the match, much attention centred around whether or not Lance 'Buddy' Franklin would kick the six goals that he needed to reach one hundred. Franklin kicked four goals, which sets up a mouth-watering shootout with Carlton's Brendan Fevola at the Telstra Dome next week. The Hawks played Campbell Brown up forward once more. He kicked four goals and showed that he might be a valuable asset up forward come finals time. The question is: can the Hawks afford to play Brown up forward?
Lance Franklin and Jarrod Roughead are the Hawks focal points. Mark Williams plays as a mid-range forward who often operates as a decoy to drag opposition defenders away from the big two. If Williams is able to secure a mis-match, Clarkson will happily isolate Williams to exploit it. Cyril Rioli has slotted into the team nicely as a fast, tackling forward with natural goal sense. Cameron Stokes has performed a similar role to Rioli, but may struggle to retain his place in the coming weeks. Michael Osborne has also spent some time up forward operting in a largely defensive role. Although the Hawks forward line is one of the most dangerous on paper, the coaching staff must feel that it is deficient to have experimented with Brown so late in the season.
Last season the Hawks altered their forward line in the finals. They played RIchard Vandenberg and Michael Osborne as defensive forwards. Their roles were to tag the opposition's most attacking defenders. This left the bulk of the goalscoring to the stars of the team. The reason that Brown is being tried up forward is because he can perform two roles in one. He can certainly shut down an opposition defender, but he can also kick important goals. Brown is one of the fiercest competitors in the league and has a good vertical leap. If the Hawks back line can hold firm, the move might be a masterstroke. The problem is: I'm not sure that the Hawks back line can hold firm.
Good night and good luck!
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