With Round 22 officially in the history books, there are a number of key stories that will shape the remainder of the year that haven’t been discussed.
There are seven in total, and they are as follows.
7. Essendon were hurt by Cronulla
In the NRL last week a number of Cronulla Shark players accepted bans from ASADA. This is bad news for Essendon as given the similarities between the two programs and how they were run in 2012, it is going to be tougher to prove innocence when that day arrives.
Given Cronulla won’t play finals in 2014, one wonders if the scenario was reversed and it was Essendon who was at the bottom end of the table, would bans have already been accepted by players to prepare for the 2015 season? With bans surely going to come at some point to Essendon players, credit should go to both Essendon and the AFL in being able to negotiate their way through another season without the doomsday scenario of a team not being able to field a team.
6. Western derby final versus a showdown final
With the way results have fallen over the weekend, both an elimination final western derby and an elimination final showdown are now possibilities. It raises the question about which rivalry and which game would fans want to see most.
The only showdown final so far resulted in a massacre in favour of the Crows, while Fremantle and West Coast have yet to meet in a final. A Sunday showdown final or western derby would be a tantalising way to end what is promising to be an exciting first weekend of finals football.
5. Patersons Stadium scheduling is going to get lucky again
For the second year in succession, the potential of the AFL finals being compromised by Patersons Stadium’s desire to host rugby union in September is set to be avoided. Fremantle could still host a final on the first weekend of the finals if they fall to fifth but that match would be set to be played on Sunday, one day after Australia play South Africa in the Rugby Championship.
In fact the AFL looks set to get dream finals in 2014. Second qualifying final on Friday night, second elimination final on Saturday, first qualifying final on Saturday night and first elimination final on Sunday.
This of course leads first place the chance to win through and play Friday night on preliminary final weekend while second place would be set for a Saturday night preliminary final ensuring top place has the advantage going into the Grand final. Great match-ups seem assured and the fixture is looking tasty for the 2014 finals.
4. North Melbourne have turned around their fortunes in close matches
One of the most discussed topics of last season was North Melbourne’s inability to win close games and make the most of near chances. North Melbourne’s win over Adelaide at the weekend was their third narrow win against a potential finals opponent, after also beating Port Adelaide and Fremantle in tight games.
Last season the inability to win close games cost North Melbourne a finals spot. This season that turnaround is going to lead to a home final and real confidence that they can upset any team at any time. It is a swift turnaround in one year, albeit one that mathematicians will tell you makes sense.
3. Geelong and Hawthorn have played 17 straight meaningful or tight matches
You have to go all the way back to the final round of 2006 to find a game between Geelong and Hawthorn that either did not have a classic finish or have a meaningful impact on the season.
It is an incredible run and unprecedented in the modern game. Saturday night’s game was testament to why these two clubs are must watch football as even when it appears one team has the answers, the other team responds. To put into context how close Geelong and Hawthorn have been over the last seven years, the last 17 games have been decided by 182 points or roughly 10 points a game.
The eight games prior to this run were decided by 393 points at an average of nearly 40 points a game. Proof you never know where a great rivalry may come from.
2. Mick Malthouse made the best point of the 2014 season
AFL games are too long and credit to Mick Malthouse for calling the AFL on it. In modern society, three hours for a match is too long. The absurd amount of time on that is blown in an AFL game should be more widely seen as a nuisance to fans and tough on players.
It is almost a given that quarters run 28 minutes, with 30 minutes seen as the norm and quarters of 35 also a possibility. It means as Malthouse said that players are working harder for longer and fans are forced to sit through longer games.
A number of elements of time on were to prevent an unfair advantage being gained through time wasting. With three boundary umpires, three field umpires and the ball being thrown up now if you were to simply let the clock run when the ball went out of bounds, prior to a ball up and after a goal you could cut a game down by close to 20 minutes.
It would be a good thing for the AFL if they could get games down from an average of 120 minutes of play time to 100 minutes. Kudos Mick for coming up with one of the best under-appreciated points of the modern AFL.
1. Final round upsets
Most ladder predictors forget one key element. The final round upsets. It is fun to look ahead a week at the prospective finals match ups, but if AFL history has said one thing, it is that upsets will happen in the last weekend of the home-and-away season.
Most the time those upsets seem to cruelly rob neutral fans of the most highly anticipated matches. Last year North Melbourne, St Kilda and Carlton all recorded upset wins because of varying circumstances.
Typically speaking when there is more on the line in the last round of the season, upsets always seem to occur more often. With 11 teams still holding hopes of featuring in finals action, don’t expect Round 23 to go chalk.
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Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
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