The AFL Round 4 warp starts with Carlton shaking the monkey off the back on the weekend with a much-needed win over West Coast in Perth.
The Blues went into the Round 4 contest with a 0-3 record and were in desperate need of a victory to open their account under Mick Malthouse.
Positives
Carlton off the mark under Malthouse
The opening three matches brought no joy for the Blues with narrow losses to Richmond, Collingwood and Geelong but they managed to bounce back with a 24-point triumph over a disappointing Eagles outfit at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.
Malthouse out-coached former West Coast skipper John Worsfold, identifying Chris Yarran and Jeff Garlett as danger men for an Eagles defence who seemingly had nobody to go with the speedy pair.
It paid off beautifully as Yarran kicked four goals and Garlett had 21 possessions, kicking 1.3 himself. Admittedly, the Eagles had the opportunities to win but inaccurate kicking let them down as they stuttered to 7.23.
They say that bad kicking is bad football and I’m sure West Coast will be looking to atone for that when they travel to the undefeated Port Adelaide in Round 5.
Carlton steadied the ship after a fruitless beginning and are now in great shape to win their next three as they prepare to take on Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday, Melbourne the week after and St Kilda in Round 7.
It was the type of character-building triumph the club required after a shaky start but if they can find that same steely resolve in the next month, then things should be back on level terms at Visy Park by Round 8.
Geelong are certainly the real deal
The Cats simply don’t like losing which was evident once again when they overran reigning premiers Sydney on Friday night.
A first-quarter shootout at the SCG preceded a much quieter second term before the Cats kicked into gear, firing home seven goals to one in the Premiership quarter before holding off the Swans at the end.
Again captain Joel Selwood was the catalyst, as he has been in the opening three rounds, leading the Cats to a fourth straight victory which has them perched third on the ladder and in with a genuine chance to win another flag.
Chris Scott’s youngsters, including Taylor Hunt, Mitch Duncan, Rising Star nominee George Horlin-Smith, Alan Christensen and Steven Motlop, look so comfortable among the cool-headed Cats veterans and only add to the depth of the playing group who are programmed to achieve success.
Melbourne open their account
Finally some joy for the Dees after a disastrous beginning to the 2013 season. Sure, it was only a win over GWS who tested them for three quarters but the 12-goal final quarter suggests that Mark Neeld’s side does have some semblance of formation, system and camaraderie.
The 41-point triumph will give Melbourne some hope heading into the Round 5 trip to Brisbane, who are looking extremely vulnerable, and should brighten things at the club after a dreary start to the campaign.
It definitely is not a groundbreaking moment in football as the Dees were expected to win but the fact they left everything out on the ground shows that the playing group are eager to succeed and change the recent losing culture that has found its way into the red and blue psyche.
Now they need to carry on and perhaps score a surprise win over the Lions on Sunday before being competitive in the next few outings against Carlton, Gold Coast (winnable) and Richmond.
Negatives
Brisbane’s poor start
The Lions are battling after their NAB Cup win in preseason. A two-point win over Gold Coast has been their only victory, mixed in amongst an insipid 68-point loss to the now hapless Western Bulldogs, an improved 19-point home defeat to Adelaide and the weekend’s 63-point reverse at the hands of the previously winless North Melbourne.
Michael Voss has the worst-performed forward line in the league, kicking a measly 73 points per game, and the third-worst defence behind Melbourne and GWS which has the Lions sitting third bottom on the ladder.
A must-win clash with Melbourne at the Gabba is next and if Brisbane want to be any chance of improving on last year’s 13th-place finish they must assert their authority on a Dees outfit who has some confidence after a barnstorming end to their season-first win over the Giants on Sunday.
Richmond’s tackle stats
The Tigers were smashed by Collingwood in terms of defensive pressure in their 34-point loss at the MCG on Saturday.
Richmond look so good with ball in hand but Damien Hardwick must address their glaring tackle count issue if they are to make the eight this year.
In the first four rounds, Richmond have been out-tackled by Carlton, St Kilda and the Pies and beat the Dogs by just five in their easy win last week.
That has seen them fall to 17th in the league for tackle differentials which is nowhere near enough for a finals aspirant and things must improve, starting with Friday’s trip to Fremantle.
Sure, the Tigers are dangerous on the counter but they must pick up their defensive game if they are to match it with the better sides in the league, which they did for a half against the Pies before a Travis Cloke-inspired second half contributed to a season-first defeat.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Jack Petruccelle gave up a 50m penalty and a goal to young Sun Will Graham, after spoiling the ball away after it had gone…
Dimma was not happy with this kick out of bounds on the full from Touk Miller!
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
West Coast defender Tom Barrass will miss the Eagles' clash with Gold Coast, after the AFL Tribunal upheld his one-match suspension for a dangerous…
It is time that the tribunal became more simplistic, closed defence loopholes, and became representative of the game that it is trying to serve.
Geelong coach Chris Scott has hit out at the AFL Tribunal's decision to clear Charlie Cameron for his dangerous tackle on Jake Lever, saying…
