In a national competition in which ten out of the eighteen clubs are based in the same state, it is inevitable that the majority of media scrutiny will be on Victoria – regardless of whether it should be or not.
For example, instead of paying attention to the collapse of the Suns in the second half of the season, we find Victorian strugglers such as the Demons and Pies receiving a disproportionate amount of attention.
If we cast our minds back to the midpoint of the season, the Suns seemed to be better placed than Melbourne and Collingwood, but the interstate club that has seen such a severe drop off in form is given a reprieve from the harsh media glare in favour of placing the blowtorch squarely on the underperforming Victorian teams.
One could certainly be forgiven for forgetting that the AFL does indeed exist outside of Victoria, such is the way that the competition is covered at times.
The Melbourne footy media fishbowl phenomenon definitely has a strong presence, and it was even enough to encourage Lance Franklin to seek greener and supposedly quieter pastures in Sydney.
Or so he says, anyway. For $10 million you could convince me to go anywhere, but I digress.
A byproduct of this Melbourne footy media fishbowl phenomenon is that a number of fantastic players who happen to ply their trade interstate are often overlooked in favour of their counterparts in Victoria and simply do not get the love they deserve.
This needs to end, so here are just some of the interstate stars that the casual Victorian fan can no longer ignore.
Eric Mackenzie (West Coast) and Daniel Talia (Adelaide)
It is only fitting that Mackenzie and Talia are named together here, as they are likely to be named together again in the key defensive posts of the 2014 All Australian team. In recent years, they have both taken over the task of containing the number one forward each week from their more well known predecessors, Darren Glass and Ben Rutten, without missing a beat.
The Eagles allowed the seventh fewest points this season with Mackenzie leading the charge down back, averaging 7.9 one percenters per game, good for seventh in the league.
After winning the Rising Star Award in 2012, it seems at times as if Talia has been completely forgotten by mainstream footy media. He doesn’t win many possessions but has kept star forwards such as Tom Hawkins, Travis Cloke, Jeremy Cameron, Jarryd Roughead and the Riewoldts to one goal or less this season. With such an impressive list of victims it’s time to give him his due credit.
Tom Rockliff (Brisbane)
Rockliff has a higher disposal per game average than Gary Ablett, Scott Pendlebury and Jobe Watson in 2014, yet is never mentioned in the same breath as these guys purely because he’s out of the spotlight in Brisbane.
It’s hard to believe that the leading disposal winner (32.7 per game) and tackler (9.1 per game) in the league can fly so far under the radar, but he has somehow managed to escape media attention for so long and is only now starting to receive plaudits for his work.
He has put together a scintillating run that has seen him average 41.4 possessions per game in his last five games.
Only problem is, he did this last year too, averaging 27.4 disposals per game on his way to an equal-fifth place finish in the Brownlow. The footy media was late to the party, but with the Brownlow field so open this year, Rockliff could have been the most anonymous winner in recent memory, if he hadn’t been suspended earlier in the year.
Lewis Taylor (Brisbane)
He should win the Rising Star Award, but he won’t due to the fact that he has spent his first season toiling in relative obscurity for the Lions. Taylor has by far been the most consistent first year player, as he has played every game and ranks sixth among first year players in average disposals in addition to kicking the fifth most goals of all first year players.
Matthew Lobbe (Port Adelaide)
Is there a player more crucial to his team’s premiership chances than the Power ruckman? As the only uninjured member of Port’s depleted ruck stocks, Lobbe’s form will dictate how far they go in 2014.
Lobbe ranks seventh in the competition for average hitouts per game, better than more fancied rucks such as Paddy Ryder, Ivan Maric and Ben McEvoy. He also ranks first among recognised ruckmen and tenth overall in average tackles per game.
Although he was never going to maintain his blistering early season form while dealing with the fatigue that comes with singlehandedly carrying the Power’s ruck division, Lobbe has still outperformed the vast majority of ruckmen this season.
Adam Treloar (GWS)
Trawling through the league’s leading average disposal winners usually provides something of a ‘who’s who’ list in the AFL. Until you get to tenth place that is, where Treloar finds himself even with Jobe Watson ahead of big name players such as Stevie J and Trent Cotchin.
Fair effort for a third year player who represents a club that has been a running punchline for the entirety of its existence. As his teammates develop and the Giants become increasingly relevant, Treloar will undoubtedly become a media darling, as he will receive overdue recognition for continuing the form that he has displayed this season.
Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle)
Player A: 281 games, 619 goals, Rising Star Award winner, four-time All Australian, five-time Best and Fairest, three-time leading goalkicker, one time AFLPA MVP, nine years as club captain.
Player B: 311 games, 625 goals, six-time All Australian, six-time Best and Fairest, eight-time leading goalkicker, eight years as club captain.
Player A is Nick Riewoldt, Player B is Matthew Pavlich. It’s hard to believe that Pavlich could possibly be considered underrated, but he is not typically seen in the same light as Nick Riewoldt.
As the aforementioned stats show, Pav’s resume stacks up with the very best of his contemporaries, so it is time to treat him as such.
If Pav played for a Victorian powerhouse such as Collingwood, Carlton or Hawthorn, he would be viewed as the transcendent player that he is, but the fact that he has spent his career out of sight in the West with a club that took too long to establish itself will likely end up harming his reputation.
Slane
Guest
Hilarious. That is just about as wrong as a person can be.
Prince Imperial
Guest
So Lewis Taylor won't winning the Rising Star because he plays for the Lions...
johno
Guest
Its a good thing the media in Vic doesn't report the same as in WA else it would be coast to coast NicNat saturation!
Gregor
Guest
Priddis and Mackenzie both got a nod in the 40 man AA squad.Priddis third in clearances and 1st in disposals,not too shabby...and in fact he's more efficient in kicking than Cotchin or Kennedy but you won't read that in a Melbourne rag.Mind you he averages 17 handballs a game.The WA sides do get the hacks on the Channel 7 coverage,Healy,Lynch,Hudson etc so its not surprising to hear them blather on.They are an indication of the Eastern States media and their level of knowledge of sides outside Melbourne, but ABC774 can be worse.The Essendon /WCE game is a case in point
Jax
Guest
very good summation Rob. I was watching the WC v GCS game and this is what Alastair Lynch said - "it's good to see LeCras back playing and over the niggling injuries he's had' Was Lynch referring to the knee reconstruction that sidelined him for 2012 or was it the broken arm that ruined his 2013 season? Yep, the same arm that he re-injured early in 2014 that saw him miss 4-5 weeks with. Hardly 'niggling injuries' and LeCras is a star and better known than many other non-Vic players and that's what we have to listen to? I can't recall the exact game but a few weeks ago (and many other times earlier in the year and last year) on Kennedy's kicking style. One of them called him twinkle toes as he was lining up for goal. After seeing Kennedy kick a goal with a normal run-up he said 'oh, it looks like he's changed his run-up'. Kennedy changed it in the middle or 2013 off-memory so that guy is 14-15 months behind the times. Why do I have to be subjected to sub-par commentary? There are many more examples like the ones I've raised that I see in pretty much every game and it's not good enough! If you're Victorian it's highly unlikely that many will notice things like this but when it's your team you do. On the flipside I'm sure the reverse is true of me with Vic players but at least I don't bang on trying to pretend I do.
Jax
Guest
it becomes an issue when Vic media, fans etc comment on interstate teams and players. They think they know what they are talking about but its extremely rare that they know more than the local media or fans but they'll argue otherwise which becomes dull and frustrating
Rob
Guest
Good article - I'm a Victorian living in WA and I can see it first hand. Only the horror stories from over here (Ben cousins) seem to make the mainstream media over in Victoria - but then big things happening in Victoria sometimes bearly rate a mention over here. It's all to do with catering to your audience and the audience of the Melbourne media support the Victorian teams - the audience over here is mainly west coast and docker fans. I once heard that a collingwood article on the front page of the herald sun (any article at all as long as it was collingwood) I increased circulation by about 30000 for that day!
John Hamilton
Roar Pro
Surprised Callan Ward didn't make this list
Troy
Guest
I agree - I think Pav and Riewoldt would be rated fairly similarly, even by most Victorian fans. I concede Pav would get less press here, but of course he'd get more in WA.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Riewoldt has kicked more goals per game than Pav this year in a team with one of the weakest playing lists in the league while Pav is in a top 4 side. Both are a good margin short of the top tall forwards in the competition though.
Perry Bridge
Guest
Rockliff and his dog 'killer' have got a fair bit of coverage - although I recall after his TAC Cup GF when he kicked 5 goals and Sidebottom kicked 10 - Rockliff still had to rely on the rookie draft - no, actually it was the pre-season draft. Just checked his stats - and born in Lismore Northern NSW - would've been very handy in the NRL I dare say. Turns out he's a ball magnet in the AFL. Given he was recruited from Benalla - he'd go alright in the Big V. Actually - what I sometimes wonder is if we had a Big V that pitted Vic Metro, Vic Country, SA, WA in div 1 (similar to U18s/U16s NAB Champs), and then Div 2 with QLD/NZ, NSW/ACT, TAS and NT/PNG/NW-WA, that'd get a bit more recognition on where players have come from and got to. Even a Vic country player like Mundy is largely forgotten at Freo - but nonetheless respected. Main thing is - with all the almost invisible draft picks to Suns and Giants last couple of years - there's a whole bounty of kids going under the radar and perhaps only SoO in the future would really highlight some of them.
SCC
Guest
Sounds like another sore non victorian.... =D
Prince Imperial
Guest
Taylor won't win the Rising Star because he's from an interstate club? What rubbish. Five out of the last six winners have been from non-Vic clubs whilst twelve of the 21 winners since the award started in 1993 have been from non-Vic clubs.
Casper
Guest
I know all of the footy shows come out of Melbourne, but how much attention does the WA and SA footy media give players like Rockliffe and Treloar?
Tom
Guest
I'm from Melbourne and would have much preferred to have had Pav in my team than Reiwold. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Steele
Guest
I live in Melbourne yet don't believe too many vics think Reiwoldt is a better player than Pav? Where is your evidence suggesting such a thing? Pav is rated very highly believe me. Treloar is a good one, but is he underrated because he is in NSW or is it because his team is ordinary? You could also write an article on good players in poor teams being valued less highly. Nathan Jones can't even crack Milke Sheehans top 50, yet he's been a star for ages now. He gets labeled dour and workmanlike and a poor kick, which he is none of. If Treloar plays for Sydney, I doubt he'd be underrated, further muddying your argument. I think Rockliff is underrated due to Brisbanes poor form, not location as indicated. Otherwise Voss, black, akermanis and co, would never of been heralded, same goes with Cox, Cousins and Kerr. All recognised stars.
PilbaraFrenzy
Guest
Oh Homer, you poor deluded individual. Pav can, does, has and will win games off his own boot. He gives everything for his club and can be thrown in to the midfield or defence if needed, being an AA in each area. Thank you for the gut laugh though.
Homer
Guest
Pav and Reiwoldt are both "has beens". They might still get a couple of goals each now and then, but I doubt that stats would show four quarter efforts from either of them, at any time this season. Reiwoldt in particular has no second effort in him. He needs to mark the ball to get it or he's lost. And I get sick of TV commentary going on about his "gut" running. Maybe if he stayed within the forward arc and did some some hard work when it came, in he might thave a better impact. Pav's much the same ... four quaters wouldn't be a bad trick. Taxi drivers both of them ... second cabs off the rank!!!
josh
Roar Rookie
I think a part of the point is that maybe with the Melbourne focus is that the discussion of "best players" is clouded with that inherent bias. See Pavlich v. Reiwoldt.
Cat
Roar Guru
Hmmm Melbourne based media focusing on Melbourne based teams ... and you are surprised by that why?