AFL Round 4: Anzac round review and results

Round 4 of the AFL was another cracking round and if you look at the games in great detail the picture of how the season might play out gets a little fuzzier.

You never want to liken football to war, but in the Anzac round there was a number of times where those Anzac qualities of mateship and courage were on display.

The Demons weren’t given a hope in the world of beating the Tigers on Friday night. But they played a brand of football that was exciting, and they slammed the door on a dark chapter in the club’s history.

One player in particular signifies a new beginning of second chances at the Melbourne Football Club. Aaron Vandenberg. ‘Flanders’, as he was known at Ainslie laid a round-high 12 tackles and his work rate was unbelievable.

There was one moment when Vandenberg had the ball in the middle of the ground and he scrapped the kick forward, moments later down forward the ball fell to Vandenberg who snapped a crucial goal.

In just his fourth game he looks at home, he also wears the number 37 which was the same number Jim Stynes wore in his first year at Melbourne.

Saturday was a football feast, Carlton got on the board and the Saints continued to slide down the table. Patrick Cripps for mine looks a star of the future, he took grabs, laid tackles and used the ball effectively and will only get better with games.

Enter Paul Seedsman. The unheralded hero of Collingwood’s win over Essendon, the young Pie continues to build. He had 31 disposals on Saturday and he kicked a goal, the former housemate of Heath Shaw received a text from the former Anzac Medallist on Saturday morning that simply read “join the club”, and he certainly did.

We knew the Giants would make their charge at some stage, but against a fellow expansion club they made an emphatic statement. It was the biggest win in the club’s history and their young midfield looks like it could match it with the best.

Adding Ryan Griffen and Joel Patfull has given some much needed experience to the younger players, and has given players like Dylan Shiel and Lachie Whitfield plenty of time on the outside to deliver to their key forwards.

Speaking of key forwards, Jeremy Cameron and Cam McCarthy are fast becoming the most exciting duo in the league. If you don’t believe me just look at Jeremy Cameron’s attempted bicycle goal, young and exciting.

They’ve taken that next step up now bring on the big guns.

Saturday night was reserved for the ‘big 4′ games. Both games looked disappointing early, with both Fremantle and Port Adelaide blowing their highly fancied opponents out of the water before half time.

But both games were completely turned on their head. In the Fremantle versus Sydney game John Longmire managed to get the best out of Sam Reid, who was until then having a quiet game.

In a coaching master stroke he moved his big man onto the wing, and Reid proved an important dog in the Sydney comeback and showed he still has a valuable place in the team.

Isaac Heeney had his colours lowered against an impressive opponent, while Michael Barlow was quiet and Lachie Neale did his best attempt of a disappearing act. He had just nine touches after having a game-high 42 in the derby.

Nathan Fyfe is unbelievable. His stats read 27 disposals, but the manner in which he gets them, his second and third efforts at the contest and an ability to make something out of nothing. He is the modern day prototype and it’s scary to think how good he just might get.

If Hawthorn was to beat Port Adelaide it probably would’ve been unfair. Travis Boak is now in the elite class and surely Jordan Lewis has to be right up there in the early rounds of the Brownlow.

Sunday threw up a few surprises. One that wasn’t a surprise is that Josh Kennedy is a flat track bully and he dominated the Lions. Three goals doesn’t do his game justice, he kicked five behinds and had eight marks, it could have been much bigger.

Brownlow medalist Mathew Priddis was again busy with a ton of handballs and again laying a ton of tackles. Stefan Martin continues to carry the Lions’ ruck stocks, but in a look to the future Tom Cutler was super impressive on debut with 32 touches.

The battle of the Scott brothers was another cracking contest with Brad getting the better of Chris. I believe Sam Wright is terribly underrated. He had 32 disposals and is rarely talked of outside of Kangaroo supporters; he is one I really like.

Todd Goldstein is the premier ruckman in the competition. He can do it all; he dominates the hit outs, gets back in defence to take marks and he can snap goals with the movement of a small forward, it’s only early but he is a massive favourite for All Australian honours.

The moment of the round, in my opinion, was when Tom Hawkins kicked his first goal of the match. Hawkins’ mother passed away earlier in the week and in an emotional moment Hawkins signed a heart to the sky and kissed his black armband while team mates swarmed to their much-loved team mate.

Then, with a bang in the final game of the round. the Bulldogs showed why they are one of the most exciting teams in the competition this year. The big money forward line is firing but it’s from a guy you wouldn’t expect.

Jake Stringer has always struck me as a player who could explode, powerful, quick and smart he has all the traits you need to be successful and on a day when many were expecting a Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tex Walker had his colours lowered for the first time this year.

It’s captivating the way the Bulldogs play when they are up and about, it’s a style that’s continually evolved over time, their press suffocates their opponents into errors and the Crows for the first time this year were put under pressure and looked ordinary.

You could still see the Bulldogs in their zone despite being 11 goals up late in the last quarter, a club that lost it’s captain, coach, a former Brownlow medalist wasn’t supposed to be this good, but when has the AFL ever gone according to the script?

It’s a new era at the kennel and it’s exciting.

At the end of four rounds Fremantle remains the only team undefeated, but I ask you Roarers what has surprised you the most in the opening four rounds of the season?