The Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns and West Coast Eagles were pegged to spend this season scrapping in the throng somewhere between seven and 12, but the Lions and Suns are languishing in the wastelands of the bottom two rungs on the ladder, and the Eagles flying high at two.
I’ll be heading to the Gabba on Saturday to watch Qclash 10, or ‘the fight for the spoon’, expecting a close game, though it will be horrible viewing.
There is a radio advertisement making the rounds at the moment talking the match up, promising great displays like, “impossible goals” and “high-flying marks”, but that sounds a bit sad. The crowds are thinning in the Sunshine State, and things are getting desperate.
Even if it hasn’t been easy for the two teams as they continue to be rattled by injuries – 10 Lions are out for the season, the Suns are missing seven – it shouldn’t constitute having two wins apiece and percentages so low after fairly promising seasons last year.
As Damian Barrett recently wrote in Sliding Doors, a segment rife with sweeping statements I sometimes find difficult to agree with, the footy world desperately want the Lions to “stand for something”.
The Suns will go in as favourites, which is something. They’ve been showing a bit of gusto lately, with strong performances against the Bulldogs, Giants, Crows and the Eagles, which we all know was the season’s first draw.
Yet both teams have been disappointing enough to lose, so it’s a tough game to pick.
After QClash 10, I’ll head up to the Pineapple Hotel to catch the Eagles play the Hawks, recently touted as the preview to the grand final. I don’t know about that, but a win is crucial for either team if they want a spot in the top two.
After Round 1 if someone were to say the Eagles would be honing in on a chance to host a qualifying final, you would have thought they were tweaked in the head.
Yet after they fell to the Western Bulldogs in Round 1, losing Mitch Brown along the way, West Coast have come a long way to slap the non-believers in the face.
The loss of defenders Darren Glass and Eric Mackenzie meant the now famous ‘Weagles Web’ defensive structure would have a snowball’s chance in hell of prevailing any pressure thrust upon it.
The Weagles Web is a mix of manning those who can make a direct impact on the contest, while shirking the rest in order to guard space. The main spiders in the web are Will Schofield and Jeremey McGovern, the latter of whom is poised to return from injury. Both of these players face their biggest challenge on Saturday night. Can the Eagles’ defence hold out against Hawthorn’s potent forward line, who boast so many capable goal kickers?
I’ll find out at the Piney.
My predictions
Gold Coast Suns by 21
Hawthorn Hawks by 25
Axle an the Guru
Guest
What type of tools are you insinuating they are Don???? :-0
jax
Guest
The Sulks and the Loons - Sulks should win. As the for Eagles web - it's very effective but only if all 18 players are on defensively. We saw what happens when the Eagles were off against the Sulks last week.
Gecko
Guest
I'd like to see an analysis of whether the Weagles web is in any way new. Defensively, the web seems similar to the Magpies' 'rolling cage' approach in 2009-2011, crowding space within 40m of the contests and assuming that anything suddenly kicked 50m can be snapped up by defenders who peel off their man (with McGovern playing the Maxwell role). Offensively, the Eagles just seem to be using the same approach of 'spread and run, including attacking through the centre square' that most other teams (except less motivated teams like Brisbane, Essendon and Carlton) are using.
Don Freo
Guest
Harry, call me "tweaked in the head". WC were always going to do better this year. They were dowm 6 and 7 midfielders for slabs of last season. They have them back this year plus 2 gun kids. I tipped them for top 2 pre-season. The Hawks forward line is not the issue...it is the Eagles forward line. Hawks have no tools to hold them. (In Gibson, Lewis and Mitchell they have plenty of tools...but that's another story.) WCE's midfield is too strong for a very slow Hawthorn midfield. Only Hill has speed and class. Hartung has speed but WC will get many a turnover from him. This is Lycett's chance to challenge Sinclair for the finals...against the AFL's second weakest ruck.