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AFL Round 2 Performance reviews (part 1)

Eddie Betts shows his pace. (AAP Image/Ben Macmahon)
Roar Pro
4th April, 2016
1

AFL football never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think you have a handle of where teams are situated the whole thing gets turned on its head after one round.

There will be a host of very disappointed teams licking their wounds this week after some surprising results. So let’s put each club under the microscope after their Round 2 performances.

Collingwood
The Magpies got the win they needed to get their season started. It wasn’t convincing, but, after last week, the Magpies will take the four points any way they can get them.

They still look a long way off the top four team I was touting them as during the preseason. Collingwood’s foot skills were well below AFL standard and you got the feeling during the last quarter the Tigers always had the Magpies at arms length.

But the Pies stayed in it and were rewarded with a one-point win. The emotion from the players and coaches after Brodie Grundy’s match-winning goal was an insight into the pressure a loss like last week’s has on one of the biggest sporting clubs in Australia.

Brodie Grundy’s performance makes his non-selection last week even more puzzling. While Grundy will struggle to get over the top of some of the AFL’s best ruckmen in the centre bounces, his athleticism and competitiveness around the ground make him a vital part of the Collingwood team.

Scott Pendelbury was immense for the Magpies. Carrying an injury into the game meant he spent more time across half back than in the middle of the ground, but, in a game riddled with skill errors, Pendelbury’s decision making and skills stood out like a beacon.

Darcy Moore is a young footballer with talent and attitude, and the contests he provided in the Magpies forward line against the best defender in the league was a big reason the Pies won the game.
Collingwood play St Kilda next week at the MCG , a game that, at the start of the season, they would have been confident of winning. But the Saints are an getting better and the Magpies will have to improve to win.

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Richmond
A team which has made the finals for the last three years should have had the skill and experience to close out this game; a two-goal lead with a couple of minutes left is a situation all teams would go through at training.

Slowing the game down and denying the opposition the ball are basic skills that good sides execute in the dying stages of games. But this was a position Richmond should never have found themselves in; basic skill errors and poor goal kicking stopping the Tigers from getting the scoreboard dominance they deserved.

One positive for the Tigers this year has been the performances of Bachar Houli. Houli’s run and carry against the Magpies was impressive, his willingness for the contest and run to support his teammates would be most pleasing to Damien Hardwick.

Jack Riewoldt hasn’t got the title of captain but he is definitely the leader of this team. His passion on the footy field is infectious and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make his teammates better and win the game. Unfortunately, his efforts on Friday night didn’t lead to a win.

Richmond are in desperate need for the return of Ivan Maric, who will give the Tigers a big boost in the ruck. Shaun Hampson gets lost at times on the ground, constantly running underneath the ball in marking contests, and when he does get a chance to dispose of the ball or shoot for goal his kicking skills let him down.

Adelaide Crows at Etihad stadium is the next challenge for the Tigers. If Richmond are to challenge for the flag this year, they have to beat the Crows in an impressive display.

Adelaide
Adelaide produced an awesome display of power scoring football against Port Adelaide, with the Crows leading from start to finish. The game highlighted the fact that, if the Crows’ midfield can win its fair share of the footy, their forward line will be near impossible to stop.

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Two good performances so far this year has the Crows right in top eight contention and perhaps lifts the club’s expectations for this year.

The numbers put up by the Adelaide forward line on Saturday afternoon were amazing. Tom Lynch, who is one of the best lead-up forwards in the league, kicked six goals. The latest episode of the Eddie Betts show was a classic with the little master kicking five goals, and Josh Jenkins, Adelaide’s most in-form forward, booted four.

Just to flex its forward line muscle and send a shudder through the league, the Crows have unearthed another talented tall forward in Mitch McGovern. The brother of West Coast marking machine Jeremy is a very capable aerialist himself – the games of ‘marking’s up’ in the McGovern backyard would have been engrossing.

With the Crows in top form and Richmond really struggling early in the season, a showdown with the Tigers at Etihad Stadium looks a real possibility for an Adelaide win.

Port Adelaide
The inconsistent performances of the Power must be a source of great frustration for Ken Hinkley and all Port Adelaide supporters.

The explosive last quarter against the Saints in Round 1 gave the feeling that the 2014 Port Adelaide side was back, and that they could even be considered favourites against the Crows.

This couldn’t be further from the truth – the Power were never in the contest. With so much talent on Port’s list you have to wonder where these poor performances come from.

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An example of the strength of Robbie Gray’s game is that, even with his team getting badly beaten and most of his teammates struggling, his personal high level of performance does not drop. Like all the great midfielders Gray doesn’t rely on his teammates to get him possessions, and Port’s star man fought an impressive one-man war against the Crows midfield.

Next stop on the Port Adelaide rollercoaster is a primetime Friday Night game against the undermanned Essendon team. Expect the Power’s run and gun football to return to leave everyone still wondering what to make of the 2016 team.

Essendon
This was a win no one saw coming. It was hard for anyone to predict this result; an Essendon side most predicted wouldn’t win a game this season against a Melbourne side seemingly on the up and in good form after a Round 1 win against GWS looks like a pretty easy result to tip.

Like a dog with a bone the Bombers players got a sniff of victory early in the game and never let it go. The importance of this victory cannot be understated. It takes a huge weight off the club and playing group.

Who knows how many, if any, more winning opportunities will come for the Bombers this season, so to hold their nerve and grab a win when it presented itself was vital.

In a powerful statement coach John Worsfold dropped experienced trio Craig Bird, Johnathon Simpkin and Shaun McKernan for the Round 2 clash in favour of youngsters Orazio Fantasia, Michael Hartley and Nick Kommer. While Orazio, Hartley and Kommer didn’t take a lead role in the match they all contributed to a memorable win for the Club.

First-gamer Hartley was particularly impressive, and, having been around the AFL system for a few years now after being on the Collingwood list, he looks ready to be a solid contributor at AFL level. His size will be important for a Bombers side lacking key position talent.

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Perhaps the greatest beneficiary from the opportunities this year presents is Zach Merrett. With a full list to pick from, Merrett would most likely have played the majority of this season in the forward half, but with greater midfield responsibilities the youngster has quickly taken his game to a new level.

Another exceptional performer on the weekend was Joe Daniher, the young key forward virtually put the whole Bomber forward line on his shoulders and carried them to victory. Only poor kicking for goal stopped the up-and-coming star from bagging the five or six goals he deserved.

One negative to come out of the first two rounds is the performances of ruckman Matthew Leuenberger. Brought to the club this year to be the number one ruckman for the young Bombers midfield, his output in the first two rounds has been well below expectations.

Next week represents an opportunity for the Bombers to showcase their skills in a primetime Friday night game against the Port Adelaide Power. While a victory again looks unlikely, the Bombers fans will be expecting to see another committed, competitive performance from their team.

Melbourne
There would be a few disappointed teams after Round 2, but none moreso than the Melbourne Demons. After the excitement and euphoria which surrounded last week’s win, the Demons’ performance on the weekend brought their supporters back down to earth with an almighty thud.

After so many years in the darkness, there finally looked like some light at the end of tunnel following their Round 1 win against GWS. But it seems the habit of losing is a hard one to break.

Paul Roos often talks about the losing mentality which surrounds the club and how he and his staff are trying to change it, but on the evidence of the game against Essendon it looks like there is still some work to do in the area.

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Melbourne are a budding team who haven’t yet got the superstars to get them over the line when the team as a whole doesn’t play well; if there are any passengers in the Melbourne team you end up with performances like the weekend.

A top priority for Melbourne is to find another quality key forward to support Jesse Hogan. The young star’s knees are starting to buckle with the weight of the Demons forward line on his back, but I don’t think the Demons currently have the answer to this problem on their list, with Chris Dawes and Cam Pedersen the only obvious options.

Jack Watts is a highly skilled player but isn’t the answer in the key forward post. Maybe trying to find another key defender and moving Tom McDonald forward may be a possibility for the Demons, but this could be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Melbourne travel to beautiful Tasmania in Round 3 to take on the powerful North Melbourne unit. What to expect from the Demons this week is any one’s guess.

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