Here is the last instalment of the Round 2 performance reviews.
Who will survive the examination?
GWS
The GWS Giants have been fighting for credibility over the last couple of years, trying to lift their level of performances and consistency to gain the respect of the football world.
The Giants went into the 2016 season with a real belief they could play finals football, but a disappointing Round 1 loss to Melbourne would have sent shock waves through the club.
The football world waited to see what the Giants response would be in Round 2.
The response was a good old fashioned ‘beat down’ of a highly touted Geelong team, whose confidence would have been sky high after a Round 1 win against Hawthorn.
Lead by Shane Mumford, they dominated the more athletic Cats ruckmen in the middle of the ground.
Mumford resigned himself to the fact that he would be unable to keep up with the more athletic Geelong ruckmen around the ground. So instead, Mumford exploited his strengths which is centre square warfare.
Every time the Big Mummy got a chance to lay a tackle or exude some physical pressure on the opposition he did it with such force and ferocity that it really shock up the Cats players and had them jumping at shadows.
The brutality of Mumford was complemented by the skill of Steve Johnson and Ryan Griffen, two experienced and proud footballers who would have been bitterly disappointed with last week’s loss.
These three players set the example of how to respond to a bad performance and the younger Giants players followed.
A stern test against an inform Sydney Swans awaits the Giants in Round 3. The battle of the big men will be a highlight of this game
The winner of this ruckmen battle will go a long way to deciding the winning team.
Geelong
You could hear the thud on Sunday afternoon of the Cats coming back down to earth. The Round 2 clash against the Giants looked the perfect opportunity for Geelong to build on the momentum build from a scintillating Round 1 performance.
But little did the Cats know they were walking straight into an ambush. In today’s G Rated football it is hard to believe that players could be intimated or even scared of opposition players, but on the weekend it definitely looked like GWS monster Shane Mumford had the Geelong midfielders jumping at shadows.
Geelong has an interesting team demographic with some many tall players in its side, while it seemed to be a masterstroke in Round 1 but was exploited by the Giants in Round 2.
The jury is still out as to whether the Cats can consistently win games with this team structure, it will be an interesting facet to every Cats game this year.
A big win will be expected by the fanatical Cats supporters this week. As the young Brisbane Lions team comes to town.
Hawthorn
The chests of all Hawthorn supporters will be puffed out again this week after their team just let everyone know that it is business as usual in 2016.
After a Round 1 loss to the Cats, opposition supporters were questioning whether the Hawthorn train had finally reached the end of the line.
A dismantling of the West Coast Eagles probably answers everyone’s questions. A Hawks side that has feasted on success over many years is still very hungry.
While most teams rely on the individual performances of their star players to win games the Hawks are built around structure and players are asked to do no more than to play their role.
No other team in the competition would be able to play at such a high level with several of their key players missing and this has a lot to do with master coach Alastair Clarkson.
The unpredictability and flexibility he has created in the Hawthorn team confuses then simply overwhelms opposition teams.
Clarkson is an innovator who is not scared to try things, always staying two steps ahead of his competition. Opposition coaches have had years to unravel the Hawthorn game plan, but look as far away as ever from solving the mystery.
A new challenger has emerged to the champ’s crown. A young Western Bulldogs side that is keen to test itself against undisputed champion. My advice to the Bulldogs is ‘Be careful what you wish for’.
West Coast
Again faced the toughest test in football and again came up well short. All roads to this year’s premiership run through Hawthorn, a fact the Eagles can’t hide from.
Under normal circumstances the Eagles are a high scoring team with a lethal forward line but against the Hawks the Eagles are unable to get anywhere near a winning score.
The Hawks have a simple strategy to combat the powerful West Coast Forward line, they don’t let the ball get in there.
The Eagles midfielders have been unable to win enough ball to put any pressure of the Hawthorn defence a fact that was highlighted on the weekend when the Hawks had over 150 more possessions than their opposition.
The good news for the Eagles is that they have been taught this lesson early in the season which gives them plenty of time to come up with some answers.
There is no doubt the talent on the West Coast list and they will win more than enough games this year to make sure they have a chance to bury their Hawthorn demons in the 2016 finals series.
A fascinating contest awaits in Round 3 with the Fremantle Dockers looking to recapture their defensive form against a West Coast Eagles side that will be looking to pile on the goals.
Carlton
A match against the Sydney Swans was always going to be a tough task for the Blues, but I think they would be disappointed with their efforts. After a promising opening round, Carlton were pushed aside pretty easily by the Swans.
The Blues defenders didn’t have an answer for the Swans ruckmen when they pushed forward with Kurt Tippett and Callum Sinclair combining for seven goals.
Performances like this are probably inevitable for the Blues this year but that doesn’t make them any less disappointing for Carlton coach Brendan Bolton who would be fully aware of the task at hand.
Bolton runs a tight ship and although he would be realistic about the position of the Carlton list he will demand the standards of play be lifted.
Bolton has taken a lot from his apprenticeship under Alastair Clarkson his courage to try things and create flexibility within the team are traits straight out of the Al Clarkson handbook. It is this lateral thinking that will accelerate the development of the Carlton football club.
A positive to come out of the loss to the Swans was the game of Dale Thomas. While Thomas may never get back to the player he once was his determination and tireless work ethic on the weekend was a great example for the clubs younger players.
A trip up to the beautiful Gold Coast is next for the Blues. A game that looks decidedly harder after the Gold Coast’s magnificent performance against Fremantle in Round 2.
Sydney
Are the Sydney Swans the sleeping giants of the competition? And can these young players that have added a whole new dynamic to the swans team hold up for a whole season?
These questions probably won’t get answered until much later in the season, but one thing is for sure the 2016 Swans side has a much different feel and look about it compared to past seasons.
For many years the Swans have been a tough competitive unit that is always hard to beat, but have lacked the polish and speed over the last couple of years to beat the very best teams.
Coach John Longmire’s game plan had become outdated and predictable to the best teams and their lack of multiple goal kicking options which is a must in today’s football really restricted their chances of winning another premiership.
But it looks like coach Longmire has thrown caution to the wind and opened up the reigns suddenly there are young blokes everywhere.
Lance Franklin is spending some time up the ground which is opening up the forward line for Tippett and Sinclair to run riot and Isaac Heeney gets better every week which is a scary thought for the rest of the competition.
A harbour side battle with cross town rivals the GWS awaits Sydney in Round 3. Should be a beauty!
Macca
Guest
While the blues would be disappointed with the result there were plenty of things to be positive about, most importantly that a number of times the Swans looked like blowing the game wide open and win by over 100 points but the blues rested back control, thet just couldn't make it count on the scoreboard.
Michael Huston
Guest
I agree with your statement that Longmire has thrown caution to the wind with the Swans. I remember being completely impressed with him when he took over from Paul Roos, because in 2011-12, it was like he just told the players to do whatever they want and what they're best at, and it worked. You had Ben McGlynn basically always waiting to pounce on a loose ball inside 50, you had Lewis Jetta roaming around as if he owned every oval, you had Adam Goodes rotating from the wing to a key forward, you had Jude Bolton resting his ageing body in the forward line, and youngsters like AJ and Parker coming through and taking the game on. Since we won the 2012 flag, it's felt like he has perhaps over-complicated things in an effort to sustain success in the wake of a transitioning list. Like rotating McGlynn through the midfield, therefore leaving one less dangerous option inside 50, like adding a defensive aspect to Jetta's game, therefore distracting him from his speed and agility, like constantly switching Cunningham from small forward to a tagging mid to an outside runner, like moving Rohan from the forward line where his speed and pressure was crucial to the half back line where his skills just couldn't hold up. Alastair Clarkson is a prime example of a coach who knows his players and what to do with them. He's never prepped Puopolo to be anything more than a defensive crumbing forward. He's never prepped Sam Mitchell to be a resting small forward. He's never prepped Grant Birchall (their most elite ball user) to spend more time in the midfield. He's attempted to reinvent players like Frawley, Schoenmakers, Rioli and Roughead and switch up their positions, but it's only been to fill holes that needed filling. John Longmire seemingly wanted to just complicate his structures when they didn't need to be. So he's definitely part of the reason our exceptionally talented list (as good as Hawthorn's) has not achieved perhaps it's full potential. It seems like perhaps he's gone into this year with a little more of a settled line-up, but again, that could be simply because our injuries have left him with little choice. But the fact he's making definitive choices (Papley as a small forward, Mills and Jones on the half back, Heeney and Buddy in the same zones, Tippett and Sinclair rotating between ruck and full forward, Mitchell as an inside player, Hannebery back to an outside gut-runner), as opposed to just trying the same guys such as Brandon Jack whose never cemented his place in any position, is a promising sign. Maybe he's seen the light, who knows? But what I want to see before McGlynn, and before McVeigh, is James Rose. Take out Robinson or Towers if need be, but Rose poses as a more benefitial player than anyone else on the sidelines at the minute.