Round 5 of the AFL has been indicative of the season so far; it has been full of exciting and unpredictable results. It has been difficult to pick winners and sometimes teams who are under the pump can surprise, like the Saints and Blues did this Round.
Swans v Crows: Footy isn’t played on paper
None of the experts gave the Crows a chance. The Crows had key players injured: Matt Crouch and Rory Sloane were unavailable for the Crows. Against all odds, the Crows left Sydney with the four points. If the Swans had converted their chances on the scoreboard, then they would have won the game.
Swans team lifter: Zak Jones
Crows team lifter: Tom Doedee
Saints v Giants: It’s too soon to make a judgement on coaches
A lot of people had decided Alan Richardson was under pressure. They performed superbly, despite only collecting two of the four points on offer. The Saints put in a lot of effort and played some good footy. The Giants clearly missed Tom Scully, Josh Kelly and Rory Lobb.
Saints team lifter: Jack Steven
Giants team lifter: Brett Deledio
Blues v Eagles: Stop making harsh comments on coaches
The entire football world was making the Blues a laughing stock based on their Round 4 performance and rightfully so. A week is a long time in football. The Blues nearly won a game against the Eagles, who have been one of the best-performed teams in football this season.
Blues team lifter: Patrick Cripps
Eagles team lifter: Andrew Gaff
Power v Cats: One soldier replaces another
The Cats remarkably won the game without any of their first choice tall defenders; Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson were unavailable. They lost Tom Hawkins before the game and Scott Selwood in the game. The Power can’t cover for the loss of Paddy Ryder and they have deficiencies in their backline.
Power team lifter: Brad Ebert
Cats team lifter: George Horlin-Smith
Dockers v Bulldogs: The Dockers recruiting is paying dividends
Michael Walters and Nat Fyfe were the standouts for the Dockers. Fremantle have thrown in a number of first-year players, who have brought a lot to the team. The Dockers match committee deserve to be commended for taking the risk of choosing young players to play AFL.
Dockers team lifter: Nat Fyfe
Bulldogs team lifter: Caleb Daniel
Kangaroos v Hawks: The Kangaroos are a force to be reckoned with
The Kangaroos played this game as if they had a point to prove. Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite were standouts up forward and the move of Jack Ziebell from midfield to forward worked well. Will the Kangaroos be able to maintain their form? Time will tell.
Kangaroos team lifter: Robbie Tarrant
Hawks team lifter: Luke Breust
Lions v Suns: A Derby is normally a good contest, irrespective of the ladder
This game went down to the wire. Despite losing the game, the Lions bounced back well from being belted by the Tigers last round. The Suns showed great endeavour when the game was on the line.
Lions team lifter: Alex Witherden
Suns team lifter: Touk Miller
Demons v Tigers: The Tigers have a fortune of depth
Despite having three forced changes to their team, every Tigers player in the twenty-two played their role. When the game was tough and tight and was in the balance, the likes of Alex Rance and Dustin Martin stood up and Bachar Houli, Shane Edwards and Toby Nankervis competed well. There is no sign of a Premiership hangover for the Tigers.
Demons team lifter: Max Gawn
Tigers team lifter: Kane Lambert
Magpies v Bombers: Magpies bank the four points on Anzac Day
The Bombers seemed to lack a structure and discipline. While Brendon Goddard seemed at odds with David Zaharakis and Joe Daniher, the Magpies continued their good form that they showed against the Crows in Round 4.
They showed that their win over last year’s grand finalist wasn’t an aberration and should they maintain this form, they will be a force to be reckoned with. There seems to be a dilemma at the Bombers; they didn’t seem cohesive or organised.
Magpies team lifter: Adam Treloar
Bombers team lifter: Michael Hurley
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Jesse Hogan is free to play Brisbane on Anzac Day, after the AFL Tribunal ruled the Giants star had no case to answer for…
Damien Hardwick has predicted Toby Greene's one-match suspension will be upheld by the AFL tribunal, but the triple-premiership coach says he wouldn't ban the…
Jonathan Brown has made a passionate plea to the AFL on On the Couch to give players leeway as they make split-second decisions, following…
Matthew Lloyd told Footy Classified that his skinfold result was a wake-up call for him after being above the level that was allowed.
What an appallingly run competition the AFL is. Nobody really talks about it. We all love footy, so the AFL must be doing great.…
It is time that the tribunal became more simplistic, closed defence loopholes, and became representative of the game that it is trying to serve.
