We’ve got a relatively stable ladder this week, with the exception of the Crows and the two bye teams making life intriguing.
Last week: 1
Displayed a little vulnerability at times during the first three quarters, before pulling out a fine final stanza to secure a vital win. Still on top – here and on the ladder that matters.
Last week: 2
Toyed with St Kilda a little, giving them a sniff, before Josh Caddy’s six goals and Richmond’s wider class secured a win. Big game against the old rivals in Essendon next weekend. We could be in for a treat.
Last week: 5
An AFL record in inside fifties coupled with a 60-point win over an average side, a 109-point belting of a bad side, and now a 91-point demolition of a very good side. What a powerful three weeks of footy.
This team is among the best in the competition.
Last week: 3
The Swans were probably a little confused by all the hype surrounding a possible Brisbane win, but they found the Lions’ endeavour a little tough at times.
Still, a win’s a win.
Last week: 6
Forgiving their heinously poor first-half accuracy, this was an important win. Becoming the team to beat Freo at Optus Stadium was the cherry on top.
Last week: 10
Quietly going quite well. Plus, they’re in the top eight! Beat Freo, then it’s onto Melbourne, the bye and Carlton. They could be 9-4 if they win those three, or more likely 8-4.
Either way, they’re set up quite well for the second half of the year.
Last week: 9
They kicked more points than their opponents, and defended better, and that’s the gist of it. A win in a game of football, nothing too special.
Last week: 12
A fortnight ago, this team looked done and dusted. They’ve revived themselves in two weeks, their latest victory coming over a team that’s arguably almost as done and dusted, or damn close to it.
Last week: 7
Took it right up to the competition’s best team for three quarters, but tired late. Structurally, though, there are problems – a misfiring forward line the most pressing.
Last week: 4
Oh, no. It was almost as if even I could feel the fury radiating from Don Pyke’s eyes as he stared into his desolate group of players at the final break.
What a horrible performance.
Last week: 8
They didn’t lose to the bye, which occasionally feels to be a possibility given this team! Get it? A reference to that popular online video? The old guys down in the comments keeping up with my pop culture references?
Last week: 11
Top two? Top four? Top eight? The first two, nope. The latter? Looking increasingly unlikely, unless they somehow sack most of their coaching staff and hire a team of Mayo Clinic physicians. Actually, that could kill two birds with one stone.
Last week: 14
They had the bye. Probably thankful for the rest, but they’re back home next week. Homecoming for Gary Ablett, against a Geelong side that is a little more vulnerable than most think.
Last week: 13
Did I hype up the Lions far too much after their breakthrough victory last week? Yup. Was I alone? Nope. A good example of media exaggeration, but more literally an example of a young team experiencing the peaks and troughs of footy.
Last week: 15
They’re not a very good football team. Melbourne next weekend is very, very scary – I see them being annihilated.
Last week: 16
Better than last week, but the losses are building up. There’s something not quite right about this team, and Collingwood next week should reveal a lot.
Last week: 17
Improved effort, yeah. But whatever the effort, it’s their eighth loss in ten rounds. Instead of contending, they’re struggling to avoid a bottom-two finish.
Last week: 18
Sigh. Well, they kept Geelong to just 73 points in a 28-point loss? Feel free, Blues fans, to give me more positives to work with. Seriously. I’m struggling.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
What he said... ...oh and by using labels like "excuses" (along with the endless plethora of slanted labelling you do elsewise) just indicates you lack the capacity to develop credible and coherent counterpoints to the points I've put forward. It also makes me suspect you've lept in here in a distracting move from Jonboy's folly.
Paul D
Roar Guru
This is possibly the most ironic and stupid thing you have ever written Why would you think a fan of a football club should be held responsible for the performance of their team or coach? How has Fremantle's performance got anything to do with Dal, or Don, or you? What is it that bothers you about Ross Lyon and all your other hobby horses that you would come here for 5 years posting exactly the same stuff over and over and over What is that bothers you about people disagreeing with you because they can on an online discussion forum of no consequence with an audience of maybe 50 people on a busy day?
anon
Roar Pro
Just a question. Why are you so intent on making excuses for your team and coach. Both have performed poorly over the past three years by any metric. What is it that bothers you about legitimate criticism?
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Of course I'm still bringing up your ludicrous call on Johnson's 2013 GF whenever you make these sorts of claims, because it provides a lot of context around the veracity and quality of the things you chuck around on here. Sure you can try to claim it was just a matter of opinion, I guess in the same way you could claim "the sky is green" is a matter of opinion. But you're going to have to get used to it following you around as a measure of the worth of your "opinion" and judgement. Especially when you don't waiver from its inaccuracy and instead try to hide from it by making more stuff up (ambassador?) and/or attempts to distract, with three strikes malarky (as just the latest examples).
michael crumpler
Guest
cheer cheer the red and the whites number 1 swans fan here
Scott
Guest
I reckon Freo aren’t in too bad shape and if I were a Freo fan I wouldn’t be against the team tanking this year (of course that would be illegal though wink wink). I watched Cerra and Brayshaw in there draft year and watching how they’ve played as kids against men this year, I reckon you’ve got 2 more A grade midfielders there. With Fyfe, Neale, Brayshaw and Cerra plus a few others running through your midfield is set for the next 5-6 years at least. This is the one year with incredibly high top end draft talent. You may potentially get a key forward, who would usually go number 1 in most other years, at up to pick 7. Taberner looked like he was just starting to come on and with all the other young ones I reckon there is a lot to look forward to at Freo, and this is coming from an Eagles supporter
Macca
Guest
Matthew - can you post anything to support the "big noises" wanting McKay out?
Macca
Guest
Matthew - can you post where someone "begged your approval"?
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Right on Doc
Sammy
Guest
Absolutely mattician.
PeteB
Guest
Quality of opposition doesn’t seem to be a factor in these rankings. Take positions 6 to 11. Collingwood moves up 4 places for beating the team ranked 15th. Geelong move up 2 places for beating 18th. Essendon move up 4 places for beating 12th. Hawthorn drop 2 places for losing to 1st. Adelaide drop 6 places for losing to 3rd. Port mysteriously drop 3 places for having a bye even though the 3 teams that pass them only beat teams ranked 15th, 18th and 12th. None of these results warranted such a dramatic change in rankings.
Cat
Roar Guru
Feel free to do your own if you are such an expert
Cat
Roar Guru
Of course if they play well they go up ... duh
PeteB
Guest
Yeah basing rankings on one weeks performance is ludicrous. Surely if you’ve followed footy long enough you would know that one week can be an aberration and teams often bounce back the following week. I’ve never seen power rankings so weighted to one weeks performance before.
Doctor Rotcod
Guest
Couldn't agree more with PPVII Just what the Roar needs is a semi-considered stab at Power Rankings. Over-analysis leaves you @n@l. You have less than 24 hours to make it happen and by looking at the comments so far,they're about 50/50,which allowing for the usual Freo mavens back and forth, means you're about right. I ate pies obviously has plenty of time between Sunday night and Monday night to create something insightful,fact-based and totally unbiased but he's unlikely to do that because he's probably just lazy As an Eagles fan,I have a good look at what they did,what their next opponents did and that's about it for in-depth. I watch a couple of games,Friday night,for my sins, Eagles' games and some of whatever else free-to-air gives me in WA. I listen to Grandstand coverage as I'm travelling. I read Roar blogs as I work.The West Monday footy coverage is pretty fair. Not many fans do more,except those who get to games..haha You've nailed it this week,yeah,I understand about Port/Suns/Dons/Hawks. I would have pushed Melbourne to 2nd and the Tigers to 3rd,but I guess I'm looking at momentum too
User
Roar Rookie
Sammy-the heavy slog in the wet the week before took it out of Adelaide imo, no excuses for margin but they looked very heavy in legs on the weekend where Melbourne looked like they were walking on air.
Aligee
Guest
Well lets see what happens, my guess is that the AFL will attempt to make another trophy available to clubs and they will attempt to make it somewhat prestigious.
Bob
Guest
Pretty easy given Port have had the Suns in China and a bye over the past two weeks.
sammy
Guest
look disinterested..this week. So if they look interested and comfortably beat GWS this week then by that logic they go back up to 4 on the ladder. They didn't look disinterested last week when in the wet and undermanned they beat the dogs, or the week before where they..again undermanned..got beat in the final 20 seconds of a showdown.
Jonboy
Guest
You continue the Johnson line , i stand by my call it is a different opinion than you have.Plus you rated Johnson a legend and a great ambassador .I disagreed i said he was a very,very good footballer who tarnished the club on three occasions with Drug, Alcohol and a assault charges and was suspended from the leadership group. Everyone is entitled to make one mistake, .two or three strikes maybe not.Time you let it go.