- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The race to September is on. While one team stands head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, some other teams have begyn to make their moves from inside the eight and out.
Questions are emerging everywhere. What can the Blues find in another horrible year? Is the Gary Ablett Jr experiment going to pay off for Geelong? Is the game really heading in a downward spiral and what does that result mean for Melbourne?
1) What makes a footy club great?
Having great players for starters, which Richmond have plenty of at the moment. They have genuine A-Graders and a pretty handy young group of Tiger cubs that will be part of this team for a long time. But there were two special and different moments during the game on Thursday night that highlight just what is going right at Richmond.
The first, seeing all of the team get around Reece Conca as he was being loaded onto the medicab to take him off the ground. Injuries affect the whole team and most times it can directly affect the result of the game.
To see all of the players get around to Reece is just an indication of how strong their culture is at the moment and the brotherhood and camaraderie that has developed there.
The second is just before the start of the second half. Jack Higgins, a first year player is in the middle of the circle giving a rev up or telling a joke – we don’t actually know what he was saying or doing. But again, the fact that a first year player feels comfortable enough to do it and has the licence to get in front of his whole team is just another tiny indication of how great life must be at Richmond at the moment.
Josh Caddy of the Tigers celebrates after scoring a goal. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Media/Getty Images)
2) Is the Ablett experiment going to pay off?
I think we all love watching Gary Ablett play, but is it going to be a move that Geelong look back upon in a few seasons and question if they would have done it differently with their time over? While he still wins his fair share of the footy – he did break the record for most 30 disposal games on Friday night- most of those possessions were in the front half of the ground.
While we all back Gary Ablett to still have a profound influence on the game, will it ultimately deliver what the club wants in a Premiership? Or will they be stuck in the nostalgic times of getting Gary back to Geelong, playing him because he is Gary Ablett instead of another player that they are lacking in their team at the present time.
Gary Ablett (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
3) What is the logical next step for Carlton?
Port came to the MCG and did what they needed to do – which was win and win comfortably (which they did in the end). But there were some more small steps in the right direction for Carlton.
Little did they know that standing on the other side of the field to them was the next logical step in their build. It turned out to be the biggest difference in the game.
Cleanliness and class with ball in hand and scoring prowess. Port had it. Carlton didn’t.
Carlton stayed with Port all day, but needed to kick 15 goals to win the game and never looked like they could.
Their stars impressed. Charlie Curnow, Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy, Ed Curnow and Simpson all had excellent games, but 37 inside 50s isn’t enough to beat good teams. The Blues can’t be disappointed with their performance, but only average nine goals per game for the season and need to get that closer to 13 if they want to become a top eight side in a few years.
Port meanwhile had a plethora of scoring options with Charlie Dixon, Robbie Gray, Sam Gray, Justin Westhoff, Chad Wingard, Lindsay Thomas and Todd Marshall all capable of winning games off their own boot.
4) Who is the most influential captain in the game?
David King mentioned earlier in the year that you can judge a team based on their captain’s performances and attitudes.
Callan Ward’s toughness inspires GWS. Trent Cotchin’s class continually drives the Tigers and Nat Fyfe’s athletic capabilities make his Fremantle teammates walk taller when he is out there with them.
With Adelaide’s season eroding even further away, Taylor Walker turned the game and breathed life back into their season. its was a strong statement from the skipper who’s club has been bashed from pillar to post, in congruence with the constant question marks surrounding his leadership.
Tex, the big game player that he is stood up with some big second half goals to inspire his team over the line. Shannon Hurn, the Eagles captain, could only sit back and watch as his side fell from premiership contender to back into the lead pack.
5) Was that the moment for the big General?
We all feared for him when he hobbled off after a knock to the knee, but what followed could be the spark that Jonathon Patton so badly needed.
In and out of the team this year, now he is the main man with the absence of Jeremy Cameron.
With the Giants now well back into the finals race, it could’ve have just been that pivotal moment that takes the career of Jonathon Patton to the place we all thought it could go.
Jonathon Patton of the Giants (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
6) Has the Rising Star race been decided already?
It’s down to at least three. Four at a stretch. Jaidyn Stephenson is the runaway clubhouse leader closely followed by Tom Dodee, Ed Richards and Oliver Florent. But Stephenson’s performances every week is proving to be head and shoulders above what any of the other of his fellow first year players are doing.
Dodee has been Mr Consistent all year and Richards footy nous is well beyond his years. Jaidyn Stephenson has been a driving force behind what is Collingwood in 2018.
He has changed that forward line for the better in a way that no first year player has ever influenced a side and is propelling them right up the ladder right into premiership contention.
7) Where does that result leave Melbourne?
It was the performance that all Melbourne supporters thought were behind them. But as the emotional rollercoaster that football is, it was another case of “Same old Melbourne” at the MCG as the Saints stunningly beat them – and quite well too.
Where does it leave Melbourne? Well, they’re right back in the pack among the cluster of teams vying for positions 4-8. There’s still plenty of footy to be played but surely they couldn’t and wouldn’t want to leave it to Round 23 again?
8) So what’s wrong with footy again?
It was a cracking round of footy. There were a couple of lopsided contests but that’s what happens when you have top sides versus bottom sides. But it was the round that the AFL would have loved to have had three or so months ago when the fuss was starting to get kicked up.
It started on Thursday night, rolled into Friday night and finished off with another cracker.
There was high-scoring, fast, open, high-octane pressure footy which is the modern way the game is played. The game will continue to evolve.
It’s a tough, ferocious highly skilled and pressurised game and if you are off you’re game you get absolutely nailed nowadays.
If this week is anything to go by, football is heading in the right direction. Changing the rules to get to where you think you want to get to can only lead to disaster.
9) What damage can Brisbane do towards the end?
The Lions have played a lot better than their win-loss tally and ladder position reflects. Their domination of Fremantle in the West is proof and validation of that.
Cameron Rayner of the Lions celebrates kicking a goal. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Along with their big win today, with the Gabba already proving a tricky road trip for many teams this year, the Lions could do some damage in the remaining eight weeks.
All their young stars are continuing to improve, they are well led by their big guns and are developing a watchable brand of football. They’ve got Carlton, Hawthorn, Adelaide and Geelong in the next four weeks, there are plenty of winnable games that have been presented to this group. They very well could cause some major headaches on the run home.
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.