The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

Nine Questions to come from Round 19

The All Australian team never gets to play together. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
29th July, 2018
9

It’s the time of the year where curtains start to get officially drawn. But with a month to play, so many questions still linger over plenty of teams in season 2018.

Big results, big performances and big moments have shaped this season and there appears to be no shortage in another round of football where the biggest question; ‘what is actually wrong with the game?’ was asked.

This week we ask: when is it go time for Nathan Freeman? How do you assess the faltering swans year? Who is going to meet Richmond on grand final day? And which trade might end up being the pick of the bunch?

1. How do you assess the Swans year?
The Swans are in grave danger of doing something they have done only once since 2002 – missing the finals. With a loss on Friday night to Essendon, this now appears a real possibility.

While they are missing key personnel, we have always marvelled at Sydney’s ability to find players to be the next person in and fill the role and own their spot in the team.

Aside from anything else, they just can’t seem to score at the moment which is paramount to winning. A team as respected as the Swans for constantly being up in the finals conversation now looks likely to need one of the best and quickest recovery jobs to save a season.

2. Who meets Richmond on grand final day?
It’s getting to that stage now, isn’t it? A little over 60 days until grand final day and it just looks like Richmond will be there. Take nothing away from Collingwood who put in a performance full of heart and fight but ultimately couldn’t run it out as their wretched run of injuries continued. So who meets the tigers?

Collingwood lost no fans by the way they played and have proven they can go with them and be a worthy contender on the biggest day but need to find that little bit extra. West Coast, Melbourne and the Giants appear to be the next biggest threats in the premiership race.

Advertisement
Jayden Short of the Tigers runs the ball during the round four AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Richmond Tigers in Brisbane, Australia.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

3. Can Tom Hawkins’ form cement an all Australian selection?
Picking the all Australian team is never easy, but occasionally there are players in form who simply can’t be ignored and Tom Hawkins is building his case in a big way.

Now running second in the Coleman Medal to Ben Brown after consecutive bags of seven goals, he has led Geelong in the front half all year. On the eye, He appears to be moving a lot more freely after years being hampered by back injuries. He is seemingly over that now and producing one of his career best years for his side.

4. Is it finally time to pull the trigger on Nathan Freeman?
In a year where not much has gone their way, St. Kilda have an opportunity here to grab every single footy headline in the country for the better, by announcing that Nathan Freeman will finally make his debut.

The injury-plagued former top ten draft pick had another day out in the VFL collecting another 37 disposals in Sandringham’s loss, but it rounds out a solid month of massive numbers at the lower level (37, 29, 23 and 25 disposals in the past month) and he now appears finally ready to play at the highest level.

As footy fans of struggling clubs in particular, you look for hope and something you can hang your hat on moving into the following year. Something such as giving Freeman a debut game could prove exactly that for Saints fans.

5. Who will be the best pick of the 2015 AFL draft?
Jacob Weitering and Callum Mills were the leaders after the first season. By the end of the 2nd season, Charlie Curnow was the clubhouse leader. Curnow might still be in pole position as one of the brightest up and coming talents in the game from the draft pool but Clayton Oliver’s case for being the pick of the bunch will become way too hard to ignore.

Advertisement

At 21 years of age and just 53 games to his name, Oliver is showing he’s the man capable of putting Melbourne on his shoulders and dragging them over the line.

Especially when the game was heading in the same direction as it did last week for the demons – get out to a big lead in the third quarter only to see it reeled back in, Clayton Oliver was central to making sure that the same result wouldn’t happen again.

The Demons ended Adelaide’s season and kept their top 4 chances alive and have found just another young leader that can drag everyone along with him.

6. Can we get more Sun for the Green Shoots?
What do plants need to grow? Water and Sun. Not suggesting they should merge, but should they sell some games to Metricon? Only kidding, despite Carlton having a pretty good record up at Metricon. It was a good night for the Blues.

A night that would have proved to themselves that they aren’t as bad as bad as what they have produced previously this season. there were brilliant glimpses of their future – highlighted by their 3rd quarter where they piled on 7 goals and for the first time this season – played the game on their terms.

Patrick Cripps led the way again in another best on ground performance for the Brownlow medal fancy.

7. Has North pulled off the best trade of 2016?
The big name deals of that trade period involved Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell, Michael Hibberd, Josh Caddy and Brett Deledio. There was also the non-trade of Bryce Gibbs that created headlines in the action-packed ten days following the 2016 season.

Advertisement

But North Melbourne might have landed the steal of the lot by securing Paul Ahern – originally pick seven from the Giants for just pick 69.

Ahern – finally getting his chance in 2018 after an injury-riddled first three years is proving why he was rated so highly in the first place. His 37-possession (22 contested), 3-tackle, 12-clearance game against West Coast would have all North fans salivating at the prospects of just how much good footy this young gifted kid has ahead of him. He was a big part in North’s big win keeping their season and finals hopes alive.

Paul Ahern

(Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)

8. Where is the Dogs hunger?
The second half fadeouts across the year have been as concerning as the number of injuries that they have. And as the season wears on it gets harder and harder to believe that this club lifted the Premiership cup just 41 games ago.

Only managing the one goal after halftime and scoreless in the final quarter would have frustrated Luke Beveridge who is trying to get this team to the end of another rough campaign.

However, what Beveridge would be most unhappy about would be the lack of hunger and desire – even from some premiership players there when the game was there to be won.

9. What is the master coach cooking?
If the last couple of seasons are anything to go by, if you’re in the final eight and you have close to a clean bill of health, you are primed for a pretty good run at it towards the end.

Advertisement

While Sicily remains a 50/50 chance to get up for the finals with a broken scaphoid, the rest of Hawthorn’s list is in pretty healthy shape with the likes of Birchall and McEvoy a chance to return before finals. Daniel Howe will also be available for the finals after he serves his full suspension.

They are playing great football – albeit having a softer draw but are setting themselves nicely. And lets also not forget that they are being coached by one of the best AFL coaches in recent memory who could have something special in store for September.

close