Round 11 was just another regular round of football filled with controversy, tipping nightmares and matches being played in China.
These are my likes and dislikes from the last round in the AFL.
Likes
Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle are not anybody’s premiership favourites this year, but they sure are turning heads with their performances the last few weeks.
After finishing 14th last season, Fremantle currently sit in ninth and with wins against top four quality opponents they are prime to make a finals push.
Michael Walters gets to live the childhood dream two weeks in a row with clutch kicks in the fourth quarter and Nat Fyfe put on another display which showed why he is in Brownlow contention.
The match against Collingwood did have its fair share of controversy, but there is no denying that Fremantle are playing significantly better footy than previous years.
Fremantle backman Luke Ryan has enjoyed a strong start to 2019. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Rhyce Shaw
Where did that come from? After a spirited win the week before against the bulldogs for Brad Scott’s final game as coach, they backed it up with an even more gutsy win. The previous week was built on emotion while this week was built on brilliant coaching.
Rhyce Shaw may have only had a week to change game plan but it has made a significant impact early in his tenure as head coach.
Finally, North Melbourne have a coach that can make a forward line functional enough to let Ben Brown play freely and by adding Jack Ziebell back in the middle of the ground, their midfield looks ready to compete with the big teams. After a tough first half of the season for the Kangaroos, I hope this continues.
Stephen Coniglio
When the midfield of the Giants is that staked with A grade talent, it is sometimes difficult to stand out. However, Stephen Coniglio’s match against the Suns was nothing shore of outstanding.
Notching 36 touches, 13 marks, eight tackles, three goals and 192 AFL fantasy points, Coniglio’s match was one of the most impressive individual performances by any player this season. Out of contract at the end of the year, the Giants will well and truly have to open the check book to keep him in the harbour city in for the long-term future.
Stephen Coniglio (right) and Josh Kelly of the Giants. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Dislikes
Footy in China
Don’t think that was the spectacle Port Adelaide or the AFL was hoping for when this match was first introduced three years ago.
Even before the first bounce, St Kilda struggled with the heavy impact of overseas travel with several players and coaching coming down with illness.
I mean, the trip to Perth has been described as difficult for Melbourne clubs so a China trip was less than desirable. Then once the match started it did not get much better. Described as a sell-out by the AFL, the official crowd was 9412.
Although still being higher than a Giant home game, was still a fairly dismal effort for a marquee match on the AFL calendar.
With St Kilda captain, Jarryn Geary suffering a fractured fibula and having to be rushed to hospital in a foreign country, it’s the kind of story you only see on dramatised national geographic shows. I don’t think this experiment will last much longer in the AFL.
Brendon Bolton
I’ll be honest, I’m surprised he lasted this long. Officially Carlton’s least successful coach in history, Bolton only managed to win just over 20 per cent of his matches as head coach and since taking over from Mick Malthouse at the start of the 2016 season.
Bolton has only managed a dismal 16 wins and has a highest ladder position of 14th during his time at the club.
Furthermore, Bolton and his staff made countless list changes which has resulted in this club losing any pride and style in the way they play.
With a club having such a rich history of the game’s great players and success, the fans certainly deserve better and as a footy fan, I hope their position improves.
Brendon Bolton (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Kicking at goal
Melbourne had eight more scoring shots than Adelaide in their match this weekend but found themselves in the loser column at the end of the round. Missed opportunities from Max Gawn and Sam Weiderman from right in front late in the fourth quarter just sums up Melbourne’s goal kicking performance on the night.
Nerves may have got the better of these two players, but this was a game of small margins and has basically ended their very slim finals hopes.
Similarly, the Swans has more scoring shots than the Cats but were faced with a large gap on the scoreboard. Brody Mihocek missed a simple set shot 15 metres out which may have changed the result of the Magpies match against Fremantle which only came down a goal difference.
There is a reason why fans celebrate goals and not behind and I hope that this trend of inaccurate kicking can make a turn.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Not really poor. They hit the post 6 times in that game. Only lost by 25 points and another top 4 side they have played and only get to play again in the finals...if Richmond make it.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
The game against Richmond was really poor. Hopefully they have moved on.
Raimond
Roar Guru
OK then
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I like Freo! Beating The Pies, who had an 8 day break, at their home when they only had a 6 day break and had to travel. They lost their best defender for the last quarter and the Pies got more goals from umpire error than Freo did. (Reid's 'too high' goal wher the video replay shows Hughes didn'e even touch him, De Goey's mark that was touched before he marked it and Lobb was shepherded). Freo is on the way. Beaten GWS and Pies away. Biggest loss was 25 points...next 11 points. Not bad.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Port may even run this game at a profit ... one day ... and maybe they won't need State and Federal Government + AFL Handouts to do it! Yeh ... Nah!
Bearfly
Roar Rookie
“Even before the first bounce, St Kilda struggled with the heavy impact of overseas travel with several players and coaching coming down with illness.” Saints can only blame themselves regarding impact of travel by leaving too late – Port left Adelaide late Tuesday afternoon, and in fact had a longer travel time due to having a few hours layover in Melbourne. As for illness, there are conflicting stories floating around, one claiming several players were ill before leaving Melbourne, the other claiming a group of players and coaches/support staff eating out at an “authentic” Chinese food stall – no matter which is truth, they were both avoidable. Port right from the first China game have shipped over their own supplies and insist all players and staff on the trip only eat at the hotel they stay in and only the food supplied by the club. The Saints have another 2 years on their agreement to play in China, they would be better served trying to replicate what Port does to improve their experience over there in 2020-21. “I don’t think this experiment will last much longer in the AFL.” Port’s vision for this annual foray in China was for a 10 year minimum commitment, and with the amount of new sponsorship money coming from Chinese businesses (and Australian businesses with strong Chinese business connections), you will find that this will at least last the 10 year journey. Port and Saints both benefited financially from this game, and because the Saints have agreed to at least another 2 years they will reap even better financial rewards, something Port has demonstrated over the 3 years this game has been played. What most people either don’t know, or totally ignore, is the fact that AFL programs are available in schools in Shanghai, with there introduction and spread starting a couple of years before the first game was played there in 2017. China now has weekly AFL games on 3 tv networks, which is largely as a result of the hard work of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
maxy
Roar Rookie
don't know why people keep knocking the china games [im a port supporter] the afl aren't over there to promote the game to the Chinese community,how stupid would that be no one knows anything about it over there,kochie even said it,its all about sponsorship and business deals,trust me saints got very well paid very hard to get sponsors especially in Melbourne when you have so many clubs in the one state.it was ports idea and I for one think its very smart buy them,biggest economy in the world
User
Roar Rookie
And darling being 4th in the Coleman with jk being 5th is quite the like.
Grand-Dag
Guest
Was good but could have been slightly better - allowed 2 or 3 soft goals in in the last five minutes.
Grand-Dag
Guest
"Stephen Coniglio’s match against the Suns was nothing shore of outstanding" Thought Shaw was coaching the Kangas.
WCE
Roar Rookie
Likes - West Coast 61 point belting of the bulldogs
IAP
Guest
Hey Robbo, you forgot to mention Essendon.
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Guest
"Furthermore, Bolton and his staff made countless list changes which has resulted in this club losing any pride and style in the way they play." Bit harsh on Bolton there. I'm certainly not saying he's a great coach, but you you can't really go after him for the list changes - that's on SOS.