Opinion
Here are my thoughts after the season restart.
Score review needs reviewing?
A couple of contentious calls across the weekend have put the score review under fire, most notably for the mark paid to Jack Higgins on the goal line that would’ve otherwise been called a behind.
In the end, Higgins went on to kick a goal and the match ended up as a draw on Thursday night, pushing the question as to whether or not the right call was made.
Personally, I think it was a mark but it’s safe to say there a lot of unhappy Collingwood supporters. The GWS and North Melbourne game also had some controversial calls and score review encounters that could have gone either way.
The Roos won comfortably in the end but it didn’t help the fact that the system came under fire again.
The 2020 season is going to be a long one for the Crows
Showdowns of recent years haven’t failed to excite with plenty of them going right down to the final few minutes.
However, Saturday night was quite the anti-climax with the Power thumping the Crows by 75 points in what Crows coach Matthew Nicks described as an “embarrassing” performance.
(Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
It was known that the club would struggle this year after offloading a lot of players and staff over the off-season but their Round 1 performance against the Swans showed promising signs as they lost a thriller at home.
Saturday night may have proved the Crows’ doubters correct and showed us that the Power might be a genuine contender this season. A lot of fans are tipping the Crows in the bottom four for sure, with many tipping them as wooden spooners.
The future is bright on the Gold Coast
Matt Rowell showed his class in just his second AFL game, gathering 26 touches, seven tackles and a crucial two goals in the Suns’ surprise 44-point hammering of the Eagles on Saturday night.
Rowell pretty much has the NAB Rising Star Award in the bag after a second-game performance like that against a side that most people would consider a powerhouse of the competition.
This may have only been a one-off slip-up for the Eagles but it was an embarrassing night nonetheless.
Number two pick Noah Anderson also showed plenty of quality for the Suns as he amassed 19 disposals, five marks and also managed to hit the scoreboard with one major. Have the Suns finally found the light at the end of the tunnel?
(Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
GMHBA is a fortress
The Cats proved themselves on Friday night against the Hawks in their huge 61-point win. Many would argue that if the game was played at the MCG, it may have been a completely different story.
As the Cats have finally got their wish to play their home games down in Geelong, Friday night is a huge sign of what is possibly to come for any side that must travel to the Cattery.
The Cats face Carlton and Gold Coast in Rounds 3 and 5 in Geelong while heading to the MCG to face the Demons in Round 4, all games that they will head into as favourites.
If the Cats go deep into September once again, they will be a very healthy chance especially if they have the opportunity to host sides at GMHBA Stadium.
Carlton are almost there
The Blues were once again slow starters in their clash with Melbourne on Saturday. Being 42 points down at one stage, the Blues rallied to level the scores late before the Dees hung on the scrape home by a point.
It was a similar story to Round 1 with the Tigers leading the Blues by 50 points at one stage before the Blues got within 16 in the final term. These slow starts have possibly cost the Blues two big wins in their opening two games of this season.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The Blues will be tested in the next three weeks, although there are some winnable games in there. They travel to Geelong next week to tackle the Cats and then have the Bombers and Saints in the following two weeks, both of which will be at the MCG. The Cats game may test the Blues but Essendon and St Kilda are truly winnable games.
Bulldogs have some thinking to do
Question marks loom over where the Bulldogs are at right now after a big loss to the Saints on Sunday evening. The Dogs looked fine in the first term but after that the Saints ran riot, winning by 39 points.
The pressure is now put on the Bulldogs’ forward line after they have registered a total of 83 points across both their games so far in 2020. Even against the Saints, a lot of their goals came from their midfielders.
The Bulldogs must come out firing against the Giants next Friday night at Marvel Stadium as GWS will be hungry for a win after their defeat to North Melbourne on Sunday.
Rounds 4 and 5 see them playing Sydney and North Melbourne respectively in what needs to be two wins for the Dogs to steer themselves back on track.
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