Opinion
A round beginning on a Monday and ending on a Friday is an unusual one, but Round 11 beginning on a Saturday and ending on a Wednesday is bound to feel stranger.
A surprising lack of change this week – except within the top six, but comprehending the ladder is beginning to become a little easier as we head towards the later stages of the season.
Last week: 3
Back on top. Continued an increasingly unusual theme of having worse form at home than away (prompting the extraordinarily strange, very 2020 question of “can the Power move to Queensland?”). They did win against the Bulldogs, though, although they were helped by the Doggies’ shocking inaccuracy when they had chances.
Last week: 5
Brilliant. A close game, superb performances, classy goals. Everything you want from footy – and the Saints and Suns provided it. Just quietly, Dan Butler is turning into the recruit of the year – some of his goals on Thursday night were legitimately sensational.
Last week: 6
The premiers seemed in fine form on Tuesday, with an asterisk over the fact that they’re nearly always in fine form when facing Brisbane. Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch are getting to fine form, making it ominous for whoever they face. Premiership favourites? Not quite yet – I’m hesitant to pick any team as faves. But they’re close.
Last week: 1
Had the bye. I apologise for the drop, Eagles fans, but I expect it to be a temporary one.
Last week: 4
It’s strange, because there isn’t much I can report from a game that had a very forgone conclusion. Gryan Miers provided spark, Cam Guthrie outplayed Patrick Dangerfield to be their best midfielder, they picked up another crucial four points. Not bad for a largely forgettable Wednesday night game.
Last week: 2
Played genuinely well. Except when they were trying to kick goals. A horrific case of the yips – their final score was 4.17 (41) – saw the Lions suffer yet another hefty defeat against the reigning premiers, extending a long-running theme. Yet another four-day break awaits: they play the a similarly inaccurate Bulldogs tonight.
Last week: 8
The poorer team for much of the clash, but did well working their way back into the game.
Last week: 9
Positive: they won. Negative: injuries, lacklustre game, inaccuracy. Not a memorable clash by any stretch of the imagination, but the Pies do admittedly pick up a super crucial four points. Now they mustn’t become the Crows’ first scalp.
Last week: 10
Yes, that late umpiring blunder was poor. No, it did not lose the Bombers the game. The Bombers – who were four goals up late in the third term – managed to let that lead collapse, and were on track to lose the game regardless of the umpiring error. Nevertheless it was a much improved performance from their past few games.
Last week: 11
If you’d told me in January that the Suns – with the Saints as their opponents – would produce one of the games of the season so far, I would have thought you were insane. But, alas, here we are. They’d be disappointed not to sneak the win – but they did get one small victory: their King brother kicked more goals than his Saints twin.
Last week: 7
Oh boy. They had their chances – plenty of them, winning the inside 50 count and having more shots on goal – but in a Brisbane-esque fashion, they were horribly inaccurate. The ingredients are genuinely there to challenge for finals: inconsistency is their biggest hurdle.
Last week: 12
Had the bye.
Last week: 13
Had the bye.
Last week: 14
Eh, not a lot to report. They’ll be annoyed by a few things – a smidgen of dubious umpiring and the fact they couldn’t take advantage of a very inaccurate Magpies. Next up GWS… in Perth. Intriguing.
Last week: 15
The bad news: Ben Brown’s return to the side was cut short by injury. The good news: debutant Lachie Hosie showed clams with two early goals. Swings and roundabouts for a side that has now lost all but two games since the season’s resumption.
Last week: 16
Had the bye.
Last week: 17
It wasn’t a great game, but the Dees did produce a very nice final quarter. They kicked seven goals to put away a dogged Crows outfit who – up until that part of the game – did look a chance. It’s their fourth win of the year – they need just one more to equal last year’s five wins.
Last week: 18
Another game, another loss. A wounded Pies and an inconsistent Bulldogs are their next two, and there is a chance in both of them. But, realistically, they’re going to start underdogs in all remaining clashes, and I genuinely cannot see where they’re going to produce a win. Winless 2020? It’s looking increasingly possible.
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There's an old saying that you should never argue with an idiot, because they'll drag you down to their level and then beat you…
The ball hit the boundary umpire's leg and rebounded back into play, leading to debate over whether a throw-in should have been called for.
Poor Jacob Hopper just can't catch a break.
The Dees will be hoping it doesn't prove costly!
Spicy stuff at the MCG!
