Opinion
Round 5 had a mixture of games. Some were exciting to watch and others were monotonous.
The first game of the round was a cracking contest between the Lions and the Magpies. Unfortunately, on Good Friday, there were two games that were extremely one sided, which was difficult to watch at times.
Footy is alive and well. A team can learn about themselves if they win comfortably or if they fail to bring the intensity needed to be competitive.
The Demons were at their best obliterating the Giants. The Demons don’t seem to be losing their hunger.
There’s no doubt the Power showed character in a classic game. The Blues led by 50 points and the Power ended up losing the game by just three points by taking the game on.
The best game was saved for last with Hawthorn narrowly defeating the Cats.
One of the highlights on the weekend was the manner in which the Swans’ youngsters performed.
Round 5 was a good one for the youngsters as many came to the fore, with the likes of Hawthorn and the Dockers relying on those players to help them win games of footy.
Adelaide Crows – the fans have some hope
The Crows showed plenty of character to win a game that had a lot of momentum swings against a Tigers team that was gallant in defeat.
It was great to see Taylor Walker and Elliott Himmelberg combine for nine of the Crows’ 15 goals. It’s great to see that the two key forwards combine and at the same time small forwards Josh Rachele and Shane McAdam kicked two goals each.
The belief of the Crows never wavered even thought they were challenged.
(Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Brisbane Lions – got the four points
The Lions gave the Magpies a chance to stay in the game throughout the contest. The Lions appeared as if they were going to win the game by at least 30 points in the last quarter.
Lachie Neale was good after quarter time as he had 29 disposals. Joe Daniher was at his best, as he kicked four goals at important parts of the game.
Carlton Blues – plenty of work to do despite getting the four points
The Blues led the Power by 50 points in the third quarter and nearly lost the game. They were outplayed completely in the third quarter, losing it by 32 points.
Despite getting over the line and claiming the win, there were more concerns than positives for the Blues as they have deficiencies.
The main one would have to be complacency, as they nearly allowed the Power to win a game they had no right to be in contention with on the scoreboard.
Collingwood Magpies – the game was lost in the coach’s box
The Magpies didn’t make enough moves. The decision to tag Lachie Neale with Scott Pendlebury lost the Magpies the game in the second quarter, as Neale had 15 disposals in the second quarter.
They clearly could’ve moved Nick Daicos onto Lachie Neale. He would’ve learned a lot and who knows, the change could’ve even come off as Scott Pendlebury lacks the speed and youthful exuberance of Daicos.
Darcy Moore should’ve been moved forward earlier in the game as Mason Cox went missing. Jordan De Goey was a shining light with four goals and Jack Crisp wasn’t bad.
(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Essendon Bombers – chalk and cheese
The Bombers were a team that many people were bullish about going into season 2022 after making the finals in season 2021.
They have plenty of work to do to get into finals calculations in season 2022 as they have been one of the most disappointing teams to watch in season 2022.
In Round 5 they made the Dockers look like the Harlem Globetrotters at times.
Fremantle Dockers – a quality display where Matt Taberner led the way
The Dockers may have the best key forward in the game in Matt Taberner as he kicked seven goals in a terrific display against a Bombers defence that were all at sea.
There’s a chance that they may have the Brownlow Medallist in their team: Andrew Brayshaw had 34 disposals. There’s a great mix between youth and experience as their recruiting has been excellent.
They also possess one of the best ruckmen in the game, with Sean Darcy accumulating 18 disposals and kicking two goals.
It’s difficult to dispute their second half against the Bombers was exceptional as the Dockers won it by 39 points.
Geelong Cats – they started slowly and it cost them in the end
The Cats didn’t even have a disposal early in the end whereas Hawthorn hit the scoreboard. They kicked at least two goals in that period.
The rest of the game the Cats played the brand of footy that has normally held them in good stead. The difference between the two teams was unfortunately the Cats’ start where they weren’t as efficient with their goal kicking.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Gold Coast Suns – gallant in defeat
The Suns played well in the first half, but at the end of the day the Saints claimed the four points.
At the end of the day, it was an honourable loss for the Suns. They did play against a Saints team that’s capable of beating anyone on their day.
GWS Giants – giant embarrassment
The Giants were within 19 points in the third quarter, but trailed by 62 points at three-quarter time. It was a game that was in the balance, but they let the Demons obliterate them.
They were outworked and outplayed in every element of the game in the second half. It’s difficult to find positives, other than the fact they won the second quarter by five points. Bobby Hill kicked a couple of good goals.
Hawthorn – Sam Mitchell’s training methods paid dividends
Hawthorn had a robust training session during the week in response to a lacklustre display in Round 4. Their attack on the footy and team-first method of playing with and without the ball early was unbelievable in the first quarter.
There’s no doubt that they were impacted by the injury to their ruckman Ned Reeves. Hawthorn lost the hitouts by 21, but they only lost the clearances by one. They showed that their game style can style can stack up against any team.
(Photo by Cameron Grimes/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Melbourne Demons – no fear
The Demons never stopped working. They were ruthless. There were parts of the game where they were outplayed statistically, but they never got flustered. They put in a four-quarter effort.
There was no let up in their pressure and they played team-first footy. The third quarter is called the premiership quarter for a reason as the Demons won the third quarter by 48 points, which sums them up.
They never let up on their work rate. Remarkably 12 of their 22 players kicked at least one goal.
North Melbourne Kangaroos – a Good Friday game where the supporters have plenty of pain
The Kangaroos should be honoured to play in the Good Friday game against the Bulldogs, but judging by the Kangaroos’ lack of intent in the first quarter you wouldn’t know it.
They trailed by 45 points at quarter time. Then to tease their fans, they responded to a quarter-time change of tack from coach David Noble to win the second quarter by 19 points.
The second half was a train wreck as they lost it by seven goals. Too little was left to too few.
Once again Jy Simpkin was prolific with 27 disposals and Nick Larkey kicked four goals. Despite that, there’s little doubt that the Kangaroos may lose the honour of playing in such a prestigious game.
Port Adelaide Power – second half is the template
The Power fought bravely against a team that has some elite players. They did so without the Brownlow Medalist from season 2021, Ollie Wines.
There’s no doubt that the Power risked losing by 100 points to have a chance of winning the game and the gamble nearly paid off.
There was a kick from Dan Houston that resulted in a turnover in the fourth quarter, but didn’t end up in a goal to the Blues. That epitomised the mindset and freedom the Power after trailing by 50 points.
Ken Hinkley will be asking himself how could they not stem the bleeding on the scoreboard in the first half and have the antithesis happen in the second half.
(Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Richmond Tigers – they lacked polish
The Tigers showed great endeavour at times, while they lacked the grit and will to win a game that they would’ve thought was winnable.
They are clearly missing Dustin Martin, Dylan Grimes and Kane Lambert to a lesser extent. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel as they fought tirelessly late in the game to get an honourable loss.
St Kilda Saints – they are taking it game by game
The Saints have their feet planted firmly on the ground. They could’ve been forgiven for being complacent in Round 5 after a 69-point win over the Hawks in Round 4, but that wasn’t the case.
They put in a four-quarter effort in Round 5 and were challenged by a Suns team that were gallant in defeat. The difference between the two teams was Jack Higgins, who kicked five goals.
Sydney Swans – with no ‘Buddy’, they were unpredictable to study
The Swans looked unpredictable as they appeared to have the perfect mix in the forward line as they showed that they are a tough to play against, despite missing one of their most lauded players.
Incredibly, 11 out of the 22 players that featured for the Swans kicked at least a goal.
(Photo by Matt King/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
The ease with which they moved the footy was incredible, despite being without Lance Franklin and having the luxury of making Josh Kennedy the sub.
Are they in the best 22? Probably, along with All Australian Tom Papley. But who do they drop?
West Coast Eagles – they were flat, it’s as simple as that
The Eagles didn’t turn up. They were scoreless in the first quarter. It was a difficult game of footy to watch due to a lack of preparation and what appeared to be a lack of planning.
It’s the worst performance by any team this season. A week after the Power had that label, miraculously the Eagles played worse. To put it simply, it was a training drill for the Swans.
Western Bulldogs – second-quarter blues show that Luke Beveridge has work to do as the Dogs didn’t have a clue
The Bulldogs started the game as if their lives depended on it. They clearly had improved their goal kicking.
Despite that, the game should’ve been over at quarter time. There’s little doubt that the Bulldogs left the door ajar for the Kangaroos to claim a miracle win in a lacklustre second-quarter display.
After the game Bailey Smith admitted that the Bulldogs were complacent in the second quarter, which is unacceptable for a team that has the capability to at the very least reach the finals.
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